Tangled - Movie review

Dir: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard Cast: (Voices) Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi

Tangled - Movie review

TANGLED
U; ANIMATION
Dir: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Cast: (Voices) Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi
Raitng: ***

What's it about: Surely, you've heard of Rapunzel, that long-haired girl who sprung from the imagination of The Brothers Grimm? You know the one in which her very, very, very long mane (some said it had magical powers) was the reason her stepmother kept her locked in a tall, tall tower away from the eyes of the world. And a prince came to save her and so on. Sound familiar?

Well, even if you haven't, Disney adds this one to its long list of princess flicks and changes a few supporting characters. So, in this one, Rapunzel has a chameleon called Pascal for a friend, a bandit for a love interest instead of a prince and a policing horse named Maximus. Add to that a slew of bad guys with good hearts and "dreams", and a number of songs and you're good to go.u00a0

What's hot: The voice casting is near perfect. Zachary Levi (as Flynn Ryder aka Eugene; you know him better as TV's bumbling wannabe spy, Chuck) plays clumsy bandit with aplomb. Mandy Moore as the playful Rapunzel coming of age is efficient. The real show-stealer, however is the stallion called Maximus, who combines the chutzpah of Donkey and the prowess of Puss in Boots (both characters from the Shrek series).

What's not: Tangled is a musical and hence, it's assumed will incorporate several song-and-dance moments. While some are uptempo, high-energy numbers and therefore fun to sing and jig along with, the more romantic, moody tracks will find way few takers

What to do: Engaging fare for children and adults alike, this one is your best bet this week.