It's astonishing to see the level of progress Disney Animation Studios has made since Pixar ex-pat John Lasseter took the reigns. This latest film, a twist on the Rapunzel tale, is not another 2D work, like last years solidly entertaining The Princess and the Frog, but rather comes from the same 3D animators responsible for surprisingly pleasant Miley Cyrus vehicle, Bolt.
Tangled is being helmed by Bolt director Byron Howard & Bolt story supervisor Nathan Greno, and in an interesting, almost Pixar-ian move, the film's main voice cast are somewhat unknowns. Zachary Levi (Chuck from TV's Chuck) voices the male lead, and almost complete left-fielder Mandy Moore will voice Rapunzel. It's good to see Disney Animation Studios taking after their closer sibling, rather than choosing DreamWork's goto "big celebrity voice" option (that said, I'm having a harder and harder time knocking DreamWorks after Kung Fu Panda, and especially after the sublime How to Train Your Dragon.)
The film looks fun, with an obviously chosen gimmick that seems to be panning out marvelously (the Alien reference with Rapunzel's hair darting up the wall and through the shadows, Ah-mazing!). Also, is it just me or do these characters just look so...Disney. Somehow they've managed to capture that 2D Disney character look and really embody it in these 3D models. I think it's the eyes...
Either way, looks to be an awesome second-at-bat for Disney's renewed 3D animation studio. The film is scheduled to "let down its hair" for audiences this November.