Tangled
3 stars (out of 4)
Rated: G
Disney is trumpeting Tangled as its 50th animated feature, which seems an odd boast considering how hard these pin-striped Mouseketeers are seeking to break from tradition.
Tangled is a giddy departure from the likes of Snow White, Pinocchio, The Lady and the Tramp and other childhood favourites, where princesses, puppets and pooches sweetly await certain happiness from benevolent figures.
This one is cynical, sarcastic and makes no promise of rescue or redemption. The heroine is a frypan-swinging athlete who has a slimy chameleon for a pet. The hero is a conman and thief. Not that there’s anything wrong with that — in fact, there’s a lot that’s right about it.
Even the title runs counter to Disney convention, being something you’d expect more from its Toontown rivals at DreamWorks or Pixar. The film adapts Rapunzel, the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a fair maiden in a high tower who uses her flowing locks as an eco-friendly escalator.
All of which is to say that if you seek the gentler Disney fare of yore, when all you had to do was wish upon a star or whistle while you worked, then Tangled may not be your cup o’ stardust.
If you’re seeking more modern thrills or laughs, however, grab a lock and hang on.
Tangled features the poppy and peppy Mandy Moore as Rapunzel, a character no longer Grimm but certainly vexed. As an infant, she’s abducted from her cradle by the desperate woman known as Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) who is suspiciously Cher-like in her quest for eternal youth.
She believes she’s found magic in the golden follicles of Rapunzel, who must forever be her slave. Until the day comes when brazen adventurer Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi of TV’s Chuck) finagles his way into Rapunzel’s life, and all heck breaks loose.
She clocks him with a frying pan, suspicious of his intentions. Then she realizes he could be her ticket out of the tower.
Adventure, ho! And much of it is quite funny, well scripted by screenwriter Dan Fogelman, who previously wrote Bolt and Cars. Co-directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, who also have Bolt on their resumés, keep the action urgent and make the 3-D seem unnecessary.
There’s a wealth of secondary characters found in the not-so-tough guys who aid Rapunzel, and who are good enough to almost merit their own movie.
Songs composed by Disney regular Alan Menken, working with lyricist Glenn Slater, are enjoyable if not very memorable. Neither they nor Tangled rank amongst the best things that Disney has ever offered.
Still, the movie is a welcome breath of fresh air, for a company too long cooped up in an ivory tower.
Peter Howell is a syndicated movie critic for The Toronto Star.