No Fairy Dust & Happy Thoughts today but instead a movie review. Well, maybe not so much an organized review but my rambling thoughts & impressions on Disney’s Tangled. I shall do my best not to reveal too much, I do not wish to spoil the film for you. I was going to wait until Tuesday to post this, as part of FairyTale Tuesday, but why wait?
With the bus strike still happening in my city (today is day 25 of the strike!), I’ve been coming down with a bit of cabin fever... I am a house-rat by nature, but even the most diehard house-mouse needs to get out of her home once and awhile. Last night I went out to see Tangled & do a little shopping... but I’ll save those finds for another post!
To refresh your memory, here’s a trailer for the film:
Hmm, safe to say we’re not dealing with classic Disney here. The people behind the film have said in interviews that they’ve been inspired by the Disney classics, which is great, but it’s not enough to make this a classic, which is what I want, not sure about the rest of you, so I’ll speak for myself.
I hope I’m not coming across too harsh already in this post, because I really did enjoy the film! I’m a real sap when it comes down to it. The Disney logo of the castle shows up in the opening & I’m already feeling emotional. Heck, even before the logo comes up, I’m getting all choked up over the trailer for the new Chronicles and Narnia film! Yes, I am indeed hopeless, in so many ways! Indeed, Tangled does have its sweet & emotional moments. I’d like to get into those, but like I mentioned before, I do not wish to spoil the film for you.
The film is also pretty funny. There were moments when I actually laughed out loud, which is a rare thing for this shy house-mouse to do in a theatre. When I watched the film Saturday night, there were tons of kids there (the early showing in the afternoon had actually gotten sold out!) & all these kids seemed to enjoy it. There was lots of laughter. And better still, they were well behaved.
This may surprise you, since I am not a “kid person”, but I like going to see kid’s movies when there are actually kids there. I love to see, or rather hear, their reactions. Goodness knows there was some excitement when the trailer for the Justin Bieber film came on during the previews. However, what I do greatly dislike about going to see kid’s movies is when there are certain children sitting behind you who kick your seat and throw popcorn at you, while they’re parents are sitting next to them... I have said it before, but it needs repeating: Parents, control your children.
As for the 3-D, well, maybe I’m falling out of love with 3-D, but I don’t think it added to the film. Yes, it did have its moments when it was very 3-D (unlike a certain Dreamworks film, *cough* Shrek 3). But I do not think it was really necessary for it to be in 3-D.
While I really wanted to love the look of the film, with its crisp and clear digital look, which I had originally been excited to see, I just couldn’t. Myself, and many others I am certain, would have loved to have seen traditional animation being used. It was alright, but really didn’t add to the film, much like the 3-D.
It also bothers me that there are no real memorable songs. That’s one of the things that I love about the older films, they always had amazing songs! Even today, if you ask someone what they’re favourite Disney song is, I’m sure they have one, no matter how old they are, and might even be able to sing it for you! They were songs that got stuck in your head, and refuse to leave, and to be frank, you don’t want them to! Even The Princess and the Frog had good musical numbers in it. In Tangled, they leave something to be desired.
That being said, the short song that Rapunzel sings, is rather nice, but it’s no “Be Our Guest”.
And while there are no real memorable songs, the score is rather lovely. It is Disney veteran Alan Menken who composed the score. He’s worked on Disney classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and others. Also, speaking of Mr. Menken, he’s now got his own star on the Hollywood walk of fame! You can read more about it here.
The part of the score called “Kingdom Dance” has to be my favourite. It reminded me of the Celtic inspired score heard in How To Train Your Dragon. The scene that goes along with this part is also one of my favourites in the film. It really does make you want to put on your favourite ankle length skirt and go twirling and dancing! It’s at 1:10 when the song really gets going.
As for our new Disney princess, I like her well enough. Belle already has my heart, so I am really bias in this. But Rapunzel is pretty kick-ass, I’ll give her that. Beating people up with a frying pan? Genius. Not to mention her hair has so many uses, so often in the film she uses it like rope to help someone up her tower or escape from the pursuers.
And I can’t talk about this film without mentioning the show stealer, Pascal
I really feel Pascal, Maximus the horse as well, turned out to be great characters. Pascal has some great moments, with his pestering of Flynn and his cute way of changing color!
Final thoughts: if you’re thinking about seeing it, just go! Even if you have major doubts about it and are a die-hard fan of the classics, I’d say give this film a chance! You may find something you adore about this film. But the film does leave something to be desired. Leaving the theatre I did not feel like my spirits were lifted as high as they could have been. But I am still very happy I went to see it, and would like to see the film again, but I don’t think it’ll be added to my Disney film collection.
Are you planning on the film or have you already seen it?
What are you thoughts on the film?
Stay Spooky,
I'm so jealous! I want to see Tangled, but I've been so busy with work and the move, I haven't found the time. Should I see HP&DH1 instead? Hehe, I was so mad when I found out that Disney was changing the name from Rapunzel to Tangled and marketing it more toward boys. I was hoping for a Disney classic. Oh well, there's always Enchanted 2...
ReplyDeleteHmm, good question. Not that I've seen it, but I'd say go with Harry Potter. But then again, Tangled has been doing quite well in the box office, and many people have been praising it. Perhaps I was too harsh? ^^'
ReplyDeleteYes, the name change alone ruined its chances, it seems, of being a classic. But the balance of it being a "boy's film" and a "girly film" seems to be pretty good.