Getting Hairy with Tangled

I have written about my sister a few times on this blog. One fun fact about her is that Tangled is her favorite Disney princess movie. As for me, I just don’t get it.

I found myself extraordinarily bored while watching this movie. Perhaps it is because I have seen it so many times (my mom would play it in the car so my sister could be occupied while she drove me to things). I honestly just find the plot so boring and predictable. Again, we have the princess who is isolated from the world with her evil “mother” and who later on falls in love with the first person she sees. This indicates a huge step backwards in terms of quality of Disney films. Coming after Princess and the Frog, which features an assortment of kooky, fun characters in New Orleans, Tangled is a let down in terms of entertainment.

I think one of the reasons my sister likes this film so much is because she was the target audience when it first came out. She was five years old when my mother took us to the theater to go see it. This film was an important part of her childhood in the same way that I grew up with Beauty and The Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King (even though these movies weren’t released in my lifetime, my parents got them on VHS and I would watch them all the time).

There were many parts of Tangled that reminded me of other Disney films. For example, Mother Gothel falls to her death, just like the Evil Queen in Snow White and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. Also, just like in Beauty and the Beast, the prince comes alive again miraculously after the princess sort of weeps over his limp body. Classic Disney.

I didn’t really understand Mother Gothel’s motivations in this movie. She used Rapunzel’s hair to keep her young for many years. Did she do anything with her youth? It sounded like she rarely left Rapunzel alone in the tower. Why did she need to be young? Did she want to meet men? Did she want to marry for money? I found Mother Gothel’s character to be very shallow. She kidnapped a girl to make her young only to stay inside all the time. She paled in comparison to second wave villains like Ursula, Gaston, and Jafar. Those villains had more depth to them.

One of the scenes I hate the most is when Rapunzel first leaves the tower and is being very wishy-washy about whether or not she should have left. Ugh! Just make a decision and be confident with it, girl! I was honestly cringing at that scene it was so unbearable. I can’t stand people who can’t make up their minds.

There were some positive aspects to Rapunzel. She is smart and resourceful with her hair and frying pan. She finds ways to keep herself busy and educated while locked away in her tower. In fact, before Flynn shows up, she never talks or sings about wanting a man to come and save her, in the way that Snow White and Cinderella do.

The film also had some good music. “I Have a Dream” has been stuck in my head all day and “I See the Light” is on my playlist for destressing. “When Will My Life Begin” is also a great tune.

Overall, I don’t think Tangled is as good as the second wave films. The second wave films have more interesting plots, more diverse characters (I don’t think I saw any people other than Caucasians in Tangled), and less predictability. Tangled is a hairy situation in the midst of some really great third wave films.

I leave you with a chart.