Tangled: movie review

'Tangled' tells the story of Rapunzel in a classic Disney 3-D animated musical, with Mandy Moore voicing the golden-haired girl.

Rapunzel, voiced by Mandy Moore, and Flynn, voiced by Zachary Levi are shown in a scene from the animated feature, 'Tangled.'

Disney Enterprises, Inc./AP

November 24, 2010

Once upon a time, the Disney 3-D animated movie musical “Tangled” was going to be called “Rapunzel.” But then the big, bad “Princess and the Frog” had disappointing grosses and studio executives worried that maybe having “princess” in the title of a movie was too girly.

I’m still old-school enough to believe that “Rapunzel” is a fine title for a movie about, well, Rapunzel – although kids (or their parents) unfamiliar with the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale might mistake it for the name of a German techno-rock band or a gluten-free pretzel.

As Disney animated features go, “Tangled” is middling. Mandy Moore voices the girl with the 70-foot-long golden hair who is locked away in a tower in the forest with only a pet chameleon for a companion. Handsome suitors and wicked witches arrive on cue. A splash of blood at the end earned the film a PG rating, but it’s about as scary as a spilled can of tomato paste.

With any luck, “Tangled” won’t morph into a Broadway show. If it does, they should do the right thing and call it “Rapunzel.” Grade: C+ (Rated PG for brief mild violence.)