Tangled (2010)

“Tangled” -- Disney’s take on “Rapunzel” -- is a return to the classic cartoon princess musicals that died 20 years ago, beaten into a grave by now-classic satires such as “The Princess Bride.” I mean, we have the gooey music, including the scene where the female runs into a field, throws her arms in the air and hits a note higher than Keith Richards ever knew. Mandy Moore voices Rapunzel, the lost princess, and Zachary Levi is the good-hearted thief. Beauty-obsessed nasty-witch-slash-matriarch-figure in disguise? Check. But, damn it, I'm not complaining. It worked when my mother was a child, when I was a child, and … It. Still. Works. The humor is knowingly smart, but not mean or cynical. The comedy -- a mime thug, an old man, a stubborn horse -- is pure Disney joy. CGI animation misses the inspirational quirkiness of its hand-drawn predecessors, but the visuals of “Tangled” are happy wonderful. All throw-backs should be as entertaining. B+