Tangled

A charming thief, a spunky chameleon, a white stallion on the hunt, a stolen crown, an evil old lady, a vivacious young woman, twin bad guys, ceramic unicorns, floating lanterns, a dangerous frying pan...  You'll find all of these things in Disney's 50th animated feature, and well... Let's just say, things get... Tangled.

Tangled premiered in 2010 and is Disney's take on the classic tale of "Rapunzel."  The fairytale involves a beautiful princess being locked away in a tower by an evil witch.  The lovely maiden's hair is never cut and grows long enough for her to throw out her window as a rope for the prince who comes along to rescue her...  Disney of course adds their own story-making magic to the tale to bring us a delightful film!  Indeed, it's my favorite Disney movie since the turn of the millennium.

The film is actually narrated by the film's hero: Flynn Rider with a decidedly amusing tone.  To set up the story we learn that a drop of sun falls to the earth and a beautiful flower grows where it lands.  Mother Goethel finds this flower and learns that it can help her stay young... forever.  She hides the flower and it's secret powers for herself.  Lo and behold, the kingdom's queen (who is expecting a child) becomes sick and the flower is found and taken to her.  She is healed and gives birth to a beautiful daughter.  And it turns out that the magic in the flower is now in the princess.  What's a selfish old woman to do?  Kidnap the princess and hide her away...

Fast forward 18 years and we'll find Flynn climbing Rapunzel's tower to hide from the royal guard who is doggedly pursuing him to recover the royal tiara that he has just stolen.  Unfortunately for him, Rapunzel does not take tower invaders lightly and promptly knocks him out with her frying pan.  Soon Rapunzel has negotiated a trip out of her tower to see the floating lanterns with Flynn as her guide.  (It rather helps that she's hidden the stolen tiara and is holding it for collateral...)  But alas, when you've got a kidnapped princess on the run with a wanted felon, things get a little, well, tangled.  ;)

Tangled has all of the ingredients that make a great Disney film: a heartwarming story, likable characters, good humor, wonderful music, vile villainy, and sweet romance.  The film's humor is right up my alley.  The sidekicks are a hoot.  And Flynn's commentary throughout the film is smile-inducing every time.  

The film also has perhaps the most romantic scene to appear in a Disney film since "A Whole New World."  Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, the king and queen (and the rest of the kingdom) release lanterns in commemoration and hope that the lost princess will be found.  Rapunzel's dream is to see the floating lights in person (rather than just from her window), and the scene does not disappoint.

Tangled is a very enjoyable film.  It's definitely in my top 10 Disney films (and perhaps even in the top 5).  I highly recommend this film for boys and girls of all ages.  There's action and adventure, songs and romance, funny sidekicks and heart.  It's wonderful!

And to close I'll leave you with some beautiful (and rather wise) words from our hero, Flynn Rider:

All those days chasing down a daydream

All those years living in a blur

All that time never truly seeing

Things, the way they were.

So remember to appreciate the moments, and don't spend your life chasing things that don't matter in the end.


Coming Up Next: Winnie the Pooh