'Tangled:' Off the tower and off the beaten princess path

How far would you go to pursue your dream? Would you secretly leave your home? Disobey your parents? Run away with a criminal? Fall in love with said criminal? Hang out and sing songs with even more criminals? If these were questions in one of those “Which Disney Princess are you?" internet quizzes and you answered “yes" to all of the above, then you will likely get this result: “You are Princess Rapunzel from Tangled! You are feisty and determined to fulfill your dream…even if it means using your 70-foot, magical-hair-that-never-gets-tangled to escape from your tower." You might say that Rapunzel doesn’t sound like much of a Disney Princess if she did all those horrible things, but really, she wasn’t the first to show a rebellious streak: Mulan left home to impersonate a man and join the army, Ariel collected forbidden artifacts from land-dwellers, Jasmine escaped from the palace to wander around Agrabah, and Pocahontas refused an arranged marriage. Yeah, they all marry young. If that seems like a cynical way to look at a Disney animated film, well…yes, it is. Disney movies, after all, have always been meant to be viewed through rose-colored glasses (that’s probably why their Princess color scheme is pink). These movies should make you throw your cynicism out the window, forget your humdrum life, and make you believe in fairy tales even for just a few hours. And if that’s the criteria for good Disney movies, then Tangled passes the test with flying colors, the criminals notwithstanding. Your rose-colored glasses can even come in 3D! Tangled is based on Rapunzel as told by the Brothers Grimm. Sources say that the earliest incarnation of the story is an Iranian tale dating back to 1000 A.D., but the most popular version is the one published by the Grimms in 1812 as part of a collection of children’s and folk tales. In Tangled, Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore—A Walk to Remember) was born to the King and Queen of the land, but was stolen by a woman, Gothel (voiced by Donna Murphy—The Fountain, Spider-Man 2), because of her magical hair. For 17 years, Gothel raised the princess in a hidden tower in the forest as her own. She never lets Rapunzel leave the tower and ensures the girl never gets the urge to leave by feeding her fear with stories of “men with pointed teeth" and other horrible things that she may encounter in the outside world. On the eve of her 18th birthday, Rapunzel asks to leave the tower to see something that she has always longed to see, but Gothel refuses. Along comes Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi—Chuck, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel), a sneaky yet charming thief who climbs Rapunzel’s tower unwittingly to hide from his ex-comrades-in-thievery. Rapunzel imprisons him and devises a way to escape from the tower with Flynn as her guide. Once Rapunzel and Flynn are free of the tower, Tangled also breaks free from the sluggish first act and turns into a funny and thoroughly enjoyable adventure. The duo is joined by 2 sidekicks: Pascal the Chameleon, and Maximus the Horse, who provide a lot of laughs despite not having any spoken lines. (Stock up on chameleons, pet shop owners!) Rapunzel is very likable, and she just might be the funniest of the Disney princesses, if not the most animated (pun very much intended). Because the story provides a solid foundation for her all-around innocence and naiveté, most of what she does and what happens to her make a lot of sense. She’s not a bratty kid who wants to leave the tower to hang out with the bad boys just because she wants to be independent or because she is bored with her life (insert stubborn stomping of royal feet here); she genuinely just wants to fulfill her dream. Flynn is likewise a much more believable character than most of his counterparts in preceding Disney animated films. He has a real motivation for going along with Rapunzel’s plan other than just being in love with her…at least, in the beginning. Mother Gothel may not be as nefarious as Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent or Aladdin’s Jafar, but she’s bad, she’s cunning, she’s motherly! Her brand of villainy has a sweet and caring edge to it that’s fitting for her Grand Villainous Plan--she’s not after power or The Throne; she’s after eternal youth. All the characters and settings in Tangled are rendered beautifully in a style that is reminiscent of the classic look of the old Disney animated movies, but with a modern touch. Animation director Glen Keane used the paintings of Jean-Honoré Fragonard as inspiration for the art style of the film, and Disney had to develop additional animation technologies to ensure that they got the look they were aiming for. The result, aside from what could be the biggest development cost for an animated film ever, is a playful yet romantic look that befits Rapunzel’s character and the general tone of the film. Tangled marks the return of the legendary Alan Menken to Disney. However, the songs he composed together with Glenn Slater for this film are not as memorable as his work on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, or Aladdin. They did earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for I See the Light—it was used in the most beautiful sequence in the film—but Menken’s musical score is not up for an award. Singer Mandy Moore lends her voice to Rapunzel, and turns in a great performance that captures the character’s innocence and gaiety. Zachary Levi also does well in his first voice work for a feature film as Flynn Rider. His lone music credit before Tangled is a duet with Katharine McPhee for her single, Terrified, but his performances in this film belie any perceived musical inexperience. Veteran actress and singer Donna Murphy is just perfect as Mother Gothel, who got the best solo numbers in the film. There was a time during its marketing phase when it seemed that Disney didn’t really know what to make of Tangled and how to sell it. They changed the title twice in an effort to make the film more attractive to a general audience (not just to young girls who like princesses), and gave equal attention to Flynn Rider’s character, possibly to attract more boys. But the film is, in essence, about family and dreams, and it is best seen with your entire family in tow. Oh, and if you’re wondering whether or not to go for the 3D option on your rose-colored glasses, regular 2D should be just as good, but seeing it in 3D will enhance the experience more. Tangled is Disney’s 50th animated feature. While it may not be the highest-grossing or the most critically-acclaimed of them, it is sure to be one of the answers to a “What are your favorite Disney animated films?" online poll. It’s definitely on my list. Rating: 4 out of 5 lanterns. - GMANews.TV Tangled is screening in regular and digital 3D cinemas starting February 2nd, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Philippines.