Tangled

On Sunday Dodo and I were very lucky to be invited by Disney and Annabel Karmel, to a preview screening of the latest Disney feature film, Tangled in 3D. Cue very excited Dodo asking every night "Mama is it time for Tangled yet?" She had seen the trailer for the film on Christmas morning on her Beauty and The Beast DVD.

Flynn and Maximus do battle

On arrival we were greeted by Annabel and Mickey Mouse which was quite a moment for Dodo who is a big fan. Then it was time for snacks from Annabel's Disney branded range which was declared to be yummy, the peach flavoured raisins have been going down a treat. We got a sneak peak at the new Tangled Nintendo Wii game and also the Tangled Nintendo DS game which I had trouble prising from dodo's mitts! It amazes me how fast they learn to play the games. Then it was time for the main event.

Dodo trying out the 3D glasses!

For Disney's 50th animated feature they have pulled out all the stops with a reworked version of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel. After being kidnapped as a baby by the vain Mother Gothel, Rapunzel dreams of a life beyond the tower. Don't be deceived by the princess image, this leading lady is no shrinking violet! With 70 feet of magical golden hair and a dab hand with a frying pan, Rapunzel is a teenager with conflicted emotions. Steadfastly loyal to Mother Gothel, yet ready to make her way in the world and fulfil her dream of seeing the floating lights that mysteriously appear on her birthday every year.

Flynn, a wanted man

When Flynn Rider, the dashing over confident bandit comes crashing into her tower her adventure begins.

And what an adventure! Action packed with some fantastic chase sequences that show off the latest in computer graphics and hand-drawn animation to stunning effect. For me the animation itself regardless of the storyline was entertainment. Really breathtaking at times and coupled with the 3D it is an amazing achievement for the team at Disney. The scene with the lanterns captures brilliantly the magic of seeing them in real life. I am lucky enough to have experienced this ceremony many times in Thailand and to see it animated on the big screen was beautiful.

Rapunzel's hair is almost a character in itself! With new software specially developed for the task of animating, it and hours of painstaking research, the magical glowing hair is stunning.

All that hair comes in handy sometimes

With music from 8 times Oscar-winning composer/songwriter Alan Menken the man behind Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, you know you are going to be singing along. I loved the over the top number "Mother Knows Best" sung by Mother Gothel. It's a great vocal performance by Donna Murphy, the voice of Mother Gothel who is a really fantastic villain. 

Dodo managed to sit though the movie very happily but as I feared she was still a little bit young (almost 3 and a half) to keep the 3D glasses on all the way through. This didn't seem to spoil her enjoyment at all! The details of the storyline went a bit over her head but there is plenty to keep the little ones watching. The super cute chameleon sidekick Pascal and the hilarious horse Maximus were great fun and will appeal to young and old alike.

Pascale..he rocks!

Rapunzel was declared by Dodo to be her favourite character. Since we got home she has been playing Rapunzel games and I am certainly going to be capitalising on this to win the battle of the hairbrush! We have our own Tangled situation every morning and sadly I get cast as Mother Gothel. If only dodo's hair had the same time reversing effect as Rapunzel's I would never need bottox! Only 24 hours after seeing the movie Dodo was asking to see it again and wanting to know when the DVD will be out..So a big hit in our house then!

With great songs, strong characters and stellar animation this is great film for the whole family.
In cinemas 28th of January.