In this time of live-action remakes after live-action remakes that add nothing to the source material, I find it important to look back at the animated films that inspire these reproductions to understand exactly what makes them so appealing to revisit. Imagine my luck when one of my favorite movies, one that is in the process of receiving a live-action remake, turns 15. Tangled (2010) was one of the first films I ever owned on Blu-Ray, and I have extremely fond memories of seeing it in theaters with my family when it came out. I am 15 years older now, and I still find myself constantly looking back at this film as one of Disney’s last great animated films, especially before the titan, Frozen (2013).
Tangled takes a surprising amount of creative liberties with a dark fairytale, and while it pains me that the film mostly strays away from the darker elements, it ultimately works in its favor rather than against it. The film adds much more depth to Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and explains exactly why anyone would want to lock her in a tower for her entire life. Rather than simply being a lost princess, there is the addition of her magical hair that glows and heals the sick when she sings. There is constant fear and anxiety from her about the outside world wanting her for her healing properties, and this is reinforced by her mother (and kidnapper), Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy). Murphy’s portrayal of Gothel in particular is one of the most complex and haunting villain portrayals in Disney’s entire animated catalog, and her iconic song, “Mother Knows Best,” reinforces this, in which Gothel sways Rapunzel from leaving the tower through emotional abuse.
Gothel and Rapunzel’s relationship is one of the best parts of the movie, exploring depictions of manipulation and gaslighting by a parental figure. While much of this is on the nose, with Gothel often making fun of Rapunzel and then immediately calling her dramatic, it still serves to deepen the relationship between the two as more than kidnapper and kidnappee. As a child, these exchanges are particularly jarring to watch, and revisiting the film as an adult solidified this for me. To Rapunzel, this is her mother, the person who swore to protect her, and it is hard not to love that person when she has given her everything. Because Rapunzel is completely unaware that Gothel kidnapped her to siphon her hair’s magical properties, the scenes of Gothel emotionally manipulating Rapunzel are even more haunting.
The film’s script builds suspense throughout the runtime, given the audience’s immediate knowledge that Rapunzel is a lost princess. This is a textbook example of the audience knowing something the characters don’t, and incorporating such intrigue into a film geared towards children is impressive, especially for a Disney film. Many of the later Disney animated films feature lazier and less compelling screenplays, but Tangled uses the audience’s knowledge of Rapunzel’s true nature to subdue their expectations. The cast’s voice performances elevate this script, and Moore brings Rapunzel to life with gumption and determination.
Tangled switches up the classic tale into an adventure as Rapunzel is accidentally rescued by the renowned thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi). This change makes the film infinitely more interesting for children while also offering adults a creative adventure of self-discovery and exploration, no matter the consequences. Switching the classic tale of a princess being saved from a tower and making it palatable to a wider audience is part of what makes Tangled so different from other Disney Princess films. While the film still falls into some very tired tropes with princesses of years prior, Tangled feels more like a general adventure film rather than a stereotypically feminine Disney Princess film, making it more accessible to anyone 15 years later.
What cements the film’s iconic status are the songs written by Disney legends Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. After the disaster of the original songs for Moana 2 (2024) and Wish (2023), looking back at these songs fifteen years later begs the simple question, “What happened?” It astounds me that the same animation studio that created the visually stunning sequence for the equally stunning song “I See The Light” would fall so far. These songs have soul and a potent emotional core that carry the film forward into the heartbreaking sequence in which Flynn cuts Rapunzel’s hair. In this sequence, Moore sings a tearful reprise of the song she sings to activate her magical hair. These songs are meticulously crafted with love and care that we may never see from Disney again.
Despite Tangled doing so well at the box office (making nearly $600 million on a budget of $260 million) and spawning an entire media franchise, I find that the film is not nearly as talked about as Disney’s other 2010s animated films, specifically Frozen. The massive success of Frozen swept Tangled a little under the rug. Tangled does fall into some tropes that Disney films often fall into, but then again, so does Frozen. The adaptation of the Rapunzel fairytale could have been too predictable narratively for audiences, but even then, the film loosely bases itself on the fairytale, making it seem completely different.
Despite today’s lack of recognition as one of Disney’s best animated films, it is, without a doubt, important to the Disney catalog due to its status as a live-action remake in the works. Unfortunately, rather than uplifting the already existing material, and especially considering their recent live-action remake disasters, it is likely an IP cash-in rather than adding anything meaningful to the existing story. This is most recently evident with the release of their Lilo and Stitch remake earlier this year, which notoriously altered the original film’s ending drastically to allow for even more sequels. It is incredibly disappointing because, as the countless theatre re-releases in past years have shown, people will show up to see an older film in theaters. Despite my issues with remaking something that does not need changing at all, Disney clearly sees something important in Tangled.
Tangled needs to be talked about more as one of Disney’s last great animated films. While the film has faded into obscurity with the success of Frozen and other Disney hits, its story of bravery in the face of an unfamiliar world remains true. Disney’s focus on live-action remakes, or efforts to make more money by making films nobody asked for, has shoved the original films that were the blueprints for these remakes aside in favor of lower-quality films narratively. Fifteen years later, as it seems that the animation studio that once created one of the most important family films of the 2010s has fallen from grace, it’s nice to at least remember what was once so great.
Retrospective Courtesy of Nadia Arain
Feature Image Credit to Walt Disney Studios via YouTube