Lambie Reviews Tangled

Year: 2010
Accolades: Disney's Great Comeback
Review on Letterboxd: 'Tangled' review by Avalanche

You know what? This film's actually pretty good. After a string of films that were in one way or another failures, Tangled is a return to form for Disney. It has the hallmarks and overall feel of a Disney film, but it also feels fresh, almost like another production company's take on what a Disney film should be.

A film like this usually hits a lot of hurdles in my mind when I sit through it, but this one manages to clear them. The humour isn't jammed in at every possible moment, but rather is sensibly paced. The film allows the comedy to flow naturally, so that it feels like part of the film. On top of that, it's not all childish slapstick humour. It's more intelligent but still universally accessible humour. (Either that or it's just the sort of humour I enjoy everyday anyway.)

Likewise, characters don't break into song every five minutes. There are songs scattered throughout the film and they're of a length that doesn't make them feel like they're outstaying their welcome. They're also used to aid in advancing the plot, unlike a lot of other musicals out there where people just sing about how they're feeling rather than just spending five seconds to say so instead.

The plot itself is well thought out, and focuses a lot on character and relationship development. Even the designated baddies are less pure evil and more flawed humans than anything else most of the time. The animal companions are likeable and not annoying like many animal companions so often are.

Many family films fall into the trap of focussing on entertaining the youngest members of the audience. Not this film. For once, this film truly is a family film, with something in it for everyone to enjoy.