Tangled

It was with great excitement and eagerness that I went to the movies with two of my friends this past evening. The excitement continued to build, even as we went to the wrong theater (which wasn't showing Tangled!) and had to backtrack a short distance to the right one. We made it just in time to watch a couple of previews and dive right into the movie!

From the start of the movie I found myself intrigued by the creative twist on the traditional Rapunzel story--how Rapunzel came to be in the tower, her story. In traditional Disney fashion there was some sweet magic involved, then evil tried to take over and hide that sweetness selfishly away.

Throughout the first half of the movie, I was pleased with how humorous it was! I laughed frequently and enjoyed the cleverness of the characters and some of the absurd situations they found themselves in. Without trying to give too much away, I do have to say there was one scene involving Rapunzel's angst that was absolutely too funny! Alternately overjoyed and "in the depths of the despair" (as Anne of Green Gables would say), it was hilarious watching her reactions to her new-found freedom, as well as watching Flynn's reactions to her. Love it!

Many of the secondary characters were rather quirky, which was great but perhaps a bit overdone in parts. I loved Rapunzel's pet chameleon, Pascal, because he was just too cute! The horse was certainly interesting with it's dog-like behaviors, and one of my friends noted later how it was similar to Bullseye's behaviors in the Toy Story movies, although the horse in Tangled is even more dog-like.

The romance was so sweet in this movie! I enjoyed watching it develop and seeing how caring and giving it became. One of my favorite scenes involved hundreds of lanterns and a boat. I won't say anymore than that! Well, except I will add that the animation, especially in that scene, was beautiful! And their discussion of dreams--what happens once they're fulfilled--is one I think many can relate to with a smile.

This movie was fun and it did have some surprises. On the other hand, while it was unique in some ways, it was rather similar to other Disney movies. Don't get me wrong--I love happily ever-afters! But this movie wasn't as powerful as many of the Disney Pixar, and some of the Dreamworks movies, are. I didn't cry during this movie like I did both times I saw Toy Story 3 in theaters. I wasn't quite as thrilled by it as I was by How to Train Your Dragon (which I watched recently and loved!). But it was still good, and I'm glad that I went to see it!

*This review has been posted on Corban University's online newspaper, Hilltop News! Check it out HERE!*

(Poster image from IMDb.com.)