Tangled : Behind the Scenes at Disney...

Disney’s 50th film sees “damsel in distress” Rapunzel break free from her tower and let down her hair.

While we’re all familiar with the classic fairytale, the Disney take gives it a modern twist, with fast-paced action and a heroine who can handle herself.

On set - splitting those hairs

A few months back we were flown over to Disney HQ in Los Angeles for an exclusive set visit, complete with a preview of the unfinished film, a studio tour and a sit down with the Tangled team. Delving into Disney’s 50th animation proved to be an eventful day, which gave us an insight into the studio and how Tangled’s free-flowing story came about.

After watching a 60 percent complete print of the film, comprised of storyboards, rough animation and post-production, we were shown around the animation studios to get a detailed understanding of the new technologies that Disney have employed. This may be their 50th film, but the team are determined to mix traditional Disney visuals, with cutting edge animation.

Directors Nathan Greno (Bolt) and Byron Howard(Bolt, Mulan), told us about how they wanted to shoot for the stars with Tangled, and revealed how new “hair technology” shaped Rapunzel’s locks.

“We wanted the scale of the movie to be huge. Especially with the hair technology, which has been in development for six or seven years, it’s brand new, very cutting edge, nobody else has it.

“The hair is such a real part of the story, so we said instead of just drawing all of it, let’s do 100,000 hairs that you can actually see flowing and moving.”

The directors continued to explain how the hair was also a big driving force behind the 3D. Trending alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, visual experience is an absolute must for Disney:

“CG was definitely the way to go, it was the best way to tell the story. We wanted to use moving cameras, depth of field and lighting to make the world real.”

DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIO, LOS ANGELES

Another equally important aspect of the film is the fairytale. Written by the Brothers Grimm, the original story is a dark gothic fairytale, which meant getting the film off the ground wasn’t an easy sell for the producers.

The result is something very different to the Brothers Grimm version with an upbeat, family story alongside modern visuals and characters. With a feisty leading lady (Mandy Moore) and less-than heroic lead (Zach Levi), Disney has proved it can move with the times while still retaining its customary charm.

Producer Roy Conli was more than happy to answer additional questions about the film, including how they incorporated a more modern feel into the traditional tale:

“We wanted to tell a story for the 21st Century, we didn’t want someone sitting up in a tower waiting to be rescued, we wanted someone who is vulnerable but strong and naive but intelligent.”

HANGING OUT WITH RAPUNZEL & FLYNN RIDER 

Last but not least we ended the day by speaking to actors Mandy Moore and Zach Levi, who both revealed how awestruck they were at the chance of being immortalised as a Disney character.

Since starting her career as an all-American popstar, Moore has starred in several television shows such as Scrubs and Grey’s Anatomy, while also sharing the big-screen with icons such asDiane Keaton.  Being a Disney fan, Moore was thrilled to breathe life into the character:

“I grew up watching The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast so the idea of playing a Disney princess was this lofty dream.”

Likewise Levi – who plays the lead in television series Chuck - proclaimed his excitement at being involved in the project:  “As a huge Disney nut I’ve dreamt of doing this ever since I was a little kid. I’ve watched all the Disney movies, all the musicals, all the songs, all the shorts that used to be on the Disney Channel.”

The hair is such a real part of the story, so we said instead of just drawing all of it, let’s do 100,000 hairs that you can actually see flowing and moving.

The duo were both given room to adlib scenes, and while Moore opted to stay with the script, Levichose to incorporate his own slant on the character of Flynn Rider. He also revealed how Flynn was almost a Brit:

“I think maybe I assumed that he was British because when you go to fantasy worlds, with castles and all of that stuff, everyone turns British don’t they?”

While, unfortunately for us, the British version of Flynn never made the cut, Levi brings comedy and conviction to the character – which is equally matched by Moore. With impressive visuals, entertaining characters and Disney magic, Tangled has something for everyone.