Tangled

Since John Lasseter took over Walt Disney Animation Studios, a trend of quality has been noted in the features released since his commanding. Disney Animation Studios has a rich history and was one of the best (if not the best studio) in the animtion field. But since the 2000s, the studio became less and less succesful with awful movies that not only did not resonate with audiences but also were box office bombs. Since Lasseter took over the studio, only four films (Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, The Princess and the Frog and Tangled)had been released but each one of them are compelling and have pushed the studio up again. Following the phenomenal The Princess and the Frog (which also set the return of glourious hand-drawn animation into the studio), Tangled became Disney's 50th Animated film and I'm happy to report that is a sensational film that proudly fits that milestone. Struggling almost 8 years in production and costing over $260 million, Tangled had a very troubled production. Formerly knwon as Rapunzel, the title was changed in order to appeal to boys and to draw more money from the box office. While the title change is somewhat a debatable decision, it seems it worked because Tangled became a major box office success earning almost $600 million in receipts. Although the title was changed and the trailers showed a "contemporary" story, make no mistake: Tangled is a tradional musical fairy tale and is a really good one. I won't tell the plot here but let me tell you that the movie has a lot going for it: a compelling and likeable heroine, a brave and funny hero, adorable animal sideckicks and a memorable villain. Rapunzel is a very strong, free-spirited young woman who is easy to root for, the same can be said for Flynn Ryder the thief with a heart of gold. Pascal the chameleon and Maximus the horse are really funny and Mother Gothel is a very amusing villain. The animators and the voice actors have to be credited for doing such roundable palpable characters. The animation is simply amazing!!! It's the first time that a CGI Disney film can be up there with the Pixar catalogue. The humans are rendered marvelousy and the sceneries are breathtaking (specially the lantern sequence). But what struck me the most was how amazing Rapunzel's hair is. Is so beautiful and believable that really adds to the picture value. The score and the songs were done by legend composer Alan Menken and his new lyricist Glenn Slater. While the songs are good and serve their purpose in the film, they are far from memorable. They are not the best Menken has done and they are not at the same level as others like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin. Still the ones that I really like were "When will my Life Begin?", its reprise and of course the Oscar nominated "I see the Light" (which should've won the Oscar). Wrapping up, Tangled is an excellent film with outstanding animation, great characters and nice songs. An excellent Disney film. Video & Audio: Unsurprisingly by now, Tangled BD looks absolutely spectacualar. A lot of things can be said about the transfer but let me tell you that this disc is demo quality and will completely blew your mind. The same can be said for the 7.1 DTS-HD MA track which is dynamic, clear and potent. The DVD also boasts a fairly impressive transfer for SD and a good 5.1 Dolby Audio. Bonus Material: You have some deleted scenes, two storybooks openings, a 50th animated countdown (which is great), a making-of featurette, two extended songs and 9 teasers. While all the material is great, the making-of featurette feels really promotional and too short to be entirely valuable. I was hoping for a more compelling documentary that will talk about the music in the film, the anination and the production overall. Overall they are entertaining pieces but Disney could've done a lot more in the special features department. Sneek Peeks: You got some interesting Sneek peeks like: The Lion King: Diamond Edition (Coming this fall!!!) Winnie the Pooh (in theaters July 15, same day as Harry Potter) Cars 2 (in theaters June 24) Dumbo: 70th Anniversary (not release date but is definetely coming this year) The Incredibles on BD (already released) And more that for me are not worth mentioning. Also is worth noting that in an insert that came in the box, The Fox and the Hound: 30th Anniversary Edition and TFATH2 are also listed in a 2-movie collection 3-disc combo pack which will include a BD and a DVD for the original film and one DVD for the cheapquel. This set is going to be released this September. Final Thoughts: Tangled is another example that Disney is recapturing its magic again and delivering good quality animated films. With stunning video and excellent audio and a good (if lacking) assortment of bonus features, Tangled is a must-own title on BD. This set is great for the majority of us who won't buy 3D crap and doesn't care for digital copies. Tangled on BD comes highly recommended!!!