Tangled

Today I had planned to finally go and see the Social Network. Unfortunately stupid Vue Westfield had listed it on the website as on this afternoon, despite it not being on. Well you all know the Zitron motto about making Lemonade (actually the Zitron Motto is "If in Doubt, Drink"); so we (Wife, Mother, Father and I) decided to go to see Tangled.

For those of you who don't know, Tangled is the latest in a long line of Disney Princess capers. Unless I'm mistaken (which is a likely possibility) I think it's also the first in not only 3D, but CGI. Tangled is the Rapunzel story, I hate to say updated (which to me conjures up the idea of a young girl dangling her locks from the fortieth floor of a tower block), so lets go with re-imagined. I hate spoilers so I'll try and be vague with the plot. Suffice to say you have a pretty young girl who's locked in a tower, who has long hair. She meets a dashing young thief and they go on an adventure. See vague.

I've been deliberately/annoyingly light on plot, because the story nuances are what make Tangled fantastic. The writer (Dan Fogelman, based on the Brothers Grimm tale) has adapted the Rapunzel story changing it around to add both adventure and pathos. Within the first ten minutes, it's not only explained why the eponymous heroine has her monstrous barnet, but why and how she's put and kept in her tower. In fact there's absolutely no fat on the back-story, so straight away you're hooked on the tale. At just over 2 hours, it's fairly long for a family animated feature, but it belts along at a fair old pace and doesn't leave you bored.

Now I'm not one of these people who likes to moan about how Disney have lost their prowess at MUSICAL animated features since the early 90s. I really enjoyed Hercules, Tarzan and I loved the last Princess feature The Princess and the Frog (in fact I'll say it was very good and worth a look.) What I will say is since the Lion King in 1994, I haven't seen a Disney musical feature that's managed to give me that special feeling that only a Disney Musical feature can. Where the songs, plot and characters touch you deeply and by the end of the movie you feel like you've had a soul douche. I have to admit a couple of times a wee tear did come to my eye, with my mother and wife sobbing. I hope it's the film and not the two of them realising what they created/have married.

With original music by supremeo Alan Menken with lyrics written by Glenn Slater, you're treated to songs that almost touch on past Disney greatness. I'm maybe being a bit harsh, but with such amazing tunes to his name, I'd be surprised if Menken manages to better songs like the above. Anyway, the music is brilliant with Mandy Moore (Rapunzel) and Donna Murphy (Mother Gothel) being particularly good.

Since I was a wee'un I've always been attracted more to the side players than the leads of Disney films (Stitch probably being the main exception, but let's face it he'd be the comic side character in any other film.) Not long into Tangled you meet Pascal, our heroine's trusty Chamelon sidekick. I am a true sucker for this kind of character, and he manages to steal the show in pretty much every scene he's in. What's great about Tangled is you get another brilliant mute animal side player in commando dog horse, Maximus.

I don't want to give anything away but Maximus partakes in one of the most memorable battle scenes of recent years. Suffice to say all the big laughs come from these two four legged sidekicks, and I guarantee you'll love them both.

Before I sign off I'd just also like to say that I think this (finally) is a case of 3D down well. It's organically used throughout, and helps to bring you further into the world. While I've never had much trouble immersing myself into a film, experiencing the depth of field (especially in some of the musical numbers) really adds to the feature. And I usually really hate the 3D gimmick.

I apologise for the "fluffy" review, but I genuinely enjoyed every minute of this film. It flows beautifully and every piece of the story fits together in a cacophony of excitement, fun and adventure. All four of us were bowled over, and we agreed our change of plans worked out for the best. I've been vague because I truly think you should view this film without knowing more than "it's the Rapunzel story". So if you long for a return to classic Disney stylings, then go see Tangled as soon as you can.