Psychology Research project, Tangled

Walt Disney shows and movies are a staple for many families, and people, to watch

around the world. From America, where Disney first originated, to Japan, the company has put

its foot in around the globe. Disney movies, though watched by so many adults, are catered first

and foremost to a family atmosphere, and for children. When you think of these films, one of the

first things that may come to your mind is Disney princesses, for good reason. The princess

movies were some of their first major and popular films, and even to this day, movies with

princesses such as Frozen still make the list of some of the most popular movies in America.

These movies, as they are made for all ages, generally end very happily, and give a good blanket

message to the viewers about life. Tangled (2011) is one such movie. It gives off the typical

‘strength in love’ message, but there are so many others, whether good or bad, within the movie,

that affects how people view life and others, especially learning children.

Tangled is about the story of Rapunzel, a princess who was kidnapped at birth, due to her

magical gifts of giving youth, and was locked in a tower by, and with, Mother Gothel, whom

pretended to be her actual mother. Rapunzel wanted to leave the tower and explore the world so

badly, that on her 18th birthday, she escaped the tower with a small criminal named Flynn Rider,

AKA Eugene Fitzherbert. Through exploring the land, heading towards the kingdom Rapunzel is

from, the pair fell in love, and had to get through challenges along the way. The movie ended

with Rapunzel staying with Eugene, and them both living with Rapunzel’s real parents, the

queen and king.

The first explicit message that is seen in Tangled is shown within the first ten minutes of

the movie. It shows dangers within life in the movie and in real life, specifically that of

kidnapping. Younger children won’t fully grasp this idea, but the parents watching definitely do.
My own mother, as I watched this movie with her, gave me a long spiel after the movie finished

about the dangers of walking somewhere with strangers, separating from very public areas, and

not watching my surroundings. This message is seen as Mother Gothel kidnaps baby Rapunzel

from the castle for her own wishes of staying young. The message continues into the movie, of

dangers in the outside world, as Mother Gothel tries to keep Rapunzel in the tower by scaring her

with descriptions of things such as “criminals, snakes, and spiders.” This is both a positive and

negative message. In the movie, it is a negative one, as it is used to keep Rapunzel inside the

tower forever. But in life, it is a more positive message, as parents can use the movie to educate

their kids on some bad things in our society, but can then tell them how to stay safe. It can both

scare children, and educate them.

Continuing on into the movie, the next main message seen is that of a cliché, a man

saving a woman, the princess, from something. Most princess movies have this trope, which

thankfully our society nowadays is trying to break. Flynn Rider comes into the tower, and saves

Rapunzel from its confines. It was a bit more of a mutual advantage for them, but in its entirety,

Flynn did get Rapunzel out of the tower, and escorted her for her safety outside of it. This sends

the message that men are more dominant, and that women are more submissive, and need saving.

This can send the wrong message to children, as it shows them that a woman needs a man to do

anything, not showing strength independently. This description is digging into the meaning, but

since it is seen in so many movies, and almost never as a woman saving a man, it is an accurate

depiction. This can cause children to grow up in more societally based roles, and cause them to

negatively put their belief in them, the traditional roles of each gender, that men provide for

women, and women are submissive, child caregivers. Today society has taken huge strides to

combat these negative “manly-man versus highly feminine” roles, as people do not fit into them,
and it can cause major mental health issues, and toxic behaviors to teach children these

traditional values.

The next more implicit message in the movie is that one can find adventure, and

independence, through exploration. This is a positive message, as it urges the viewers to find

what they truly believe in and love, through exploring the world, and themselves. This is not

directly stated in the movie, but is seen as Rapunzel explores the outside world with Flynn, and

becomes much more confident in herself, and in being in the outside world. For example, it can

be seen during the ducky bar scene, when Flynn and Rapunzel were surrounded by many hard

and vicious looking people. They sang a song then about their dreams, and went off to do them.

There is actually another message within the same scene. These more dangerous looking people

and criminals actually had nice and sweet dreams, such as widdling! One of the men actually

helps Rapunzel and Flynn escape guards selflessly, too. This gives the message to viewers that

looks can be deceiving, and to not judge a book by its cover. This is a great message for kids, as

a lot of movies depict villains as bigger, potentially overweight or underweight, scary looking

people, which can cause stereotypes to from within people’s, especially kid’s, minds about

certain looks in the real world. This happens commonly to people with tattoos. It is a very good

message to give to children that people are more than what they look like, and people can

surprise you in very nice ways. This allows children especially, as they grow, to be kinder to

those around them, no matter what they look like, and more understanding. It can lead them to be

more personable and sociable, too, as they don’t shy away from people with certain looks.

That last message described is actually shown in the movie in its opposite also. Villains

later in the movie, a set of brothers going after Flynn, have the stereotypical looks for a Disney

villain. Big men, with broad shoulders, wearing dark clothing, missing some hair, teeth, and one
is even wearing an eyepatch. It is odd that the movie shows both messages, but alas, it does.

These villain descriptors, along with the fact that Rapunzel and Flynn are both much more

stereotypically ‘attractive’, with skinny, thin waists, white teeth, and more, give off the message

implicitly to viewers that attractive people in life are the heroes. They are nicer and more

successful people than those with less desirable traits, which is a negative, hurtful message to

give off, especially for a kids’ movie. This can cause the opposite effect of the last message,

making people with more desirable traits, such as skinny and having clear skin, as better than

those who do not have those specific traits. This can cause people who do not look like Rapunzel

and Flynn to have body image issues down the road, and think of themselves as less worthy for

love, success, and affection, as they do not fit the attractive, skinny hero stereotypes set by films.

The last main message that is being described within this movie is a common message in

Disney movies; love conquers all. This is a very positive message for all ages, as love is a strong

and beautiful thing in life. Love itself is a good message to give, as it shows kids, and people,

that building friendships and relationships causes yourself to become stronger and happier,

which is generally true in real life. Being social, and having friends or family around that a

person cares about, gives that person a better chance at being successful, and having less mental

health issues than that of someone without friends. Social interactions in children give way to

learning how to interact in acceptable ways, from talking, working, and playing together, giving

vital skills in life. This can lead to a more agreeable, personable, and happier person in the future

potentially. Studies have shown that having a loved one increases happiness and decreases traits

such as anxiety levels.

Tangled has a mix of positive and negative messages in the movie. I personally would

say the positive messages, of independence, strength, and body positivity, outweigh the negative,
but it is up to the viewer’s discretion. Today, people are taking a much greater stance on fighting

against what can be seen as toxic and hurtful traditional views and stereotypes of the past, in

hopes of creating a more positive, inclusive, and kind country and world. Since 2011, when

Tangled came out, the Disney company themselves have become a bit more inclusive, and aware

of the messages they are sending to kids. Hopefully the trend will continue, and we as a society

can help kids and people understand and accept themselves and others in better, positive ways.

Citations

Tangled [Motion picture on Movie]. (2011). United States: Walt Disney Pictures.