Tangled (2010)
Loosely based on the German fairy tale Rapunzel in the collection of folk tales published by the Brothers Grimm.
Long ago, a drop of magical sunlight falls from the sky and sprouts a flower with healing powers. However, an old woman, named Mother Gothel, hides the flower and, through singing (“Healing Incantation”), uses it to stay young for centuries. The soldiers from the nearby kingdom of Corona then take it to save their pregnant and ill Queen, who gives birth to a daughter with golden hair, named Rapunzel. One night, Gothel sneaks into the castle, and discovers that while her hair shares the healing flower's magic, it turns brown and becomes powerless when cut. She kidnaps the girl and raises her in a hidden tower in the woods, using her hair to stay young. Each year on their daughter's birthday, the king and queen release sky lanterns in hope they will guide her home.
On the eve of her 18th birthday, Rapunzel, who is fascinated by the annual “floating lights”, does her daily chores and activities, accompanied by her companion chameleon, Pascal (“When Will My Life Begin?”). Meanwhile, handsome thief Flynn Rider and his partners, the Stabbington brothers, steal Rapunzel's intended crown from the palace and flee into the woods. When Mother Gothel returns home, Rapunzel asks for permission to see the “floating lights” as a birthday gift. Gothel refuses, saying the outside world is too dangerous for her (“Mother Knows Best”). While being relentlessly pursued by the guards and a royal guardsman's horse named Maximus, Flynn betrays the Stabbington brothers, taking the crown and abandoning them. He comes across Gothel’s tower and takes refuge, however Rapunzel knocks him out with a frying pan and hides him in a closet. When she attempts to show Gothel the thief as proof she is capable of leaving, Gothel angrily berates Rapunzel and again refuses to let her leave the tower. Hatching a plan, Rapunzel sends Gothel on a three-day journey to get new paints as a substitute gift.
Rapunzel hides the crown and tells Flynn he can only get it back by taking her to see the lights. He reluctantly agrees, and the two set off. Meanwhile, Gothel becomes suspicious after coming across Maximus, returns to the now empty tower, and finds the crown. She sets out to find Rapunzel. As Flynn, Rapunzel, and Pascal travel, Flynn has them stop at the Snuggly Duckling pub, where menacing thugs try to capture the wanted Flynn, but Rapunzel charms them into revealing their softer sides (“I’ve Got a Dream”) which Gothel witnesses. All of the sudden, the royal guards arrive and the thugs help Rapunzel and Flynn escape but the royal guards discover the secret tunnel they escaped through and chase them. After a chase through a canyon involving Rapunzel, Flynn, the royal guards, and the Stabbington brothers, Flynn and Rapunzel become trapped in a fast-flooding cave. Believing they will die, Flynn reveals his true name, Eugene Fitzherbert, and Rapunzel reveals her magic powers. Her glowing hair shows a hidden exit, and they escape and hide in the woods where Rapunzel heals Flynn’s hand and Flynn reveals that he was an orphan who was obsessed with a book The Tales of Flynnagan Rider. Gothel encounters the Stabbington brothers who team up with her, wanting revenge on Flynn rider. Later that night, Gothel catches up to Rapunzel while Eugene is away, gives her the crown, and tells her to test Eugene's loyalty.
The next morning, Maximus tracks down Eugene. Rapunzel demands a birthday truce, and Maximus reluctantly agrees, joining them as they 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. Having fulfilled her dream, Rapunzel gives Eugene the crown, and they confess their love (“I See the Light”). When Eugene sees the Stabbington brothers on the shore, he goes to apologize and offers them the crown, but they abduct him, tying him to a ship with the crown so the royal guards will arrest him and Rapunzel will think he abandoned her. They try to capture Rapunzel, but Gothel stages a "rescue" and urges Rapunzel back to the tower. Heartbroken and feeling betrayed, Rapunzel agrees to go. Back at the tower, Rapunzel realizes she has subconsciously incorporated the kingdom's standard, a golden sun, into her artwork all her life. Finally understanding that she is the "lost princess", she confronts Gothel.
Eugene escapes with the help of Maximus and the pub thugs. Eugene arrives at the tower and calls to Rapunzel. Her hair is lowered to him, but upon climbing up he finds her bound and gagged, and Gothel fatally stabs him from behind. She tries to drag Rapunzel to a new hiding place. Rapunzel first vows to fight her, then offers to go willingly if Gothel will allow her to heal Eugene. Gothel reluctantly agrees, but Eugene, realizing Rapunzel would spend the rest of her life in captivity, cuts off her hair before she can heal him. Gothel begins to age rapidly and turns to dust as she falls from the tower. Rapunzel mourns her lost love, and one of her tears, still having some of the sun's power, brings him back to life.
Eugene reunites Rapunzel with her royal parents, is fully pardoned for his crimes. The pub thugs get to live out their dreams and Flynn and Rapunzel are married as the kingdom celebrates.
TRIVIA
A short film Tangled Ever After follows Maximus and Pascal’s adventure to recover Rapunzel’s and Flynn’s wedding rings during their wedding.
Visual Style
Tangled was modeled on the traditional look of oil paintings on canvas.
The Rococo paintings of French artist Jean-Honore Fragonard, specifically “The Swing” were used as reference for the film’s artistic style, a style described by Keane as “romantic and lush”.
Although the film is primarily 3D CGI animation, it was done in a way as to become an extension of the traditional 2D Disney "aesthetic", a term which referred to the naturalistic animation that conforms to the fundamental principles of animation as documented by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston in the book The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation.
The castle in Corona kingdom is based on Mont Saint-Michel, a little island off of Normandy in France.
Technology
To create the impression of a drawing, non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) was used, making the surface look like it is painted, but still containing depth and dimensions.