You got to remmeber though, [spoil]that them falling in love in 2 days [/spoil]is a lot longer than most Disney Royalty Couples.
Snow White & The Prince? A little less than under a minute. They sing to each other, and then don’t see each other until that kiss. Boom, happily ever after
Cinderella: One dance, around 4 minutes. Shoe fits? Boom, happily ever after
Sleeping Beauty: A little jaunt in the forest, Boom, happily ever after.
And remember in the end when Flynn says [spoil]after many years she finally said yes? Well actually I asked. Now we’re living happily ever after[/spoil]
Tangled has been nominated for 2 Golden Globes! It’s nomianated for Best Animated Feature Film (against Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist, and Toy Story 3) and Best Original Song in a Motion Picture (for I See the Light).
I got back from seeing this in the 3-D format…I’m astounded. The animation, color palette, and designs of the characters all blended together to create its own sort of style. Like with Princess and the Frog, I love how they take the concept of the original story but give it a completely new spin. The music was excellent. Great to hear Alan Menken again. (That’s not to say I prefer him over Mr. Newman - Randy was a perfect fit for Frog.) They definitely weren’t afraid to up the emotional ante at times, either. Pretty much [spoil]from the time we see her heartbroken father’s face[/spoil] onward, the movie is an emotional rollercoaster ride. I was grinning, crying, and at times, feeling breathless from the incredible flow of action and beautiful visuals. The 3-D is top-notch too, with [spoil]the boat/lantern scene[/spoil] being the most immersive. And I nearly gasped in shock towards the climax [spoil]when we see Flynn dying from a bloody knife wound, and Mother Gothel falling to ashes.[/spoil] Definitely warranted a PG-rating! But they reach their happy, satisfying ending. I’m sooo glad I got to see this. Wipe away any doubts, this is on-par with the best Renaissance work.
I was noticing that, too! The songs included were very nice, but there definitely weren’t as many as normal. That might actually be a good thing in the story’s case, especially because it takes a dramatic turn in the latter third or so, and too much music might be distracting.
You know something? You’re absolutely right. I thought the exact same thing!
There’s only 4 full songs in the film: When Will My Life Begin, Mother Knows Best, I’ve Got a Dream, and I See the Light. Healing Incantation (the one that Rapunzel sings to activate the magic in her hair) doesn’t really count because it’s more of a verse. The rest of the music in the film are reprises of the songs and of course the score itself.
Btw did anyone else notice that When Will My Life Begin (Reprise 1) wasn’t in the movie? I was really sad when I noticed that they excluded that. I would have liked to have heard it in the movie too (considering how I even like the When Will My Life Begin reprises better than the original song).
Similarly, You Are My Forever wasn’t in the movie nor was it even in the soundtrack either. It’s strange because I remember reading official sources about the music and that title came up a lot as a song that would have potentially been in the soundtrack, but I’m guessing they had to cut it out due to story problems. It’s understandable, though a bit disappointing.
I’m a little annoyed by how Disney ( once again) is only nominating one song from the movie for an Oscar. While it is definitely the best song in the movie, I believe “Mother Knows Best,” could’ve had a strong chance.
I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of the songs in this movie. They weren’t bad, but they certainly weren’t showstoppers that will be stuck in my head on a regular basis. That sort of bummed me out, I guess. I think the last Disney movie with GREAT original songs overall was Enchanted, and before that, Tarzan (if that counts) or Mulan.
That aside, I did enjoy the movie itself. Rapunzel was a wonderful character, there were some inspiring visuals (murals, lanterns, etc.), and the story was solid. I sort of feel like Tangled and Bolt are safe movies, though. They’re not bad, they’re relatively enjoyable, but there’s nothing very daring about them; the filmmakers need to push their work while remaining true to themselves (aka not attempting edgy garbage unless it has a real heart). Disney is starting to lose its voice, my opinion.
I don’t think Disney is losing its voice, I think it just has too much to live up to. Watch some of their most famous and most “OMG why isn’t animation like THIS anymore?” films like Snow White or Cinderella. Neither of those movies are all that “daring” (well, Snow White was for the time just for existing, but Cinderella certainly isn’t) but they are acclaimed classics.
I loved Tangled, more than PATF. Don’t get me wrong, PATF was wonderful, but I had a smile on my face from beginning to end watching Tangled. I thought the songs were better and it was definitely much funnier.
But, as I watched Mulan in history class, I was reminded of how much I adore this movie. I did realize how much darker and more realistic it was than other Disney films. The action and violence was not fantastical. Mulan is, in my opinion, special because it really was “edgy with a heart.” I do wish Disney would try more movies like that. However, that takes a lot of talent to get right. Pocahontas tried “edgy with a heart,” and it isn’t exactly their most acclaimed film.
Sometimes, simple is best. What are the most acclaimed Pixar films? Toy Story and Toy Story 2, both of which, but have pretty simple and “safe” stories.
Disney did add darker elements to the film, such as [spoil]Flynn about to get hanged, getting, you know, stabbed in the stomach, Rapunzel almost getting imprisoned for life, Flynn dying…[/spoil]were they Mulan level? No. But they are going back to one of their greatest talents: luring us in with family friendly fare, and then traumatizing our childhoods. That’s the traditional Disney way!
Obviously they can’t keep doing the same old fairy tales that they did in the past (which were simple but done well, like a fresh baguette), but some good examples of refreshing material are films like Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and I’d argue even The Emperor’s New Groove. My problem with Bolt and Tangled is that you can predict how the story will progress. The thing about the Tangled, even some of the things you mentioned, is that it reminded me sooooo much of Beauty and the Beast (as a warning, there are a lot of spoilers for various animated Disney films in the following!):
There’s a showdown with the villain, the male lead gets stabbed and is nearing death, and something magical happens. And then Belle was threatened with being imprisoned as well, so it’s nothing new. I do like the darker elements, however. But hey, Disney has always had some dark elements, such as Snow White almost having her heart removed and later being poisoned and assumedly being dead (a corpse!!!); Cinderella was locked way up in a freaking attic and was treated like scum; characters have died here and there, including at least one non-villain human; yadda yadda yadda.
Honestly, nothing really wowed me that much. I knew what was going to happen in Tangled. Take a movie like Ratatouille: I had no idea where the filmmakers were taking me, but everything made perfect sense and worked for the film. Same thing goes for a lot of Pixar movies, really. I think the last time Disney “wowed” me was in Meet the Robinsons with the villain character. I won’t go into the details of that, and I have no idea if it was in the original book itself, but it was very very clever and yet totally important to the story.
I’d disagree that Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are Pixar’s most acclaimed movies (really the majority of them have equal acclaim), and I would disagree that they’re safe. In 1995, there weren’t a lot of animated films with screenplays like TS. Like, at all. The tone is really what I think sets the trilogy apart. I mean, even though they used ordinary objects as characters–toys–the execution itself was a breath of fresh air at that time. Now, A Bug’s Life, aka Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai but with insects… that was a safe movie (not that I don’t still enjoy it). I’m all about simplicity, though–my favorite movie is My Neighbor Totoro. But I think there’s a difference between cookie-cutter filmmaking and simplicity in filmmaking. The stories for Bolt and Tangled are too high concept to be that simple.
As for Disney’s latest animated features, I dunno where I stand yet. Don’t really care for the music in either one, but I prefer the characters in Tangled and the animation in PATF. I think if Disney sticks to their current style of filmmaking but uses more original stories that have well-written characters and minimal use of clichés, I will be a happy Disney fan.
ETA: Oh my gosh, this post is long! To sum this up, I still enjoyed Tangled, I’m just being nitpicky because I think Disney settled for a decent movie instead of really pushing themselves.
), I just got her point. It made sense, what she was saying.