Disney has reportedly hit pause on a live-action version of Tangled, having been stung by the disappointing box office performance of its latest big-budget remake Snow White.
The studio has halted all pre-production work on the remake of the 2010 animated film, sources told The Hollywood Reporter.
The animated film, which saw Mandy Moore as the voice of Rapunzel, Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider, and Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel, was loosely based on the Brothers Grimm folktale Rapunzel.
Rapunzel is a princess with magical long blonde hair who is kept hidden away by Mother Gothel in a secluded tower. When an outlaw named Flynn Rider comes across Rapunzel, she accepts his help to discover the world outside her tower and find where she really comes from.
Made on a budget of $260m, the animated Tangled went on to gross $592.5m worldwide and garnered mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
In December 2024, it was announced that the live-action remake of Tangled was in development with The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey and Thor: Love and Thunder writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson on board.
However, in the wake of the poor performance of Snow White, one of Disney’s most expensive movies, the studio is reportedly reevaluating its strategy to remake its veritable repertoire of animated films into live-action versions.
With a reported budget of $270m, Snow White has so far only made around $145.7m worldwide. The film has received generally poor reviews, with critics praising lead Rachel Zegler as one of the few positives in an otherwise weak live-action remake.
The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave it a one-star rating, writing: “This Disney musical offers nothing to the talented ‘West Side Story’ star – who has faced racist abuse since her casting was announced – and features a dud of a performance from Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.”
Snow White was plagued with controversies even before production began.
The film initially drew the ire of rightwing commentators after Zegler’s casting was announced. They argued that a Latina should not play a character that was described as having “skin as white as snow”.
Zegler further provoked traditionalists by arguing the plot needed updating since Prince Charming in the original movie “literally stalks her”.
“It’s no longer 1937,” Zegler said. “She’s not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”
After the film’s trailer was released, Zegler thanked her fans for their support before adding in a separate post: “And always remember, free Palestine”.
This too led to backlash against Zegler, with producer Marc Platt’s son blaming her “personal politics” for the film’s poor run.
Disney’s live-action strategy has worked out well in the past. Features like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King mostly performed well at the box office, while some, like Dumbo, flopped.
Even with the Tangled remake cancelled, Disney still has some live-action features on their roster. A remake of the 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch is set to release on 23 May, while the live-action Moana is set to release next year on 10 July.
Last year, original Tangled star Zachary Levi suggested he was too old to play Rider and put forward Timothée Chalamet for the adaptation.
“I mean, he is already getting every other job, but probably Timothée Chalamet,” Levi said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “Unfortunately I feel like I’m a little old and I don’t know all of the younger actors that could be that guy. I think it would be fun if Mandy and I got to be Rapunzel’s parents. I think that would be a really fun little cameo for us to pop into.”
Moore shared similar thoughts, pitching “Espresso” singer Sabrina Carpenter for Rapunzel and hoping to herself return as her mother.
“I could see her with 50 feet of hair or something. She looks like a Disney princess in real life,” she told Elite Daily. “Maybe I could be Rapunzel’s mom. Let’s have a real mother-daughter duet, and have someone write an original song so we can talk about our differences and how hard it is to be a young person in this world.”
