With little promotion or fanfare prior to its release, it’s easy to assume that Tangled might be a lower tier Disney product dropped into theatres to fill a Thanksgiving family movie void. Thankfully, viewers will be in for quite a pleasant surprise, as the film turns out to be a well-crafted take on the Rapunzel story buoyed by two standout characters… both of whom utter not a single line of dialogue.
After a humorously egotistical thief Flynn Ryder (voiced by Zachary Levi) steals a priceless crown, he finds himself on the run from the Captain of the Guard (M.C. Gainey). Fleeing into the wilderness, he discovers a looming tower and, upon entering, quickly is bested by a surprisingly pro-active Rapunzel (Mandy Moore).
Contrary to fairy tale tradition, Rapunzel has no idea that she is actually a princess kidnapped at birth by the evil Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy). She’s also oblivious that Gothel, now posing as her birth mother, harvests her magical golden hair for its youth-bestowing properties. Seizing the opportunity to see the world, the innocent Rapunzel makes a deal to return Ryder’s stolen crown if he takes her on a tour of the countryside.
Levi gives Flynn an appropriate smugness that isn’t overbearing, and Moore renders her teenage character engaging without becoming whiny or grating. The only mild criticism may be Rapunzel’s odd character design. Her enormous eyeballs loom so large (each is larger than her mouth) that they are, at times, creepy. It’s a distracting case of ocular gigantism.
The banter between the leads is entertaining, but nowhere near as hilarious as Maximus, the film’s unexpected secondary antagonist. Hot on Ryder’s trail, the two engage in numerous physical confrontations and even cross swords in the heat of battle. Not unusual in and of itself, except for the fact that Maximus is a horse with tracking abilities similar to that of a bloodhound. His deadpan facial slow burns, stern and driven demeanor, and swashbuckling skills with blade in teeth are worth the price of admission alone. 
Pascal, Rapunzel’s protective chameleon, also wins viewers over with his reaction shots and attempts at imposing posturing.
Also assisting with some solid comedic bits is a group of hard drinking Vikings (voiced by the likes of Ron Perlman, Brad Garrett, Jeffrey Tambor and Richard Kiel). Sure, they’re grizzled, but as it turns out they have a contrastingly soft, musical side to their person that is humorously capitalized on. The film’s songs by Alan Menken are enjoyable, but with the exception of the Viking number “I’ve Got a Dream,” the tunes don’t make as strong an impact as his work from The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast.
The visuals (with the exception of that eye thing) are slick and beautiful, aided by some nice 3D imagery. While animated digitally, there appears to have been a careful attempt to emulate the classic animated features of Disney’s hand-drawn past.
Tangled may be primarily geared toward young girls, with a strong moral center that encourages a sense of self-reliance and independence, but there is a wide enough assortment of characters and adventure that Disney’s 50th animated feature should prove to be an enjoyable and entertaining diversion for the entire family.
4 out of 5
