Tangled (2010)

Directed by Nathan Greno & Byron Howard. Starring (voices) Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, Brad Garrett, Jeffrey Tambor, M. C. Gainey, Paul F. Tompkins. [PG]

It was only a matter of time before Disney tackled the Rapunzel fairy tale—and why not do so with the anniversarial release of production number fifty?—but who would have expected the creative team to take it in such a self-aware, chic direction? More humor than heart, more sass than swooning, it may not gratify the purists, but the divergent tones and styles mesh so well for the sake of a swift, sneaky, crowd-pleasing show with resonance, who cares that the cruel witch, tall tower, and long hair are about all it has in common with the Brothers Grimm? Trapped her whole life in a tower hidden in the forest, Rapunzel longs to see the stars on her eighteenth birthday, but her “motherly warden” won’t allow it. When a dashing thief called Flynn Rider arrives at her tower seeking refuge from royal guardsmen, she brokers a deal with him to escort her in exchange for his stolen loot, so they embark on one of those brief but eventful journeys that are bound to be full of adventure, misunderstandings, and falling in love. On the superficial side, but it’s the most purely entertaining animated feature from Disney so far in the 21st century—there are likable leads, some sweet romance, smooth and richly-detailed computer animation, snappy dialogue intertwining the guileless with the smarty-pants, a solid soundtrack, and plenty of laughs, especially in regards to a palace guard horse with a lot of pride, sass and wiles named Maximus. (Rapunzel’s adorable pet chameleon, Pascal, is aces, too.) Turned into an animated TV series several years later.

83/100