Tangled

Tangled is Disney's new movie about the obscure Rapunzel legend. The story seems to have some twists and turns, although nothing earthshaking, but I have no idea whether it sticks to the Rapunzel legend or not.

Surely the main and secondary characters do not. Rapunzel is the daughter of the king and queen, but is stolen from them and hidden away in a castle by a woman who uses Rapunzel's magical hair to keep her young. The rest of the adventure is how Rapunzel uses a charismatic thief to disobey her "mother" and see up close the floating lights that occur on her birthday every year.

I really wanted to like this movie, but I was bored rather quickly. The beginning, the set-up, takes quite a bit of time. We're introduced to the king and queen, to Rapunzel and the woman masquerading as her mother, to the bandit Flynn Ryder. We're also introduced to Rapunzel's pet chameleon and to the horse who decides he should be hunting a thief. In truth, those animal characters are much better drawn, much more charismatic, watchable and funny, than the main characters. And the action, and there's quite a bit of it, is staggered with long periods of dialogue.

I must admit that I kept wondering why Mother Gothel, Rapunzel's dastardly fill-in mother, didn't change Rapunzel's name, or at least the date of her birth. I mean, why set yourself up for problems some 18 years later? I did enjoy Donna Murphy's voicework re: this character: it helped make the woman human, not so evil, but always with an edge to each sentence spoken.

I did not enjoy the movie very much, but there are certainly movie-goers, probably younger ones, who will really love it.

But for me, thumb's down.