Caught up in Disney's "Tangled"

Hi Everyone!

Over break I watched Tangled for the first time and loved it! If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it for relaxing on a Friday or procrastinating on a Thursday. Right now, it is just important to know that Tangled is a retelling of the Rapunzel story. This Disney film's charmingly animated village and verdant forest are aesthetically pleasing, but Rapunzel's spunky personality and the last-minute plot twist drew me to watch the movie twice in one week.

Before my first viewing, I sat skimming through the previews, munching popcorn, and anticipating one of Disney's fluffy productions. As the movie progressed, I saw that Rapunzel wasn't a typical princess. Her endearingly enormous green eyes and singing from the first few scenes do not reveal her underlying determination and grit. When Rapunzel decides to see the mysterious floating lanterns that always appear on her birthday, she stops at nothing to convert her dream to reality. Armed with a frying pan and the persuasive power of blackmail, she convinces a crown-sniping thief, Eugene, to guide her to the lanterns. Once outside the confines of her tower, however regret and fear about disobeying her "mother" (really the evil woman who kidnapped her from her parents, the king and queen) punctuate Rapunzel's exuberant frolicking. Fortunately Rapunzel's resolve is mightier than her anxiety, and she forcefully rejects Eugene's offer to return her to the tower. Not even encountering a group of pub-loving ruffians or fleeing from palace guards pursuing Eugene dismays Rapunzel.This princess's quirky fortitude kept me laughing and cheering her on throughout the movie.

Tangled further improved when Disney flung a surprising plot twist into the movie's last fifteen minutes. After expected love grows between Rapunzel and Eugene, Rapunzel's fake mother stabs Eugene, mortally wounding him. When I saw this, my eyes widened. My jaw dropped. My popcorn munching ceased. A momentary wave of confusion crashed over me. Is Disney about to kill it's prince? The next instant reality flashed back: a prince, especially a prince in love with a protagonist princess, cannot die. Queue the speculations about how to arrive at the happily ever after. Would the evil mother allow Rapunzel to save Eugene with her magical, healing hair? Would the mother force him to seek help alone? Even though I knew the movie would not end tragically, I enjoyed the excitement and suspense Disney's unexpected twist added.

Tangled captivated me by illustrating Rapunzel's willpower and by creating an unforseen climax. I hope you can enjoy this movie soon!