Following the lackluster box office results for its recent live-action adaptation of “Snow White”, Disney has put development on the upcoming live-action readaptation of “Tangled” on pause.

According to THR, the film has been in pre-production and was set to be directed by Michael Gracey, who previously directed “The Greatest Showman”.  Casting was set to begin soon, with meetings being scheduled with potential talent, but Disney is now reevaluating its live-action remake strategy.

The new live-action adaptation featured a script by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who previously worked on “Thor: Love And Thunder”.  It was going to be produced by Kristin Burr, and Lucy Kitada will produce for Burr! Productions.

The original animated version was released in 2010 and is a modern retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Rapunzel, an innocent young girl who is locked up by her overly protective mother. Her wish to escape into the world outside finally comes true when she meets the good-hearted thief, Flynn.

Roger’s Take: While Disney has had some massive success with some live-action adaptations like “Aladdin”, “Beauty And The Beast” and “The Lion King”, there have been many box office disasters such as “The Little Mermaid”, “Dumbo” and “Snow White”.    One of the biggest problems for many of the recent remakes is that the budgets have swollen up so large that there is much greater risk if it fails. 

Disney has another live-action remake, “Lilo & Stitch” hitting cinemas next month and is currently filming a remake of “Moana”, so much like with their Marvel and Star Wars franchises, it makes sense for Disney to slow down its release schedule, especially as audiences seem to be cooling on these remakes and wanting something different. 

Over the past decade, we’ve seen countless remakes of classic animated films like “Peter Pan”, “Pinocchio”, “Lady & The Tramp”, “Cinderella”, “Pete’s Dragon”, “The Jungle Book” and “Mulan”.  This highlights why audiences may have become burnt out and also some of the creative decisions Disney has been making that have alienated some viewers, leading to lower box office results.  It’ll be interesting to see how long the project stays paused, but I wouldn’t expect much to change for many years.

What do you think of Disney pausing development on “Tangled”?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

View all posts