Just before Christmas we were invited to a preview of the new Disney animation Tangled. Here’s what we thought:
I’ve always been a huge fan of the fairy story of Rapunzel – I remember having a battered old Ladybird book which me and my sister would read for hours (we may have borrowed it from the library and ‘forgotten’ to give it back, *cough*.) So we couldn’t wait to take the kids to see Tangled.
From the off this is clear that this is traditional Disney – classic villain, heroine, hero (after a fashion) and some lovely songs.
The plot sees a witch worried about losing her looks and youth stealing a baby princess because her hair has magical, anti-ageing properties – if she could bottle it she’d make a fortune – and locking the little girl in a tower. Where poor Rapunzel would probably stay for the rest of her life, with only a clever chameleon for company, if it wasn’t for the unexpected arrival of a bandit known as Flynn Ryder just before her 18th birthday.
At first glance Flynn appears vain, superficial and money-obsessed (and he is).
Will the gorgeous duo be able to defeat the evil witch and will Rapunzel be reunited with her family? Well, I think you can guess the outcome, but you’ll have great fun reaching the conclusion.
We absolutely loved Tangled. By the end of it both Harriet (13) and I were sobbing (but of course there IS a Happy Ending).
Ben, seven, said he thought it was very funny and he liked the horse alot (the horse is quite a big character).
The songs are great, the animation is fab (we saw it in 3D, fantastic), and the whole thing rips along at a pleasing pace. The entire audience clapped at the end, and there was hardly a peep from all the kids the whole way through, which should tell you all you need to know.
I predict lots of Rapunzel princesses at fancy dress parties up and down the land this year. 5 stars.
*Disney’s Tangled opens on 28 January.
written by Liz Jarvis