Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) has sheltered and raised Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) as her own to

utilize her mysterious restorative hair, but the world beckons to the young girl from her secluded
tower in the form of floating lanterns each year on the day of her birth. When smooth talking thief
Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) seeks the shelter of the tower after stealing a crown, he is lured into guiding
Rapunzel and her pet chameleon Pascal to the lanterns on the promise that his stolen crown will be
the reward. Despite Rapunzel having mixed emotions about leaving, they have nowhere to go but
forward when the vigilant palace horse Maximus, Mother Gothel, and the Stabbington Brothers (Ron
Perlman) come after them. As their journey brings them closer to danger, truths are revealed that will
forever affect themselves and the kingdom around them.

The journey is the bulk of the film, which is a curious twist on the story of Rapunzel. Instead of
lingering in the tower as the Grimm fairytale does, Tangled opts to leave the tower behind within the
first 15 minutes of the film. Right away, we know that this isn’t going to stick to the conventions of the
story which it is based, which is fine by co-directors Nathan and Byron. The duo bring a knack for
action set pieces that propel the story forward along the 100 minute runtime and yet the film delivers
two emotional punches. One is subtle, while the other is obvious, and they continually play with that
mixture throughout.

While Tangled takes inspiration from the tale of Rapunzel, the entire cast of characters is what makes
the film such a success. Flynn has a fun sense of humor and his wit is blisteringly quick; some of his
lines will fly over the heads of young ones but register completely with the older audience.
Meanwhile, Rapunzel is immature and goofy, but has a voracious appetite for exploration that her
tower simply cannot quell. Then we have Mothel Gothel, who is dark and cunning, and manages to
form a mother/daughter bond that is realistically twisted. Murphy provides the perfect mixture that
makes Mother Gothel so haunting. She can’t help but fall for the alluring Rapunzel, but their
relationship is based on lies and deception for Gothel’s gain. She has no magical power of her own, so
she has to be subtle in her deceits, which to me makes her one of the best villains in the heritage of
Disney. Luckily, the great characters don’t stop there.

Slapstick is a constant source of laughter for the younger audience members, and it frequently stems
from Pascal and Maximus, two of the most memorable animal sidekicks you likely have seen. While
neither character talks, both are expressive in their own ways. Pascal changes color based on mood
and is a positive inspiration for Rapunzel throughout the film. As for Maximus, he is part horse, part
super cop and has an entire character arc within the film. Again, we see the directors playing with
conventions as Maximus has decidedly canine temperaments that play out incredibly well on screen;
when was the last time you saw a horse wag its tail?