I had the exciting opportunity to see Tangled at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. This was my first time on the lot, and it was truly a memorable experience. After I parked in the Zorro parking structure, I made my way to the Frank G. Wells building where the screening would take place.
As I walked down streets, pathways, and alleyways, it struck me how much Disney history was all around me. Dozens of animated and live-action films had been created, worked on, and first shown on this lot. Many of the buildings were from Walt Disney’s time; the signs the same as those I had seen in documentaries about the studio when Walt was there.
As I made my way to the Frank G. Wells, I saw what could be considered one of the iconic buildings on the lot: The Team Disney Burbank building that includes sculptures of all seven dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs seemingly holding up the roof. When it’s lit up at night it is quite an amazing sight to behold.
Arriving at the Frank G. Wells building, I entered a mini-museum of Disney-themed items. These included costumes from High School Musical, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Enchanted. There were several glass display cases featuring Mickey Mouse merchandise through the years, which included a Mousercise record that my parents still have.
Two other notable displays: a collection of hats used in a variety of Disney films from Mary Poppins to Pirates; and the multi-plane camera that was invented for use on Snow White, complete with patent documents and a photographic history.
Onward to Tangled, which is one of the best Disney (non-Pixar collaboration) animated films I have seen in a long time. It’s fun, fast-paced, funny, and very enjoyable. I was very impressed at how the creative team and screenwriter Dan Fogelman were able to take such a thin fairy tale and turn it into one of the most entertaining movies of the year.
Everyone brings their A-game to the table, and Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi do a great job as the voices of Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder (and who know Levi could sing!). There’s plenty of great slapstick and hilarious moments throughout that make it appealing to both male and female audience members.
Tangled delivers the same level of magic and fun as The Little Mermaid, and even has two great animal characters that will definitely make you want to check the movie out for a second time.
Visually the film is top-notch, and the use of 3D is a definite plus but doesn’t distract from the overall story or feel overused and gimmicky. There are plenty of moments where I was amazed at how far computer animation has come, and the lighting in this film is a testament to the technological advances that have been made over the past decade.
Tangled is a great family film, but it’s also classic Disney animation taken to the next level. This is definitely a movie I want to see again and I highly recommend you check it out!
Tangled arrives in theatres nationwide November 23, 2010!
What did you think of Tangled? Leave a comment and let us know!
Check out David’s video review of the film below.