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.