What shampoo does she use? | Tangled vs Rapunzel

I was on a plane to Germany when I watched Tangled for the first time. I promptly watched it again on the journey back and then ordered it off the movies on demand last week. Oh and did I mention that I’ve also got hold of the DVD this weekend? Yeah, I’ve watched it every night before going to bed.

If you know me, then you know that’s normal. If you don’t then I promise I’m not normal at all. The story of Rapunzel is just my favourite fairy tale ever. Some people liked Snow White, others like Sleeping Beauty. But how can you not adore the tale of a girl with locks so long she can use it much like a rope and lift people into her tower or in the case of Tangled’s beauty – tie them up and put them through 3^rd degree? You should really read the original story by the Brother’s Grimm. But it’s obviously not what Disney chose to go with for obvious reasons.

For one, Grimm's Rapunzel isn’t originally a princess. Her parents, far cry from royalty, are actually really stupid, greedy people who make a pact with the enchantress, Dame Gothel – their firstborn in exchange for rampion (like seriously?). The prince, replaced by a thief, actually kind of works in our day and age when bad boys gone goo-goo-gaa-gaa are all the rage. And then there’s the premise of the tale which in its original format is quite simple – prince wants to carry Rapunzel off, Rapunzel says okay “bring with you a skein of silk every time that you come, and I will weave a ladder with it...” because she has no other way of getting down otherwise. Our Disney heroine on the other hand, doesn't mind flinging herself out the window if it means a glimpse of the floating lanterns that appear on her birthday every year. The chance arrival of Flynn Ryder gives her that very opportunity. What follows is an adventure with starring a clumsy heroine and a goofy hero who befriend singing thugs, a horse who thinks he’s a dog and a cute little chameleon who may or may not exert mind control on everyone around him.

All in all, it's a whole lot of fun but starkly different from the original save for the characters of Gothel and Rapunzel. It's a good thing I'm not a purist anymore, haven't been since I read the original Little Mermaid story and found out that... well, see for yourself. Anyway, what's your favourite fairy tale?