Tangled Up In Disney

Tangled is an American, computer animated, musical comedy produced by Disney and released on November 24, 2010. The movie was directed by Nathan Grenco and Byron Howard (from Bolt), written by Dan Fogelman and produced by Roy Conli.

            The movie is about a young, naïve teen, Rapunzel (voice by Mandy Moore), who lives with her mom in a large castle restricted from the rest of the kingdom. One day, Rapunzel is beginning to think her dreams of leaving the tower are unachievable when the kingdom’s most dangerous thief, Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi), seeks refuge from the authorities in Rapunzel’s tower. Up to this point in the movie, the predictable storyline matches that of the well-known folktale. It was at this point that I figured that Disney’s adaption had simply glamorized an unoriginal version of an already told story. Instead, when the “knight in shining armor” climbs into Rapunzel’s tower, the feisty blonde’s first reaction is not to run and welcome her new guest, but rather, to hit him over the head with a large frying pan. Then, her pet chameleon helps her stuff the unconscious body into her closet. From this moment on, the story unexpectedly takes off on a hilarious, thrilling escapade with the help of a moody stallion and a silly chameleon. Walt Disney Pictures describes the movie, “With the secret of her royal heritage hanging in the balance and her captor in pursuit, Rapunzel and her cohort find adventure, heart, humor, and hair... lots of hair”.

The role of art direction was another key aspect in the making of Tangled. Many of the settings including the tower, the village and the forest, include thousands of details. The tower, for example, was covered in swirling garland and hidden by clouds and branches and flowers. These details set this movie apart from other animated Disney movies in the past. Scott from the NY Times praised the difference, “the décor is shinier, the pace a little faster, the overall atmosphere slick and efficient, with a few welcome grace notes of self-conscious classicism.” The art direction in particular has received praise for its specified accuracy and improvement from past Disney movies. Scott went on to say, “To watch “Tangled,” in three dimensions or two, is like entering a familiar old neighborhood that has been tastefully and thoroughly renovated. Not gentrified, exactly, and certainly not razed, but modernized.” This praise proves how far Disney has gone to improve its use of details and art.

Another key aspect that goes hand in hand with the art direction is the use of animation. In Tangled, directors choose to use the 3D CGI to control the audience’s emotions. The animation controlled emotions ranging from enthusiasm to sympathy. The animation also added details to the characters such as Rapunzel’s slight overbite, which made her come off as innocent and endearing. Scott describes the animation, “there are sequences that have some of the ravishing beauty and exquisite detail of the great, old hand-drawn Disney features, including a few that make gorgeous use of 3-D technology.”

The animation also captured the symbolism associated to lighting. Whenever there were scenes with Rapunzel’s mother, they were dark and you could barley see the character or the scene, implying her malicious intentions. However, when Rapunzel was set free from the castle and was exploring the kingdom, the scenes were brightly lit and sunshine was always a large symbolic tool. During one scene in particular, the storyline we think Rapunzel will be disappointed, and the scene is dark, but then a thousand animated lanterns sparkle, and her wide-eyed facial expression is well-lit, making us feel surprised at the change as well as happy for her.

            “Tangled” represents Disney’s 50^th animated feature. I believe that this film proved to be a traditional Disney movie while also positively modifying the story structure and production of most Disney films. Although it continues to be the typical romantic musical fairy tale that we are used to seeing from Disney, the story has taken a many risks with its genre. The idea of a traditional “damsel in distress” tale has been thrown out the window. Instead, Rapunzel maintains the innocence of a traditional Disney princess, and yet represents a feisty, back-talking, sassy, independent, modernized spirit that is rare to find in a Disney female heroine.

All in all, Tangled includes all of the crucial elements of a beloved Disney classic, with a modernized infusion of improved technology and widely accepted humor. This film truly does deliver the best to both people who enjoy Disney and to people who criticize Disney. At its core, Tangled includes the typical storyline, the one we’ve heard a thousand times about a young girl restricted to the darkness and loneliness of a tower. Overall, it is a coming of age tale that we have seen over and over again. At the same time, the story was built with flourishes added by Disney, including jealous pets, hormonal teenager rants, and singing thugs. These are aspects that I had not expected to come from Disney, but have obviously enjoyed and believed to make this film one of my favorites.