Review: Disney TANGLED Rapunzel BRAIDING FRIENDS Hair Braider Doll

Since our family attended the screening of the Disney movie Tangled in November, our daughter has been mesmerized by the Rapunzel Braiding Friends Hair Braider doll by Mattel every time she saw the commercial air on television.  Little did she know that Mattel sent one for her in plenty of time for her 4th birthday in January.  Out of the many gifts she received that day, this doll was the very first toy she asked to be opened.  When I did open it for her, I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that this toy was designed to be battery-free!

I must say that this toy has many parts and it was not easy to remove from the packaging.  It is the price we pay for having everything to remain looking so perfect while in the box.  I just wanted to warn you in case your child is usually less than patient.

Overall, this toys is well-designed to be user-friendly for a child.  Without any assistance, the braider creates braids in the doll's hair that is looser near the top and tighter towards the bottom.  Rapunzel comes with hair that is pre-bundled into two sets of 3 strands, which are held together by mini elastics.  Each strand is looped through a plastic piece that plugs into the flowers held by the rabbit, raccoon, and squirrel, who are built into the hair braider doll stand.

Once the strands have been plugged in, your child can turn the crank to magically make the woodland animals intertwine the strands into a braid.  If you desire a more even braid, then you will have to work the braid upward with your fingers to make the pattern tighter towards the top of Rapunzel's head.

Both my daughter and I were very pleased with the Rapunzel Braiding Friends Hair Braider doll.  Her dress is exquisite and her long hair is beautiful.  The doll comes with a hairbrush to help keep Rapunzel's hair "untangled", 3 plastic hair clips, and extra mini elastics.  Another thing I have to point out is that Rapunzel's shoes were not easy to get on her feet, so there is very little worry of them falling off and becoming lost.

If your little girl is highly anticipating the release of the film Tangled on Blu-ray/DVD at the end of March, this doll would be a wonderful gift to accompany that movie.  You can find her at the Mattel Shop, Amazon.com, Toys "R" Us, and other major toy retailers.


Thank you to Mattel for sending us a complimentary product sample to base this review upon.

Review: Screening of Movie Tangled in Disney Digital 3D

Last week, I had the pleasure of taking my family to an advanced screening of the Disney film Tangled, an adaptation of the fairy tale Rapunzel, which is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on November 24th in Disney Digital 3D. Without giving too much of the movie away, I would like to share some of my thoughts about this film with you.

My family consists of two adults, a nearly 7 year old boy, and nearly 4 year old boy/girl twins. To sum it up, the adults cannot stop raving about the film. The 6 year old thoroughly enjoyed it, but because the film did such a good job engaging him, he got a little teary-eyed 3 or 4 times during the viewing. Our 3 year son enjoyed certain aspects of the movie, such as action scenes and specific characters, but quite a bit of it went over his head. Our 3 year old daughter did not laugh or even crack a smile once. Of course, this is in part due to her personality and why we have nicknamed her Sitting Bull.

The reason why I think this film is more suited towards grade school-aged children up to adults is because there are many sophisticated concepts presented, such as Rapunzel's (voice by Mandy Moore) inner struggle and the concepts of Mother Gothel's (voice by Donna Murphy) selfishness, greed, and vengefulness, and Flynn Rider's (voice by Zachary Levi) selflessness. Another thing I would like to point out is that, if you are taking a child to see this film who has been emotionally abused, there is a character who blatantly represents a controlling emotionally abusive parent.

When trying to decide which of the Tangled characters is my favorite, it is difficult to choose one. There is such a wide array of characters, each making their own important contribution to this film. Ultimately, I would have to choose the horse Maximus. Yes, I have a soft spot for animals, but this one truly has a big heart and is loyal, brave, and a true hero.

For a quick introduction to Maximus, view the short video below . . .

I cannot forget to mention that the 3D animation was unbelievable, from small details like grass in the foreground to breathtaking moments like the floating lanterns pictured below. Our twins ultimately did not want to wear their 3D glasses. Luckily the film can be viewed with or without them.

Overall, I think this film would be enjoyable for anyone 4 years and up. It is rated PG because there is some cartoon violence. For this reason, I would recommend that, if your child cannot understand that hitting someone with a frying pan could truly cause a major injury in real life, then maybe he or she is not ready for this movie.

To learn more about this film or to find your local showtimes, visit Disney.com/Tangled. You can also find discussions about this movie by following Tangled on Facebook and Disney Animation on Twitter.

Thank you to Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures for inviting my family to a complimentary advanced screening of this film on which I based this review.