The Bat Cave

Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard (Bolt)

Quick Thoughts: Disney goes back to its fairy tale roots with great success. Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel, a princess that was stolen at birth by an old woman because of her magical hair that had the power to keep the old woman looking young. Locked away in a tower through her teenage years, Rapunzel finally seeks adventure when fugitive Flynn Ryder inadvertently seeks escape in her isolated home. Tangled is a perfect addition to the Disney archives, combining innovative animation with good storytelling. 3D and CG technology are used to breath life into characters that resemble the more traditional hand drawn models of Disney’s past. The story and characters are strong and humorous, with Ryder’s noble horse providing the most laughs throughout the film, a remarkable feat for a non-speaking character. The songs in the movie are solid and Mandy Moore is enjoyable in the lead role. I wouldn’t list Tangled amongst Disney’s all-time best work, but it’s close between this and Bolt for Disney’s best animated, non-Pixar feature film of the past decade.

Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Lots of value here for kids and families.
Sequel Potential: Disney likes to make direct-to-video sequels, but the conclusion of the film doesn’t leave much left to explore with these characters.
Oscar Potential: Nominated for Best Original Song and possibly snubbed for Best Animated Feature (I haven’t seen The Illusionist yet).
Nudity: N/A
Grade: 6.5/10 (Recommended)
RottenTomatoes Scores: Critics: 89% Audience: 88%
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Recommendation: A solid, but unspectacular Disney movie that is great for kids and enjoyable for adults.