#tangled analysis

[adventuretolkienlover]

Okay, please tell I'm not the only one who noticed this. Vex's ear are like, super pointy!

Okay, y'all gonna call me crazy. But think about it. We've never seen her parents. She has unusually pointy ears. And she's very talented with weapons. I suspect...

She may be part elvish.

Do you see it?! I do! Anyone else notice this? This may or may not be important to my fic later.

[itsvioletevergarden29]

I once saw someone comment on a video about Rapunzel and Gothel that Rapunzel should've stayed with Gothel because "she had everything she could've wanted in her tower" (yeah, except love and freedom) "and also what if her birth parents were abusive". Yeah but they literally weren't and even if they were then she could get out of that situation too. I was SEETHING after reading that comment.

It’s the way mother Gothel is repeatedly proven wrong. The way Repunzel gets to find out the world is full of beauty and wonder. The way everybody who meets her loves her. The way she mumbles when she tells Maximus it’s her birthday and literally nobody gives a shit. The way Gothel tells Repunzel “look at you. You think he’s impressed?” in reference to her hair but we see multiple times that Eugene thinks she’s beautiful, specifically the next day after it’s been braided. It’s just so good and multilayered

[essycogany]

Sonic And Amy Are A Unique Couple

This is a quick Sonamy rant /ramble session. With a few added clarifications too. Enjoy!

This couple is more unique than you’d think. It’s cool if anyone disagrees. I'm all for a polite debate and respect your opinion. But if you're willing to hear me out, I'll be willing to explain myself as clearly as possible. Great? Awesome! Let’s get started!

Amy doesn't want to change Sonic. I will scream this until I'm not able to speak any more that Amy loves Sonic for who he is. She always has but it wasn't until IDW that she expressed it out loud. Still one of my favorite moments between them.

Does that make their relationship unique? Not really. What makes their relationship unique is what Amy loves about Sonic is kind of the reason they're not a couple yet. Sonic is an ongoing force that can’t be stopped or changed. Of course, he’ll allow someone to join him on a race, but he still keeps going. Not to say Sonic won’t stop to smell the roses (pun not intended) but he’ll do it on his own time. Amy always likes to take advantage of those moments and best of all, Sonic doesn’t mind. Even during their old chases, he’d slow down for her. Says a lot about the connection they have but there’s more

Their chemistry is…something for lack of a better term. Their back and forth is so interesting to me. Sonic does like Amy back. Notable examples here but to put it shortly, Sonic doesn’t know what he’s doing when it comes to romance. Sometimes he’s not into it and other times he’s chill. Sometimes Amy is ecstatic and other times she's bashful. I'm looking at you Sonic X.

Every time Amy’s occupied, is when Sonic wants her the most. Amy on the other hand wants Sonic to enjoy his freedom. Neither of them stops to think about how maybe they can have it both ways.

I'll also mention romance isn’t about “being tied down.” That paints romance as if it’s some kind of chain being rapt around your neck or being forced to be with the person. That is not romance. It’s keeping someone hostage. Something Amy would not do. Every time she’d joke around about marrying him Sonic didn’t take it seriously. Heroes included.

Sonic’s line in Heros: “Amy, knock it off. There's no time to play!” Dude knows Amy was messing with him. She was written to be girly, childish, adventurous, and cartoony. No, it wasn’t always executed well. Hello, Sonic Freeriders Amy! But I think this scene summons it up the best.

Important thing to mention as well is Sonic is an outspoken and honest character who rarely lies. It’s either you get the truth or you get nothing. He’s not the type to spare people’s feelings either, so if he had a problem with Amy in the past, he’d tell her directly. I do think she'd also stop if he genuinely told her to. The last thing Amy would want is to tarnish their friendship because of her actions. This loyal girl is so sweet.

Not to mention this is a popular trope in Japan too. The trope was what their relationship was based on.

Back to my original point Sonic and Amy aren’t a traditional couple. That’s a good thing. If they became canon their relationship wouldn’t change if they got together, but also they don’t need labels either. Romance isn’t or shouldn’t be a burden on you. That’s not how love works and that’s not what Sonic believes Amy to be. If that’s the case he wouldn’t be friends with her. Whether you ship Sonic with Amy, someone else, or no one, there should be no doubt Sonic values her friendship.

I’ll also add that Amy is just as up for an adventure as Sonic is. It’s why she loves him so much. They’re a power couple and love going out to travel, so there’s no staying in one place for these two.

In Sonic Adventure 2 you can tell Amy’s intuition when it comes to Sonic. Close to the end, she saw him looking a bit down and noticed his mood shifting a bit. “What’s the matter, Sonic?” “Oh, it’s nothing.” She knows him so well. I don't know what connection they run on but it’s inspiring.

These two don’t have a typical girl/boy relationship. I know some people say, “Well, why can't Sonic and Amy stay friends? Not every male and female relationship needs to be romantic.” You're 100% correct. Here are some examples.

The difference between other relationships is that Amy was created to be a Minnie to Sonic’s Mickey. Which is why these two are treated differently compared to others. Including in merch. There are more examples but I digress. The point is this specific pair is always going to have nuance even if they’re only friends. It doesn’t stop until Amy doesn’t love Sonic and even if it shouldn’t define her, it should still be a part of her. She might work without romance, but we already have other amazing female characters for that.

No one’s obligated to ship them because of this of course. Again, your opinion is still valid, and I will always stick to that point.

Last but not least is their friendship (or situationship) as a whole.

The funny thing is their friendship is what makes their romance the most compelling. The appeal to Sonic and Amy’s dynamic is how much platonic energy they have. Romance doesn’t always mean you need to be lovey-dovey. With Sonamy it’s their powerful friendship that makes the (somewhat not platonic) interactions memorable. You don’t have to choose romantic or platonic. It can be both. I wouldn't be a Sonamy fan if I thought their relationship was plain. I'm here because of how different they are.

And I love them to bits. Look at this panel and tell me it isn't running with situationship fuel.

Another fun detail is in recent years despite knowing Amy still loves him, Sonic hugs her back. Even the moments in Sonic X he carries her are moments he offers to. Even when it wasn't necessary.

Can’t forget about the recent asking Amy out to a dinner panel in IDW. He's never done that before. There's a familiarity between the two of them however you look at it. I LOVE them for it.

His moments of genuinely being excited to see her are not due to some development but because Sonic’s passion for Amy has noticeably increased. Why am I bringing these up? It’s because one thing that hasn’t been talked about when it comes to romance is actions. Sure, Sonic doesn't fully confess his feelings to her outwardly. But why do you have to be obvious and in people’s face when it comes to loving someone? In Japan, love is mostly shown through what you do more than what you say. That stuff can happen there but it doesn't always have to. The “Sharing an Umbrella, Amy,” line in Frontiers carries a lot more weight when you think about the implications.

Please read this post by @egalitarian-tomboy if you're interested in the implications of Sonamy in Frontiers.

The up-to-interpretation view of whatever they have together is the main reason I and so many people ship them. It’s not the fact that they are close, but the progression of their closeness. To make a long story short, the appeal of Sonamy is the fact that they don’t have to be traditionally romantic to be an interesting couple. Amy represents expressive love and Sonic represents emotional love.

Stay creative! 💜

[artist-issues]

I remember during the making of Tangled, the filmmakers said they had to work hard to design Rapunzel’s tower to be beautiful and seem like a cozy, fun environment, while also making Mother Gothel seem sweet and loveable, if manipulative.

Because, they said, if the environment is too much like a prison, and Gothel is too much like a villainess, the audience wouldn’t believe in Rapunzel as a character. They’d think she was either stupid or cowardly, to stay in such a nasty situation without trying to escape sooner. But if her circumstances seem just livable enough, just sweet enough, that you can see some of the appeal, then you wouldn’t blame her for waiting so long to leave.

Why didn’t they do that with Wish?

Why didn’t they think that relatability through?

Nobody is really feeling compelled to root for the everyday Rosas citizens during the movie. You don’t feel like rooting for Asha’s cause, or even Queen Amaya’s. Because you think to yourself, “why did it take the townspeople so long to ask the question ‘why can’t we just have our wishes back?’”

Asha comes up with those culture-breaking questions, inexplicably, in the first twenty minutes of the movie. It takes the rest of the townspeople about 24 hours to suddenly start asking that, too.

So why don’t you root for them?

Because when something bad happens to them, part of your brain goes, “why didn’t they see that coming, though? Why didn’t they ask questions? That one’s a little bit on them.”

And you don’t really feel that feeling you got with Mother Gothel, where you were like, “Oh yeah, I can see why the main character trusted this villain; the villain really seems to care about the hero, if you didn’t know what she was after.” You don’t;t get that same feeling with Magnifico. Because the whole idea of what he does—by erasing people’s memories and yelling at them and having no moments with regular folk where he’s warm and personal and building trust—is so malicious that we don’t believe the other characters couldn’t see it.

We COULD HAVE believed it. If they’d added in good writing and character moments to make it believable.

When Magnifico interacts with the people who trust him and are duped by him, he’s up on a stage, flashing superpowers they don’t have and then disappearing back into his tower after only granting one wish. He’s not on the welcome tour with Asha. He doesn’t know his own palace staff by name. He’s done nothing to build the trust all the side-characters unquestioningly give him. So even at the end, when everyone’s like, “aw, we wanted to believe in Magnifico,” we don’t feel it. Because didja? Why? Everyone could see that coming.

Meanwhile Mother Gothel tells Rapunzel she loves her most every time she leaves. She laughs with her. She reinforces every conversation they have with the idea that she’s desperate to protect Rapunzel. She brings her her favorite soup as a surprise and remembers the ingredients. She goes to get white paint on a very long trip so Rapunzel can paint. She compliments her strength and beauty—even if it’s backhanded. She calls her “dear,” and “darling.” She knocks thugs out with sticks, returning even after she argued with and supposedly ‘gave up’ on Rapunzel, all to supposedly’ protect’ her. So when Rapunzel realizes it was all an act, and she’s wrathful and furious and grabs Gothel’s hand, we DO feel it. Because we believed that Rapunzel really didn’t see this coming, so the shock stings worse. We don’t blame Rapunzel, and we do blame Gothel.

Just another example of what #NotMyDisney forgot about themselves.

[hyperfixationjunkie]

Do you ever think about how Varian must of felt in Nothing Left to Lose, when he lost his father, lost his mind, lost his freedom and a year of his life before redeeming himself, and Cassandra calls it a ‘game’? Like if he had just tried harder, he would have won? That he wouldn’t have had to suffer at all if he was just better?

I think that hurt more than the rocks did.

[gocelot]

Tangled the Series, remarkably, seems to have almost on accident stumbled into a powerful queer narrative- a narrative which was inherently doomed by the movie and at a broader level the company it’s based off of.

The original Tangled is, primarily, a story about child abuse. Flynn rider, for that reason, represents liberation, an escape from Gothel’s control. So we are content with their ‘happy ever after’- it’s thematically satisfying. However, in the TTS the opposing force shifts from an individual (Mother gothel) to an oppressive system- the society Rapunzel is suddenly expected to conform to and the expectations that come along with that.

Eugene comes to explicitly reinforce this system- he’s ready to settle down and says as much with his proposal in Before Ever after. Rapunzel panics, not because she doesn’t love Eugene, but because the prospect of going back to a form of ‘confinement’ in this case, marriage, after she’s just left the tower is uncomfortable for her. Rapunzel barely knows who she is, and already she feels pressure to conform to what everyone *expects her to be* This is also very present in her strained relationship with her father.

So, as her mind is reeling, what happens next? That’s right, her lady in waiting reveals herself to be a rough around the edges, gender non-conforming lesbian- with a costume change just to really nail this point home. And that night, the night where Rapunzel was supposed to promise herself to a domestic life with Eugene, is when Cassandra takes her out on a liberating outing- takes her past the literal walls she’s not supposed to pass. For just that one night, Cass sets her free- from the expectations of her father, from her boyfriend, from her kingdom. It’s that drive which triggers the return of her magical hair, setting into motion the events of the entire series, events which allow Rapunzel to discover herself.

And we’re supposed to watch that and NOT pick up on queer subtext???

[tiredandoptimistic]

I know that Tangled: the Series has it's flaws, but it's also literally the ideal sequel series conceptually (and I love it forever). They didn't unravel the happy ending of the movie, they just looked at the established traits of the characters involved and elucidated how they would continue to play against each other.

Rapunzel is an eighteen-year-old who just got free from her abusive mother for the first time in her life. She's been dreaming of adventure for years, and just had two days of wild exploration. She finally got to experience the world she spent so long imagining; of course she would want to keep that going, of course she wouldn't be happy living as a princess in a castle. But also, it makes perfect sense for her to be conflicted because she's always lived through stories, so she takes the concept of "happily ever after" very seriously. All the most important people in her life (Eugene, Gothel, and King Frederic) have always reinforced the idea that you should strive for a life of peace and rest, meaning that until Cass, she thought she was weird and wrong for wanting something other than a life of luxury. And she does enjoy the luxury. There's enough new and exciting things within the city walls to keep her busy and excited for a few months, but eventually she was always going to feel that pull to explore new frontiers and meet new people.

Speaking of the people who influence her, they all have valid reasons for acting the way that they do. Eugene has already experienced years of adventure, so he's familiar with the bad parts and disenchanted with the good. For him, life in the castle is the novelty, so that's where he wants to stay. It's his relationship to Rapunzel that changes him, allows him to experience the world through her eyes, to see the beauty and wonder that she finds everywhere. He doesn't quite get where she's coming from at first, but he loves her and is able to come around and understand her point of view and do what it takes to make her happy.

Then there's Frederic, who's a somewhat complicated character. The movie didn't give him much of a character (not even a line of dialogue), and he exits as a purely benevolent symbol of "happily ever after." That worked for the movie, but the show needed conflict; so Rapunzel's parents needed personalities. Even though the writers didn't have much from the original text to go off, it's not difficult to infer that the man who spent eighteen years aware that his negligence allowed his daughter to be kidnapped (or killed, he didn't know what happened to her) would become rather protective of said daughter once reunited with her. The way he treats Rapunzel, doing everything he can to keep her locked up and ignorant, isn't good but it's understandable. He's been king for decades and he's exhausted, he wants to give his daughter the sort of happy and peaceful existence that he didn't have. He doesn't understand that she could go through all the shit that happened in her two days of adventure and want to go back out there. He's so confident in what he wants for her that he doesn't stop to listen to what she wants for herself. Now, again, these feelings are no excuse for his actions, but they do explain them. Frederic is fundamentally a good guy who's trying his best for his family, he just needs to learn to listen to what they say they need. (Which he does! Eventually. This is what character arcs are for).

It's just really neat to me how they looked at the movie and took these characters and thought about how they would come into conflict, how putting "THE END" on the screen wouldn't actually solve their problems. I love me a good villain, but sometimes it's nice to watch something where everyone involved has a good point and they just need to communicate and compromise a bit to find the best solution.

[lemurballing]

This is stupid:

buuuut it still works cause tangle is awesome :] i direct you to issue 37, where tangle does this:

at face value, heck yeah!! using her tail as a pulley system to tie up the boat?? so clever :) (and being able to wrap her tail around all that after the boat starts falling, before it loses much height - that’s very fast, accurate tail extension! what if she’d accidentally bonked her tail into any of those metal beams down there instead of going between them? she wouldn’t have made it in time if she did bonk!)

but you look closer… and it might not be that clever. in fact, it looks like a mistake.

(at the dark purple question mark, her tail’s path isn’t very clear. i went with ‘repeating the pattern’ around a part of the boat we couldn’t see in blue, which would then wrap around at the angle you see her tail stretch left, out from the question mark.)

it’s wrapped around the whole boat, so where’s the problem…?

the problem is: leverage (or whatever the word is for pulleys & ropes).

in the leftmost diagram, we see the dots - the anchor points of the rope - are at equal height. at a resting point, they will both hold the weight up with their own material integrity; that is, it will stay at the resting height unless the material breaks.

in the middle diagram, the ‘anchor point’ for the right rope has moved lower; the bar it holds the weight up towards is far lower, and the excess is wrapped over to tie to the ground. again, at resting position, it will remain there while the material holds.

in the right diagram, the rope arrangament is the same as the middle one, but now we’re applying pull force to bring the weight upwards. at this level, due to where the right rope is ‘anchored’ on the bar, no matter what force is applied, it cannot raise the weight any higher than that bar - only the rope on the left could pull it higher, or support its weight in a higher position.

applied to this situation:

the blue sections are parts where tangle’s tail can support the boat just by wrapping around and staying in place, pretty much; it’s a net woven around that just needs to not slip. the orange sections are where the only provable anchor point above the boat is tangle herself! (and i will note that the way she’s holding her tail here, her tail is almost certainly not the limb doing most of the pulling - for it to angle so much before and after her grip on it, it can’t be tensed. to better clarify - if you have long hair, and something pulls on your hair, it pulls your scalp. unless you grab your hair with a hand and pull it closer to your scalp, and then all the active tension is redirected through your arms.)

which means that for the boat to stay where it is - above the ‘blue level’ - tangle is actively pulling it higher! pulling the entire weight of the boat up.

so how hard is this - how heavy is the boat? in this panel, it looks like a relatively small boat; maybe a dinghy? dinghies can have those ribbed sides, and are generally round, and it could weigh somewhere between 100-200lbs, and be a little tough to carry…

nope! it is some type of motor boat (perhaps a skiff). you can see a propeller under the ‘cinch’, so it has a motor… and if you look at the rest of the page, it has at least 7 seats (presumably 8), so it has to be large enough to hold at least 7 people!

i’m not acquainted with boats so i had to do some digging - and most of the ones i found at first had consoles/raised walls/less seats than this one, which weren’t exactly a fair weight comparison. i also didn’t want to try to calculate precisely how long this boat is, since the angles are off and hard to calculate from this perspective.

so, instead i looked at a few different types of boat to get rough estimated of weights, and then i’d roughly downsize that based off estimates of how much smaller a boat for ~3ft people needs to be!

i went through a handful of similar motorboats (mostly 1-4 people, but with added physical features to add weight) and found weights between 1,000lb to 2,000lb depending on length (18-22+ feet). a yamaha 195S is 19’5” long, and 2,509lb - but a nitro z18 is 18’8” and 1,700lb. the only good visualizers i found were charts for what motor horsepower to use for what length and weight:

so it was super hard to get a good estimate of the weight here!! like super hard!! so i’m just doing a vague whatever conservative estimate and someone else can do proper math!!!

if you half the length to a presumed 10ft long - which i’m not sure is properly long enough for this boat, i’d guess somewhere between 12-15ft - and then quarter the 20ft weight to try to account for the square-cube law, you get a guesstimate of a boat weighing about 500lb. if you’re conservative with it, maybe 400lb?

which, to keep from tipping out away from the metal cradle, lowering to the level of tangle’s tail wrapped around underneath, & be held upright as tangle is doing, has to be fully supported - and as noted earlier, without real assistance from tangle’s tail’s strength, this is just her arms.

now, you could assume tangle simply wrapped that mystery segment of tail around the cradle bar she’s standing on, and this would allow much more of the boat’s weight to be supported by her tail’s structure… but it’d have to be an awkward angle for her tail to do that and it to not be visible next to her feet or in the empty space to the right, which would also put some more of the strain on her arms/body instead of her tail, so she’d stil be doing a lot!

and especially if you estimate the boat closer to 12-15ft, which is closer to 600-750lb, that gets crazier…

PLUS the fact that she had to hold that weight up for at LEAST as long to ask them to hurry & tie the boat up, AND as long as it took for the others to actually work something up/fix the cradle to hold the boat and relieve tangle of it.

conclusion: this is canon

[pocketscribbs]

From earlier this morning

I do character rants when I’m excited lol

Tangle and Lanolin’s dynamic honesty intrigues me more than Tangle and Whisper with how it’s been developing

[hyuninified]

I love how in Tangled when Mother Gothel went back to the tower after seeing Maximus alone, the inner of the tower was portrayed as dark and cold, rather than the lighter warmer colours we had in the beginning scene when Rapunzel was still there. It's kinda like Rapunzel is the light, joy and especially LIFE in the tower.

[essycogany]

Sonic’s been more acceptable to hugs in canon. Specifically with Tangled and Amy. He also has small examples with the Wisps as well. It makes me think after Sonic Forces where Sonic’s had no contact with ANYONE for 6 months, he’s grown to like hugs A LOT more.

Before Sonic Forces:

After Sonic Forces:

Before Forces Sonic politely pushes the Wisps away from him for some personal space. While after Forces he greets them with open arms. This gives off the impression after disasters like the metal virus or Frontiers where Sonic couldn’t even high-five his friends, the blue hedgehog grew to be more physically affectionate towards his friends. I guess Sonic decided it was something he wanted to appreciate while he’s able to.

Makes you really wonder how those obstacles might’ve permanently affected him. To be fair those situations including the one with Surge, did a total number on the guy in some fashion. We were told about it more then shown in Forces but it still counts.

Or maybe I’m looking WAY too much into things. It’s your call!

[paintbrushnebula]

I really wish we got to see what that first month of Rapunzel and Eugene's relationship was like

Because it would've been really interesting to see the reality set in for the fact that their relationship technically began 3 days after they met--that the first month or so of them essentially being boyfriend and girlfriend will be spent actually getting to know each other. They're both gonna be discovering all these things they didn't get to see in each other in those stressful, unrelenting first three days. They'll find out about their flaws and that there are things they might not like, which is perfectly normal in any relationship of course.

But they'll also discover all these crazy new things that they'll LOVE about each other, things that didn't have time to shine in those first three days. Things three days could never do justice, and boy are they grateful that their love survived those three days. Three days wouldn't have been enough, and oh there was so SO much more to discover. So all these beautiful things could never not outweigh all the uncovered flaws, and there's never that moment when either of them think they were wrong about the other, or that they jumped into things too soon, because its still them ^u^

wish me luck eepsters, I have an oceanography exam tomorrow. this bites 😖

[spideyhexx]

modern coryo where you both get anxious over your separate things so you spend the night rotting in bed together and trying to distract yourselves

(sorry I wrote more of this in the tags and I’m too lazy to move it here)

[adventuretolkienlover]

May I add onto this?

There is one thing about Varian's argument that is correct. Rapunzel could have come to help after her parents returned safely. But she didn't. Let me explain.

During the episode, The Alchemist Returns, Rapunzel mentions that she hadn't seen Varian in a long time and she never saw Quirin in his amber prison. That means after she was free to come, she either didn't care enough to check or completely forgot about Varian and his father. And if I was in his shoes, yeah. I'd be mad. That's a legitimate reason in my book. I'm not saying what he did was good, but Raps did have some part to play in it. She promised to help him and then either didn't care or forgot about him.

That's not what a good friend or a promise keeper does.

Not to mention that King Fredrick was keeping dangerous secrets from his subjects because he was scared of the consequences. That is wrong. No ruler should do that. He may have wanted to save his wife. And that's good! But he should have taken responsibility for what he'd done as well.

But these are just my thoughts. Feel free to add on.

It’s so frustrating that characters from the show aren’t allowed to fight against Fredric’s tyranny without being labeled as “villains.” Yes, Lady Caine and Varian were wrong, but if you listen to Lady Caine’s speech about her how she was separated from her father, and Varian’s speech about how Fredric lied to the people and vilified him, they were correct.

If I may, while their reasons were correct, their actions weren't.

Lady Caine's father was take from her for petty theft, and so she sought revenge by turning to a life of crime and forming a gang so she could at very least take Frederic prisoner. And when you listen to what she's actually saying, she's shifting all the blame to Rapunzel. Because Rapunzel was kidnapped, and Frederic got hard on crime, Lady Caine is seeking to take Rapunzel's father from her, just as her own father was taken. That's not justice. It's not even blaming the right person.

And the Varian argument has gone around and around for years. Because Frederic and his dad were keeping button-lipped about what was going on with the black rocks, Varian was messing around with them. Through messing around with them, he got Quirin encased in the amber-colored rock. Because Corona was in a state of emergency, she couldn't come with him when he asked. And regardless of events after this moment, Varian decided that, because she was unable to help him the moment he demanded it, Quirin being encased was her fault. The audience shifts blame to Frederic more than anyone else.

Both Lady Caine and Varian decide that it's somehow Rapunzel's responsibility to have made their own childhood traumas have never happened to them. This is a recurring theme, since Cassandra does the exact same thing.

If there's one thing that the series does over and over again, it's have the villains blame Rapunzel for things she had no control over.

[nerdasaurus1200]

Ohoho I just realized lorcana gave us New Dream without ever having to put them on the same card.

In particular it’s these two cards.

Look how they’ve got almost the exact same pose. But there’s a huge difference in the tone of the cards. Rapunzel’s card is bathed in light and has gold and purple everywhere while Eugene’s card is much darker and has green and blue and black.

Sun and Moon baby!!! 😍

And on top of that Eugene is clearly lowering himself down while Rapunzel is gonna stay suspended for quite a while, a reflection of how Rapunzel is more optimistic while Eugene is more cynical

[vortexonsaturn]

The Mirror Metaphor Used In Tangled

Mirrors are an important narrative device all throughout the film, one of the first times we see a mirror on screen is when Rapunzel is a child.

We see a young Rapunzel sneaking out of her room to look at the floating lanterns, this specific mirror merely helps us understand how vain Gothel is. The mirror is reflecting back Rapunzel, and as the movie continues, a mirror reflecting Rapunzel represents a time where she is under Gothel's control.

During this scene we get our first introduction the The Mirror, the one that is primarily used for this metaphor. The Mirror shows the viewer the relationship between Gothel and Rapunzel. Here, Gothel says,

"Rapunzel, look in that mirror. You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady. Oh, look, you’re here too!”

This scene is not only Gothel tearing down Rapunzel, but it gives us a direct connection between Gothel, The Mirror, and Gothel's desire to remain young forever. It shows us how Gothel views Rapunzel, how she views her only as a device to remain young, not as a daughter.

It shows us the control Gothel has over Rapunzel, as Rapunzel does not stand up for herself or even question this behavior.

In the Mother Knows Best scene The Mirror makes another appearance.

Gothel forces The Mirror in front of Rapunzel after describing all the reasons why Rapunzel can never leave the tower, after making Rapunzel feel naïve and dumb for believing she ever could survive in the real world.

The Mirror is used often to distort or only show fragments of the truth.

When Rapunzel begins to trap Flynn in the closet, The Mirror is facing away from her/the act.

The after she...secures him in...she accidentally knocks The Mirror towards her.

Following this, she finds the crown due to it's reflection in The Mirror, which she then goes to try on. She has a moment where she feels confident again, forgetting Gothel's doubts, even if it's just for a moment.

After Rapunzel has this moment, Gothel returns to the tower. This causes Rapunzel to fumble around knocking The Mirror as she hides the crown, causing The Mirror to spin around, now facing fully away from Rapunzel/the tower.

The moment is key, because this shows us Rapunzel now has a new goal. One that doesn't include Gothel's agreement. One that threatens Gothel's control.

After this, Rapunzel and Flynn escape the tower and we don't see The Mirror again until Gothel returns to find Rapunzel missing.

We see The Mirror for a brief moment, as Gothel hasn't yet realized she's lost control over Rapunzel.

When Gothel finishes inspecting the tower, The Mirror is gone.

This shows Gothel's loss of control, and the break in Gothel and Rapunzel's relationship.

In the end, after Gothel has manipulated Rapunzel back into her control, Rapunzel begins to have her realization/deja vu moment. When she realizes she is the lost princess, The Mirror reappears. Now showing a blurred reality outside of the frame.

In the final confrontation, Rapunzel rejects Gothel's attempts to touch her hair. Causing Gothel to stumble backwards, knocking over and shattering The Mirror.

Gothel and Rapunzel's relationship is broken. Gothel's control over Rapunzel is broken.

As we all know, Flynn then proceeds to use a piece of this shattered glass to cut off Rapunzel's hair. Gothel immediately begins to grow old, her death imminent.

Gothel desperately stares into the shattered remains of The Mirror, showing the shattered pieces of Gothel and Rapunzel's relationship as well as the control Gothel once had over Rapunzel.

I have more metaphors I'd love to talk about, another favorite of mine is the use of light throughout Tangled. So expect another unnecessarily long post soon!