Exclusive Sneak Peek: Walt Disney’s Tangled

Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, CA recently hosted a press event for their upcoming film, TANGLED. Having known the name “Disney” from such a young age and having had such an influence on my life to this day, it was truly an honor and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to attend a behind-the-scenes look at the new Disney animated movie.

Walt Disney had wanted to create Rapunzel’s story in the 1940s, but the studio never pulled it off. The time had finally come and the right team of over 50 animators took on the task of bringing TANGLED to life.

The morning began with a screening of the film on the Walt Disney Studios lot. Before the film began, producer Roy Conli and directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno gave a short introduction. They explained that although the voices and sound were finished, the animation was only about 60 percent complete. The remaining parts were shown as very crude storyboards or unfinished CG animation.

For those of us who may have felt that Disney has lost its magic during certain periods in recent history, seemingly creating movies just for the fun of it, TANGLED is a breath of fresh air. It was very important to Howard and Greno to achieve the timeless feel of previous Disney films created decades ago.

“We love Disney from the 1940s and 1950s and we looked at what made those movies great. Because we’re making a computer-generated movie, all of this would be new; it would be unlike anything you’ve seen before, but it’s still tied to our roots,” Greno said. TANGLED is as close as a 3D CG film can get to the classic 2D animated masterpieces that Walt Disney himself helped oversee.

The film was originally slated to be titled Rapunzel, but as Disney’s story for the film unfolded, it became clear that the lead male character, Flynn, had an equal part in the plot. This is where the name change to Tangled came in. However, the new title may also bring clout at the box office.

Disney had hoped for more involvement in The Princess and the Frog, which some may believe can be attributed to the use of the word “princess” in the title, and had discouraged male audiences from seeing the film. Instead of using the female lead’s name as a title, as many other Disney movies have done (“Sleeping Beauty,” “Mulan,” “Snow White,” “Mary Poppins,” etc.), let’s hope that kids and men realize that it’s not just a story about the girl. However, it’s not that a title should deter one from seeing a movie; I saw my fair share of Peter Pan, Hercules and Aladdin. Still, the directors and producers have done a wonderful job of balancing the story between the two lead roles.

After the screening of the film, the press was divided into four groups according to the character of our badges. The groups rotated around the studio experiencing different performances. My first stop was the dedicated “Character Creation” room, which featured a panel of a handful of animators, each discussing their specific role in creating TANGLED.

Rapunzel’s 70-foot hair was treated like a real character. The main belief shared by all TANGLED animators is that “it’s not JUST hair”. The animators discussed how they had to study the physics and movement of real hair to make it look completely natural and not robotic in any way.

The second item on the agenda was a short tour of the studio, including the Tangled Production Pod, where the offices of Conli, Howard and Greno are located. The common area was decorated with some vintage “Sleeping Beauty” and Cinderella artwork from the 1950s. Unlike the exotic trips that were made to Africa to get inspiration for “The Lion King,” the directors and producers traveled to Anaheim and visited Fantasyland within Disneyland in search of creative ideas for this film.

Tim Mertens, who previously worked with Howard and Greno on Disney’s “Bolt,” gave a brief presentation on the editing process. He explained that he will ask any Disney cast member who has any acting skills to perform some lines of dialogue called “scratch dialogue.” With this, he can work on the timing and placement of the character lines before the actual recording takes place.

The third area featured during this time allowed people to break free from their group and take a photo in front of a green screen. The printout, which was given to each person who took a photo, featured Flynn’s character. Four games were also staged and those who participated in all four received an authentic lithograph from the film.

After the activities, the journalists were taken back to the cinema where they had seen the film earlier that day. Here, the directors offered many words of praise to the animators who put so much time and effort into this film. After a short film dedicated to the animators, Greno and Howard had a surprise for the audience that was not on the program: John Lasseter came down the stairs at the front of the theater to a round of applause.

The creative director of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation spoke about how this studio has changed over the years after the merger of Pixar and Disney. They’ve really worked to make it more of a filmmaker-led studio, the Disney honcho said, in contrast to others, which are executive-led studios. Lasseter said of Tangled, “Even though it’s based on a much-loved story, it’s a fresh, modern, contemporary take with all the characters and the humor. But with all the humor, we never forget the heart.” The hallmark of a movie with the Disney name is the heart. Walt Disney said, ‘For every laugh, there must be a tear,’ and we truly believe it.”

The final hours of the day at Disney Animation Studios were spent with lunch, a photo date with TANGLED star Flynn, and topped off with the Swag Bag complete with shirt, hat, and brush…for ALL that! hair!

For its 50th animated film, Disney has done a great job with TANGLED. Filmmakers and animators have created memorable characters. Rapunzel (who I’m convinced MUST use anti-breakage shampoo, considering all the prowess she pulls at her hair) is a sheltered but enterprising young woman. Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi) is the roguish thief and confidant (think renaissance period Aladdin) who befriends Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) by accident. The horse, Maximus, is sure to win over audiences with his hilarious dog-like features. Pascal, Rapunzel’s faithful chameleon companion, is an unwavering ally through thick and thin. The film’s villain, the deceitful Mother Gothel, will no doubt join the ranks of famous Disney villains like Ursula and Maleficent when TANGLED premieres November 24 on Disney Digital 3D.