Tangled

Long-haired Rapunzel and a thief escape a villainess. With the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi. Directors: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard (1:40). PG. At area theaters. Disney's "Tangled" is about life's journeys, not its destinations — and that makes all the difference. A Rapunzel retelling could have become just a retread of the studio's past princess tales, but this genuinely charming, chintz-free story does something new: It takes the time to chill out, as its heroine might say.

Except for Pixar's perfections, almost all CG-animated films zip around like toddlers on a sugar high. So "Tangled's" thoughtful pace and sweet heart make it perfect for girls 5 to 8 — an underserved audience — as well as 'tweens who don't want unnecessary pop songs, meta-riffs or mega-explosions in every movie.

This is an elegant film that begins, once upon a time, as a royal couple are expecting a daughter. After the queen drinks the juice of a magic flower, her child is born with hair containing restorative powers. But a vain old woman named Mother Gothel steals her from her crib and isolates her in a tower. As the girl grows, fearful of the outside world, her tresses are never cut and Gothel remains mysteriously youthful.

Nearing 18, Rapunzel yearns to see the world, but Gothel forbids it. A thief on the run, Flynn Ryder, helps her escape, and the two head off to see the beautiful floating lanterns the king and queen release into the air every year on their daughter's birthday. No one, including the girl herself, knows where or who she is.

There are laughs involving soft-hearted scoundrels and Rapunzel's silent chameleon sidekick, yet directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard keep the tale grounded, with tension coming from the inherently dramatic mother-daughter dynamic. The super-coiffed artist-
adventurer (voiced by Mandy Moore) and the narcissistic villain (deliciously mischievous Donna Murphy) occasionally feel guilt or loneliness, which adds depth without ruining the fun. Rapunzel and Flynn's (Zachary Levi) romance is cute, but this is a movie about finding yourself.

Which makes the movie a spiritual sister to "Beauty and the Beast" — thoroughly modern Rapunzel does most of the saving — with gorgeous, old-school Disney vistas and witty songs from Alan Menken ("The Little Mermaid").

There could have been more side trips on the road to self-discovery, but the plentiful lessons and derring-'do make "Tangled" a lock for playground pastimes. And maybe even some knotty parent-kid chats about finding your part in life.

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Colin Firth Talks Movies, Kids & Cussing

Colin Firth's much anticipated new movie, The King’s Speech, has just been slapped with an R rating because of some hard language and the actor isn't too pleased about it. Firth has an outburst of profanity during a pivotal scene in the British film, which tells the real-life story of King George VI’s efforts to conquer a disabling stutter.

Firth says he doesn't mind the language, and the R rating will prevent kids from ages 13-18 from seeing an important film. "As a father of small children, the context I would like to keep them away from is when it (the 'f' word) is casually used," he said, speaking of his two sons, Luca, 9, and Matteo, 7. "I find that almost as disturbing. I love football and I take them but I have to wrestle with myself because what they hear there would make a sailor blush.

"I don't relish those words or my children hearing them, so I'm not judging people who don't like the words... But, in the film, it isn't used in a vicious, sexual way."But Firth makes it clear it's the parents' choice. “I’m not saying, ‘Bring your kids to hear the F-word.’ If people don’t want their kids to hear that, it’s their right.”

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A film fiesta for kids ahead

Kids have a reason to rejoice yet again! The next couple of months will see a line-upof 10 children’s films up for release in the next three months. “It’s best to line up all the children’s movies after Children’s Day as the exams are over and Christmas festivities are also round the corner,” says a producer.

Actress Kajol, who’s involved with a children’s film that her actor husband Ajay Devgn is making, informs, “Our film (Toonpur Ka Superhero) will be released during December. I am really excited the way it has shaped up. It’s going to be a great entertainer for all our children,” said Kajol, who has just become a mother again, with son Yug.

Apart from a series of 3D films like Fantastic Mr Fox, Megamind, the next installment of the Narnia chronicles will also be released in December. “The third part of this blockbuster series will be released in 3D format on 10th December,” informs an official. Also lined up is the the much awaited Gulliver’s Travels, a film based on the 18th century novel of the same name by Jonathan Swift. Of course, last but not the least there’s the greatest of them all, the next instalment of the Harry Potter series which will be the prequel to the last film of the franchise.

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Pixar NOT Planning 'Toy Story 4'

After "Toy Story 3" hit theaters and became the highest-grossing animated movie, Pixar began thinking up ideas not only for a fourth installment, but also "Toy Story" short films. Movieweb has now caught up with "Toy Story 3" producer Darla K. Anderson, who revealed that the fourth film is NOT in the works. "No we're really not," she said. "We have no plans for it at this point. We really worked hard at bringing 'Toy Story 3' to a conclusion."

Anderson added that the plan is still to move forward with "Toy Story" shorts. "We do have the short films that we are working on because we love the characters so much and want to keep them alive," she explained. "One of the short films will be in front of 'Cars 2' next summer."

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