Over the past few years, Disney has focused its efforts on rethinking and adapting live-action films of its own audience-favorite animation. Ten years after Tangled’s premiere, the studio is seriously involved in making a variant with Rapunzel’s flesh and blood actors.
After the 2010 premiere, the animated film – with the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy – was a major hit, with global revenue of $ 593 million. The wide popularity of the film was enough to give rise to a short film, a television movie and an animated series for the Disney Channel.
Tangled also has many changes to the original Rapunzel story of the Grimm Brothers, in which a young woman is held captive in a tower until a prince climbs on her tail and tries to save her. The 2010 film gives Rapunzel more decision-making power and initiative, as is otherwise the case for a heroine dedicated to the 21st-century audience.
There is little detail on how Disney will tackle the new Rapunzel adaptation. The studios are looking for a director to coordinate the film, which seems to be one with a wide distribution, dedicated to the big screen, not streaming.
The studio has lately had a series of incredible live-action remakes with movies like Cinderella, Beautiful and the Beast, King Leo, which capitalizes on both the nostalgia of the audience and the emergence of a new generation of viewers. Also, the public appreciated the films whose action differs from the original, such as Maleficent. However, Disney has found that the live-action method is not perfect either, and Dumbo was a clear example, with lower revenue than originally expected.
The question is whether the audience will be with Disney when the new Rapunzel arrives in theaters. In the coming years, there will be plenty of live-action remakes to the delight of the viewers. Already the controversial Mulan will soon arrive in theaters, but the studios are developing new versions of Little Mermaid, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Sword in the Stone, Lilo & Stitch, Bambi, just to name a few.
There are rumors from the Disney animated fan camp that it’s already enough, but – at the same time – other fans still want live-action movies. The latter are delighted that she is still a princess to hold her fists.
