Tangled came out 15 years ago today, on November 24th, 2010, and really kicked off a run of Disney animated hits similar to their 90s renaissance era. What helped it feel like that era was the legendary Alan Menken returning to compose the score and co-write the songs. Loosely based on The Brothers Grimm story “Rapunzel”, Mandy Moore plays the princess Rapunzel, who has magical hair that can heal and keep people young, which is hoarded by her evil adopted mother, Gothel (Donna Murphy). Rapunzel escapes her tower prison on her 18th birthday and finally gets to see the outside world, which includes running into the roguish Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi). Alan Menken hadn’t worked on a Disney movie since 2004’s Home on the Range and took on the challenge of combining the new Pixar style of storytelling with classic musical theater style music. Menken combined medieval-style music with 60s folk rock to create the movie’s soundtrack. “I See the Light” garnered the most attention, getting nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar but losing to Burlesque for the Golden Globe and to Toy Story 3 for the Oscar. You can check out several songs from the movie’s soundtrack below.
