The Background
As many Disney movie fans know, Tangled is a much beloved retelling of the classic
fairytale of Rapunzel, a young girl stuck up in her tower with insanely long locks (hair). The movie was a smashing success, and in classic Disney fashion, they decided that since the original was such a hit, why not make a straight to dvd sequel, which was called Tangled Before Ever After. After that, Disney did something a little less common, and made an animated series, based on that straight to dvd sequel. One would reasonably think that that means the show will be a cash grab garbage fire, and fair enough, I assumed that too, but wow I was wrong. Tangled: The Series is actually a super high quality show, that fits right in not just with the sequel (or midquel technically) movie it was based one, using its same 2D graphics, but also with its original 3D movie.
How could a sequel show of a sequal movie hold up to a Disney classic?, you might ask. Well, Rapunzel's Tangeled Adventure has some serious advantages over other shows in simliar situations. This show managed to retain the original voices actors like Mandy Moore as Rapunzel and Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider. That was huge for retaining the same feel and quality as the original movie.
The show has a clean and completed 3 season run with 59 total episodes, but I highly recommend watching both of its movies before watching the show, as they all lead into each other very well.
You can watch Tangled: The Series in the following places: Disney+, Youtube, iTunes, GooglePlay, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime.
The Story
Following up on the movie, but before Rapunzel and Eugene get married, Rapunzel had gotten her magical hair back, but it’s different, it no longer heals, it has become indestructible instead. With this mystery and that of the magically growning black spikes ("rocks" as they politely call them in the show), something suspicious is happening in the kingdom of Corona and its up to Rapunzel, Flynn, Max, Pascal and new friends to uncover the mystery, go on fun adventures and ultimately save the kingdom from destruction.
The show is a clean 3 seasons long, with very little fluff, it is a great narrative experience. One would expect Disney would push this show to its limits with 10 seasons and draaaaag it out with junk episodes and fluff to pad the show out, but they didn't. Every episode feels like it furthers the plot or has permanent character developement in it. It is a great show to binge the show in order because of it. Also, because it is such a tight story, the ending feel epic, built up to and conclusively satisfying; which is rare in a kids cartoon.
I would say that this show has some of the best storytelling ever to appear in a Disney kids cartoon.
The Aesthetics
Tangled: The Series, although it might not appear it from still images, is actually a gorgeous show. Its artistic directors had a clear understanding about the limitations that come with this kind of show and its limited budget, so they used their money and time wisely and manage to make something that is, although simple, able to be smoothly and beautifully animated with lots of expression and emotion. This effort paid off by resulting in looking like a beautifully intentional work of art in motion than a cheap Disney cartoon. This pleasantly shocked me.
On top of the very beautiful animation, Tangled: The Series also has incredible audio design, which contributes heavily to the overall quality of the show. First off, the voice actors are the original voice actors, and that helps keep the immersion from the movies going, as well as the fact that they are all incredibly talented, making for fantastic singers and speakers. That leads into my second point, the music in this show is incredible. Movie quality. Tangled: The Series has multiple full-on musical moments and the singing and instrumentals are beautiful and catchy.
To give you an opportunity to experience some of what I have mentioned, I have included three Tangled: The Series shorts. Give one or more of them a watch so that you can see the animation and hear the audio that I have been speaking about. It, in action, is far nicer than just still photos can convey.
My Final Rating and Recommendation
Tangled: The Series, is not a perfect show, and is not for everyone. It requires you watch both movies beforehand to really get into it, and it is directed at children, but it is also great for adults who love Tangled. it stays on the same level of maturity of its predecessor. It also does have one or two episodes that feel a little like padding and fluff, which were less fun to watch, but they were very far and few between.
With all that said, I had a great time watching this show, and even humming the music when I was doing other things. I recommend it for anyone who liked Tangled the movie, as it is a true predecessor. All in all, I give Tangled: The Series the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!
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