Thrashbrowns v. Mouse House, Round 2

TANGLED (2010)

The Story:

Rapunzel spends her life hidden away in a secret tower by her "mother" on account of her magical blond tresses. Enter Flynn, a rakish, charming rogue who promises to take Rapunzel out into the world to see the lanterns that take to the sky annually on her birthday in return for the contents of his satchel. Flynn isn't the only party after the satchel, and soon a Blues Brothers-style chase ensues, with everyone from guards of the local castle to various thugs and crook pursuing Flynn and Rapunzel. Also, they fall in love. Also also, there's a horse named Maximus, who's more bloodhound than horse and steals every scene he's in.

Has Thrashbrowns seen it? Why or why not?:

I haven't seen it. From the trailers, I could tell Tangled ain't my kind of movie. I did, at one time, have a deal with a friend where I would watch Tangled with her if she'd watch Seven Samurai with me. As unenthused as she seemed to be to watch a 3-and-a-half-hour Akira Kurosawa samurai drama in Japanese, I was even less enthused to see Tangled. Like I told her, I had to pick a film that would inflict as much pain on her as I predicted Tangled inflicted on me. We never got around to watching either film together. 

The Good:

Zachary Levi is impossible to not like, even when he's playing a douchebag with a heart of gold like he is here. The scene where the lanterns are released near the end of the film is pretty, easily the most memorable visual moment in the film. The "I've Got a Dream" musical number that takes place in a bar full of crooks is a lot of fun. And Maximus. Maximus is the only part of this movie that consistently had me laughing and entertained. Thank the Maker for that horse...

 The Bad:

This movie is pure formulaic Disney. The young girl who wants more out of her life and wants to break out of the monotony and find some excitement. She meets a boy she's obviously hot for. They go on an adventure. They fall for one another. There are silly sidekicks, betrayals and double-crosses. Then happily ever after. Meh.

On top of the old, worn-out story, Tangled lacks anything that stands out visually, with the exception of the lantern scene. And most of the songs aren't very memorable. Oh, well.

Most Annoying Disney-ism:

Tangled gives us a two-for-one deal by mashing together the Evil Stepmother and the Comedic Antagonist in the form of Mother Gothel.  She's not funny enough to succeed as a comedic character, and her more "funny" outbursts and idiosyncracies rob her of the menace she needs to be a scary villain. In a movie that sports a lot of flaws, this is the biggest.

Does Thrashbrowns get why people love this?

Before I sat down to watch, a friend told me Tangled was fantastic, the best non-Pixar animated film Disney's made in a decade. I honestly don't see it. To me, Tangled just came off as a garden-variety Disney Princess film with a bit more slapstick in it. I'll take Wreck-It Ralph or Big Hero 6 over Tangled and day of the week.

So no, I don't get it.

Did Thrashbrowns like it?

Well, it wasn't as painful as I was expecting. I genuinely enjoyed parts of it. But as a whole, I found it to be mildly interesting with a few elements that caused me some serious eye-rollage.

Up next:

By request, we'll check out The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Coming soon. Like next Sunday.