BACKGROUND
After the disappointing box-office results of The Princess and the Frog, hailed as the Disney Studios’ return to traditional hand-drawn animation, Disney Animation did a complete turnaround, discarding 2D animation, and decided to only make computer-generated movies from that point on – with one minor exception being Winnie the Pooh (2011).
Luckily, they didn’t do a complete 180 and go off the rails with their story format. Instead, we got another fairy-tale musical, the kind we all know and love, something that the audience would have been expecting.
Tangled is generally considered to be the start of a whole new era for Disney, the “Disney Revival” era. Not only did 2010 begin Disney’s primary use of only CG for their movies, but this was also the point where Disney Animation made some very popular movies, with Tangled starting this all off, and giving people a reason to watch Disney animated movies again.
Tangled was a huge hit with a wide audience, and has made its way into the hearts of many. However, I’m not exactly one of those.
At the time the movie was released in theatres, I loved it. I thought it was amazing, and romantic, and exciting. I particularly liked the soundtrack and the dashing character of Flynn Rider. But that was then, back in 2010.
Sadly, a few years later, I’d fallen out of love with Tangled. I blame myself though, not the film, for just simply over-watching it. For some reason, British television decided to air this movie every festive period for at least five years and I just had enough of it!
Having re-watched it, I discovered that I have never disliked Tangled; it just doesn’t hold up to some of my other favourites. I think I find the journey that Flynn and Rapunzel take on their way to see “the floating lights” is just a bit too long for me and overly action-packed. I’m guessing Disney wanted to show off the capabilities of CGI over hand-drawn animation, by demonstrating how Rapunzel’s extremely strong hair is seemingly able to pull levers, carry people of varying sizes, and act as a rope swing, as well as heal injuries and glow on demand! Once they get to the Kingdom of Corona, I enjoy it more from that point on.
That’s just my opinion though, and I am well aware that Rapunzel and the story of Tangled continue to be very popular and relevant in the wonderful world of Disney today.
PLOT
The plot of Tangled follows the fairy tale of Rapunzel, but Disney’s version of the story. In this film, we start with a full prologue, narrated by Flynn Rider. He tells us that “this is the story of how I died”, quickly adding that actually it’s quite a fun story. Well, that’s alright then.
The prologue starts saying that the Queen of the Kingdom of Corona fell ill while pregnant. The King and the guards went in search of a legendary flower, formed from a drop of sunlight, that could heal any illness. They did not know that an old woman, Mother Gothel, had been hoarding the flower’s power for her own, to make herself young whenever she sang to it. She had hidden the flower to protect it from being taken by others, but one day the King’s guards found it, brought it to the Queen and it healed her. Their daughter Rapunzel was born, with beautiful golden hair. Mother Gothel found the child, and believed that the hair still held the magic powers of the flower. Mother Gothel cut some of the child’s hair, thinking she could take it away with her so that her “anti-aging” spell could be enacted again. However, the cut hair turned brown and lost its magic power. Mother Gothel instead stole the girl from the palace, isolating her in a tower in the middle of the forest so no-one could find her. Despite years of searching, she is not found, and continues to be raised by Mother Gothel, who shields her from the outside world, never letting her leave the tower. To keep hope of finding their daughter again, the King and Queen decided to release lanterns up into the sky every year on her birthday.
The movie skips forward to eighteen years later, when Rapunzel is bored of being isolated in this tower, having to constantly sing for Mother Gothel and pull her up the tower by her incredibly long hair, because obviously it can’t be cut or it would have no powers. The only friend she has is a chameleon called Pascal. Despite years of isolation, Rapunzel has one wish – to see the floating lanterns in person, the ones she always sees every year, only on her birthday out of the tower’s only window. Mother Gothel refuses to take her, telling her that she should do as she’s told and stay inside, as the world is a horrible place, full of cruel, selfish people. Rapunzel realises if she wants to go, she’ll have to find a way herself.
Luckily, a thief called Flynn Rider makes his way into the tower, believing it to be empty as he is escaping the king’s guards after stealing the crown of the lost princess. Boy, did he choose the wrong tower to hide in, because Rapunzel hits the intruder with a frying pan, knocking him out. She ties him up and hides him in a closet. Mother Gothel returns to the tower and announces that she has brought back parsnips to make Rapunzel’s favourite: hazelnut soup. So, hazelnuts aren’t the primary ingredient of this meal? Weird. Rapunzel tries to explain that she has a thief tied up in the closet, but Mother Gothel won’t listen to her, and instead screams that she will never leave this tower – ever. Rapunzel is devastated by her mother’s outburst, so instead asks for a different birthday present, paints made from white shells her mother once brought her. Mother Gothel agrees to go on the three days’ journey to get them for her.
With Mother Gothel gone, this gives Rapunzel an idea. Once Flynn wakes up to find himself tied up – in hair – Rapunzel interrogates Flynn. She hides the crown he has stolen from the palace, and makes a deal that if he takes her to see the lanterns, he can have it back. So, they set off on a mission to fulfil her dream. Initially, Rapunzel is scared about leaving the tower, but she soon finds herself enjoying her new life – and then feels guilty, then is happy again, then guilty; you get the idea. Eventually, Flynn, tired of these mood swings and just wanting his crown, decides to try and get Rapunzel to quit and go home, as she is scared of every strange sound around her.
Flynn takes her to the Snuggly Duckling, a nice-sounding pub. Inside though, Rapunzel finds the pub full of ruffians and thugs. They aren’t interested in her, they want Flynn Rider, because there are “Wanted” posters littered all over the area saying anyone who gives him over to the guards gets a cash reward. As the ruffians fight over him and call for the guards, Rapunzel hits one of them and orders them to give back her guide, asking them to consider the importance of her dream. This causes some emotional shift in the men, and all the ruffians and thugs start to talk about their hopes and dreams and their hobbies, like baking, piano-playing, mime, interior design, and even collecting ceramic unicorns. They agree to leave Flynn alone and let Rapunzel go live her dream.
Except the guards are already here. Using a secret tunnel out of the pub, Flynn and Rapunzel flee the Snuggly Duckling and come to a ravine. Still being pursued, the two head for a small cave, but a dam bursts and the cave becomes flooded. As the two are about to drown, not being able to find a way out of the dark cave, Rapunzel remembers something – her hair can glow when she sings to it; that’s handy! With the light from her hair, Rapunzel and Flynn find some loose rocks and scramble out of the cave. They reach solid ground.
Meanwhile, Mother Gothel encounters a palace horse without its rider and is concerned for Rapunzel’s safety. She discovers Rapunzel has escaped the tower, and finds the stolen crown along with one of Flynn’s “Wanted” posters. She makes her way to the Snuggly Duckling and sees the guards pursuing someone. Mother Gothel makes a deal with two thugs, the Stabbington Brothers, who were double-crossed by Flynn at the start of the story, that she will give them a way to enact revenge on Flynn Rider if they help her.
Back with Flynn and Rapunzel, Rapunzel sees that Flynn’s hand is injured and uses her hair to heal him. Flynn then tells Rapunzel about his childhood, that Eugene Fitzherbert is his real name, but wanting to be worthy of something, he took the name and persona of an action hero from a storybook and began to live the life of a thief. Rapunzel says she much prefers Eugene to Flynn Rider, and that he should just be himself. Mother Gothel then appears when Rapunzel is alone and tries to convince her to come home, saying that all Flynn wants is the crown and once he has it, he’ll leave her in a heartbeat. Rapunzel doesn’t believe that’s true and says she’ll return it to prove Mother Gothel wrong.
The next day, the palace horse that Mother Gothel saw, Maximus, who is dead-set on bringing Flynn back to the palace for punishment, finds Rapunzel and Flynn – or is it Eugene now? I don’t know what to call him, I prefer Flynn and it’s quicker to type so let’s go with that! Rapunzel begs Maximus to leave Flynn just for today, as it is her 18th birthday. Maximus begrudgingly agrees and goes with them to the Kingdom of Corona for the day, as they await the lantern ceremony that will take place that evening. They have a fun day celebrating this festival within the town and slowly, Flynn and Rapunzel begin to fall in love.
That evening, Flynn takes Rapunzel out on a boat so that she can experience the floating lights. She’s concerned that it won’t be everything she hoped for, and that she’ll then have to find a new dream. But she doesn’t have long to dwell on that as the ceremony begins and the sky fills with amazing lights. Rapunzel is overjoyed that she’s finally got to see them in person. As this is the end of their trip, Rapunzel hands over the crown to Flynn. but he doesn’t care about that anymore, saying that Rapunzel is much more important to him. As they row ashore, Flynn sees the Stabbington Brothers. He goes to give them the crown and offer an apology, not wanting to be in the thieving business anymore.
Rapunzel waits for Flynn but he doesn’t come back. She sees someone approaching her, but it turns out to be the Stabbington Brothers. They tell her that Flynn told them about the girl with the magic hair, and that he has run off with the crown. Rapunzel is crushed by Flynn’s supposed betrayal and flees the two brothers. Luckily, Mother Gothel is there to knock them out and she takes Rapunzel home, telling her they can forget all about this and go back to the way things were. Flynn is arrested, after being knocked out and put on a boat sailing to the palace, and is sentenced to death. However, Maximus and the ruffians, clearly having had a change of heart, rescue Flynn. Flynn goes to find Rapunzel.
Back at the tower, Rapunzel looks over the walls of the tower, sad about being stuck in the tower again. She then looks at the emblem of the Kingdom of Corona on a flag she took home. She sees this sun, and then notices that she has subconsciously incorporated it into all her paintings. The sun, the lanterns on her birthday, it all makes sense; Rapunzel realises she is “the lost princess”. Rapunzel is angry at having been forced to live a lie her whole life and confronts Mother Gothel. Mother Gothel isn’t scared of Rapunzel though and ties her up, not wanting to lose the magic hair, saying they’ll go somewhere else, somewhere far away, where no-one will ever find her.
Flynn makes it to the tower and is brought inside by Rapunzel’s hair. On entering the tower, he is instantly stabbed in the side by Mother Gothel. He sees Rapunzel tied up but is too weak to help her. Rapunzel is dragged away by Mother Gothel but she begs to heal Flynn, and then says she’ll go anywhere with her. Mother Gothel agrees to this, so Rapunzel is allowed to help Flynn. As she begins to wrap her hair around Flynn’s wound, he reaches for a shard of glass and cuts Rapunzel’s hair. It instantly turns brown and loses all of its magical qualities. Mother Gothel ages quickly, as the years she’s forced away with the magic hair come back to haunt her. She trips over Rapunzel’s hair – or I should say, is tripped by Pascal with Rapunzel’s hair – and falls from the tower, turning into dust.
As Flynn slowly dies, having not allowed Rapunzel to heal him first and then quickly cut her hair like he perhaps should have done, they both say how they were going to be each other’s new dream. Rapunzel mourns the loss of Flynn with one of her tears falling on to his body. The tear travels down to the wound, and, still containing the flower’s magic, revives Flynn. The two then travel to Corona to reunite Rapunzel with her parents in a tearful moment. The whole kingdom celebrates, with the ruffians also now becoming good citizens and living out their dreams. The movie ends by saying how Rapunzel and Flynn are engaged to be married and will live happily ever after.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Disney’s Rapunzel is one of the few strong-minded, independent female characters that existed in Disney movies before 2010. Within the 1990s, there were the occasional ones like Mulan and Pocahontas, however, Rapunzel and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, really set the standard for this new kind of “princess”, and now, Disney are much more current with their characters and their personalities, to fit in with today’s society. A complaint among many was that the previous Disney princesses were meek and timid, with no dreams other than finding love, a complaint I don’t agree with, however, it is good that these characters have more opportunities for adventure than the “traditional princess”. Tiana, for example, has dreams of owning her own business, and Rapunzel’s dream is to go out and see the world, not to stay inside and not live her life.
Although Rapunzel does in fact find love, Disney are clever in how they show this: unlike Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989) for example, who makes it obvious that she is in love with Eric, and we don’t know how he feels about her for a while into the movie, Tangled instead clearly shows Flynn (or Eugene, as he’s later known) falling in love with Rapunzel, in scenes such as when Rapunzel heals the cut on his hand, and they have a heart-to-heart about their lives before they met, and during the floating lanterns/”I See The Light” scene, where he refuses the crown from Rapunzel and wants to enjoy the evening, seeing her live her dream[1]. Although Rapunzel needed to be naïve, they had to show that she was brave enough to leave her tower, and to find her parents, and her true love. She is self-sufficient, and clever to find ways of entertaining herself whilst isolated in the tower: by baking, reading, and painting, which she is especially talented at. She didn’t spend her time sitting around waiting to be saved, or feeling sorry for herself. Disney certainly created the role model with girl power that they were looking for[2].
Rapunzel was made to feel like the “girl-next-door” and to be very down-to-earth. Other actresses like Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Reese Witherspoon, and Natalie Portman also auditioned for the part, but Mandy Moore was selected[3]. Moore had appeared in movies like The Princess Diaries (2001) as Lana Thomas; Chasing Liberty (2004) as Anna Foster; and in License to Wed (2007) as Milly Wilder before being cast in Tangled. Also for Disney, Moore voiced the character of Nita in Brother Bear 2 (2006). After Tangled, Moore went on to voice the character of Mara in the television series Tron: Uprising (2012-13). More recently, Moore starred in the critically acclaimed drama series This Is Us (2016-22), where she received a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2013, a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2019, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series in 2017, as well as being frequently nominated for this role at the People’s Choice Awards. She also continues to reprise the voice role of Rapunzel for Disney projects.
As for Flynn Rider, he is certainly more memorable, and funny, than other prince-types, which was the whole point, and though he comes off at the start as quite arrogant and full of himself, obsessed with using his “smoulder”, which never fails – except on Rapunzel – you can’t help but like him. He’s a lovable rogue. Then as the two spend more time together, you see that Flynn Rider is actually quite vulnerable and uncertain of himself. We find he is an orphan, whose real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. He grew up not thinking he could ever amount to anything, so came up with the persona of Flynn Rider to make himself feel like someone else, someone more worthy. Rapunzel tells him that she much prefers Eugene to Flynn, and calls him by his real name for the rest of the movie – though I don’t because Flynn is a much nicer name to go by, I think. From that point on, you have to root for the two of them to be together and to be happy.
Animator Glen Keane said that there was actually a struggle in designing the rugged, handsome Flynn. The designs came out as either too macho or too “pretty boy”, and he didn’t seem to have anything else about him. In the end, they organised a “Hot Man” meeting with some of the female workers at the Studios so they could review some of the character designs and have their inputs into what Flynn Rider should really look like[4]!
Originally, Disney only wanted British actors for Flynn, or at least actors able to put on a good British accent. Zachary Levi auditioned for the role using an English accent, and got the role. He was later told to just use his natural accent instead when the character background was changed[5]. Levi was nominated for Choice Animated Movie Voice at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards for Flynn Rider, but lost to Johnny Depp for his voice role in Rango (2011). Levi has most recently starred as the title character in Shazam! (2019) and its 2023 sequel, and voiced the character of Rocky, taking over from Mel Gibson, in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023). He also had a recurring role in Seasons 2 and 3 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-23). Levi also appeared as Fandral in Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017), as well as being cast as Toby Seville in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009), his proudest acting achievement, I’m sure. On television, he starred as the lead role of Chuck Bartowski in the action-comedy series Chuck (2007-12), and he won a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor: Action in 2010 for this role. Levi also continues to reprise his voice role as Flynn for Disney.
Mother Gothel is a great Disney villain. She’s evil for her own purposes, not because of some sad backstory. She is selfish and vain, wanting Rapunzel only for her hair and the qualities it possesses and how they can help her. At times, at the start of the movie, you can almost believe that Mother Gothel has grown to care for Rapunzel after eighteen years of raising her, but then you realise that Rapunzel has been left alone while Mother Gothel goes about her day-to-day business, and that she makes mean remarks about Rapunzel, like comments on her weight, telling her she’s too weak to cope with the “real world”. In reality, Mother Gothel is just a narcissist, who’s jealous of Rapunzel’s youth and scared of what will happen if Rapunzel finds out who she really is.
It’s quite obvious that the relationship between Mother Gothel and Rapunzel is similar to that of Frollo and Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Mother Gothel spends most of her time trying to convince Rapunzel that life outside in the real world would be horrible and too much for her to handle so to just listen to her and stay inside, as Frollo does, under the illusion that they are trying to protect them, when actually they just want to keep them trapped and helpless. Mother Gothel is particularly evil at the end of the movie, as she has Rapunzel tied up in chains, prepared to drag her somewhere else to hide her away again, and stabs Flynn in the side – no wonder this film is a PG, setting a trend for future Disney films. That’s one of the most open acts of violence within a Disney film, similar to Gaston stabbing the Beast in Beauty and the Beast (1991). She’s a good villain anyway, and gets her “just desserts” by falling out of the tower to her death, joining the exclusive club of Disney villains who meet their fate that way – like Gaston.
Donna Murphy voices Mother Gothel. Murphy has starred in numerous musical theatre productions, and won two Tony Awards for her roles as Fosca in Passion from 1994 to 1995, and Anna Leonowens in The King and I from 1996 to 1997. After this, she played The Witch in Into the Woods in 2012, and was cast Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! from 2017 to 2018, alternating with Bette Midler. In film, Murphy played Scarlett Johansson’s mother in The Nanny Diaries (2007); Rosie Octavius, Doctor Octopus’ wife, in Spider-Man 2 (2004), and appeared as Dita Mandy in The Bourne Legacy (2012). On television, Murphy appeared in the comedy series What About Joan? (2001) with Joan Cusack, and most recently, as Caroline Schermerhorn Astor in The Gilded Age (2022-present). Murphy has also returned to Disney to voice Mother Gothel when required.
Outside of the three main characters, we can mention some of the thugs and thieves. Firstly, the Stabbington Brothers, who are betrayed by Flynn after they help him steal the crown from the palace. He simply leaves them to get captured by the palace guards, so naturally the two brothers want to get back at him. In the end, they just end up working for Mother Gothel though, and don’t come across as particularly scary or evil; they don’t get much screen time really. Only one of the Stabbington Brothers actually speaks, and that voice is provided by Ron Perlman, who has had a long history of voice acting. He is the narrator of the video game Fallout (1997-present), as well as Lord Hood in Halo 2 (2004) and Halo 3 (2007). Perlman has also voiced Optimus Primal for the series Transformers: Power of the Primes (2018) and the film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023). In 2004, Perlman was cast as Hellboy in the film of the same name and its 2008 sequel. In 2022, he also appeared as Podestà in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022). He has reprised the voice role of the Stabbington Brothers for Disney when needed.
For the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling, Brad Garrett’s voice is probably the most recognisable as Hook Hand, the one who dreams of being a concert pianist. Garrett starred as Robert Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005), alongside Ray Romano, for which he won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Known for his distinctive, deep voice, Garrett has voiced many characters for Disney and Pixar, including Dim in A Bug’s Life (1998), Bloat in Finding Nemo (2003), Gusteau in Ratatouille (2007), and Eeyore in Christopher Robin (2018). He also appeared in the movies The Pacifier (2005) with Vin Diesel, as Vice Principal Murney, and Music and Lyrics (2007), with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, as Chris, Hugh Grant’s character’s agent.
Finally, another big-name casting to mention is Jeffrey Tambor, as Big Nose Thug – nice name for a character – whose dream is to find true love. Tambor has had film roles such as Mayor Maywho in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000); Tom Manning in Hellboy (2004) and its 2008 sequel; and Sid Garner in The Hangover trilogy (2009-13). On television, he appeared in the television series Arrested Development (2003-19) in the recurring role of George Bluth Sr. Tambor has also voiced characters for other animated movies, such as King Neptune in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), Carl Murphy in Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), and King Peppy in Trolls (2016).
Other than that, many other characters do not have any dialogue, with some of the thugs like Ulf, who likes mime and obviously can’t talk, not have any lines at all. Only Vlad, voiced by Richard Kiel, and Paul F. Tompkins as Short Thug, have lines out of the rest. There are also the animal sidekicks of palace horse Maximus, who acts more like a dog, sniffing out trails and relentlessly pursuing criminals, and Rapunzel’s little pet chameleon Pascal who isn’t much of a talker! One of the Disney animation artists, Kelly Lewis, had actually bought a chameleon around the time that this new Disney sidekick was being named, and named it Pascal, so Disney did the same. I’m glad Disney decided not to have the animal sidekicks talk for a change, but it might have been nice for Rapunzel’s parents, the King and Queen of Corona. to have had at least some dialogue. Even Aurora’s mother, Queen Leah, got a couple of lines in Sleeping Beauty (1959)!
MUSIC
After The Princess and the Frog (2009), a much-welcomed return to the Disney fairy-tale musical format, Disney Animation continued with this idea, developing Tangled as another Broadway-inspired musical. Once more, Alan Menken was brought in to write the music for this new feature. Menken had huge success composing for the majority of the “Disney Renaissance” films, such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), alongside Howard Ashman, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) with Stephen Schwartz, with the two also writing the music for Enchanted (2007).
For Home on the Range (2004), Disney’s final traditionally hand-drawn animation movie, Menken worked alongside lyricist Glenn Slater. Slater later wrote the lyrics for multiple stage productions, such as Sister Act the Musical, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals School of Rock and Love Never Dies. For Disney, Slater had also written additional lyrics for the stage adaptation of The Little Mermaid (2008). Menken and Slater were asked to work together again for Disney’s Tangled. The two would also collaborate again on the Tangled spin-off series, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure (2017-20).
The first song we hear is performed by Mandy Moore as Rapunzel, and it appears straight after the prologue, so we get straight into the music, which is something I like to see in movies. It is called “When Will My Life Begin?”, and it details Rapunzel’s life stuck in her tower, trying to find things to do to fill her days. We learn that Rapunzel has a dream to see “floating lights” that appear in the sky every year on her birthday, wanting to get out and see the world, but concerned her mother won’t let her. This song also has two reprises, with the first not appearing in the movie, only on the soundtrack. It sounds very hopeless, with Rapunzel almost accepting her isolation. The second reprise is much more fun, with Rapunzel finally being out of her tower, and feeling very proud of herself. I love how it builds towards the end, as she lists off all the things she can now go and do.
We also get a villain’s song in Tangled, performed by Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel. Perhaps a bit disappointingly, it does not sound scary or threatening, because it’s very theatrical, like Mother Gothel, and quite upbeat, even as she details all the horrible, awful things Rapunzel will experience in the world if she leaves the tower, and lists off Rapunzel’s flaws and weaknesses to her. It’s a funny villain’s song, at least, so I don’t mind it so much. I like the reprise more though, because that is actually more cruel, as Mother Gothel begins to show her true colours to Rapunzel. She tells Rapunzel she has “invented” her romance with Flynn, and that nobody could ever like her. When Rapunzel refuses to go home with her, Mother Gothel gets more and more angry, before storming off.
On a brighter note, there is also “I’ve Got a Dream”, performed by the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling. When you first watch it, it’s hilarious to see these “tough guys” singing about their hopes and dreams in such a sincere, innocent sort of way. But this is now my least favourite song in the movie, I think because the novelty wore off quite quickly; it’s clearly just supposed to be a comic relief moment for the kids, so it’s a bit one-dimensional.
For many, their favourite song in the film is the typical love song “I See the Light”. The scene is beautiful, with all the colourful lanterns. It is a very sweet song, and I did really love it when I first saw the film. Now, I realise that there are other Disney love songs that I personally prefer, but it’s obvious that this is one of the most popular ones that Disney has ever created for one of their animated movies. As more and more of Disney’s films have begun to veer away from romance, I feel like there will be less and less of these. If you think about it, other than the ones in Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019), i.e., “Love is an Open Door” and “Lost in the Woods”, there haven’t been any other love songs since Tangled.
“I See the Light” was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 2011, but lost to “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3. I remember really wanting “I See the Light” to win the Oscar and it still irks me to this day that it didn’t. Toy Story 3 was an excellent film, but in my mind, there is no way “We Belong Together” is better than “I See the Light”. The song was also nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes in 2011, but this time it lost to Burlesque’s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”. Don’t worry, though; “I See the Light” did get some of the recognition it deserved by winning the Grammy for Best Song Written For Visual Media in 2012.
The last song in the film is the usual End Credits song. This time it’s a soft rock song called “Something That I Want”, written and performed by Grace Potter from the rock band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. It’s not a bad song by any means, and it does match the happy note that the movie ends on, but I’m not a big fan of this song.
Of the score, I have a few instrumental pieces that I particularly like, as is typical for me with an Alan Menken score. I particularly like “Kingdom Dance”, as it has a folk music feel to it, to match the fact it is being performed by the townspeople within the Kingdom of Corona. At this point in the film, Flynn and Rapunzel are looking around the kingdom and are then basically forced to join in with a group dance in the town square! This then leads in to “Waiting for the Lights”, which I really like as well, especially when the lanterns are released by the King and Queen, and the piece becomes hopeful and powerful, like all of the kingdom are praying for the return of their lost princess. Finally, I like the party atmosphere of “Kingdom Celebration”, which plays as we learn that everyone is now happy together in the Kingdom of Corona, finally achieving their dreams. Again, it’s quite folk-like in sound.
PRODUCTION
The idea to make Tangled first came from Disney animator Glen Keane. After a few years of developing the idea, Keane pitched the idea to Disney CEO at the time, Michael Eisner, in 2001, where the project was approved, but only on the agreement that it be computer-animated instead of hand-drawn. In 2003, an announcement came from Disney stating that the movie would be released in 2007 under the title Rapunzel Unbraided. The movie was going to be more like DreamWorks’ 2001 hit Shrek than the traditional Disney fairy-tale. But in 2006, the project was shut down.
Not for long though. When Disney and Pixar merged, John Lasseter took over as Chief Creative Officer of the Disney Studios and insisted that Rapunzel Unbraided go back into production. Unfortunately, in 2009, Glen Keane stepped down as director due to ill health, so Bryon Howard and Nathan Greno took charge instead, with the project now being known as simply Rapunzel, with the final film being very different to Keane’s original idea[6]. Greno had worked as Head of Story on Bolt (2008), with Howard directing the movie.
At some point around 2009 or early 2010, Disney decided to change the name of the movie from Rapunzel to Tangled. This led people to speculate that the title had been changed to give the movie a wider appeal, as one of the reasons that The Princess and the Frog (2009) potentially struggled at the box-office was because having the word “princess” in the movie title may have been off-putting to boys, cutting off half of the market. The directors stated that it was actually because they decided that the film was no longer just about Rapunzel anymore. Their reasoning was that the film had been created for a duo, the movie following both Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, so they needed a title that represented that. Others claim that as the trailer pushed Flynn Rider front and centre that this was further evidence that Disney were trying to market Tangled as a movie for boys as well as girls. Greno and Howard said that the film did not change at all from the first screening, and the idea was always going to follow both Flynn and Rapunzel together[7]. It is quite clear that Disney moved quite far away from the original tale of Rapunzel, so to me, it seems fair to change the name to something snappier and to distance themselves from from the typical fairy-tale format.
The basic idea of Tangled is based on the Brothers Grimm version of Rapunzel, who were in turn inspired by an 11th century tale from Persia, and a French fairy tale of the 1600s. Other than the general idea of a girl with long hair being locked in a tower and meeting a prince, Disney’s story varies significantly. In the original tale, Rapunzel is not royalty, but the daughter of peasants who give up their daughter to a sorceress in exchange for a healing plant, known as rapunzel. After many years, a prince is drawn to the tower by her singing and climbs up to meet her. The two make a plan to run away together after discovering Rapunzel is pregnant, however, Gothel finds out before they can get away, cuts off Rapunzel’s hair, and banishes her into the wilderness. Gothel then tells the prince when he arrives to take Rapunzel away that he will never see her again. Devasted by this news, he falls from the tower, and though he survives, he falls into a thorn bush and is blinded. Eventually the two find each other in the woods, and her tears cure his blindness. The Sondheim musical Into the Woods more or less uses this original story for their own Rapunzel character, with Disney’s Into the Woods (2014) only making minor changes to it.
Originally, Disney wanted to do a traditional illustrated storybook opening, like they had done for many of their other fairy-tale films, with an invisible female narrator. Much of the information from the prologue was the same as the final film, of the healing flower and Rapunzel being stolen by Mother Gothel, but in the end, it was decided they wanted something different and original for this contemporary take on a fairy tale[8]. Certainly, having someone start a film by saying “This is the story of how I died” gets people’s attention!
Having Tangled be completely computer-generated was an excellent opportunity to experiment with the technology which had been tested on various Disney movies throughout the years, mixing CG with 2D traditional animation. With improvements to the technology when Tangled was in production, it was much easier for the animators to work together with the software, and to be able to move the characters in more realistic ways, and be more daring with the imagery. For example, when Flynn and Rapunzel are being chased by guards through that rocky canyon, this whole sequence looks almost like a computer game, showing just how adventurous Disney could now be with their ideas.
Another important aspect to Tangled was Rapunzel’s hair, a particularly tricky feature. Rapunzel was the first computer-generated Disney princess, but her hair alone is 70ft, or 21m, long. It took three years and a whole new software program to animate it. Glen Keane had done multiple rough model sheets to show how Rapunzel might play with her hair to express her emotions[9]. The animators knew that the hair had to always look beautiful, that it had to swoop and twist as natural hair does, not just sitting in one position. The final image ended up having over 100,000 individual strands of hair! Glen Keane had been no stranger to designing and drawing characters with hair problems. He was determined to draw Ariel for The Little Mermaid (1989) her hair always being like a cloud of red; the Beast had all this fur; and Pocahontas’ hair was being moved by the wind. Even with these characters, the hair helped communicate their personality and their desires. With Ariel’s hair always floating around, it shows her dreamy side, and how she wants to be somewhere else; Pocahontas’ hair with the wind shows her spiritual side. Rapunzel’s hair had to communicate how self-sufficient and strong she is, and that she has a destiny, literally tied to her hair.
For the scenery and backgrounds, they are full of colour for the most part. Rapunzel’s tower is even beautifully decorated and there are many scenes of lush landscaping. Within the Kingdom of Corona, lots of purples, golds, and blues are used to make the town look visually appealing. One of my favourite scenes in Tangled is the montage we see of Flynn and Rapunzel enjoying their day at the kingdom on her birthday, because it’s so bright, and it’s interesting to see all the different styles of architecture within the kingdom’s buildings. The sun setting also shows the buildings in new lights as the day turns to evening. I also especially like the scene when Rapunzel finds out she is the lost princess, and she is looking at all the paintings around her room. She suddenly realises that the sun shape, the crest of Corona, is hidden within all of her paintings, and that’s when she knows that is where she belongs, and her whole life has been a lie. It looks brilliant.
The floating lanterns are particularly impressive too. In that one sequence there are 45,000 lanterns. The Disney team used inspiration from similar ceremonies that are held in the Far East and in Indonesia, where thousands and thousands are released at once. The directors knew something like that would look great in CGI[10].
RECEPTION
Tangled was released in November 2010, just in time for Thanksgiving and the festive period. Disney fans in other countries had to wait a little bit longer, with Tangled not being released in certain countries until 2011. In the UK, it was not released until 28th January 2011, so it missed out on the Christmas and New Year crowds in some areas. There were 3D showings for Tangled at the theatres as well. I believe I watched Tangled in 3D at the cinema and the floating lanterns did look pretty good in that format.
It turns out 2010 potentially was not the best time for Disney Animation to release a movie as there was huge amounts of competition. In animation, DreamWorks had released How to Train Your Dragon in March 2010, which would become just one movie in a major franchise for the studio, and Despicable Me was released in July 2010, with this also being the first film of a huge franchise. Shrek Forever After was also released by DreamWorks in May 2010, and Tangled received internal competition from Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which hit theatres in June 2010. Outside of animation, and with a more direct threat, we can’t forget that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was released roughly a week before Tangled. It was a big year for cinema, especially for families and children.
But have no fear, because Tangled, with an estimated budget of $260 million, made just over $200 million domestically, so perhaps a bit disappointing, but ended its run on a worldwide total of around $590 million, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2010 at the worldwide box office; Toy Story 3 was top of the list.
Tangled did receive many positive reviews, with critics praising the visual look of the movie in particular, with one even calling Tangled the best-looking Disney animated feature film since Sleeping Beauty (1959) [11]. The story and script contained a good mix of humour and adventure and many also stated that they liked the new direction Disney had taken in creating a more powerful, driven female character, instead of the typical princess. The supporting characters were also praised, and most were a fan of Disney’s newest villainess. There was the odd negative comment, such as the film potentially not being “good enough” to stand up as Disney’s 50th animated classic, but those were few and far between.
When Tangled was released, the public were quick to compare it to the previous Disney animated release, The Princess and the Frog (2009). These comparisons were more favourable to Tangled in general, showing it had wider appeal. However, of the two, I personally prefer The Princess and the Frog, because the return to traditional 2D animation, after a number of CGI flops, and the “Broadway musical style” was welcomed by myself. It also made people sit up and pay attention to Disney Animation again. But that’s just my opinion, and I can see that Tangled perhaps did more to confirm that Disney Animation did in fact have the attentions of the public again.
However, despite this positive reception, Tangled was not nominated in the Best Animated Film category at the Academy Awards, surprisingly, with there only being three nominees in total in this category. Those were How to Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist, and Toy Story 3, which won the award. At the Annie Awards and the Golden Globes, Tangled did receive nominations in this category, but lost out to How to Train Your Dragon at the Annies, and to Toy Story 3 at the Golden Globes, missing out on any major awards for the movie.
LEGACY
But Tangled kept its status as one of Disney’s most popular contemporary hits, especially at the time, and successfully spanned a huge franchise. On screen, we were first treated to Tangled Ever After, a short focusing on Flynn and Rapunzel’s wedding where Pascal and Maximus have to hunt for the wedding rings over the kingdom. This was released in 2012 with the 3D theatrical re-release of Beauty and the Beast (1991). It tied up the events of the movie nicely, giving Rapunzel her own “fairy-tale wedding” fit for a princess.
This short then led to a made-for-television Disney Channel Original Movie in 2017 called Tangled: Before Ever After which is set between Tangled and Tangled Ever After, specifically six months after the events of the first film, as Rapunzel is set to be coronated as Princess of Corona. From this, there was then a spin-off television series called Tangled: The Series, renamed after Season 1 to Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, continuing on from the television film story. There were three seasons of the series, running from 2017 to 2020. The series won five Daytime Emmy Awards, for its animation, its writing, its main title, and its music. and one Annie Award for character design.
So, if you wanted to watch all the Tangled projects in chronological order, you’d need to watch Tangled, then Tangled: Before Ever After, then Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure and finally Tangled Ever After. Given all the interruptions and difficulties that Rapunzel and Flynn face during the television series, it’s probably not too much of a surprise to find that Tangled Ever After, their wedding, apparently takes place three years after the events of Tangled – despite being released only two years later than the film, and five years before any other spin-off. No theatrical sequel to Tangled itself has ever been announced.
Despite many fans of Tangled calling for Disney to make a live-action version of the film, a Tangled remake has not yet been confirmed. As Disney basically announced that they were going to remake practically every animated feature they have ever made at one point, this has led many to speculate it is just a matter of time, with some fans enjoying posting their choice castings on social media.
In early April 2024, a social media post, which was soon deleted, stated that Milo Manheim, who plays Zed in Disney’s ZOMBIES (2018-present) franchise, was screen testing for the part of Flynn Rider. Manheim had previously expressed interested in playing the part of Flynn in an interview promoting ZOMBIES 3 (2022), potentially alongside his ZOMBIES co-star Meg Donnelly as Rapunzel. However, this post stated that Avantika Vandanapu, who recently starred as Karen in Mean Girls (2024), was actually screen testing for the part of Rapunzel alongside Manheim. Despite the post reportedly being purely fan-led, and Disney never confirming that a live-action Tangled is even in the works, this led to many stating their views on the casting choice, with a handful expressing anger at Avantika Vandanapu for “not looking anything like Rapunzel”[12]. The exact same thing happened when Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel for the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, and frankly, it’s ridiculous. I really wish people would stop doing this. If you don’t like the casting choice for any film, for whatever reason, then just don’t watch it. You don’t need to vent your feelings on social media, because it is insensitive, disrespectful, and offensive to the actors that you are talking about. Just don’t do it. It’s hard enough being in the public eye without being attacked for stupid reasons like this.
At the Disney Parks, there are a few references to Tangled with more coming in the next couple of years. At Walt Disney World, in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland, strangely enough, there is an area dedicated to Tangled – it just happens to be restrooms! In this heavily-themed area, opened in 2013, Rapunzel’s Tower can be seen high above the area, with the actual restrooms being themed to houses from the Kingdom of Corona, complete with bunting. You can also spot the various Pascals that have been hidden around there. It’s a very popular area to sit down and charge your phone too, as the benches have charging points. This area was a much-needed redesign of the old Skyway station that had ceased operation in 1999. Aside from toilets, Rapunzel, Flynn, and the ruffians appear during the Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire stage show to perform “I Have a Dream”. Rapunzel and Flynn did meet guests regularly in the years after Tangled’s release, either at Epcot or Magic Kingdom, but they are harder to see together now. They used to be at the Bon Voyage Adventure character breakfast at Trattoria al Forno at Boardwalk, but this has not returned since the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapunzel has been known to still appear by herself at Fairytale Hall at Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom though. There is also a very pretty Tangled mosaic mural at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
At Disneyland, as part of Storytelling at Royal Theatre in Fantasyland, you can watch a retelling of the Tangled story. Rapunzel and Flynn are also regularly spotted meeting guests at Disneyland, and Rapunzel may be one of the visiting princesses at the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure character breakfast at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort. Mother Gothel has even been seen at the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure for the Halloween season in 2022 and 2023.
At Disneyland Paris, as part of their rebranding of the Walt Disney Studios Park to Disney Adventure World, it was announced that they are looking to add a new Tangled attraction. To be called Raiponce Tangled Spin, it will be a typical teacups attraction, but with guests sitting in gondolas, like the one Rapunzel and Flynn ride in to see the “floating lights”. A miniature scene of Rapunzel’s Tower, complete with her hair braid coming out of the top window, can also be seen on Les Pays des Contes de Fées, the Paris version of the Storybook Land Canal Boats. For meet-and-greets, Rapunzel and Flynn were seen at the Passholder Party in March 2023, but are not regularly seen in the parks.
At Shanghai Disneyland, there is a whole scene of Rapunzel and Flynn with the floating lanterns within the Voyage to the Crystal Grotto ride. Within the show Mickey’s Storybook Adventure, Rapunzel also sings “I See the Light” as part of the Princess Trio section, with Mulan and Moana. Though this overall show is generally the same as the one in Hong Kong Disneyland, Mickey and the Wondrous Book, in this case, Hong Kong’s version actually shows Rapunzel singing “When Will My Life Begin?” alongside Ariel and Merida. Also at Hong Kong Disneyland, a section of the walkthrough attraction Fairy Tale Forest is dedicated to Tangled. In terms of meet-and-greets, Rapunzel and Flynn have been seen in the park recently, with Mother Gothel appearing in 2021 for Halloween.
But the most exciting Tangled addition arrived in June 2024 at Tokyo Disneyland. As part of their Fantasy Springs expansion for Tokyo DisneySea, an area dedicated to Frozen, another to Peter Pan, and a final one especially for Tangled were added to the park. In the area themed to Tangled, there is a quick-service restaurant called the Snuggly Duckling, named for the tavern in the film, as well as a dark ride called Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival. The boat ride does not follow events from the movie exactly, but focuses on Flynn and Rapunzel’s romance instead. The animatronics look great and the lantern scene in particular looks amazing. Since the Germany pavilion at Walt Disney World’s Epcot was supposed to have a boat ride when it first opened, and because Rapunzel is a German fairy tale, I think Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival would fit nicely there… The Fantasy Springs Hotel with also see some Tangled theming, as well as some from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). Rapunzel and Flynn have been seen at Tokyo Disneyland previously, but are less frequently seen now. They should be more available here now that Fantasy Springs has opened.
Generally, due to the popularity of the film, songs and clips from Tangled have appeared in nighttime shows including Disney Dreams! in Disneyland Paris, Disneyland’s Fantasmic!, and Happily Ever After at Walt Disney World. The characters also appear in parades, such as Festival of Fantasy at Walt Disney World, which includes many of the ruffians and Ulf the mime, and Harmony in Color at Tokyo Disneyland, where Rapunzel is even swinging by her hair! Not her actual hair, obviously. That would be a health and safety issue. Any children that want to dress up as Rapunzel can also do that at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations that exist in the Disney Parks around the world.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All this shows just how popular Tangled is, not only as a film but an entire franchise. I do like Tangled, and I like the majority of the characters: Mother Gothel is a great Disney villain, there are lots of fun moments between Maximus and Flynn, and Rapunzel and Pascal, plus the gang of ruffians. The film also looks visually amazing.
The best thing though is that it certainly continued to spark a new direction for Disney Animation which has gone on to make many more brilliant movies and push the boundaries of more contemporary stories, and technological advancements since 2010.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Kaitlyn Nickol, ‘Celebrating 10 Years of Tangled: How Rapunzel Modernized The Disney Princess’, Atom (online), 24th November 2020.
[2] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016).
[3] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Tangled’, pp. 148-150.
[4] Credit: Disney, “Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale”, from Tangled (2010) Blu-Ray (2011).
[5] Credit; Chris Morgan, ’20 facts you might not know about ‘Tangled’’, Yard Barker (online), 4th November 2022.
[6] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Tangled’, pp. 148-150.
[7] Credit: Adam Markovitz, ‘How did Rapunzel become ‘Tangled?’ Directors Nathan Greno and Bryon Howard set the record straight’, Entertainment Weekly (online), updated 24th November 2010.
[8] Credit: Disney, “Storybook Openings”, from Tangled (2010) Blu-Ray (2011).
[9] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016).
[10] Credit: Disney, “Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale”, from Tangled (2010) Blu-Ray (2011).
[11] Credit: Helen O’Hara, ‘Tangled Review’, Empire (online), 2nd January 2011.
[12] Credit: Edward Segarra, ‘Avantika Vandanapu receives backlash for rumored casting as Rapunzel in ‘Tangled’ remake’, USAToday.com, date unknown.
The Disney Purist 