Disney’s fiftieth animated feature film was undoubtedly going to be one of flare and spectacle, with all of the musical brilliance we have come to expect. And with Tangled the studio introduced a quirky retelling of the Rapunzel tale, with songs and the implementing of new technology into its story-making.
Tangled marks the first Disney princess film that was made in CGI, and ushered in a second “Renaissance” era. For a film that had spent so long waiting to be released, it proved to be the most profitable Disney Princess film until Frozen and Moana. With Mandy Moore as Rapunzel and Zachery Levi as Flynn Ryder, the leading duo even fulfilled lifelong dreams (and honestly who didn’t want to be in a Disney film when they were younger?).
It’s one of my all-time favourite Disney films, and Rapunzel was my favourite Princess until Merida arrived in Brave two years later. “I have a dream” is such a fun song, and the entire Snuggly Ducking scene was unexpected but experiencing all of those mercenaries singing about their dream to become florists, pianists and more, just makes chaotic fun for audiences of all ages.
I rewatched Tangled recently, and there are details in the film that I never appreciated before. From even the smallest embroidery on the outfits to the fact the crew coded an entire program to be able to render all of Rapunzel’s hair correctly, and the awe-inspiring soundtrack by Alan Menkin and Glenn Slater are personally some of the best Disney tracks out there. You come away from watching the film with a renewed motivation to be creative (thanks for Rapunzel’s upbeat energy and loveable nature) and I think we all gained a new understanding for just how dangerous frying pans could be in the right hands.
There are some moments that bring homage to previous films such as Beauty and the Beast and the “I see the light” sequence is clearly inspired by The Little Mermaid. The film even spawned an animated series which premiered in 2017, for which both Levi and Moore reprised their roles with an equally stunning soundtrack – a special shoutout of course going for “Crossing the Line”.
Watch the trailer for Tangled below:
