Tangled
Tangled is a 2010 American animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film[2] produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" in the collection of folktales published by the Brothers Grimm, the film was directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard (in the former's feature directorial debut), and produced by Roy Conli, from a screenplay written by Dan Fogelman. Featuring the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy,[7] Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel, a lost young princess with magical long blonde hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. She accepts the aid of an intruder to take her out into the world which she has never seen.
This article is about the 2010 film. For other uses, see Tangled (disambiguation).Tangled
"Rapunzel"
by the Brothers Grimm
Tim Mertens
- November 14, 2010 (El Capitan Theatre)
- November 24, 2010 (United States)
100 minutes[4]
United States
English
$592.5 million[6]
Originally conceived and proposed by Disney animator Glen Keane in 2001, Tangled spent six years in production at a cost that has been estimated at $260 million, which, if accurate, would make it the most expensive animated feature film ever made and one of the most expensive films of all time. The film employed a unique artistic style by blending together features of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and traditional animation while using non-photorealistic rendering to create the impression of a painting. Composer Alan Menken, who had worked on prior Disney animated features, returned to score Tangled, and also wrote the film's songs with lyricist Glenn Slater. Before the film's release, its title was changed from Rapunzel to Tangled, reportedly to market the film gender-neutrally.[5]
Tangled premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 14, 2010, and went into general release on November 24. The film earned $592 million in worldwide box office revenue,[6] $200 million of which was earned in the United States and Canada, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2010. Tangled received positive reviews from critics, who praised for its animation, writing, characters, and musical score. The film was nominated for a number of awards, including Best Original Song at the 83rd Academy Awards. It was Richard Kiel’s last film role before his death in 2014. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 29, 2011; a short film, Tangled Ever After, was released later in 2012, and a television series premiered in 2017.
Plot[edit]
A drop of sunlight falls from the sky and produces a magic flower with healing properties. An old woman, Gothel uses it to retain her youth. Centuries later, the flower is taken by soldiers from the kingdom of Corona and used to save their pregnant and ailing queen, who gives birth to Princess Rapunzel. Gothel sneaks into the castle and discovers that Rapunzel's hair inherited the flower's magic but turns powerless when cut. To keep the flower's magic, Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel and raises her in a hidden tower in the woods. Each year on Rapunzel's birthday, the king and queen release sky lanterns, hoping they will guide Rapunzel home.
Rapunzel is fascinated by the annual lights and, on the eve of her 18th birthday, asks to leave the tower and investigate them, but Gothel refuses, claiming the outside world is too dangerous. Meanwhile, Flynn Rider steals Rapunzel's intended crown from the palace; he abandons the Stabbington brothers, his partners in crime, while being pursued by royal guard-horse Maximus. Flynn discovers and takes refuge in the tower, where Rapunzel knocks him out and hides him in a closet. When Rapunzel attempts to show him to Gothel as proof that she can defend herself, Gothel berates Rapunzel and says Rapunzel will never leave the tower. Hatching a plan, Rapunzel asks for new paint as a gift, sending Gothel on a three-day journey.
Rapunzel strikes a deal with Flynn, promising to return the crown in exchange for taking her to see the lanterns. When they stop at the Snuggly Duckling pub, menacing thugs try to capture the wanted Flynn, but Rapunzel charms them into revealing their softer sides. When royal guards arrive, the thugs help Rapunzel and Flynn escape. Meanwhile, Gothel encounters a riderless Maximus and recognizes him as a horse from the palace. Gothel becomes suspicious, returns to the empty tower, and finds the crown and a wanted poster of Flynn. She strikes a deal with the Stabbington brothers to find Rapunzel. Flynn and Rapunzel become trapped in a fast-flooding cave; believing they will suffocate, Flynn reveals his true name, Eugene Fitzherbert. Rapunzel uses the magic glow of her hair to reveal a hidden exit beneath the water, and they escape. That night, Gothel confronts Rapunzel alone and gives her the crown, telling her to give it to Eugene to test his loyalty.
The next morning, Maximus tracks down Eugene and attempts to arrest him, but Rapunzel demands a truce, which Maximus reluctantly agrees to. Rapunzel and Eugene enter the kingdom and attend a festival in honor of the "lost princess". After a day of celebration, they sail onto the lake to watch the release of the lanterns. Rapunzel gives Eugene the crown, and they confess their mutual love. When Eugene sees the Stabbingtons on the shore, he goes to apologize and offers them the crown. The brothers tie him up, tricking Rapunzel into thinking he abandoned her. They try to capture Rapunzel, but Gothel stages a rescue by knocking them out and takes Rapunzel back to the tower.
Eugene is arrested, but Maximus and the pub thugs help him escape. Meanwhile, Rapunzel realizes she has subconsciously incorporated the kingdom's standard, a golden sun, into her artwork throughout her life. Realizing that she is the "lost princess", she confronts Gothel, declaring she will never allow Gothel to use her hair again. Eugene arrives at the tower and calls to Rapunzel. Her hair is lowered to him but, upon climbing up, he finds Rapunzel chained and gagged. Gothel stabs Eugene from behind and attempts to drag Rapunzel away, but she angrily resists. However, Rapunzel promises to stay with Gothel if she is allowed to heal Eugene. Gothel reluctantly agrees to this, but Eugene, realizing Rapunzel would spend the rest of her life in captivity, cuts off most of her hair before she can heal him. A horrified and infuriated Gothel suddenly ages rapidly, then falls from the tower and turns to dust.
Rapunzel mourns Eugene, but one of her tears, which still has some of the flower's magic, revives him. In the aftermath, Rapunzel is reunited with her birth parents, and the kingdom celebrates. Rapunzel and Eugene eventually marry.
Non-speaking animal characters include Rapunzel's pet chameleon Pascal, and Maximus, the horse of the head of the palace guard. Other non-speaking roles include Rapunzel's parents (the King and Queen of Corona), the other Stabbington brother, and Ulf the Mime Thug.
Production[edit]
Origins and conception[edit]
The concept of an animated film based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Rapunzel originated from Disney supervising animator Glen Keane in 1996.[12] In 2001, Keane pitched the idea to then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner who approved it, but requested the film to be computer-animated. However, Keane was hesitant as he felt computer animation was not quite as fluid or organic as traditional animation was.[13] In October 2003, the film was announced as Rapunzel Unbraided as a computer-animated feature scheduled for a 2007 release,[14][15] which Keane described as "a Shrek-like version of the film".[12] According to Ed Catmull, Eisner himself had proposed using modern-day San Francisco as the initial setting of the film.[16] The story initially centered on two teenagers, Claire and Vince, who live in San Francisco and are transported into the fairy tale world, where they inhabit the bodies of Rapunzel and her prince Beau. Rapunzel and Beau themselves are turned into a squirrel and a dog. In July 2004, Reese Witherspoon and Kristin Chenoweth were in talks to portray roles, with the latter intended to voice Rapunzel.[17] In October 2005, Dan Fogler was slated to provide a voice.[18]
In reflection, Keane said of the original plot, "It was a fun, wonderful, witty version and we had a couple of great writers. But in my heart of hearts I believed there was something much more sincere and genuine to get out of the story, so we set it aside and went back to the roots of the original fairy tale."[19] In November 2005, Unbraided was pushed back to a summer 2009 release in order to give Keane "more time to work on the story."[20] In January 2006, the film was then shut down about a week before Catmull and John Lasseter were placed in charge of the studio, and one of their first decisions was to restart the project and ask Keane to keep going with the film.[16] It had originally been announced in April 2007 that Annie-nominated animator and story artist Dean Wellins would be co-directing the film alongside Keane.[21]
On October 9, 2008, it was reported that Keane and Wellins had stepped down as directors due to other commitments, and were replaced by the team of Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, director and storyboard director, respectively, of Disney's 2008 animated feature Bolt. Keane stayed on as an executive producer and animation supervisor, while Wellins moved on to developing other short and feature films.[22] After the film's release, Keane revealed that he had "stepped back" from the role of director because of a heart attack in 2008.[23]
Casting[edit]
On September 10, 2009, it was announced that actress and singer-songwriter Mandy Moore, who previously worked with Disney on Disneytoon Studios' Brother Bear 2, had been cast as the voice of Rapunzel, and actor Zachary Levi would provide the voice of Flynn Rider.[8][9][24] For the role of Flynn, the studio mandated exclusively only UK actors to audition for the part, as Ryder was intended to be British. An American, Zachary Levi, impersonated a British Received Pronunciation (RP) accent to audition, leading the producers to opt for him to use his natural American accent.[25] Mandy Moore approached the project through auditioning, when she heard that a film about the story of Rapunzel was being made.[26][27] Moore later expressed that she had dreamed to be a Disney princess since she was young and said that with the role of Rapunzel, she had fulfilled her "ultimate childhood dream".[28] She described herself as a "girly fan" of Disney animated films[28] like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, and that it was an honor for her to be part of this "legacy"—the lineage of such Disney icons.[29] Since the film was going to be a musical, it was required that all auditionees had to read several scenes and perform a song of their choice, to ensure that the voice actors could both act and sing.[30][31] For this singing section, Moore chose "Help Me" by Joni Mitchell,[26] a song that she herself had covered on her fourth studio album, Coverage (2003).[32][33] Moore revealed that she had to attend several audition sessions[29][30] and described the experiences as "pretty fun" but didn't put much hope in getting the part because she believed there would be much competition for this role;[27] she just performed her best without any anxiety.[26] When she received a callback from Disney telling that she got the part, Moore described herself as being "over the moon": "I was working in New York at the time. I was with some friends and my husband—and I screamed as soon as I found out the news."[26]
The film reportedly cost more than $260 million to produce.[5]
Writing and character development[edit]
When asked about the character of Rapunzel, Mandy Moore said that Rapunzel was a relatable character and called her a "Renaissance, bohemian" woman[26] rather than a typical Disney princess:[34] Moore said "[Rapunzel] doesn't know she's a princess [until the end of the film]. She's just really sort of motivated to find out what else is out there beyond this crazy tower she's lived in for 18 years," and that "she's very independent, she can take care of herself, and she's definitely come up with really entertaining ways to keep herself busy."[34] Moore also stated that she herself had little influence on Rapunzel: "The character was developed way before I had anything to do with it."[26]
According to Greno, one of the most difficult problems during the development of the film's plot was how to get Rapunzel out of the tower without immediately ending the movie, in that she had thereby escaped Mother Gothel and did not have any other specific objectives to pursue.[35] At a meeting one day, animator John Ripa floated an idea which turned out to be the solution they had been looking for: the mysterious floating lanterns.[35]
Recording[edit]
In Tangled, as with most animated films, all voice actors had to record their dialogue separately from one another to avoid bleeding into each other's tracks.[36] Mandy Moore later recalled that during recording, she had never met Donna Murphy and only met Zachary Levi once when they recorded "I See the Light".[36] Moore thought that this was "a good exercise in employing your imagination".[37] When recording action scenes, the voice actors had to jog a little in place in order to make their voices sound realistic.[37] For the songs, Moore and Levi recorded on a soundstage with a 65-piece orchestra under the supervision of composer Alan Menken. They sang live with the orchestra for several times in order to help everyone "get a vibe" and a feel for the music and the singing, then were asked to go in isolation booths to record the actual tracks.[38][39] In order to aid animators in animating the characters, the filmmakers did interviews with the voice actors and filmed their facial expressions throughout the recording sessions.[37] Disney animated films are usually animated to synchronize with recorded dialogue rather than asking the vocal talent to synchronize their delivery to animation after it is rendered. Thus, Moore felt that the recording process was challenging because at that time she had no animation to look at except for a few sketches.[26]
Due to scheduling conflicts with other projects (Moore had to travel to different places such as London or New York, and Levi could only record on weekends for five hours once every six weeks), they did not record dialogue in the same order as in the final film. "[When I came in], maybe that sequence or scene had been recorded by Mandy (Moore) already, maybe it hadn't. We'd end up doing the same scene five times, depending," Levi said.[31] After watching the finished film, Moore was disappointed because she felt that her voice sounded "shrill", while Levi thought that his performance sounded "incredibly nasally".[37]
Release[edit]
Theatrical[edit]
Tangled premiered in Paris on November 17, exclusively screening at the Grand Rex theater two weeks in advance of its French wide release.[74] With over 3,800 tickets sold on its opening day, it set a new record for films showing in a single theater.[75] As part of Disney's 100th anniversary, Tangled was re-released in Helios theaters across Poland on October 21, 2023.[76]
Home media[edit]
Tangled was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment as a four-disc combo pack on March 29, 2011. The combo pack includes a Blu-ray 3D, standard Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy. A two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and single DVD are also available. Bonus features for the Blu-ray include deleted scenes, two alternate opening sequences, two extended songs, and an inside look at how the film was made. The DVD includes only the two Original Storybook Openings and the 50th Animated Feature Countdown.[77]
Sales of Tangled in the US and Canada exceeded $95 million in DVD and Blu-ray sales, the highest-grossing DVD of the year 2011; its home video sales exceeded the film's earnings in its first week in theaters.[78] The film sold a record 2,970,052 units (the equivalent of $44,521,079) in its first week in North America, the largest opening for a 2011 DVD. It dominated for two weeks on the DVD sales chart and sold 6,657,331 units ($102,154,692) as of July 18, 2012.[79] It has also sold 2,518,522 Blu-ray units ($59,220,275) by May 29, 2011.[80] As of January 20, 2016, the film has earned a total of $215 million in home video sales in the United States and Canada ($155 million from DVD sales and $60 million from Blu-ray sales).[79] Tangled was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on November 5, 2019.[81]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Tangled had a worldwide opening weekend of $86.1 million,[82][83] and reached the summit of the worldwide box office once, on its eleventh weekend (Feb 4–6, 2011), with $24.9 million.[84][85] The film earned $200.8 million in North America, and $391.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $592.5 million; making it the third-highest-grossing animated film of 2010, behind Shrek Forever After and Toy Story 3, and the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2010.[86] It was the third Disney film appearing in the Top 10 films of 2010.[87] As of 2017, it was the sixth-highest-grossing film worldwide produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, behind Frozen, Zootopia, The Lion King, Big Hero 6, and Moana.[88]
Tangled earned $11.9 million on its opening Wednesday,[89] breaking the record for the largest pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday opening, a record previously held by Disney·Pixar's Toy Story 2.[90] In its first weekend of release, it earned $48.8 million (the highest opening for Walt Disney Animation Studios, surpassing The Lion King ($40.9 million), and later surpassed by both Wreck-It Ralph ($49 million) and Frozen ($67.4 million)), placing second for the period behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, which earned $49.1 million.[91] Tangled had the sixth-highest opening weekend for a film that did not debut at #1.[92] Over the traditional Wednesday–Sunday Thanksgiving holiday period, it tallied $68.7 million, again finishing in second place.[91] Tangled also marked the second-largest 3-day and 5-day Thanksgiving opening after Toy Story 2.[91] During its second weekend (post-Thanksgiving), Tangled declined 56% to $21.6 million, although it jumped to first place at the box office.[93] With a final gross of $200.8 million, it is the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2010,[94] and the tenth 2010 film to pass the $200 million mark;[95] it was the fourth-slowest film to pass this mark.[96] Unadjusted for inflation, it is the ninth-highest-grossing film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, behind The Lion King ($422.8 million), Frozen ($400.7 million), Zootopia ($341.3 million), Moana ($248.7 million), Big Hero 6 ($221.3 million), Beauty and the Beast ($219 million), Aladdin ($217.4 million), and Ralph Breaks the Internet ($201.1 million).[97]
On its opening weekend, it earned $17.4 million in eight territories and ranked second for the weekend behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ($117.3 million).[98] It reached first place at the weekend box office outside North America three times in 2011.[99][100][101] It marked the seventh-highest-grossing 2010 film and the third-highest-grossing 2010 animated film.[102] In Russia and the CIS, it set an opening-weekend record among non-sequel animated films (first surpassed by Rio) and among Walt Disney Animation Studios films (surpassed by Frozen).[103] Its highest-grossing markets outside North America was Germany ($44.2 million), where it is the highest-grossing 2010 animated film,[104] followed by France and the Maghreb region ($39.4 million) and the UK, Ireland and Malta ($32.9 million).[105]
Critical response[edit]
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 89% based on 227 reviews and an average score of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus is: "While far from Disney's greatest film, Tangled is a visually stunning, thoroughly entertaining addition to the studio's classic animated canon."[106] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score based on reviews from mainstream film critics, calculated a score of 71/100 based on 34 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[107] Audiences polled by CinemaScore during the opening weekend, gave the film an average grade "A+" on an A+ to F scale.[108]
A. O. Scott of The New York Times positively reviewed the film as "the 50th animated feature from Disney, and its look and spirit convey a modified, updated but nonetheless sincere and unmistakable quality of old-fashioned Disneyness."[109] Time film critic Richard Corliss wrote that Tangled "wades into the DreamWorks style of sitcom gags and anachronistic sass," while praising the film for achieving "the complex mix of romance, comedy, adventure and heart that defines the best Disney features."[110] Corliss included Tangled at 19 in a list of top 25 All-time Best Animated films.[111] Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times awarded the film four stars out of five; he described the film as a "gorgeous computer-animated look that features rich landscapes and characters that look fuller and more lifelike than they have in the past."[112] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media gave the film five out of five stars, writing, "Fantastic princess adventure is fun, with great messages."[113] Gael Cooper of NBC News expressed that Tangled may be the best Disney film of all time.[114]
James Berardinelli commented on his review website ReelViews that the film is "entertaining and enjoyable, but not groundbreaking." He also stated Rapunzel is "not as memorable as Snow White, Ariel, or Belle" as well as stating "the songs are neither catchy nor memorable."[115] Todd McCarthy, film reviewer for The Hollywood Reporter opened his review with, "It would have been nice if Disney's self-touted 50th animated feature were one of its best, a film that could stand with the studio's classics, but the world will have to make do with Tangled, a passably entertaining hodgepodge of old and new animation techniques, mixed sensibilities and hedged commercial calculations."[116]
Accolades[edit]
The film has been nominated for a number of awards. Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated Tangled for two Golden Globe Awards, for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for "I See the Light", but lost to Toy Story 3 and Burlesque, respectively.[117] The film also received two nominations for the Broadcast Film Critics Association in the same categories, though lost to Toy Story 3 and 127 Hours,[118] as well as nominations for two Annie Awards, for Best Animated Feature Film and for Writing in a Feature Production.[119]
Tangled was also nominated for two Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, Best Animated Film and Best Original Song for "I've Got a Dream," which it lost to Toy Story 3 and Burlesque.[120] "I See the Light" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 83rd Academy Awards, but lost to "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3.[121] It has also been nominated for 37th Saturn Award for Best Animated Film.[122]
Tangled won best 3D scene of the year at the second annual International 3D Society Creative Arts Awards.[123]
Tangled was also nominated for favorite film in the British Academy Children Awards for Favorite Film, competing against films like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 & 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Cars 2, and Kung Fu Panda 2.[124][125]
Future[edit]
In December 2014, Tangled's producer, Roy Conli, revealed that the production team had been "heavily pushed" for a feature-length sequel to the film, but when the writers and directors got together to develop one, they realized, "she cut her hair. It's over!"[141] Conli explained that at Disney Animation under Lasseter, it is always the filmmakers who decide whether they are ready to make a sequel (not marketing or merchandising).[141] In January 2015, Conli again provided a similar explanation when pressed on this point, and also mentioned that directors Greno and Howard ultimately "weren't really interested" in continuing the story.[142]
In May 2020, Hannah Shaw-Williams of Screen Rant asked whether the success of the movie would lead to a sequel (apart from the short film Tangled Ever After), stating there is no word of it being in active development, while also stating that Disney is "developing a live-action movie about Rapunzel," and stating that it would take several years for a possible movie to reach theaters.[143]