Victoria: Today! Is! The tenth anniversary of the premiere of the iconic Disney animated film Tangled. Frozen might loom larger in American culture, but we both know that Tangled is far and away the superior late Disney animation film!
A quick plot summary for the non-believer: Tangled stars Mandy Moore as Rapunzel, trapped in a tower by Mother Gothel (the incomparable Donna Murphy), who she believes is her mother. But Rapunzel was really stolen from the king and queen because Mother Gothel needed her magic hair to stay forever young. When the thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) stumbles upon her tower while hiding from the palace guards, she convinces him to escort her on her first trip into the world. Hijinks ensue! True love is found! Rapunzel cuts off her hair!
What makes this movie so good? Mandy Moore's voice performance as Rapunzel is perfect in every way, probably because she is a real-life Disney princess. The songs are so good. Flynn is the dreamiest Disney love interest since Aladdin. The jokes are funny, the animation is stunning, and we're in and out in 100 minutes. The reviews at the time were a little muddled, but I disagree with them heartily. It's a classic!
Why do you love Tangled, Hayley?
Hayley: Let me count the ways, Victoria!!!
I saw Tangled for the first time at least five or so years after it came out. I don't remember how or why, but I immediately fell in love with it. I agree with all of the points you've made about what makes this movie so good, especially the songs.
It's hard not to constantly compare Tangled to Frozen, but the latter was such a runaway hit while the former just kind of...quietly exists for those of us who are super stans. (Tangled Heads? Flynn Riders? Rapunzealots? What should we call ourselves?) I've only seen Frozen once and nothing about it stands out to me. I feel like the pacing was weird, the songs forgettable (YES EVEN THAT ONE), and I don't really remember a ton of plot points besides the ones pop culture has not allowed me to forget.
Tangled is actually very existential for a Disney movie. What strikes me the most about Tangled is that it's a movie about navigating independence, being vulnerable, and finding a sense of purpose. Of course, there is also the darker theme about recognizing and escaping abusive relationships, too. The romantic relationship between Rapunzel and Flynn Rider is also a fresher, newer take for Disney, where both parties have to be vulnerable with each other to move forward.
This movie always makes me really emotional! When Rapunzel realizes that her whole life has been about trying to find the lanterns and once she has accomplished that goal, she feels a slight sense of panic and loss, like okay NOW WHAT? This is something I've never really seen articulated as well as it is in this movie: That sometimes grief, loss, or sadness can accompany reaching your goals. I think it's such a good message and I love how well it's handled here.
I also love how Flynn puts up a brave swashbuckling front to hide how scared he is, and how ordinary he feels. When they almost drown and Flynn tells Rapunzel that his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert, it could be such a throwaway joke, and I think in some kids movies it would be handled like that. Like oh, let's just think of a funny, uncool name and make it a punchline. Not only do we get this insight into Eugene's background when he reveals his real name, but Rapunzel also starts calling him Eugene for the rest of the movie. It is incredibly sweet and heartwarming and I think that we get better character development from everyone in this movie than most fucking movies! I said it!
Victoria: I don't remember what year I saw Tangled for the first time, but I remember I watched it on VOD, and then the next day I was babysitting for my next door neighbor (who had three girls under the age of 13), and they were being lowkey menaces. I was like, "LET'S WATCH TANGLED." They sat there and happily watched, and then happily went to bed. A miracle! Thank you, Tangled.
I am less of a Frozen hater than you (my senior year of college, one of my best friends and I would sing "Love Is An Open Door" together every time we were drunk, much to the chagrin of our other friends), but I don't disagree with a lot of your points. The pacing in Frozen is really strange (and it super did not work as a Broadway show, oh my god).
The themes in Tangled are deep. I know some people hate the ending: Eugene is dying, and Mother Gothel won't let Rapunzel heal him with the aforementioned magic hair. Rapunzel says that if she lets her save Eugene, she'll follow her forever and never fight, basically giving up her life for him. She goes to fix Eugene with the power of her magic hair — and he cuts it off, freeing Rapunzel and dooming himself. Of course there's one last drop of magic in her to save his life.
I have heard people claim this ending is unfeminist — she sacrifices her magic for a man! But to me it's this beautiful moment of shared sacrifice. Both of them would rather give up themselves than see the other one suffer. I think this is part of what bothers me about Frozen — Anna is always giving and giving to Elsa, and Elsa is always cutting Anna out (this is also true in Frozen II). Rapunzel and Eugene are equals; they both would give up everything to have the other one be at peace.
Another cool thing is that Frozen basically wouldn't exist without Tangled. Tangled was stuck in production forever because animating her hair was so hard. They had to make up new techniques to get it done, and that made making Frozen much easier! Everybody say thank you, Tangled!
Your point about Rapunzel experiencing the grief of fulfilling a dream made me tear up! She is probably the most relatable princess for me. The opening song, "When Will My Life Begin," is a quarantine anthem, as I try to find more and more things to fill my time, but I felt a deep connection to its message even pre-quar. Sometimes your dreams just seem so impossible and far away! Rapunzel, through sheer nerve and charisma, makes it happen. I love her!!
Hayley: I didn't realize what a Frozen hater I was until we started having this conversation. Every time I think, "Okay maybe I should give Frozen a try again!" like two seconds later I'm always like "Or I can just watch Tangled!" I respect people who like Frozen on its own merit but if anyone tries to say it's better than Tangled (is there anyone?) then we are in a fight.
I haAaAte the argument that the ending is somehow “not feminist.” This movie is a radical departure for Disney, and I simply won't be hearing otherwise. In these Princess movies, we are used to women giving up their lives, bodies, and families to be with a man (yikes). Women rendered unconscious, only to be kissed by a Prince and brought back to life (double yikes). In the Disney canon, nearly every relationship is predicated on lying and deceit: Aladdin lies about who he is to Jasmine. Ariel changes her body to be with Eric. Cinderella pretends to be fancy for one night to impress Prince Charming. The Beast doesn't tell Belle about the curse. The last act, besides teaming up to fight the bad guy, is always about these lies coming to light for the first time, and the truth being revealed. And then no one really questions it and they live happily ever after, etc etc etc.
Tangled is remarkable because it does not do this. It shows two people becoming the best versions of themselves through each other. You know, what any good relationship should be. The small ways in which Rapunzel and Eugene slowly start to let the other person in throughout their journey is really touching. Revealing their anxieties and fears becomes less daunting, because they feel a sense of connection, trust, and friendship. The more they learn about each other, flaws included, the stronger their connection becomes. It's a relationship that develops the way most (healthy) relationships do: gradually, over shared experiences, by letting your walls down.
One of the parts of the movie that always makes me emotional is when Eugene gets a boat and lanterns to take him and Rapunzel out on the water so they have front-row seats for the lantern release. Eugene has realized just how important the lanterns are to her, and he wanted to make it special, because he cares deeply about her. This is a drastic departure from the "Flynn" we meet at the beginning of the movie, who only agrees to guide Rapunzel on her journey because of the potential financial gain that awaits him. And Rapunzel, who opens the movie by wondering when her life will "begin," realizes that it began the minute she escaped her tower and set out on a journey for what she wanted. She is able to self-actualize enough throughout this journey to realize what her wants and needs are, which is a powerful thing to witness. And one of the things she wants? Eugene.
When it comes time to vanquish Mother Gothel, it's less about "saving" or "rescuing" Rapunzel in the traditional way, and more about eliminating a force of evil that threatens what Rapunzel and Eugene have built: better versions of themselves as well as their relationship as a whole.
Victoria: Ok I am like fully crying now!! You are exactly right about everything. The boat scene is so iconic, and I love the way Rapunzel's gaze moves from the lanterns — the thing she thought she wanted to see more than anything in the whole world — to Eugene, the person who made this special, beautiful moment happen for her. It's really gentle and tender and sweet!
Honestly Hayley, you crushed everything I could ever want to say about this movie. The one thing we didn't touch on is that it's genuinely very funny! Rapunzel and Eugene have two iconic animal sidekicks, Pascal the chameleon and Maximus the horse. Then, during their journey, Rapunzel and Eugene stumble onto a pub full of, to quote Wikipedia, "menacing thugs." But Rapunzel turns them to the pair’s side via a song about their goofy dreams. It's funny and touching at the same time (Unfortunately one of the thugs is voiced by Jeffrey Tambor, who sucks).
I will leave us with something silly. I used to hate-follow this lifestyle blogger who made, to me, an iconic post about why she didn't like Tangled. On her list of reasons? When Rapunzel cuts off her magic hair, her hair turns brown, which, according to her, was sending the message that brown hair is bad!! I think about this once a month and laugh.
What Hayley is Currently Loving:
You have to buy Lindy West’s new book, nothing has made me laugh this hard in a long time. This is not a suggestion, it is a straight-up DEMAND.
My friend is obsessed with these beautiful handmade earrings which would make a really lovely holiday gift!!! You can also find their shop on Facebook.
I did this Ice Queen Mani from Olive & June and it is so pretty I cannot stop staring at my nails.
I got this sherpa sweatshirt from Old Navy and it’s so comfortable and warm I might buy another now that it’s 50% off since it’s basically all I wear now.
A Few Of Victoria’s Favorite Things:
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This article about the “Celebrity Talk Show Matrix,” by friend of the newsletter Carrie Wittmer. Please watch the clips at the end so we can talk about whistle girl.
An Education is currently on Netflix, and I recommend it if you want to watch a ‘60s coming of age story about Carrie Mulligan and Rosamund Pike in beautiful costumes.
Last Christmas I ranked every important version of “Last Christmas,” and you can listen to the ranking here.
Gold-Plated Girls comes out twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays! Don’t forget to check out Hayley’s season one review of The Crown from Tuesday!