AS RECORDED by the Grimm Brothers, the fairy tale of Rapunzel is pregnant with meaning and rich with clues. In the 3D animated feature Tangled, directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard stress the most resonant interpretation: Rapunzel as a story for all parts of the world where girls aren’t allowed to run free. This version keeps the basics: the imprisoning witch Gothel is a curvy villainess, a parasite feeding on the youth and hopes of the girl whom she imprisons. “Now I’m the bad guy,” Gothel sighs, like so many groaning mothers of adolescents before and since.
Remodeled as a Disney princess, this Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) has learned all sorts of crafts while kept inside; she can use her hair as both lasso and web. A rakish young thief (he’s voiced by Zachary Levi and named Flynn; older viewers who remember Errol can tell you why) frees her. Third act developments take the plot into a different resolution than the Brothers Grimm charted, adding to the surprise of the cartoon. Tangled gives us not just the Disney but, better, the Pixar touch, in fully developed storytelling and a lush but balanced color palette. You can see the influences: the antique charm of 3D Viewmaster fairy-tale slides from the 1960s, for instance. Judging by its Balkan architecture, the castle seems to be built a 1,000 miles east of the King Ludwig castles trademarked by Disney. A yearly ritual in which the bereaved king and queen seek their stolen daughter resembles the floating lanterns of the Japanese Obon festival crossed with the Albuquerque Balloon Glow. Best of all, there is such a fine horse in this movie! Maximus the war horse’s quick thinking, fast reflexes and expert pantomime make him the brains of the of the film. He’s a steed fit for Chaplin or Tati to ride.
PG
