Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Tangled (3D/2D Combo Pack) (1 Viewer)

[Brisby]

Wow...that is seriously one of the WORST making-ofs I have ever seen. Nothing but Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi cracking dumb, Bruce Villanch-style jokes. The special features on this set make Bolt look like it was released by the Criterion Collection. And the "funny" teaser promos for the film are DREADFUL. I'm amazed how much money the film made considering how terrible/misleading the advertising campaign was.

 

[Tino]

Just watched it with the wife and thought the film was terrific, much better than I thought it would be. A great addition to the "princess" series. Picked up the FOUR disc at BB for $19.99. Already transferred the digital copy to my ipad 2.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Brisby Thanks, Robert. I probably wouldn't have tried that otherwise.

 

[Brisby]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon Thanks, Robert. I probably wouldn't have tried that otherwise.

I've got to try that with The Incredibles in a few weeks.

 

[Jerome Grate]

Forgive the silly question regarding the 3D copy. Does the 3D four pack come with glasses or is it specific to a 3D Blu Ray player with connected 3D glasses?

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by Jerome Grate

Forgive the silly question regarding the 3D copy. Does the 3D four pack come with glasses or is it specific to a 3D Blu Ray player with connected 3D glasses?

You're thinking of the old anaglyph 3D system. The 3D movies we've been reviewing here in the last few months are for the newest 3D technology which requires a 3D television, a 3D Blu-ray player, and 3D glasses that match the 3D system of your particular television.

 

[Jerome Grate]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. No need in buying that version, even with the coupon and Target's great price.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Originally Posted by Jerome Grate

Thanks for taking the time to respond. No need in buying that version, even with the coupon and Target's great price.

As long as you're certain you'll never get a 3D setup. I've been buying the 3D versions when I could get a deal. I reserved tangled on Amazon when there was an $8 discount taken off (months ago) and than Amazon lowered the price another $5. I got the 3D set for $17 or $18. I'm satisfied with that. If I never get a 3D setup, I haven't wasted too much money. I've gotten at least three 3D setups (Christmast Carol, Despicable Me, Tangled) that way. All for $20 or less.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I watched this last night for the first time.

I was buoyed by Matt's description that this was an Alan Menken musical. I was not aware of that.


This was not a great film by any means. The best thing, though, that I can think to say about it is that it is the best Disney animated film since 1999's Tarzan. (I was NOT a fan of Lilo & Stitch.)

The film was pleasant enough. The characters and songs weren't all that memorable. The floating lights sequence was visually attractive. But it was the story itself which let down the rest of the effort. Rather mundane and predictable.


The best part, for me, was Mandy Moore's effort. She did a super job as the voice of Rapunzel.

Maybe this film is a step towards righting the Disney ship.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I was in Toys R Us last night, and they had the 3D set for $24.99. I'm going back tonight to use the $5 off coupon and get it for under $20. I'm not plannig to set up for 3D anytime soon, but the digital copy will be useful for our road trip this summer.

 

[Chris Farmer]

I ended up picking this up just for the lantern scene. I'll admit I wasn't that impressed by the movie, but the launching of the lanterns was one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous animation sequences I've ever seen.


Otherwise I felt Tangled was pretty good, but not great. For lack of a better way of putting it, it just felt like it was trying too hard. One thing that I will say though is that Gothel makes a strong case for being the most despicable villain in Disney's history. There have been plenty that top her in raw evilness, but the selfishness, lies, manipulation, and constant belittling of Rapunzel really make you truly hate her. I also loved the chameleon and horse/dog. The leads, unfortunately, were fairly bland and forgettable and the story was completely stereotyped. Overall though, the animation was excellent (rivaling even Pixar at times) and there's the aforementioned lantern scene. Even if it's not top-tier Disney, there's still plenty to justify the $25 I spent on it. I did splurge and got the 3D version. I don't have a 3D TV, but having the digital copy on my iPad will come in handy with a not quite one-year-old daughter.

 

[Johnny Angell]

For those looking for a deal on the 3D version, B&N has it for $50

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Don't you go dissin' Lilo and Stitch, Frezon!!!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Aaron Silverman

Don't you go dissin' Lilo and Stitch, Frezon!!!

Bah. I'm not dissin'. There's lots of films I don't like that others clearly love. Lilo and Stitch is one of them.

The attraction of that film is a complete mystery to me, however.

 

[Chris Farmer]

My wife and I watched Tangled again on Saturday night. I have to admit, I really underestimated the movie the first time I saw it. It definitely has some considerable flaws and will date quicker than Disney's classics, but most of the biggest problems are in the first half. The back half actually plays really well with a nice flow the developing character relationships (although it needed another 10-15 minutes to really breathe). Also while the lantern scene jumped out at me the first time I saw Tangled, this time I really noticed just how beautiful the animation was all the way throughout. I'm not familiar enough with the techniques being used to really explain how it works, but I did read that the production guys made an effort in the animating process to give it a more 2D feel despite being CG, and whatever it is they did it worked. While not as accomplished overall, there were a number of elements that they used here that I preferred even to Pixar's best, which is a lofty bar indeed. It's still not top-tier Disney for me, but it's also quite a bit better than I initially gave it credit for being.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

Also while the lantern scene jumped out at me the first time I saw Tangled, this time I really noticed just how beautiful the animation was all the way throughout.

One of the things I really liked about the lanterns sequence was how the lighting of the lanterns by the townspeople (after the royal family lit theirs) progressed slowly away from the first lantern...creating a parallel with the slow way the magic worked its way through Rapunzel's hair after the song was sung. And the rest of the sequence was quite beautiful, too.

 

[Jonny P]

I read that this Disney entry was titled "Tangled" instead of "Rapunzel" so as not to turn off a young male audience.


Since much of the animated fare these days is designed to appeal to 10 year-old boys, that shouldn't be surprising, but it took what could have been a very special Disney animated tale and left it simply a "good" Disney animated tale.


My wife and I saw this twice in the theater. We both enjoyed the movie quite a lot. As others have said, it has a light/airy story with decent -- but ultimately unmemorable -- musical numbers.


There have been suggestions that the lack of success of Disney's "Princess and the Frog" might have put an end (at least for the foreseeable future) to the use of fairy tales as fodder for their animated offerings.


In my mind, that is disappointing. Some of Disney's best animated offerings have revolved around classic children's tales. The last thing we need are a glut of "Despicable Me" and "Megamind" clones (but we'll inevitably get them).

The 2D blu-ray version of this movie is beautiful (as one might expect).

 

[Aaron Silverman]

That's too bad -- Princess and the Frog was really good.

 

[Ted Van Duyn]

Is anyone having issues with their 3D image? My projector, which has been playing other BluRay titles just fine, is really struggling with Tnagled. Sometimes the two images will meet, but most of the time we always see double. Our glasses are working and flickering like mad, and there is *some* effect happening, it's just out of place. I tested out Coraline 3D, Despicable Me 3D and TRON LEGACY in 3D (where it was 3D).

 

[JoHud]

Originally Posted by Jonny P

There have been suggestions that the lack of success of Disney's "Princess and the Frog" might have put an end (at least for the foreseeable future) to the use of fairy tales as fodder for their animated offerings.

Didn't Tangled do exceedingly well at the box office, at least compared to previous efforts of Disney Animation? Though it may have been compromised by the increased cost of producing this film over several years.


Tangled is certainly no masterpiece, but I do think it may grow a reputation as a Disney "classic", especially compared to other Disney efforts in the 2000s. The animation was great though--the first Disney feature so far to actually stand toe to toe with Pixar in the CGI department.