Release Date: March 29, 2011
Rating: G
Running Time: Approx 100 minutes

When the kingdom’s most wanted—and most charming—bandit Flynn Rider (voice of ZACHARY LEVI) hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of MANDY MOORE), a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower she’s been locked away in for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief, and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an overprotective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. Tangled is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair—lots of hair.

Tangled is much more intriguing and entertaining than the Brothers Grimm’ Rapunzel fairy tale. In fact, Tangled is now in my top 5 favorite Disney animated movie musicals ever. Typical for a Disney classic, the film is just as sweet as it is dark, with Rapunzel saving her love interest, Flynn and Rapunzel’s mother evolving as one of the most twisted and disturbed evil Disney characters to date. It’s not everyday the heroine saves the hero, so what a breath of fresh air this story line turned out to be.

Clearly, Tangled is not just a film about Rapunzel exploring life outside the tower. Sure, Rapunzel’s reactions to the outside once Flynn takes her out of the tower provides for one of the most comedic moments of the film. Though from the moment the two meet, it is clear that they have such a respect for each other’s game plans. That respect leads to a unique trust, which leads to a predictable romance. It’s funny how the romance that sparks between the two comes after they have negotiated their way into each getting what they want while still pleasing the other. The two were ready for marriage from the beginning!

As for Rapunzel’s “mother,” Gothel is one villain viewers may not ever truly find likable in any way. She is so desperate to be young (and for what, really? She can’t really reap all of the benefits while hiding Rapunzel away in her tower) that she resorts to thievery and dishonesty amongst other things…but at what cost? For someone who is using Rapunzel to stay young, her selfishness and ungratefulness sure comes to a high when Gothel shares how unwilling she is to travel for the one gift that Rapunzel is actually able to get for her 18th birthday. For a villain who is not a witch, she sure deserves to be called one right now.

Broadway’s Donna Murphy (The People in the Picture) brings out the cruel qualities in Mother Gothel like no one else ever could. Her tones and delivery of the harsh criticisms to Rapunzel and her performance of the disturbing song, “Mother Knows Best” are brilliant! In fact, all of the musical performances are superb, mainly thanks to the film’s composer, Alan Menken. Mandy Moore brings her sweet and bubbly charm to Rapunzel and the music while Zachary Levi (Chuck) surprises audience with a voice nobody knew he had. He also brought his usual charm and smart aleck self to the character Flynn, which makes Flynn much more realistic in this day and age. That isn’t to say that Tangled isn’t timeless because it definitely is.

There’s romance, there’s humor (cue Maximus, the horse and Pascal, the chameleon), there are plenty obstacles to overcome and lots of action to see that through. There’s a Disney princess whose parents are not dead or missing. All of these elements come together beautifully! And the life lessons! One of my favorite messages in this film is that everyone has a dream but it is so important to choose how to go about getting to that dream. It is vital not to get tangled up in one’s own selfish desires and be open to exploring because there’s more to life than what you can imagine and so many people are unaware of how the choices they make affect the people around them. Seeing just how resourceful Rapunzel was with her hair also shows how resourceful people can be even when they are limited to one item. Tangled is not only visually stunning and incredibly entertaining, but has such a fantastic message at hand that both children and adults can appreciate. Tangled is such a delight to watch, so make sure to get your copy today.

DVD Bonus Features:

Original Storybook Openings – Version 1 (3:58 minutes) shows the creators’ first attempt at their story book opening with a mix of sketches and color illustrations while Version 2 (4:03 minutes) shows a more fully animated version of the opening. If you’re interested in seeing the process and the changes that were made, which is quite a sight, definitely check out this feature.

50th Animated Feature Countdown (2:05 minutes) – This is a video montage celebrating Tangled as the 50th film to join The Walt Disney Studios’ prestigious lineup of classic animated features. As viewers get a peak at all 50 films countdown style, they’ll also be listening to the wonderful song, “Dreams” by singer/songwriter, Brandi Carlile. This countdown is a great look down memory lane and a great reminder of the films that I need to buy when certain ones are out of the vault. What a great feature to include on both the dvd and blu-ray, not just blu-ray.

Blu-Ray Bonus Features:
* Two Original Storybook Openings
* 50th Animated Feature Countdown
* Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale
* 2 Extended Songs (“When Will My Life Begin” and “Mother Knows Best”)
* 3 Deleted Scenes (Introduced by Co-directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno)
* 9 Tangled Teasers

Own Tangled on Blu-ray and DVD today.