I always get weepy watching the movie Tangled. I could do an entire dissertation just on the background of the working relationship of John Lasseter and Glen Keane alone. But, this review is to express why this movie moves me like no other. First, I know Glen is a believer, and I am sure a lot of his Christian faith got woven into the plot. This influence may have caused the straying we see from the original story of Rapunzel. Tangled is definitely not the Rapunzel story, just loosely based on it. That said, here is what I see in the movie Tangled.
The movie begins with the tale of a flower that was born of a drop of sunshine. This flower had powers to renew youth, heal ills, and even bring back those who are mostly dead. Gothel, knowing of its powers, sought to horde the flower for her own selfish purposes. It is discovered by the guards of the Kingdom of Corona, who were searching for it to save the life of their dying queen. The plant is removed from its place and away from Gothel. The magic of the flower heals the queen, but also has a strong effect on the child in her womb—Rapunzel. When she is born, she has blonde hair that carried the properties of the sun flower. (reference James 1:17) In order to satisfy her addiction to youth, Gothel kidnaps the child, and raises her as her own, locked in a very tall tower— Rapunzel's only means of expression being the painting of murals on her walls and ceiling.
The theme of the Bible is the redemption of man. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "All we like sheep have gone astray..." We, as children, have all been kidnapped by the devil. He raises us as "his own" and continually lies to us to keep us in the bondage of our various towers. The devil does this for his own selfish desires to be a god and receive the praises of men— whether directly or indirectly. Everyone is born into this world, locked in a tower, unaware of our bondage. We are lied to regarding the search for truth and freedom— that there are evils out there ready to infect or destroy you. Look at the greed of various churches, the hypocrisy of its members, or the contradictions of their holy book. Stay in the tower of ignorance, and you will be safe because, "Mother knows best..."
In time, something draws the attention of Rapunzel away from her tower of "safety". The twinkling lights that rise into the sky every annual day of her birth. Gothel lies to Rapunzel and says they are just "stars", but Rapunzel does not believe it. What Rapunzel was seeing were lanterns that every member of the kingdom lit on her birthday in remembrance of the lost princess. Jesus called us "the light of the world" and not to put that light "under a bushel". We go forth and shine, praying that the illumination of God's Spirit in our lives, would draw back home that one that is locked in the devil's tower.
There is an extremely moving moment in the film when the king and queen come forward to release the royal lantern with the others. The king and queen, who do not speak at all in the entire feature, emote volumes of their pain and separation. I see the heart of the Father in the pained face of the king, and the quote of Jesus immediately comes to mind, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..."
The story continues with the meeting of the thief, Flynn Rider, and makes a deal to bring Rapunzel to the kingdom to see the lights. The journey is quite an education. Yes, there were dangers out there, but much of what she saw proved that her "mother" was mistaken. Upon reaching the kingdom, she finds there is joy, celebration, and dancing. The joy rises to its peak via her first, up close, viewing of the release of the lanterns. Flynn, now revealed as Eugene, offers her a lantern to participate in the memorial. We, as Christians, are sent into the world to invite the lost to be partakers of God's kingdom. It is during this scene where the song "I See The Light" speaks of the salvation experience in moving detail...
All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been
Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here suddenly I see
Standing here it's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be
And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see You
All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been
Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here suddenly I see
Standing here it's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be
And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see You
The absolute joy and amazement in Rapunzel's response takes me back to Thanksgiving Day of 1970 when a good friend told me about Jesus. All the years of searching for God were now a memory as I was given the key via His Son. The blinders were lifted, but that is not the end of the story.
There is an interesting bit of trivia within this scene. During the song, Rapunzel sees a lantern heading toward the water where it would, no doubt, extinguish. She reaches out and gives it a boost heavenward. I just recently noticed that this is the only lantern that bore the royal "sun" emblem. What Rapunzel saved from being extinguished was the light of her real parents, the king and queen.
The story continues as the enemy, Gothel, lies to Rapunzel to return her to the safety of the tower. It is here that her joy is gone, but she is safe from hurt or trial. On her bed, she looks to the small swatch of cloth embroidered with the royal sun emblem. As she looks at the emblem, she begins to compare it with her ceiling murals and finds that her subconscious had emblazoned the mark within the designs. So much so, that her room lit up as a starry night. "The heavens declare the glory of God!" She then flashes back to her crib and the realization that her real parents are actually the king and queen of Corona. Oh, did I not mention that "corona" means not only the envelope of light around the sun, but also crown?
This moment in the film catapults me back as well to a day (a few weeks after my accepting Christ as Lord and Savior) when I asked the Holy Spirit to come in with power and illumination. I cannot describe what happened, but all of a sudden, it all became clear. The words of the Bible started flying off the pages into my newly born spirit. It was real, it was all real! Not only that, but God was my Father, and I was a child of the kingdom, I had a kingdom full of brothers and sisters, and I was now destined to reign with Him! The reality of it all just blew my mind and I was now free to worship and in full assurance of my eternal inheritance.
This epiphany caused Rapunzel to realize the lies of Gothel. She resisted her and sought only to be free of her influence. She struggled against her captor and eventually was freed by the intervention of Eugene— the one that first introduced her to "the lights". Gothel, like the devil, meets her demise, Rapunzel is truly free.
The film concludes with Rapunzel being reunited with her real parents. It is a very touching scene that foresees the day when I come face to face with my Savior and He says to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!"
Now, knowing all this, go watch Tangled and be blessed.
