Tangled

Here we have it, the first of the adjective-titled Disney movies. It begins with an ambiguous male narration. Not many Disney movies are narrated, and the ones that are aren't usually narrated by a main character. So our narrator and his delightfully masculine voice tell us the story of a drop of sun that fell from the sky and grew into a flower.

                                   

          Maybe that's what they're talking about they say your plants need more sunlight *knee slap*.

So this flower is now magical and heals injuries as well as restoring youth. Naturally if you sing to it, it will heal you. This is Disney after all. So this literal sunflower (knee slap) is discovered by an old hag lady. Now whether or not the hag was greedy before she discovered the flower we don't know. It could have had a Lord of the Rings effect and made her mad with immortality. 

          Cut over to the palace and the very pregnant queen is sick, and apparently word about that magic healing sun flower is getting out. The King says, "sounds legit" (that's not verbatim) and sends the whole kingdom on a search. If you ask me, this is an extremely loyal kingdom. Michelle is alright but if Obama asks me to leave my job to search for a magical flower for her, I'm not going. 

           Hard work pays off and they find the flower due to the hag's pathetic attempt at a disguise. They uproot the flower and take it to the queen. Basically, if the hag had any sense at all she would have just uprooted it and taken it back to her crib. It's decisions like these that are why you die in the end, woman! Spoiler alert. 

           The queen eats the flower and, which for some reason which I am not science-y enough to explain, the magical sun flower gene is passed to her daughter whom they name Rapunzel. Bet you'll never find that on a keychain. The whole sun thing though shows how innocent we begin. Some say we are born evil and learn to be good. I disagree. I think we are born innocent and circumstance and growth change us. The sun then symbolizes innocence and purity. The sun also symbolizes birth.

          The hag still wants to be young so instead of getting a face lift she decides to kidnap Rapunzel. As she enters there is a shot of the moon on the screen which can be seen also as she exits. The prominence of the moon is significant. The moon and darkness represent evil. Sun and light represent good. These themes come into play throughout the film.

                                

                                                           So that's creepy.

       Then our sultry-voiced narrator explains that there was another kingdom-wide search, this time for Rapunzel. Why is this kingdom so dedicated to their rulers? If it were a commoner they'd slap their face on a milk carton and call it good. But it's the princess so they all pull their weight and search but, alas, they have no luck. Instead, every year on her birthday, they release floating lanterns into the sky. These peasants are so loyal that they take time out of their lives to hold a lantern ceremony. What if Little Timmy's birthday is that day too? And he has to pause his birthday party and go lift a dang lantern before he can eat his red velvet cake?

       Blast forward a few years and zoom in on this tall tower hidden in the forest. Rapunzel is all grown up and playing hide-and-seek with this adorable chameleon. Pascal, the chameleon, and Rapunzel's relationship with him, shows her isolation and need for friendship. Can I just say that hair this long wouldn't work as well as it does in the movie.

   

     I'm seriously afraid she'll strangle herself in her sleep. Wouldn't there be knots or something? This shouldn't be the Panteen-quality that they're promoting in this movie. 

       Rapunzel sings (yay for Disney music). I urge you, if you are ever bored, to listen to this song or watch this scene. Your problems or boredom won't be so huge. Then she mentions that she wants to go see the floating lights, which are the lanterns that our narrator mentioned.

        Then we see our narrator and hero of the story, Mr. Flynn Rider himself. AKA bae. He is one cool cat, let me tell ya. He steals this tiara from the palace. The tiara is in a case and guarded. Obviously his tiara belongs to the lost princess. The intense measure to protect this tiara shows the king and queens protection of the idea that their daughter is still living. They are still concerned and entertaining this notion, and let's face it: at this point the chances they'll ever get her back are tiny.

        Flynn Rider steals the tiara, puts it in a satchel, and runs off with his burly partners-in-crime with the palace guards close behind.

        Back at the tower, Hag AKA Mother Gothel returns and Rapunzel makes a point to hide Pascal. Hiding her only friend implies that Mother Gothel does not approve of her companionship and emphasizes both the villains cruelty and Rapunzel's complete desperation for friendship amid her solitude.

         Mother Gothel is this horrible lady who hands out insults with a smile, somehow trying to victimize herself and guilt Rapunzel at the same time. Let's talk about appearances shall we?

    

         Mother Gothel has black hair, and black is generally associated with evilness in most art forms. She wears dark makeup which follows the same idea. Next, she is wearing red. Red is associated with death and chaos but is also a power symbol. All of these qualities say a lot about her character.

   

Rapunzel has lighter hair where light is usually a symbol of innocence. She has green eyes, and green is known as a calming color. She is wearing pink and purple which are known for femininity, youth, innocence, and are also lighter colors. 

       Rapunzel takes the plunge and asks her "mother" to take her to see the lights and this lady flips. Gothel sings this song which is pretty much a conglomeration of scare tactics. Her scare tactics resemble political strategies. You make voters so frightened of the alternative while developing a sort of bond so that they will run from the opponent and, by default, into your arms. Mother Gothel is doing virtually the same thing. She is frightening Rapunzel with myths about the outside world so that she will have no choice but to turn to the only parental figure she has. Also in her song, Rapunzel lights a series of candles to show her need for light in her life and Gothel puts them out to show her dark behavior and also signify her keeping Rapunzel in the dark, so to speak.

     

                                                                 Not cool, lady.

          After the dispute, Mother Gothel takes off. First she says "Goodbye, my flower." Calling her this acknowledges the magic sun flower part of her and therefore objectifies her by saying that the only thing important about Rapunzel is her power.

           Back at Rider's side of the story, the three are still on the road. He finds a wanted poster with his picture on it and is quite upset with the inaccurate portrayal of his nose. This comment is one of the indicators that Flynn is in pursuit of acknowledgement and appreciation. He wants his face to be accurately depicted- he wants to be noticed. Another indicator was the "I want a castle" statement. This means he envies royalty and fame. The other indicator was that he intentionally got caught while stealing the tiara by conversing with the guard. There are theories that say that criminals want acknowledgement for their crimes and are sometimes reckless because of it. This is true in Rider's case. He outwits his companions, taking the tiara for himself (handsome AND smart). Then he steals a horse and attempts to ride into the sunset. The horse, Maximus, is not happy and does his patriotic duty by attempting to get the tiara from Rider. Even the horses from this place are loyal! 

          One tumble off a cliff and a miraculous landing later, Flynn Rider escapes and stumbles upon the tower. Now this plot is going places. This beast of a man climbs the stone wall with nothing but two arrows (handsome AND smart AND athletic). He reaches the top of the tower and is knocked out by Rapunzel and her frying pan. As he lays there, she brushes the hair from his face and stares wide-eyed as dramatic music begins to play. It's the classic Disney love at first sight moment. Then as he awakens....she hits him again. So what's happening here is Disney making fun of Disney. That's art.

           After a mostly successful attempt at shoving his unconscious body in a closet, Mommy Dearest returns to the tower. As Rapunzel hoists her up with her hair (ouch) she says she has a surprise. Rapunzel matches and Mother Gothel says, "I bet mine is bigger". The surprise, we later find out, is turnip soup. This poor girl's life is so boring that turnip soup is considered a big surprise. I'm paralyzed with joy. 

            Rapunzel reenters the idea of leaving and Gothel tells her she isn't strong enough. What mother would ever tell her daughter she is not strong enough? Some mothers call their daughters fat, unstylish, or unintelligent. But the two things a mother must always tell her daughter she is, if she says nothing else, is that she is desirable and strong. Mother Gothel takes both of these away from Rapunzel. Rapunzel turns up her rebellion and lies to her mother to get her to leave. Force your child away and they won't have a problem with leaving. Let's take a look at all of this fake mother's affection throughout the movie so far.

                  

                   

    

        In two out of three photos, Gothel's eyes are open and she is looking at the hair. In all three she is touching the hair instead of Rapunzel. In the two photos where she is kissing Rapunzel, she is kissing her hair and in the one where she is only hugging, her cheek is pressed against her hair. Basically, any form of affection from this woman is directed toward Rapunzel's hair. That's messed up.

      Now that they're all alone, she wakes Rider up who immediately turns on the charm.

    

                                                      "You broke my smolder."

       They strike a bargain: Rapunzel will give him his satchel if he takes her to see the lights, and they leave. Rapunzel reprises her previous song and galavants around the wide open. As the song ends, blue birds fly toward the sky. The birds represent the freedom that Rapunzel feels. After the brief happiness, the heroine sulks in irrational fear which is, of course, her mother's fault. Flynn discovers her fear of thugs and decides to take her to the thug hangout. The Snuggly Duckling. Because irony. 

        Once in the frightening pub, notice that Rapunzel's instinct is to protect her hair. This is because she has been taught that her hair is the only thing important about her.

       

                                                  I apologize for the terrible photo quality.

            Rapunzel mentions that she has a dream and the pub transforms into a chaotic musical number of dream confessions. Also, why is it an unwritten rule in animated movies that whenever a piano is being played, half of the keys have to fly off only to have the pianist resume as if nothing happened. This just isn't logical! There are no keys left! What are you playing? Also, how does he play an obvious ten finger song with five fingers and a hook? I can't, however, judge this movie on its logical aspects as the main character has magic immortal sun hair. 

          This song is hilarious yet shockingly true. Most dreams are suppressed. We say it's not true and that everyone can have their dream, yet we also disprove that. My dream is to be in musical theatre. I can't sing and dance. Think about that one. Dreams are not always possible; that's what makes them dreams and not goals.

           Mother Gothel happens upon The Snuggly Duckling just in time to see Rapunzel sing, "I'm so glad I left my tower." Well if that isn't rubbing salt in the wound. Gothel is not amused. Then the guards come and crash the party as well to which the impractical hook-hand pianist shows them a secret passage. 

             As they leave and are chased by guards, Rapunzel grabs her hair again. Although, they're running this time so she may just be trying to avoid tripping and killing herself.

             Then the weirdest thing ever happens as Flynn Rider uses a frying pan to fight a horse with a sword. That's imagination, fool. Stuff ensues and the tragic couple ends up trapped in a cave-type-thing with water spilling in. So, bummer. Rider confesses that his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert, making him the only character with a last name, and pulls off his metaphorical mask by showing her his true self. They are growing more comfortable with each other. Plus they're about to die. Rapunzel then remembers that her hair glows so they use that to find a place to dig out. Cue unrealistic movie lung capacity. 

      

                                Question: Wouldn't the sheer weight of her hair sink her?

           Rapunzel uses her magic hair to heal Eugene's hand and he tells her his childhood sob story. We learn that he was an orphan. This explains his need for appreciation and acknowledgment as those are things often lacking in orphaned children. We also learn that money is Eugene's form of freedom. As a child, he was restricted, similar to Rapunzel. He did not have much control or ability to do what he wanted or have what he wanted. Money opens possibilities and that frees him. This is why he steals.

             

                                                         Kodak moment!    

        Eugene leaves for firewood or something and Gothel emerges from the shadows. Talk about overbearing parents. Gothel once again tells Rapunzel how undesirable she is and takes off in a fit of evil musical frenzy. 

    

                        This is Mother Gothel's hair hours ago at the Snuggly Duckling.

    

             This is Mother Gothel's hair only hours later in her reprise of "Mother Knows Best".

        Her aging is being used as a portrayal of her evilness. As she grows meaner, her hair grows greyer. 

        Eugene enters again after tragically missing the musical number and Rapunzel befriends Maximus. They go into the city and Rapunzel gets a new 'do. There is a lot of celebration and dancing and a lot of shots of the sun. Since the sun represents innocence, this moment is utterly pure and innocent. There are no upsetting plot reveals or oppressive villains. It is just pure bliss. This is my favorite scene. The sun also is still a symbol of birth and shows Rapunzel's rebirth in this scene. She becomes a new woman, hence the new hair and independence.

    

                                                   Plus the animation is perfection.

             This dance sequence introduces sudden Celtic themes which have not been used in the rest of the movie. This is a confusing transition as Rapunzel takes place in Germany. Celtic music, however, is characteristic of an AB pattern. It's all about question and answer or two echoing parts. Since this is the scene where Rapunzel and Eugene start a more romantic relationship, the music reflects that. They are parts A and B, working beautifully together to create a full melody. They complete each other. Tear.

             After the festivities, Eugene whisks her away on a romantic boat ride to see the lanterns (handsome AND smart AND athletic AND romantic). You hold on to that one, Hunny. 

             Before they lift the lanterns, the king and queen share a moment. What gets me is that the king cries. He defies masculine pride and weeps for his missing daughter. So far we've only really seen negative parental influences in Rapunzel's life, so this is important that we see what her real family is like. 

                                       Now that we all have feelings....

         Eugene and Rapunzel sing this positively wonderful ballad as they watch the lanterns. She gives him the satchel, showing that her dream isn't as important as him anymore. He is her new dream. She touches a lantern as it falls and it happens to be the same one her parents lifted.

     

                                                         Coincidence? I think not!

          The lighting in this scene is also very important. It's night out. Night in this movie has been a symbol of evil. Rapunzel was kidnapped at night, Mother Gothel sang her reprise at night. Now it's night again. The  lanterns though artificially light up the sky showing that we can make our own light. We can choose light over dark. We are always strong enough to conquer dark. This scene also has a lot of pink and purple undertones. These colors are Rapunzel's signature colors but also serve as the innocence and beauty in the scene.

             They row to shore so Eugene can return the satchel and clear his conscience and the once terrified Rapunzel is brave enough to stay behind and trusts him enough to return. These are important actions for her that really show how far she's come. The Stabbington Brothers (formerly known as Flynn Rider's comrades) emerge from the shadows with obvious attempts to kidnap Rapunzel. Hasn't she been through enough kidnappings already? Seriously, guys! If you look in the background, most of the lanterns are gone. So essentially this means really bad stuff is about to go down.

             Long story short, Eugene is arrested, Gothel saves Rapunzel, and the bros get arrested as well. The guards make it clear to Eugene that he will be hanged, so I guess they take robbery pretty seriously. 

             Back at home sweet home, Gothel is finishing pulling the flowers out of Rapunzel's hair. First this symbolizes loosing her spirit. Changing her hair was her becoming new, becoming who she wanted to be and not who the stupid hag lady wanted her to be. Returning her back to normal is taking away her independence and spirit. Second, this shows Gothel's love for her hair. Rapunzel has been through attempted kidnapping and heartbreak and Gothel takes care of her hair instead of her. Like I said, the woman is sick. In this scene, notice that her hair is once again black instead of grey. This means that she's already had Rapunzel restore her youth. That was her priority.

            Rapunzel has an epiphany and realizes that she is the lost princess so she confronts Gothel in a fit of rage. I must admit, I'd be pretty dang upset as well. A mirror then breaks. Gothel's main preoccupation is youth and vanity. The mirror breaking does several things. It symbolizes the lack of importance in appearance. It foreshadows Gothel's demise. It symbolizes Rapunzel's strength.

   I feel most sorry for Rapunzel because she's been barefoot this entire movie, so this is somewhat problematic.

      Back at prison, Eugene is being led to his death. Plot twist: the day is saved by the "thugs" from the Snuggly Duckling. Here we have a definite stereotype defiance. Rapunzel's maternal figure is oppressing and abusing her while a bunch of criminals come to her rescue. Not everything is always exactly as it seems. This is saying that villains and heroes alike come in disguise. It's not "The Ugly Duckling" ; it's "The Snuggly Duckling." So really that was some hardcore foreshadowing back there.

   Eugene makes it back to the tower where the darkest friggen' scene in the entire movie ensues.

      

                       She is literally pulling Rapunzel into the darkness!! How is this okay?!

      Speaking of that. Gothel stands on the dark side of the room and Eugene by the window where there's light. I don't think I have to explain that one again.

      All in this short amount of time, this lady manages to violently kick Pascal and stab Eugene. She harms every companion Rapunzel has. She wants Rapunzel's loneliness. But Eugene is Rapunzel's dream now so she tells Gothel that she will be cooperative if she lets her use her magic sun-flower hair to cure Eugene. She says yes and it's all fine and dandy...almost.

      Eugene says the most beautiful thing: "If you do this, you will die." Meaning she can't give her freedom away because that's the same thing as death. He would risk his life for her happiness. Which brings us to the next plot detail: he takes a shard of glass and in one perfect swipe, cuts her hair into a perfect pixie cut.

                           This is also my facial expression after a hair cut.

     He's handsome AND smart AND athletic AND romantic AND selfless. Unfortunately he's also dead now. He warned us at the beginning and we didn't believe him.

     Now that the magic sun-flower hair doesn't exist, age catches up to Gothel. She has three main actions before plummeting to her death: grabs the hair on the floor, looks in the broken mirror, covers her face. Her first instinct is to reach for her outlet to immortality. Next, she entertains her vain persona by seeking her own reflection. When she is repulsed by her aged self, she covers her face in shame and horror. Then she dies which I'm sure we're all happy about.

      Rapunzel is not happy. Her man is dying. So she sings her song without intent. "Bring back what once was mine." Gothel sang that about her youth. Rapunzel sings it about her true love. Once again Gothel is shown to have a bit of a priority problem.Rapunzel sings and, no joke, sunlight shoots out of Eugene's abdomen.

     

                                  That's not something you see on Grey's Anatomy.

This is symbolic of rebirth as the sun fell to the flower and the sun has still symbolized purity and innocence and newness. Eugene, in a Beauty and the Beast-ish manner, is revived. They, of course, take a furlough to the castle to see Mom and Dad who are absolutely thrilled. For the first time, Rapunzel knows true parental love. Then the kingdom, once again, drops everything, cancels all appointments, and celebrates for a week. I think the real hero of this movie was the supportive kingdom. Ten years from now when Eugene's never home to help with the kids and is always out with his buddies playing poker and you have to take one child to Girl Scouts, one to basketball, and the other to play-dates, the kingdom will be there. The kingdom won't hesitate to drop everything and be there for you.

          Enough of that though. In the end we see more festivities and everyone is in lighter colors. Yay for light.

      

          I don't know what's happening in the background but I hope it's a break dancing circle.

      In conclusion: this movie is awesome. Hot hero, dynamic heroine, conflicting parental units, quirky sidekicks, lovable outlaws, magical sun-flowers, and a half-naked drunk Cupid man who has no business being in a Disney film.

      

                                                Seriously, this guy creeps me out.