A still from Disney’s Tangled.Tangled movie cast: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Jeffrey Tambor
Tangled movie directors: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Tangled movie rating: 5 stars
Who says animated movies are not as good as live-action? Nearly nobody these days, or I might be wrong. For those of you who still think animation is nothing but a distraction for children, you are about to be proven wrong.
Animated movies can be visually appealing and narratively rich as their live-action counterparts. In fact, I was not a believer a decade ago. But then I somehow happened to watch Disney’s 2010 twist on the age-old story of Rapunzel. Yes, I am talking about Nathan Greno and Byron Howard directorial Tangled.
Pretty to look at and lovely for the soul, Tangled set me on the irreversible path of discovering more animated gems. Oh, and it was also for the first time in over 18 years of my existence that my heart danced for a computer-generated man by the name of Flynn Rider.
A beautiful girl with unimaginably long and lovely tresses is trapped in a big castle. All she hopes one day is to see the world in all its splendour, for one day at the very least. And in comes her ticket to freedom, the biggest thief of the kingdom — Flynn. It’s a movie and yes, of course, they do fall in love. It’s a spin on a fairytale after all. So, all the adventures and the grand mishaps are a part of the deal.
What adds to the charm of the entire setting is the background score and music by Alan Menken. From the opening credit song “When Will My Life Begin?” to the romantic number “I See the Light”, Tangled has an extremely hummable soundtrack.
Hollywood Rewind: Meet Joe Black | Monster’s Ball | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | You’ve Got Mail | Half Nelson | Fight Club | Doubt | American Psycho | Julie and Julia | Forrest Gump | The Silence of the Lambs | Finding Neverland | Roman Holiday| American History X | Tropic Thunder | Before Sunrise | Scent of a Woman | Finding Forrester | Sixteen Candles
The voices of This is Us star Mandy Moore and Shazam actor Zachary Levi as Rapunzel and Flynn is pure gold (pun intended). Mandy’s happy, bubbly, young and always enthusiastic version of Rapunzel is disarmingly pleasing to the ears.
However, if not for Dan Fogleman’s screenplay, we would be lost at sea. Fogelman’s writing credits include acclaimed works like Crazy, Stupid, Love, Cars and the award-winning series This is Us.
Also, a special shout out to the white horse Maximus and to his creators for bringing the meaning of humour and friendship alive in the best way possible. My humble suggestion — go watch Tangled now!
