Tangled

Tangled (2010) is Disney's fiftieth animated feature, and why it is not called Rapunzel was discussed more than the film itself. It was developed for years under the title Rapunzel. Close to release Disney changed it. The reasoning was marketing: the previous film, The Princess and the Frog, had underperformed, and the studio attributed that to boys staying away from a title with the word princess in it. Tangled read as neutral and pushed the male character Flynn Rider forward. The decision was criticised at the time. The story comes from the Grimm tale but has been altered considerably. Rapunzel here is not waiting to be rescued; she paints in her tower, fights with a frying pan and makes her own decisions. Flynn is not a prince but a thief. Visually the goal was to make 3D animation look hand drawn, which is why the behaviour of the hair and the light is unusual. The lantern sequence is the film's best known moment and was also the hardest to produce. It was extraordinarily expensive and is counted among the costliest animated films of its period. Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi sing their own songs. It runs 100 minutes. Good for: family viewing, animation, and musicals. Comfortable with children. Less good for: the mother figure's emotional manipulation may be upsetting for small children, and there are a few dark scenes.