We grew up watching Disney movies and cartoon (except maybe this person). But as much as we liked Cinderella, Snow White, The Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Ariel Mermaid, Pocahontas, or even Tinker Bell, there were two things:
First, it's hard to put ourselves in their shoes (Ariel and Pocahontas didn't wear any shoes and it might be very hard to wear Tinker Bell's or try to fit into Cinderella's, but that's not what I meant). Let me put it this way: if you're not already a princess, probably you'd never have your prince riding in white horse came all the way from far far away and rescued you from your perils. although probably you're not in any peril anyway at the moment. And for any boy who wasn't already a prince, well, thin chance getting a princess even if you managed to get a white horse. The closest we have in comparison was Pretty Woman (starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere). But even that didn't just happen to anyone. PLUS Richard Gere was already some kind of prince, wasn't he?
Second, no matter whether she's the Beauty or the fairest among them all, no matter if she can swim or fly, and no matter whether she's tanned or pale, we would find it hard to fall in love with the characters in the film. Not that they weren't pretty enough, but we had to admit that the electricity or the chemical or the whatever you name it just wasn't there. But Tangled was different. I fell in love with the princess 10 minutes after the movie started. Her big eyes, her long hair, her sweet singing, her passion for the outside world, her fear of her mother, her agony between those previous two, and all the other things about her, they're just lovable. If you're seven, you'd want to be her or befriend her. You're thirteen, you'd think that you were her (or she was you, whatever). And if you're twenty eight, all your memories of your younger days when you're seventeen or eighteen would come rushing and maybe cause a smile or two. She was just the girl next door that most of us remembered (only that she's not next door, but locked away in a tower hidden behind bushes and thorns).
But enough for the moment about Rapunzel. The other characters were twisted. Yes, she's still a princess but the male protagonist wasn't quite the prince you'd imagine. Well, he's more like the prince of thieves (but unlike Robin Hood, he didn't quite have the sharing spirit). We got a very funny and righteous horse. We also got a chameleon trying to be cute. And we had bad guys and bad guys gone good. And not to forget the evil mother, the standard king and queen and townsfolk, several stupid guards (I'm starting to get suspicious that they're the same in most Disney movies), and a cupid (but from the kind that you didn't hope to see).
The storyline was altered. Not much, but still altered. But the overall story became better (in my own opinion which I wrote in my own blog). And it had the Disney kind of happy ending, that's all that matter. And as a bonus, we're given beautiful and heart warming emotional scenes.
A little note on the dialogues, they're modern. Although the setting took place in far far away (like usual) in a time we couldn't tell, but the dialogues and most of the jokes were modern with a touch of Hollywood here and there. Not your classic Disney kind of conversations, but still very enjoyable.
In short, with the twisted characters, altered storyline, non-classic conversations, and all the others mixed-up elements, there're no other way to call this movie as something other than TANGLED (pun intended). It's the modern version of classic Disney. It's the human version of fairy tale. And it's the you version of Disney. Enjoy the movie. I did.
Ps: For those who're wondering who's this person i was referring to at the beginning, well the story goes like this: He's a self-nominated movie fan who never watch classic Disney other than Tarzan. The end. May he live happily ever after.
First, it's hard to put ourselves in their shoes (Ariel and Pocahontas didn't wear any shoes and it might be very hard to wear Tinker Bell's or try to fit into Cinderella's, but that's not what I meant). Let me put it this way: if you're not already a princess, probably you'd never have your prince riding in white horse came all the way from far far away and rescued you from your perils. although probably you're not in any peril anyway at the moment. And for any boy who wasn't already a prince, well, thin chance getting a princess even if you managed to get a white horse. The closest we have in comparison was Pretty Woman (starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere). But even that didn't just happen to anyone. PLUS Richard Gere was already some kind of prince, wasn't he?
Second, no matter whether she's the Beauty or the fairest among them all, no matter if she can swim or fly, and no matter whether she's tanned or pale, we would find it hard to fall in love with the characters in the film. Not that they weren't pretty enough, but we had to admit that the electricity or the chemical or the whatever you name it just wasn't there. But Tangled was different. I fell in love with the princess 10 minutes after the movie started. Her big eyes, her long hair, her sweet singing, her passion for the outside world, her fear of her mother, her agony between those previous two, and all the other things about her, they're just lovable. If you're seven, you'd want to be her or befriend her. You're thirteen, you'd think that you were her (or she was you, whatever). And if you're twenty eight, all your memories of your younger days when you're seventeen or eighteen would come rushing and maybe cause a smile or two. She was just the girl next door that most of us remembered (only that she's not next door, but locked away in a tower hidden behind bushes and thorns).
But enough for the moment about Rapunzel. The other characters were twisted. Yes, she's still a princess but the male protagonist wasn't quite the prince you'd imagine. Well, he's more like the prince of thieves (but unlike Robin Hood, he didn't quite have the sharing spirit). We got a very funny and righteous horse. We also got a chameleon trying to be cute. And we had bad guys and bad guys gone good. And not to forget the evil mother, the standard king and queen and townsfolk, several stupid guards (I'm starting to get suspicious that they're the same in most Disney movies), and a cupid (but from the kind that you didn't hope to see).
The storyline was altered. Not much, but still altered. But the overall story became better (in my own opinion which I wrote in my own blog). And it had the Disney kind of happy ending, that's all that matter. And as a bonus, we're given beautiful and heart warming emotional scenes.
A little note on the dialogues, they're modern. Although the setting took place in far far away (like usual) in a time we couldn't tell, but the dialogues and most of the jokes were modern with a touch of Hollywood here and there. Not your classic Disney kind of conversations, but still very enjoyable.
In short, with the twisted characters, altered storyline, non-classic conversations, and all the others mixed-up elements, there're no other way to call this movie as something other than TANGLED (pun intended). It's the modern version of classic Disney. It's the human version of fairy tale. And it's the you version of Disney. Enjoy the movie. I did.
Ps: For those who're wondering who's this person i was referring to at the beginning, well the story goes like this: He's a self-nominated movie fan who never watch classic Disney other than Tarzan. The end. May he live happily ever after.
Oops and I almost forgotten. I watch, I talk. Feel free to watch and talk by yourself.
