Tangled...
Over the weekend, I went to see Tangled -- the Disney-fied retelling of the classic story of Rapunzel.
I'm not sure if the idea of an animated painting came across a clearly as intended, but, I liked the look and feel of the feature. Of course, my favorite character is Pascal, Rapunzel's chameleon friend. Overall, I was was very pleased with the feature. I gave Tangled a 4 out of 5.
According to Wikipedia...When the kingdom’s most wanted -- and most charming -- bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty towerbound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. In theaters this holiday season, Tangled is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair -- lots of hair.
The movie's visual style is based on the painting The Swing, by the French Rococo artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Because (former) director Glen Keane wanted this to be an animated movie that looked and felt like a traditional hand-drawn Disney Classic in 3D, he first had a seminar called "The Best of Both Worlds", where he, with 50 Disney animators (CGI artists and traditional artists), focused on the pros and cons of each style. Due to limitations in computer technology, many basic principles of animation used in traditionally animated movies have been absent in CGI films; but because of recent advancements, it is now becoming possible to blend the two, utilizing the strengths of each. Keane has stated numerous times that he is trying to make the computer "bend its knee to the artist" instead of having the computer dictate the artistic style and look of the film. By making the computer become as "pliable as the pencil," Keane's vision of a "three dimensional drawing" seems within reach, with the artist controlling the technology. Because many of the techniques and tools that were required to give the film the quality Keane demanded of it didn't exist when the project was started, WDFA had to make them on their own.
I'm not sure if the idea of an animated painting came across a clearly as intended, but, I liked the look and feel of the feature. Of course, my favorite character is Pascal, Rapunzel's chameleon friend. Overall, I was was very pleased with the feature. I gave Tangled a 4 out of 5.
