Refine reviews: Tangled

By Rosie Hall

Published on January 27, 2025

The following contains spoilers for Tangled (2010). Consider yourself forewarned and proceed with caution if you have not yet seen the film.

On its surface, the movie Tangled is a lighthearted princess movie with plenty of action, hair, and heart. Full of upbeat musical numbers and a healthy dash of comic relief, the film is a delight to watch for all ages. Yet, like so many children’s movies, there is a deeper theme hidden beneath the bright colors and floating lights.

Though the movie is called Tangled, Rapunzel’s hair remains knot-free throughout the film. It is the characters themselves who become tangled together, specifically Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, the story’s dashing love interest—this intertwining of the masculine and feminine drives the plot forward. Rather than portraying a girl boss and a toxic man, Tangled offers an excellent example of the complementarity virtues of true masculinity and true femininity.

Masculinity and Femininity

In our culture, toxic masculinity is very clearly defined, but fewer people grasp genuine masculinity and femininity. Genuine masculinity and femininity are usually defined by the virtues for which men and women are the sign. While all virtues can and should be practiced by both men and women, some are more characteristic of men and others are more characteristic of women. 

Women are thought to practice receptivity and be more person-centered. Men, on the other hand, often portray courage and meekness, using their strength in a rightly ordered manner.

A sign of masculinity and femininity is that the individual man and woman will help lift the opposite sex to greater heights of virtue. The woman receives the man’s gift and affirms his personhood; he, in turn, uses his courage and strength to protect her goodness.

Tangled offers an example of how men and women have the power to build each other up in love and virtue.

Tangled Together

At the beginning of the movie, Rapunzel is still very naive and flawed. Yet, she knows she was made for something more than her tower. She is afraid to act, however, because she fears the outside world. To leave her tower, she bribes Flynn Rider, the thief who entered her tower, to get what she wanted. 

Flynn himself is hardly a shining example of masculinity, either. He’s a thief, using his wits to get ahead of others. When he first encounters Rapunzel, he is bowled over by her beauty, and that is all he can see for a while. He calls her ‘Goldie’ and ‘Blondie,’ caring only about her looks instead of seeing the person. Flynn only helps Rapunzel because he wants to get back his stolen treasure, and even then he attempts to manipulate her multiple times to get what he wants. 

As she proceeds on her journey, however, Rapunzel begins to show the virtue of femininity by lifting the men around her and offering an open ear and a receptive soul. Though initially terrified of the “ruffians and thugs” that occupy the tavern in the woods, Rapunzel stands up for herself shouting: 

“Find your humanity! Haven’t any of you ever had a dream?”

The rough and tumble men suddenly all recall the dreams that they have had. Rapunzel listens to them all and doesn’t mock the optimistic and unrealistic dreams. She is receptive to them, and when the men find themselves heard and appreciated, they offer her their undying loyalty.

Transformed by love

Rapunzel’s receptivity has the same effect on Flynn. After being trapped in a small cave rapidly filling with water, Flynn offers her his true name: Eugene Fitzherbert. Rapunzel does not laugh at the admittedly comic name, but rather receives his secret and returns one of her own: “I have magic hair that glows when I sing.” 

This mutual vulnerability pushes both characters to grow and gives them the tools they need to escape the underwater cavern, moving the plot forward.

Both characters, Eugene and Rapunzel, become increasingly vulnerable to one another and help one another to grow. During her time with Eugene in the kingdom’s city, Rapunzel blossoms from her freedom, growing more confident in herself as a virtuous woman with Flynn’s protection and love guiding her forward. 

Flynn too changes, giving of himself in a way he never has. He buys Rapunzel trinkets and treats, shows her the libraries and the town, and quietly protects her, working to make her dream come true. Rapunzel has shown him what is truly valuable in life and Flynn gives up all false good, the crown, for her.

What makes Tangled a beloved classic is the self-sacrificial love of Eugene and Rapunzel. Tricked by Mother Gothel, Rapunzel returns to her life of captivity. With the tavern men’s help, Eugene rushes to rescue her. When he enters the tower, however, Mother Gothel stabs him. 

Desperate to save a dying Eugene, Rapunzel makes a deal with Mother Gothel. If Rapunzel can heal Eugene with the power of her magic hair, she will give up her freedom forever. Her willingness to sacrifice her freedom for his life is the ultimate proof of her love. 

However, before she can heal Eugene, he cuts off her hair, freeing her from Mother Gothel at the cost of his own life. His courage and self-sacrificial love is the height of true masculinity. He lays down his life so that Rapunzel doesn’t have to.

Happily Ever After: Marriage

Of course, there is a happily ever after. The magic is not within hair but within Rapunzel herself. Through the power of love, Eugene comes back to life, reunites Rapunzel with her parents, and eventually marries her. 

The theme of marriage is subtle but sweet. The King and Queen, Rapunzel’s parents, never gave up the hope of being reunited with their daughter. They love their daughter and each other deeply. The King is even shown to shed tears over his missing daughter. Their commitment and support of one another is a sign of what Eugene and Rapunzel’s marriage will be like when they make the full, free, and fruitful vow of marriage. 

Marriage, as portrayed in the film, is the ultimate intertwining of true masculinity and true femininity. It is the ultimate sacrifice, joy, and unity of two souls who had till then been only tangled together.

4.6 13 votes
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Mike
Mike
12 days ago

Such a fantastic review and insightful on what and how true women and men of virtue should live out their callings! Thank you!

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