Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale (3D)

Last Monday, I caught the movie, Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale, at the gala premiere with my good friend, Chitra.

Via Wikipedia, Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale (2010) is a American 3D animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and starring the voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. It is the 50th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The story is largely based on the classic German fairy tale Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm.

It is currently showing in major cinemas in Singapore. Trailer:

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ip_0CFKTO9E?fs=1&hl=en_US”]

I cannot recall much about the Rapunzel fairy tale from my childhood except that the story revolves around a girl with long hair that reaches to the bottom of a tower which she was trapped in. She was eventually rescued from the tower by a prince who happen to pass by. It was a typical damsel-in-distress story that most traditional fairy tales follow.

In this modern version by Disney, Rapunzel is a princess who gets trapped in a tower by an evil witch, Mother Gothel. One day, a merry thief called Flynn Rider chanced upon the tower and took Rapunzel on a series of adventure whereby she discovered her true identity as a princess and eventually fell in love with Flynn. Of course, they get to live “happily ever after” in the end.

The prince has been changed into a thief and the beautiful damsel changed into a princess in this updated storyline. Also, there were equal (if not, more) scenes of Rapunzel rescuing Flynn Rider as there were of Flynn rescuing Rapunzel.

I think such amendments are in line with changing times where women are no longer viewed as the weaker gender. Rapunzel is feisty and assertive while Flynn is portrayed as a loser with a good heart. The reversal of gender stereotypes give a fresh twist to an otherwise done-to-death fairy tale.

I presume the movie is targeted at little girls which is a good thing. I am sure parents today would much rather their children look towards a strong-willed Rapunzel as a role model rather than the usual weak princess that needs rescuing from an alpha-male.

The movie is filled with many song and dance scenes which are admittedly lost on me as I had never been a big fan of cartoon musicals. The cheery exuberance and characters starting to sing at the slightest excuse annoys me.

Nonetheless, I believe there are many who would enjoy the song and dance. Overall, it is a simple movie, great for families with little girls. I am not too sure if little boys will enjoy the movie though.

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