When looking for something new to watch for our Friday Family Movie Night, a common chorus was booming from of the internet:

“Tangled is better than Frozen.”

“I liked Tangled way more than Frozen.”

“Tangled >>>>> Frozen.”

Well, in those famous words of Abraham Lincoln, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

20 minutes into Tangled, our 4 year old suddenly shouts, “Who’s gonna die?!” Disney’s attempt at turning Rapunzel into an official Disney Princess sadly relies on those old tropes. Tropes so obvious, our 4-year old expects them at the first song. Of course, Disney is well aware of this and has even poked fun at themselves in the Wreck it Ralph sequel. If you haven’t seen the Disney Princess scene, you need to. Take a look:

Friday Family Movie Nights (and Disney+) have made me all too familiar with Disney Princesses and their tropes. And while that’s hilarious, the interesting thing is that Frozen was the inflection point where Disney started moving away from them (showing true love is from your sister, not some guy). With the sequel, they tore a few more down in making Anna a strong, likable leader without emasculating Kristoff. Something seemingly impossible in most other movies with strong female leads.

The classic Disney Princess will always be in the hearts of many when remembering their childhood. But with my growing daughter, I will take the themes from Frozen any day over Tangled.

Grade: C+