Tangled (PG) ****

Tangled (PG) **** Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy. Dir: Nathan Grino, Byron Howard.

It's strange but refreshing to see an old school Disney film without Pixar's help, especially in the form of the 3D computer animated Tangled, a new take on the Brother Grimm fairytale, Rapunzel.

Rapunzel (Moore) is a princess, who has been kidnapped by that Disney staple, the old crone, Mother Gothel (Murphy) because her hair has magical healing properties, which she got when her mother took ill giving birth to her, and needed a magic flower to save her life. This flower is the key to keeping Mother Gothel young and beautiful

Rapunzel stays locked in the tower for 18 years and in that time her hair, as we know, grows to a quite extraordinary length and possesses an Indiana-Jones'-whip ability, which allows her to swing around her tower white ease. But she craves freedom, which she finds in the form of Flynn Rider (Levi), a dashing bandit who hides in the tower from the palace guard, only to get brained by Rapunzel and her frying pan.

This leads to one of the funniest scenes in the film, where Rapunzel struggles to get an unconscious Rider into her wardrobe, which fails in laugh out loud style a number of times before he finally stays in.

The pair embark on their adventure, which involves Rapunzels mood swings from glee to guilt, classically upbeat Disney songs, a troupe of big burly bandits with surprising dreams and aspirations, and Rider being chased by put out ex-partners-in-crime, the Stabbington Brothers (voiced by Ron Perlman), and a morally superior horse, Maximus.

The animals really make this film as much as, if not slightly more than, any of the human characters. Disney has returned to animals which don't speak, with Pascal, Rapunzels hilarious chameleon, who advises the long haired heroine, and keeps Rider and Maximus, who holds a big grudge against Rider, from beating each other to death.

Moore, Murphy and Levi do a great job with their voice-acting in Tangled, delivering witty lines, heartfelt moments and revealing impressive singing voices as well.

The 3D, as you'd expect, is good, but with only one or two hiccups along the way, but these don't spoil an overly good effect.

Full of songs, music, and humour which appeals to both adults and children, this is Disney doing what they do best: making good old fashioned family films which parents and kids will all enjoy.