Tangled is, from my perspective, pretty much the greatest Disney animated feature of our time. It's one of the few movies that doesn't draw open criticism from me at any point in the film, and--bonus feature--it doesn't make me feel sad for the state of the world when it's over (I tend to get a bit of an "emo streak" when viewing good cinema). It makes me feel... light. Fluffy. Carefree. And though it doesn't deal with the heavy themes found in the films that line my "top 10" list, it has a clear message that is easy for me to identify with.
So when I hear somebody pan it, I tend to get a bit... twitchy. Though I did get a good laugh out of the treatment the folks at How It Should Have Ended gave it:
Of course, any woman raised on a steady diet of Disney Princess media throughout her childhood can give you the rant about the unrealistic expectations of hair gained from watching the films. Tangled seems almost a culmination of that rant, simultaneously saying, "Ha ha, I have perfect hair that is magic and never looks ugly and youuuuu don't!" and, "I don't need my hair to be a princess. In fact, leaving it all behind has made me grow as a person." At the time it came out, it kind of made me wonder if John Lasseter was just trying to give us ladies the finger. Of course, it should also be noted that at the time I also had long, lustrous blonde locks. And I mean long. We're talking, past the waist, sweep it out of the way to sit, accidentally step on it during yoga long. It took me six years to get that length, whether because I was too lazy to cut it or I wanted to be the more legit, blonde version of Cher I'll never know.
But three months ago, I chopped it all off after a handsome offer from a wigmaker. And, holy crap, suddenly I'm all grown up: I pay my bills on time, I freelance on the side, I consciously schedule my work/school/life balance, and I actually care about my stock portfolio (yes, it may be just six shares in Kohl's gifted to me after two years of loyal service, but now I actually care that it exists). None of this was true before that hair came off. FAIRY TALES DO COME TRUE, YOU GUYS.
But, it's interesting, because when it comes to male heroes in fantasy and their relationship with hair, the opposite tends to be true: The hero can't learn to grow into himself as an adult until he lets his hair grow long. Stardust is probably the most obvious example, as the hero, Tristan, has his hair magically lengthened right before the obligatory montage in which he learns to fight, sail an airship, and dance with a lady, all necessary skills to reach manhood.
I'm not sure if this means hair is a big deal in our lives or if this sort of thing is just shorthand for "you have to buck societal trends to become who you are." Most of the time I think it's the latter, but then I think about how many bald characters whose success is repeatedly curtailed, like George Costanza and Lex Luthor. I'm sure it has more to do with the lack of hair than the fact that they're horrible little monsters. Right?
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