My whole life, I've generally considered myself a fan of Disney's animated movies. I like the stories. I like the music. They're just fun to watch. Now, I can't sit here and say I enjoyed all of them. I didn't care for Lilo & Stitch. I wasn't a huge fan of Pocahontas, mostly for the creative liberties they took with the history I learned in 4th grade. And I never even bothered to see Treasure Planet or Home on the Range.
But the studio's 50th animated film, Tangled, has taken the place of Beauty and the Beast as my favorite Disney movie. I'll admit, the music isn't as catchy or as classic as what you find in Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, but it's not bad. And it's hilarious. Seriously, watch the movie and try not to laugh.
If you aren't aware, it's a somewhat updated take on the story of Rapunzel. She's the girl who had the really, really long hair. Of course, it's given the Disney spin, so it's not quite as grim as the Grimm version. But it's a good spin.
And something else I like about it is that it's not your typical damsel-in-distress-handsome-guy-saves-the-day kind of story. Sure, you have a damsel in distress. But we're entertaining people in a post-Buffy world. So Rapunzel isn't your typical damsel. She's combative. She's strong-willed. She knows what she wants and she kinda goes for it. And you have the handsome guy who saves the day in Flynn (Eugene) Ryder. But he doesn't really just save her, she kind of saves him as well.
So I'm watching this movie and I get to thinking about the way we meet people. Specifically, the way we meet members of the opposite sex. You hear all the time about how women grew up dreaming that Prince Charming would show up and sweep them off their feet. Do guys ever think about hoping to find a lost princess locked in a tower? I can't say I grew up with any kind of heroic ambitions. I never thought about trying to save a damsel in distress. But now that I think about it, I really wouldn't mind finding a Rapunzel. Not that I'm literally looking for a woman in a tower with hair that's 75 feet long. That just seems kind of complicated.
No, I just think it would be nice to find someone that compliments me. And I don't mean that in the sense that she tells me nice things that are nice to hear. I mean that she and I would compliment each other. What I lack, she would have. And vice versa. But we don't meet women locked in towers guarded by dragons. And the ladies don't get the handsome prince who shows up on a white horse. Instead we meet each other in random places and on the internet. Kind of takes some of the romance out of it.
Wow... that went to a different place. I was just gonna talk about an animated movie that's mostly aimed at kids. Why do I have to think so much? Anyway, it's an awesome movie.
And it's just been brought to my attention that Tangled was not the latest Disney animated movie. That would be the new Winnie the Pooh movie. Didn't see that one either. I'm sure I'll check out the DVD. I never had anything against Pooh. Though I do think it's kind of funny to say Pooh. Ha... Pooh.
I recently just watched this too (Netflix rules!) and I did like it a lot. It still isn't better than Lion King or Beauty and the Beast in my opinion, but it was good.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved Lilo and Stitch. How dare you!!? :)