'Tangled' is turning 10 but has never felt more timely: Why to rewatch the Disney film now

Once upon a time, in a land that feels very far, far away, Disney released an animated film about a golden-haired princess who finally escapes from isolation. Ten years after “Tangled” arrived in theaters on Nov. 24, 2010, the animated musical has suddenly become the most prescient film to stream at home (and is available on Disney+, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime and Vudu). 

Of course, “Tangled” has always been a worthy watch. Protagonist Rapunzel’s beautifully animated hairography alone justifies the price of a ticket. But now, a decade later, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging families to stay home for the holidays  and many states are reimposing coronavirus restrictions, “Tangled” seems particularly poignant.

We talked with Byron Howard, who directed the movie along with Nathan Greno, about why "Tangled" has never felt more timely:

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Rapunzel is the queen of quarantine

No, not literally – Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is actually a princess – but she is unparalleled when it comes to taking on hobbies (and growing her hair) while isolated. 

After 18 years spent locked in a tower, Rapunzel has developed a long list of pastimes. She draws, bakes, cleans, reads, climbs and paints. She sews dresses, makes candles, strums a guitar, throws darts, completes puzzles, plays chess and uses a pet chameleon as a ventriloquist doll. She has an entire brilliant song dedicated to the dozens of ways she stays occupied inside, called, “When Will My Life Begin?” It is a song I've played many times this year.

Although Rapunzel keeps herself pretty busy that activities that may seem familiar to those who quarantined this year, there were a number of modern boredom busters that couldn't be included, because "she didn't have any Wi-Fi," says Howard.

So unfortunately for Rapunzel, she wasn't able to play the video game "Animal Crossing" from home, which Howard and his family find "very calming" these days. 

When Rapunzel eventually leaves the house, she’s an emotional mess

After Rapunzel finally descends from the tower where she's spent her entire life, she’s distraught. She immediately seesaws from cartwheeling elation (“Best day ever!”) to staring-at-the-ground depression ("I am a despicable human being!") as she debates whether to go back inside because she's defied Mother Gothel's orders to remain inside. 

“It said so much about her personality and what she evolved into,” Howard says. “I think going through that is very human.” 

Those extreme mood swings that come on once you emerge from the house after a long period of lockdown? Oh, yeah, we now know from experience that those are real human feelings.

Mother Gothel’s gaslighting sounds familiar

In “Tangled,” villain Mother Gothel kidnaps infant Rapunzel from royal parents and raises the child as her own. The elderly (she might be hundreds of years old) antagonist holds Rapunzel prisoner so that she can benefit from the princess' magical hair that offers eternal youth.

So why did it take Rapunzel so long to realize that Mother Gothel was bad and to get out?

Well, because Gothel is the only maternal figure Rapunzel knows, and she delivers lines like “You know I hate leaving you after a fight, especially when I've done nothing wrong" and "I like it here, and so do you,” in between telling her fake daughter that she loves her. Mother Gothel even has a song, "Mother Knows Best," in which she warns Rapunzel about cannibals, snakes and the plague outside. "On your own, you won't survive," she sings.

In essence, Mother Gothel gaslights Rapunzel. She makes Rapunzel question her own judgment in a way that serves herself.

At a time when debates are raging about mask mandates and whether coronavirus is real, that gaslighting may seem familiar. 

“People forget their humanity and forget compassion and forget that everyone else is just like you and wants to feel safe," Howard says. "Everyone’s entitled to have a fulfilling, rich life." 

The film builds to an emotional family reunion

After a childhood of not knowing who her parents are, Rapunzel finally reconnects at the end of the movie with the king and queen, who have been searching for her. Their family reunion is emotional and physical: The mother and daughter embrace and then kneel on the ground with the father, overcome with love for each other.

The finale of “Tangled” is even more moving these days because of the fact many family members aren't hugging each other right now. That's the scene that stuck out as particularly sentimental and beautiful to Howard when he rewatched his film recently.

“You can’t have any sort of contact with people you love. It’s such a bizarre thing because people are physical," says Howard. "There’s going to be that weird time when we’re all back to normal and getting used to what feeling like a complete human being is again.” 

Admittedly, I did tear up when I watched the end of the movie and told my own parents that I won’t be visiting for the holidays.

And then I laughed at my Rapunzel-length hair that hasn't been cut for 10 months. 

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