Rent/Buy This Weekend: TANGLED

Get TANGLED up in this delightful animated film!  Based on the well-known fairy tale Rapunzel, this spin on the classic is imaginative, beautiful, and hilarious.  Voiced by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi (from NBC's CHUCK), the film's characters are well defined and well executed.  And while the songs are not the film's best attributes, the story more than makes up for it.

Best of all, the main character (yep, you guessed it, Rapunzel), is not the typical-classic Disney Princess.  Unlike Belle, Cinderella, and Aurora, Rapunzel is not a damsel in distress.  She leaves her tower on her own two feet and manages to use a frying pan to fend off bad guys all by herself.  In fact, there are many times when Rapunzel manages to save Flynn Rider (this young buck, Robin Hood-esque character pays homage to the most famous Robin Hood of all time, Errol Flyn is voiced by Levi).  For once (with perhaps the exception of Mulan, though she was dressed as a man at the time...) a princess in a Disney movie is well rounded: smart, funny, and can save herself and those around her.

The other notable difference between this film and other Disney princess films is that unlike the more recent attempts (the highly, highly anticipated THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG) TANGLED is actually depicted like the more classic Disney films.  TANGLED looks like an older animated film, and not in a negative way.  With the emphasis on light and 2-D techniques, the film has a classic look that will not go out of style anytime soon.  For instance, the lantern scene in the film is some of the most beautiful animation I have ever seen.  And while it was released in both 2-D and 3-D versions, the animation staff has made it clear they like the 2-D version better as it is brighter and more beautiful than the 3-D version.   But no matter which dimension you prefer, TANGLED has the classic fairy tale look that made Disney so famous in the first place.

You should see it if...
-You like Disney, fairy tales, and princesses.
-You enjoy beautiful, classic animation.
-You believe the Academy (it was nominated for Best Original Song).
-You liked BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and CINDERELLA.
-You like long hair.

Check out the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD84Uq9XVXA