Tangled (2010)
★★★½ — Tangled (2010)
Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Rapunzel, first published in 1812, Tangled arrived in cinemas in November 2010 as Walt Disney Animation Studios' fiftieth animated feature film, a milestone the studio was clearly aware of. The story follows Rapunzel, a young woman with impossibly long magical hair who has spent her entire life confined to a tower by the woman she believes to be her mother. When a charming thief named Flynn Rider stumbles into her tower while fleeing the royal guard, she strikes a bargain with him: he'll escort her to see the famous floating lanterns that fill the sky each year on her birthday, in exchange for the return of something he'd rather not lose. What unfolds is a road trip of sorts, full of scrapes, unlikely allies, and the slow dawning of trust between two people who both have good reasons not to trust anyone. It's familiar fairy tale territory, but the film is self-aware enough to give the premise some welcome energy.
The production was a long time coming. Development stretched across several years, with the studio working to find a tone that balanced the classic Disney musical tradition with something that felt contemporary without being cynical about it. Co-directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno led the project, with Howard having previously worked on Bolt (2008) before going on to direct Zootopia and, later, Encanto. The film uses computer-generated animation styled to evoke the warmth and painterly quality of traditional hand-drawn work, a deliberate creative choice that gives it a texture slightly different from the studio's other CGI output of the period. Songs were written by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, with Menken returning to Disney after his celebrated run of work in the late eighties and nineties. The budget was notably large, reported at the time to be among the most expensive animated films ever produced, though the film went on to perform strongly at the box office worldwide.
The voice cast is well suited to the material. Mandy Moore brings a brightness and genuine warmth to Rapunzel that stops the character from ever feeling like a passive presence, and Zachary Levi pitches Flynn Rider's roguish swagger at exactly the right level, charming without being insufferable. Donna Murphy is the standout in support, giving Rapunzel's controlling guardian Mother Gothel a veneer of affection that sits uneasily over something far colder, which is no small thing to carry across in an animated performance. Ron Perlman and M.C. Gainey round out a cast that keeps even the peripheral characters feeling lived-in rather than merely functional. For a sense of how Disney's animation storytelling compares across different registers, it's worth glancing at The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the rather different tonal choices that earlier adaptation made from its source material, or at Fantastic Planet for a reminder of just how wide the possibilities of the animated form really are.
One of the strongest entries in the modern 3D Disney era. It’s easy to overlook because it came out during the studio’s big post-Little Mermaid revival wave, but Tangled really stands tall... or should I say, tower? It takes a familiar fairy tale and gives it a fresh, fun twist with plenty of heart and some genuine character development. Rapunzel isn’t just waiting around to be rescued; she’s curious, clever, and full of life. Flynn Rider is more than just a pretty face (though he does spend a lot of time dodging that). Their chemistry carries the whole thing, especially once they hit the road. The animation is stunning (those curls alone must’ve been a nightmare to animate) and while the humour lands mostly solid (except maybe Pascal’s side-eye game), it never feels forced or too "written for the parents." Everything builds toward a story about freedom, family, and finding your own path. Not quite top-tier Disney like Jungle Book or The Lion King , but absolutely one of the best from the newer bunch. A real all-rounder: great for kids, surprisingly engaging for adults, and rewatchable without losing charm.
What strikes me on coming back to this one is how well it holds up precisely because it doesn't try too hard. There's a confidence to the pacing, a willingness to let a scene breathe or let a joke land without underlining it. Films like this sometimes get written off as polished but unremarkable because they don't carry the cultural weight of the Disney classics, but that feels unfair. A film that works for a five-year-old and still has something left over for the adults in the room is doing something right, and Tangled does it without breaking a sweat. Sometimes the best thing a film can be is exactly what it sets out to be.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2010 | Watched: 2025-05-14
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Tangled (2010) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Byron Howard: Encanto (2021) · Zootopia+ (2022) · Zootopia 2 (2025) · Zootopia (2016)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More family: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Wonder (2017) · Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anastasia (1997)
