Once upon a time in a far away land there was a girl who dreamed of travelling the world in search of adventure, romance and a thousand lanterns in the night's sky.
She ended up working as a journalist in tabloid!...
But that doesn't mean I'm not still hoping.
It's every girl's dream — no matter how many wrinkles you've picked up along the way — to be a Disney princess.
For actress Mandy Moore it was a dream come true. "I grew up with the best of the best," she said. "The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty And The Beast. What little girl doesn't fantasise about being part of that?"
The License to Wed star snagged the part of Rapunzel in Disney's modern version of the classic tale, Tangled.
With Hollywood leading roles, guest appearances on hit shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, and a successful recording artist — now Moore has really done it all.
What makes Tangled so special?
I think Tangled is this great combination of the quintessential Disney animation — films that we've all come to know and love — and the fresh contemporary edge of CGI films. It just feels so different from anything I've ever seen.
Who is Rapunzel?
Rapunzel is a feisty, spirited, curious really engaged young woman. She's 17, about to be 18, and we meet her right on the cusp of that very important birthday. She's lived in a tower all her life, but she's extremely passionate, creative and eager to investigate the world. She's so open and ready to embrace whatever comes her way; she definitely has a sense of adventure. She's been dreaming her entire life about going out into the world to learn more about these floating lights that appear every year on her birthday.
The film has an overwhelming theme of female empowerment — she's a lot stronger than even she realises.
Describe Rapunzel's 70 feet of hair.
Rapunzel has a gigantic mass of magical, almost other-worldly hair that's almost its own living entity with all sorts of abilities. It's a pretty hot commodity. Mother Gothel selfishly keeps Rapunzel and her unique powers hidden from the world, using them for her own benefit.
What happens every year on Rapunzel's birthday?
Every year on her birthday, Rapunzel sees these lights — she doesn't know what they are, really — these floating lights — yet she yearns to find out more.
The lights represent hope for her and she eagerly awaits her birthday every year wondering if she'll finally find out what they are.
Who is Flynn Rider?
I think there is a lot more than what meets the eye with Flynn Rider. He comes across as a bit of a ladies man. He's a charming overconfident thief who finds himself in a precarious situation. He's stolen something and is being chased and finds himself hiding out in Rapunzel's tower. She takes it upon herself to capture him, knock him out, hide his satchel and interrogate him. Then she concocts this plan that she'll give him back his satchel if he helps her escape the tower and go to the floating lights.
The combination of Flynn and Rapunzel is pretty dynamic. She brings out the best in him and he ends up bringing out the best in her.
I love the Rapunzel's story and I knew that Disney would put its signature twist on the story. It has a feel-good, empowering message of being the best version of yourself and overcoming obstacles and challenges.
How did you like working with directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno?
I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with Byron and Nathan. They definitely are rising superstars in the world of animation. I felt particularly lucky to have directors like them in my corner because I never have worked on an animated film of this calibre and I felt sort of green about the whole process. There's nothing concrete to look at when we record our voices, so it's left to the imagination in terms of who this character is, what world she lives in and how she interacts with the people around her. The directors were magnificent in helping me conjure up these images.
What's the best part of playing an animated character?
There's a unique challenge of having to imagine a world that doesn't necessarily exist yet, but I feel that it's the ultimate experience of being a kid again.
Why do you think Maximus the horse is so popular?
I might go as far as to say that Maximus is my favourite character in the film. I think people really gravitate towards Maximus and he steals the show because the comedy comes really naturally. He's a horse who has a lot of personality. He's a great combination of a horse and a dog. He's a goofball.
Who is Rapunzel's special friend?
Rapunzel has a really wonderful friend in Pascal, who's a little chameleon, and is sort of her right-hand man and sort of her conscience as well. I think he's a really good barometer when it comes to decisions that she's making. He's just a really tried and true pal. He's always there for her and he's a little bit of comic relief for her as well.
What was it like recording the songs from the film with an orchestra?
Having the opportunity to record with the orchestra on that scoring stage was something I will never forget. I was there with a 65-piece orchestra that was playing this beautiful arrangement by Alan Menken — an arrangement I loved. I had rehearsals with a piano and I knew the song going in — but then standing in front of the orchestra, it was like everything went out the window.
Every bit of professionalism, every bit of rehearsal experience — it all got washed away because I just wanted to stop and listen to them play together. It gives me the chills to think about it. I had to stop, be in the moment and not take it all for granted. I was a little nervous after that, but it all turned out okay.
What was your favourite song to sing?
I See the Light is probably my favourite song in the film. It's a duet between Rapunzel and Flynn, and I think it's really instrumental to the story because it's happening at the moment Rapunzel is finally seeing her dreams come true and realising that maybe there was more to the journey than just seeing these lights.
Having the opportunity to record with Zac [Zachary Levi] was unbelievable. The minute he opened his mouth, I realised that this guy can really sing. He has a beautiful voice that is very charming. It embodied everything you think about from the classic Disney fare. We had a lot of fun recording together, and we were able to play off one another and find that blend of harmonies together.
