With Tangled, Disney returns to its roots with a story of a traditional princess, a reluctant hero, and a wicked witch and although many are tired of this old formula, if anyone can do it right it’s Disney.

Tangled is the classic story of Rapunzel with, of course, a twist. You know, there’s a princess kept in a tower by an evil enchantress who uses her long hair to gain access. One day, a young man runs into her and they set off to find her true parents. There’s magic, adventure, and a nice love story. We’ve all seen this plot before, but here it feels natural and has enough new elements to keep even the most experiences movie-watcher entertained.

First of all, the film looks great. Here, Disney Animation Studios doesn’t try to emulate Pixar, but attempts to imbue this computer-animated film with the magic of their classically animated fairy tales. The entire movie, from the design of the characters to the way the world looks, just feels right. At no point are you left wishing that the film was traditionally-animated. Each medium has its own advantages and disadvantages, and Disney is really starting to see that distinction. This story works with computer animation. The animation in Tangled is vibrant, cartoonish (as in, not too realistic), and fun.

The film is also presented in 3D, which I am not a fan of. Still, the financial benefits at this point all but guarantee that we will have to deal with many more films in three dimensions during the foreseeable future. As with any computer-animated film, the 3D effects work better here than they would in live-action. And while most of the time, the 3D did not add anything to the film, there were occasions where the effect was actually visually interesting. So while I think overall 3D is not worth it, there are sequences, most notably the latern-releasing scene, in which the 3D visuals enhance the film.

The comedy is also spot-on. Kids will find it extremely entertaining, but adults will also find themselves laughing. This is due to the fact that the movie is genuinely funny. It doesn’t rely on cheap jokes, potty humor, or innuendo but instead uses physical comedy and legitimately hilarious moments to be a surprisingly funny movie.

But what really marks this as a high point in Disney’s recent history is its heart. The movie feels like it should. The characters are warm and familiar, the story is magical, the visuals are, as I’ve mentioned, great, and you are emotionally invested in the film. At the beginnning of the movie, I was not impressed, but as the movie went on I found myself more and more invested in the characters and what happens to them. In fact, the finale of the film packs a significant emotional punch, despite the fact that you know that everything is going to be okay in the end.

So while Tangled is definitely no Beauty and the Beast or Lion King, it is definitely a return to form for Disney. The story is fun, you fall in love with the characters, the visuals are breathtaking, real emotions are involved, and the film is pure fun for all ages.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Today at Comic-Con saw less news, but much more high-profile announcements. Most of the action took place in Hall H, which was bogged down with some serious line management problems, but we’ve got it all summed up right here for you.

The first big presentation of the day was from Warner Bros. First, the first footage from Green Lantern was screened. Although nothing spectacular, the fans enjoyed it overall, but were disappointed with the lack of Reynolds in the suit. This only confirms the fact that the suit is a work-in-progress. Still, I am looking forward to this film and hope that it can be a simple, fun superhero origin story, which we haven’t seen a lot of recently. Also, I’m looking forward to the more fantastical elements of the hero. Producer Donald DeLine said that many other Green Lanterns are featured and that the movie is part space opera, which is a good sign that they’re not ignoring that area of the Green Lantern mythos. And although the Green Lantern announcements are cool, DC has really not stepped up their game to challenge Marvel’s cinematic dominance. Geoff Johns is now in charge of their creative decisions moving forward, which is a great move, but the company has not centralized their film properties as Marvel has to such enormous success. Also, there was no word on Batman, which was a huge missed opportunity. Still, I’m hoping that after Green Lantern DC gets their act together and makes something great, maybe a Justice League movie? (Although I’m torn on whether or not Chris Nolan’s Batman should be a part of anything like that.) After a short Harry Potter trailer and panel, Zack Snyder came onstage for Sucker Punch. This new movie is based on his idea and stars an ensemble cast of women who are breaking out of a mental institution and includes Carla Gugino, Jamie Chung, Vanessa Hudgens, Jena Malone and Emily Browning. I’m not sure what to think about this movie, but the footage got a fantastic reception and it sounds truly unique. Hopefully the trailer gets released online soon so we all can see it.

Let Me In, the American remake of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, has had an enormous 360 when it comes to the public’s view. After a period of resenting the fact that such a movie was being remade, it seems like every detractor has been shut up by footage from the upcoming movie. I know I wasn’t too excited for this, but now its definitely on my radar. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), from what I can tell, is doing a fantastic job helming the movie. He talked about how Steven Spielberg gave him tips for interacting with young actors, and that is what has me most excited for this film. Both Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Chloe Grace Moretz ((500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass) have a lot of potential to give amazing performances and I hope they both pull it off. Check out this trailer for the film:

At this point, Hall H screeched to a halt after a fight broke out. It’s still unclear what actually happened, but the prevailing rumor is that someone asked another guy to move and when he didn’t, he stabbed him in the face with a pen. That’s speculation, but the scene was pretty grisly with blood everywhere and the victim being taken out on a stretcher, all with 8 or 9 cops in the vicinity.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost then introduced their new film, Paul. In the movie, the duo travel to Comic-Con and then embark on a road trip to Roswell, New Mexico. On the way they meet an alien named Paul, who is voiced by Seth Rogen. Paul is directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad) and the supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jason Bateman, and Jeffrey Tambor. I am really looking forward to this movie as Pegg and Frost are consistently hilarious and the story is pretty original. Paul is not your typical alien – he basically thinks of himself as an everyday Joe. Road trips are always pretty fun so having one with this trio of comedians and an alien should be awesome.

Once again Jon Favreau showed his skill at captivating the geek demographic by creating huge anticipation for Cowboys & Aliens, his new movie starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell. Although the idea is great, it takes skill to blend such two very different genres, but Favreau is going for a very Western feel. After explaining that he is trying to emulate the Sergio Leone/John Ford films of the 40s and 50s, while using practical effects from the 80s as well as CGI for the aliens, he decided to just screen some early footage. Although the crew has only been shooting for three weeks, attendees were very impressed by the scene. In a surprise appearance, Harrison Ford was brought on stage in handcuffs by two security guards. It was his first appearance at the convention and the crowd went nuts. This a natural reaction, of course, to the man who played Han Solo and Indiana Jones, as well as many other awesome characters. I hope Favreau can really nail the Western feel and deliver a really fun, interesting film due out next summer, July 29th.

Now the presentation you’ve all been waiting for: Marvel. What Marvel is doing with their properties on film is incredible. By going independent and forming Marvel Studios where writers can collaborate and come up with great, interlocking stories for all of their superheroes, the company shows that it knows what its doing. Hopefully the result will be incredible, but there are a lot of moving parts, and all of them must come together perfectly. Captain America was first, as a short teaser showed Chris Evans in full costume throwing the iconic shield at the camera. After some discussion, the filmmakers actually had some footage to show which involved Hugo Weaving as Red Skull searching for an artifact that has something to do with Odin. I really like the Indiana Jones/World War II period piece vibe I’m getting for this movie. I hope Joe Johnston can create a very good atmosphere and seeing Cap killing Nazis is going to be sweet. Next up was Thor, which is much farther into production. A lot of footage was shown, and I can’t wait to see the trailer. Apparently the costumes are not nearly as cheesy as they looked in the first images we were shown. Reactions were very positive, which is a relief. Finally, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige brought on The Avengers. After years of rumors, this movie is finally actually happening. The final lineup was announced: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Donald Blake/Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk (see the full cast in the photo from the event). It’s going to be insane seeing so many heroes on screen at the same time. I hope Joss Whedon can bring together all of this madness and deliver an amazing film.

Behold the cast of "The Avengers"

Well that was a very big day at Comic-Con, and while we knew most of this going in, it was still awesome to see all of these projects materializing before our eyes. Its going to hard, but we can’t fuel the hype too much. I’m looking forward to all of these films as much as anyone, but I’m not going to let the anticipation ruin my enjoyment of the movies as movies.

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer of movie fun. This week boys and girls I am going to talk to you about Hellboy II: The Golden Army, a sequel to 2004′s Hellboy. Just like the first movie, this one is  written and directed by Guillermo del Toro with writing assistance by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.

A war is about to happen between the mythical world and human kind and only the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense can stop this from happening.  Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is joined again by Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), and Bureau Director Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) in their battle against the Mythical Creatures.

Years ago the good King of Mythical Creatures was in a war with mankind. During that war he had a Golden Army created to destroy all the humans. After the first bloodshed by these monsters was complete, the King opted to strike a truce with the humans. A mystical crown was created that only royal blood can wear to control the Golden Army. This crown was broken up into three parts – two stay with the King and his family while the last piece is sent with the humans for protection. This was done to stop the Golden Army from ever being used again, their power and strength is too much for one man to wield.

Today, the war will be starting again as Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) wants to rule both lands and rid the world of humans. It seems that the humans are too materialistic and with their always growing mentality, they have forgotten about the creatures that use to walk the lands with them.  To to do this, Nuada must connect the three pieces of the crown together and locate the Golden Army. One piece is held by the King, with the second piece being held by his sister, Princess Nuada (Anna Walton).

Enter Hellboy and the gang. They are first brought into the mix when Nuada and his right-hand monster, Mr Wink (Brian Steele) steal the human’s part of the crown from an auction in Manhattan.  Mystical creatures known as a “Tooth Fairy”  have killed everyone at the auction by eating human body parts for the calcium.  Hellboy and the gang must now locate the Prince and stop him from his goal of destruction while protecting the Princess from being caught.

You don’t need to see Hellboy to understand Hellboy 2. Nor do you need to see the two direct-to-dvd animated movies that came out between these two either.

Compared to the original Hellboy, this was a decent movie that covered all the bases of a sequel (bigger and badder) but still could have been polished a bit more. Some of the mystical creatures such as the Tooth Fairies seem to be straight out an episode of Torchwood or Doctor Who with the Golden Army looking as if they may have battled the Power Rangers prior to being shut down.  The fighting got a bit tiresome due to the tons of CGI work being used on the creatures and for me, took me out of the fantasy and back into reality. As for the run time it could have been tighter by cutting 10-15 minutes allowing for a tighter pace.

Overall if you liked Hellboy, you’ll want to see Hellboy 2. If you’re new to the Hellboy character and story, you may want to see this with someone that can help you understand the characters and plot.  Hellboy II: The Golden Army is rated PG13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆