We have our first look at the live-action Rapunzel – and it seems like Disney is once again sticking extremely close to its source material.
Disney’s live-action remake strategy has produced some of the studio’s biggest hits, but the results have varied wildly. Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), and The Lion King (2019) drew huge audiences by recreating familiar characters, songs, and scenes for a new format.
Other projects have struggled to justify their existence. Dumbo (2019) underperformed, Mulan (2020) divided audiences with major changes to the animation, and The Little Mermaid (2023) faced mixed results despite strong interest in Halle Bailey’s performance as Ariel.
Disney’s latest disappointment is Moana (2026), which arrived just 10 years after the animated film. Dwayne Johnson returned as the demigod Maui, with newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia playing Moana, the chief’s daughter who sets out to restore the heart of Te Fiti.
The film topped the US box office but opened to $43.1 million domestically and $95 million worldwide against a reported $250 million budget. Its 32% Rotten Tomatoes score is the lowest among Disney’s live-action remakes, including Snow White (2025).
Critics argued that Moana followed the 2016 animation too closely, repeating its songs, dialogue, comic sidekicks and major sequences. Now, the first look at Disney’s next live-action princess suggests the studio is again drawing heavily from an animated favorite.
Teagan Croft Revealed as Disney’s Rapunzel
The first image of Teagan Croft as Rapunzel has emerged from the set of Disney’s live-action Tangled remake.
Croft can be seen wearing Rapunzel’s famous long blonde hair in a thick braid decorated with flowers. The styling closely resembles the character voiced by Mandy Moore in the 2010 animated film.
🚨 | FIRST LOOK AT TEAGAN CROFT AS RAPUNZEL ON SET OF THE LIVE ACTION ‘TANGLED'.
NOW FILMING IN SPAIN.
🚨 | FIRST LOOK AT TEAGAN CROFT AS RAPUNZEL ON SET OF THE LIVE ACTION 'TANGLED'.
NOW FILMING IN SPAIN. pic.twitter.com/uPMXUKf3Uc
— Tangled Updates (@TangledUpdates) July 17, 2026
The images do not provide a complete look at Rapunzel’s dress, but the visible material suggests Disney has retained the character’s signature purple color scheme. The live-action costume appears slightly darker and more detailed than its animated counterpart.
The early response has been notably positive, particularly compared with the criticism that surrounded the first promotional material for Snow White.
“Oh I need to see that dress fully because i am LOVING the shade and the look,” wrote one X user.
Another wrote, “Am I crazy for thinking this looks good.. please be good …”
And one said, “She [looks] amazing I'm crying.”
The first photograph of Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider has also appeared online. Like Croft’s Rapunzel, Manheim’s character seems to be wearing a costume modeled closely on the animation, including Flynn’s white shirt and blue-green vest.
🚨 | FIRST LOOK AT MILO MANHEIM AS FLYNN RIDER ON SET OF THE LIVE ACTION ‘TANGLED'.
NOW FILMING IN SPAIN!
🚨 | FIRST LOOK AT MILO MANHEIM AS FLYNN RIDER ON SET OF THE LIVE ACTION 'TANGLED'.
NOW FILMING IN SPAIN! pic.twitter.com/qqViUaYQdi
— Tangled Updates (@TangledUpdates) July 17, 2026
Croft and Manheim will be joined by Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel. Diego Luna has also been cast in an undisclosed role believed to be related to the palace guards.
Michael Gracey, the filmmaker behind The Greatest Showman (2017), is directing from a screenplay by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. Robinson’s previous credits include Do Revenge (2022) and Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
Filming began in Spain in late June, with further production expected in the UK. The reported eight-month shoot includes locations in Alicante, Girona, Burgos, and Valencia.
Set photographs have revealed practical recreations of Rapunzel’s hidden tower and parts of the Kingdom of Corona. Disney has not announced a release date for the film.
🚨| NEW LOOK inside of the castle set of the live-action 'TANGLED' in Spain!
It shows the castle set with the new blue tapestries and the village market.
Filming started late last month and is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/lbSb6mi0KN
— Tangled Updates (@TangledUpdates) July 17, 2026
Disney Searches for the Right Remake Formula
The early material indicates that Tangled will retain several of the animated film’s most recognizable features. Rapunzel’s hair, Flynn’s costume, the tower, and Corona’s medieval-European setting have all been reproduced with relatively minor changes.
Fans have already objected to one alteration. Flags seen on the live-action Corona set use blue and yellow instead of the purple and gold associated with the animated kingdom.
The bigger question is whether Tangled will copy its source material as closely as Moana.
The 2026 remake follows the animated Moana almost beat for beat. It includes the Kakamora attack, Tamatoa, Te Kā, and many of the same songs, while large sections of dialogue closely mirror the original.
Its additions largely consist of extended scenes on Motunui and minor lyric changes to Maui’s You’re Welcome, plus a new song penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the credits featuring original Moana actress Auliʻi Cravalho. But for critics, those differences were not substantial enough to make the live-action version feel necessary.
Disney has faced similar complaints before. The Lion King recreated the 1994 film’s story and compositions so closely that viewers questioned why the studio had remade it, particularly as the finished film was itself produced through computer animation.
Beauty and the Beast expanded Belle’s backstory and added new songs, but still remained extremely faithful to the 1991 animation. Aladdin made larger changes by expanding Jasmine’s role and giving her a new solo, while keeping the original story’s central songs and characters.
The Jungle Book (2016) took a different route. Director Jon Favreau – who's since made his stamp on the Star Wars universe – retained familiar characters and music but turned the animated adventure into a more dramatic survival story, giving the remake its own visual identity and tone.
Mulan went much further. Disney removed the songs, Mushu and Li Shang, replacing the musical comedy with a more serious action film. The changes upset fans who felt the remake had stripped away too much of the animation’s personality.
Cinderella (2015) found a stronger balance. Kenneth Branagh retained the glass slipper, pumpkin carriage, and royal ball, but removed the original songs and allowed Ella and Kit to meet before the main celebration.
The film also expanded the palace storyline and gave Lady Tremaine more depth. Lily James, Richard Madden, and Cate Blanchett played familiar characters without simply recreating every moment of the 1950 animation.
Snow White faced the opposite problem to Moana. Instead of following the original too closely, it replaced the Prince with a rebel named Jonathan, rewrote Snow White as a future leader, and retained only half of the animation’s songs.
The film’s computer-generated Seven Dwarfs also proved divisive. Combined with Rachel Zegler’s comments about the 1937 film, the changes convinced some fans that Disney no longer understood what audiences wanted from the story.
Tangled currently appears to be choosing familiarity. The first look at Croft’s Rapunzel has reassured fans who wanted the character’s hair, costume, and fairy-tale world to remain recognizable.
That approach could help Disney avoid another Snow White-style backlash. It could also leave Tangled facing the same question as Moana: whether an accurate recreation offers audiences anything they have not already seen.
Are you excited for the live-action Tangled?
