10 Smartest Decisions In Fantasy Movie History
4. Cutting Rapunzel's Hair - Tangled
Disney's fiftieth animated feature film, Tangled, was released in 2010 to praise from both critics and fans alike.
Tangled was intended to appeal to all audiences, and it managed to execute this to great effect, offering everything that we've come to expect from a Disney title while simultaneously challenging many of the genre's norms.
One of the smartest moments - and most difficult to watch without bursting into tears - comes near Tangled's climax, when Mother Gothel stabs Flynn Rider.
Rapunzel agrees that if she is allowed to heal the man she loves using her magic hair, that she will submit willingly to a life with her kidnapper, only to have Flynn deliver a heartfelt goodbye before cutting her hair to ensure she doesn't give in to her would-be jailor.
With the power of Rapunzel's hair gone, its age-reversing effects on Mother Gothel are undone, and she ultimately dies. Rapunzel's tears fall on Flynn and heal him, meaning that in his sacrifice, he defeated the villain as well as unwittingly saving his own life.
It's the fairytale ending that Tangled needed to have, but it was also shocking, intelligent and just a little bit lucky on Flynn's part.