"Tangled" Up

In the land of kings and queens, of witches and princesses, of Prince Charmings and white horses, there's distress, magic and a true love's kiss, and then there's Disney.

Disney, the creator of some of the best films such as "The Lion King," "Peter Pan" and "Beauty and The Beast," has whirled its pixie dust once more and has created something so marvelous, so golden, 3-D glasses are required.

The creation: "Tangled."

The animated film, directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, is Disney's take on the fairy tale of the golden, long-haired dame, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore). It starts off with the events that led up to Rapunzel's entrapment in a secluded bricked, high tower. She lives with her overprotective mother, Gothel (Broadway veteran Donna Murphy), who's actually the villainous, heavily-wrinkled witch of the story.

For her 18th bash, Miss. Lady-Long-Hair wants out of the tower because she wants to personally see the floating lanterns that light up the night sky every year. Her mother vetoes her daughter's birthday wish by singing a catchy number with the line "mother knows best," which is repeatedly mentioned throughout the song.

Alas, Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), the thief with the smoldering good looks, tumbles unintentionally into Rapunzel's frame and after a few frying pan beatings becomes the rescuer or Rapunzel's guide of the story. Together, along with Rapunzel's comical chameleon friend, Pascal, they embark on a trip to the village to see the lights.

Along the way they meet the vikings, run into cupid donning his white skivvies and holding on to a bow and arrow, are chased by a dog-like royal horse, swing from one place to the other using Rapunzel's golden locks, glide on water to escape the castle guards, and have their moments of romance.

This time around, Disney got the action scenes just right. It's pretty intense to see how Flynn manages to become a swashbuckling buccaneer with only a skillet in hand and Rapunzel take on the baddies with courageous hair stunts.

The animation, overseen by Glen Keane, is hands down fantastic. It's realistic. You can almost touch Rapunzel's velvet tresses. You can almost touch the water that surrounds the castle. You experience the sight of the spectacular hovering lights on the canoe with the two leading characters.

The PG-rated Disney flick is a laugh-out-loud film with cutesy scenes, interesting characters and memorable tunes. With a running time of 104 minutes "Tangled" might just be the film that puts Disney's animations back on top.

Grade: B+