Why did Disney decide to change Rapunzel to Tangled?

[DodgerGirl]

When it was announced that Disney was gonna make an animated movie based on Rapunzel it was announced that it was gonna be known as Rapunzel and feature actress Kristin Chenoweth originally as Rapunzel's voice. But then Disney made changes and replaced Kristin Chenoweth with Mandy Moore and changed the movie title to Tangled and I have never figured it out? I do know that in Europe the movie was still titled Rapunzel in movie posters. I never knew why they chose the name Tangled because it sounded weird to me and it should've been known as Rapunzel in the first place because that is what the movie was gonna be. I know that Mattel made Barbie As Rapunzel and had rights to the Rapunzel name. Was there a reason for renaming Rapunzel Tangled and was there other characters that were supposed to be in the film but never made it as well?

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

My understanding is that it was primarily a marketing decision. Attendance figures for primarily female audiences is significantly smaller than general audience movies. After a string of $500M releases, “Princess and the Frog” only took in $222M, and one reason that was identified was the name. Someone at Disney decided that “Rapunzel” would limit the appeal of the movie, so a less gender specific name was chosen.

Here’s one article with more info: https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Real-Reason-Disney-Changed-Rapunzel-Tangled-17472.html#

 

[BrianL]

My understanding is that it was primarily a marketing decision. Attendance figures for primarily female audiences is significantly smaller than general audience movies. After a string of $500M releases, “Princess and the Frog” only took in $222M, and one reason that was identified was the name. Someone at Disney decided that “Rapunzel” would limit the appeal of the movie, so a less gender specific name was chosen.

Here’s one article with more info: https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Real-Reason-Disney-Changed-Rapunzel-Tangled-17472.html#

Yup. They wanted young boys to also want to see it, so it was marketed as more of an "adventure" movie with Raps and Flynn getting equal screen time. This is the same for Frozen, though they didn't give a male lead as much time as the sisters, the title is still less targeted toward one demographic.

As a boy myself, I never much cared and loved a ton of "princess" movies. They weren't offputting to me, though at a certain age I think a lot of my peers changed their tune on them. They weren't too apt to be into them. Dislike is a strong word perhaps, but they wouldn't have asked their parents to go see them.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Why I think Disney decided to rename Rapunzel Tangled was mainly in my eyes because Disney wanted to put a comedic spin on Rapunzel and they decided that the name Tangled would fit it best rather than Rapunzel. I'm also shocked at how popular Tangled had become by having an animated short and a cartoon series but I think when it released in theaters at the same time as the Tron sequel I think the Tron sequel took most of Tangled's glory but Tangled was still a box office winner

 

[BrianL]

Why I think Disney decided to rename Rapunzel Tangled was mainly in my eyes because Disney wanted to put a comedic spin on Rapunzel and they decided that the name Tangled would fit it best rather than Rapunzel. I'm also shocked at how popular Tangled had become by having an animated short and a cartoon series but I think when it released in theaters at the same time as the Tron sequel I think the Tron sequel took most of Tangled's glory but Tangled was still a box office winner

Tangled actually made more than TRON LEgacy and was generally better received too. It's a great movie, so I'm not surprised at it's popularity. The series is good too!

 

[Titanium]

When it was announced that Disney was gonna make an animated movie based on Rapunzel it was announced that it was gonna be known as Rapunzel and feature actress Kristin Chenoweth originally as Rapunzel's voice. But then Disney made changes and replaced Kristin Chenoweth with Mandy Moore and changed the movie title to Tangled and I have never figured it out? I do know that in Europe the movie was still titled Rapunzel in movie posters. I never knew why they chose the name Tangled because it sounded weird to me and it should've been known as Rapunzel in the first place because that is what the movie was gonna be. I know that Mattel made Barbie As Rapunzel and had rights to the Rapunzel name. Was there a reason for renaming Rapunzel Tangled and was there other characters that were supposed to be in the film but never made it as well?

Everything seems to be getting more generic these days, I think partly due to the International marketing of films and Disney's vacation products. To me it seems Disney is covering up the original French roots of the story more than anything else by changing the title from a proper name to an adjective.

At Disneyland King Ludwig's Table has become The Royal Pub.

The German beer steins that sing "und it's all in perfect taste that you can bet" from BatB disappeared between the animated and live action versions. The lyrics are now "and its all in perfect taste that you can bet" and Lumiere hangs on to the chandelier for dear life while the chorus sings in the background!

In action films we see long extended CGI action sequences. It's fun to watch but more than anything it seems like they've got film in the can that they don't have to worry if the acting, idioms and language translate well.

 

[supernova]

Snow Queen to Frozen

 

[maltdizzy]

As to changes during production, those happen all the time as things do and do not work. But Tangled went through multiple large changes, because it was in production during the Disney/Pixar merger when John Lasseter took control on Disney Feature Animation. Lasseter apparently had an old grduge against Disney top animator and Rapunzel director Glen Keane and took the film away from hime (Lasseter also what would become Bolt away from Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon director Chris Sanders). I enjoyed Tangled a lot, but Keane's CGI test reels were stunning brilliant and original.

But, the others are right, it was re-titled Tangled to try and have more appeal to boys. It still under-performed at the box-office and was consider unsuccessful by the studio. As the father of a toddler at the time, I knew why, I looked around the theater and saw confusion and discomfort on kids faces as they tried to come to terms with a "mother" being mean and harming her "daughter". "Wicked stepmother" is no longer a trope in mixed-family America.

 

[BrianL]

As to changes during production, those happen all the time as things do and do not work. But Tangled went through multiple large changes, because it was in production during the Disney/Pixar merger when John Lasseter took control on Disney Feature Animation. Lasseter carried a lot of grudges from his early days at Disney and pushed out some Disney talent that he felt threatened by. This meant he took Tangled away from Disney superstar animator Glen Keane and took American Dog (Bolt) away from rising star Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon). Both left the studio shortly after their films were put in "turnaround" under new directors. I enjoyed Tangled a lot, but Keane's CGI test reels were stunning brilliant and original.

But, the others are right, it was retitled Tangled to try and have more appeal to boys. It still under-performed at the box-office and was consider unsuccessful by the studio. As the father of a toddler at the time, I knew why, I looked around the theater and saw confusion and discomfort on kids faces as they tried to come to terms with a "mother" being mean and harming her "daughter". "Wicked stepmother" is no longer a trope in mixed-family America.

I didn't know Lasseter pushed them out, though, honestly, he made a lot of good calls during his tenure there. I know he was aloof and abrasive, but he knew his stuff. Tangled wasn't exactly "unsuccessful" but it wasn't a big hit either - not until home video where it gained more traction. I do think Disney was hoping for more.

Mother Gothel wasn't exactly a stepmother though - really she was a kidnapper!

 

[Karin1984]

Adjectives were a thing Tangled, Frozen, Brave. You also saw this trend in book titles.