Quite what drew my mother and I to see Tangled this afternoon I'm unsure of, since I haven't seen a Disney film (and I mean proper Disney on its own) since The Emperor's New Groove in 2000. We're also hardly in Disney's target market at the ages of 22 and...late 40s.
So whether it was the dazzling golden hair or simply an excuse to get out of the house; we sat surrounded by eight year old girls, a few reluctant brothers and their parents after paying just under £22 to see the 3D picture.
What followed was a surprise. Disney had gone back to its roots with a fresh, sharper cut. Tangled had vivid colours, a damsel in distress, cute sidekicks and a predictable but enjoyable storyline; all tried and tested formulas in the House of Mouse. There were also songs, appearing randomly as they would in a musical or pre-2000 Disney movie. Although none were memorable, they added that Disney sparkle.
Then our heroine, Rapunzel, appeared as imperfect, slightly unsure of herself and a bit neurotic. Just how half the female population is every day. I was fascinated by how resourceful her hair was, her determination and the struggle with her mother, who was in fact the evil old lady who locked her away. The whole 'my mum won't let me do this' theme throughout the film would apply to girls of all ages and is highlighted by the brilliant 'Mother Knows Best' song sequence which nearly convinced me that indeed, she does. But then Rapunzel had the guts to get out anyway and she used the man who 'rescued' her, rather than simply jump in his arms. He's also a thief and she's a princess...cheeky little minx.
Nevertheless, Tangled's falling in love momentis just as cute and romantic as Eric and Ariel in those reeds or Aladdin and Jasmine on the carpet.
Now we need a heroine who doesn't fall in love, gets let down by the guy but gets through everything on her own just fine. I'm thinking that may be too forward thinking for Disney. Best stick to fantasising on heroes and romeos.
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