Director(s): Nathan Greno & Byron Howard (Bolt, Zootopia).
Writer(s): Dan Fogleman (Screenplay). Based on - 'Rapunzel' by the Brothers Grimm.
Cerficicate: PG.
Genre: Animated Musical.
Main Cast: Mandy Moore (The Princess Diaries, Midway) as Rapunzel, Zachery Levi (Thor Ragnarok, Shazam!) as Flynn Rider & Donna Murphy (The Fountain, The Bourne Legacy) as Mother Gothel.
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios.
Budget/Box Office: $260 million / $591 million.
Major Award(s): Nominated for 1 Academy Award. Won 0. Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Won 0.
Potentially controversial opinion, but Tangled is the best Disney film. A childhood dream after watching Barbie as Rapunzel (2002) way too many times as a child turned into a reality in 2010 (2011 in the UK) when Disney graced us with the glory that is Tangled.
What's not to like? The casting is stellar- Mandy Moore provides the best role of her career as Rapunzel, with her innocent-but-feisty attitude and GLORIOUS singing voice. And then, the pièce de résistance, Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider- whoever cast that is honestly my hero. The perfect amount of charm and humour, combined with the best depth that any male has had in a Disney Princess film (he actually has a backstory guys!).
Alongside a heartfelt story of love, loss and dreams comes a really quite intense depiction of emotional abuse and possessive behaviour which is pretty dark for Disney, and makes the film all the better. It really makes you root for Rapunzel to escape her life locked in the tower, as her general life and emotional wellbeing are at stake if she doesn't chase her dream and find out the truth of her origin.
If that doesn't make the film emotional enough, then 'I See The Light' comes along and tears you to pieces. Easily the most beautifully animated sequence I've ever seen, and still makes me cry even after rewatching this film countless times, it truly is the best of Disney.
I think one of my favourite parts of Tangled is that Flynn Rider isn't just a love interest shoved into the plot, he genuinely makes a positive impact on Rapunzel's life and becomes equally important in the plot (and potentially even more likeable and memorable than Rapunzel herself). For those of you who prefer Frozen (2013) to Tangled, I question your decisions.
