The long-anticipated and talked-about casting of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider (or Eugene Fitzherbert if you are a true fanatic) for Disney’s live-action rendition of one of its most popular animated princess films was finally announced in January. Since then, people have shared their excitement – and disappointment – online.
It is safe to say that the producers have decided to cast the leads almost identical to the physical appearances of the animated characters. Our favourite roguish thief is going to be played by Milo Manheim – known for his role as Zed in Disney’s Zombies franchise, as well as recently starring on Broadway’s stage in Little Shop of Horrors. His casting has been praised by many online, with a fan on X commenting, “I do love Milo…he is perfect as Flynn!” In fact, he was even fan-cast as Rider alongside his Zombies co-star Meg Donnelly to play Rapunzel. Others who were considered for the role included Nicholas Galtzine and Jonathan Bailey.
As for the girl with the magical glowing hair, upcoming Australian actress Teagan Croft has been chosen to fill the role. She has previously played Raven in the DC Universe series Titans and featured in Netflix’s 2023 film, True Spirit. Her casting has also been praised by audiences for the fact that she isn’t very decorated in her acting yet, with one TikTok user commenting, “I’m so glad they casted someone who isn’t super well known.” Other actresses considered for Rapunzel were Florence Pugh, Amanda Seyfried, and Emma Myers.
I’m not unhappy about this casting; they both look like the animated versions of their characters, which some would say maintains the familiarity and magic of the childhood favourite film. Especially Manheim – he has that cheeky grin and boyish charm that is admired in Flynn Rider by fans. Hopefully, he can nail that smoulder! I’ve also seen in videos circulating online that they’re both strong singers, which is always better for a live action filmwith vocal performances, in my opinion. It’s set to be directed by Michael Gracey (known for The Greatest Showman), so I have no doubt in the outcome of the musical element of the film, and I am certain it will meet everyone’s high standards.
According to MSN, Disney labelled the project as a ‘high-priority’ and have underseen extensive ‘international’ searching for our heroine and love interest during screen tests in London last year, which involved ‘chemistry testing and vocal ability’. Therefore, I’m confident that Croft and Manheim were the best actors for the job! However, I think it’s a shame that the online speculation in the run-up to this casting announcement centred mainly around racial discourse.
Many people have claimed that Avantika Vandanpu – most well-known for the 2024 Mean Girls movie – was snubbed from this role, and that Disney should have continued with their casting of princesses in diverse ethnicities that differ from those of their animated counterparts. This has been seen in live-action renditions of The Little Mermaid and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in recent years. Similarly, other actresses of South-Asian descent, such as Charithra Chandra from Bridgerton, were named by fans as perfect for the role of Rapunzel, due to her doe eyes and overall angelic nature, which I can’t help but agree with.
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with altering the ethnic influences of the original animated film because it allows audiences to learn about, and indulge in, cultures that they may not have experienced before. I think that an Indian setting for Tangled, for example, would be a beautiful celebration of Indian traditions such as the Diwali light festival and the practice of Champi (hair oiling) – perfectly suitable for Rapunzel with her long hair and fascination with glowing lanterns.
Rapunzel’s story has been re-imagined for several different cultures in picture books, for instance, by Archana Sreenivasan, Ying Chang Compestine, Rachel Isadora, and Patricia Storage. These feature Rapunzels of various different cultures and ethnic backgrounds, such as Caribbean, Desi, African, and Eastern-Asian. All different adaptations of the princess have long, flowing hair, raising the argument of why the colour of her skin would matter if the colour of her hair doesn’t. One TikTok commenter said: “The only reason she’s blonde is cause of the magic flower. Her natural hair is brown, so an actress having natural blonde hair wouldn’t even matter.”
People who suggest they won’t be able to relate to her as they did when they were a child if the actress’s appearance doesn’t replicate that of the animated version, cannot evidently see things beyond surface level; you shouldn’t need to look like a character to relate to them. Drawing from personal experience, the Disney princess I resonate with the most is Merida, due to her independence, feminist mindset and love for her family – even though I am not Scottish, nor do I have ginger hair. The relation to a character should be focused on their personality and the hardships that they overcome throughout the storyline.
POC actresses who do get cast in originally white roles also need to stop receiving racist abuse from audiences for these decisions – the backlash that women like Halle Bailey and Rachel Zegler faced, when instead they should’ve been commended for portraying their characters so well, is absolutely outdated and unacceptable. If the cultural background of the princess isn’t vital to the storyline, then why should the actress’s ethnicity matter?
And the issue of racial representation could also be applied to our male lead; masculine, non-white Disney characters are massively under-represented in the global conglomerate’s films. I think it’s highly unfair that Caucasian actresses face criticism for playing roles that repeat the same white-washing of mainstream media, when almost all male princes have been played by white men in the live-action remakes, who receive little to no backlash. This has happened repeatedly in Disney’s most popular live-action films over the last ten years, for instance, with Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Richard Madden as Prince Charming, and Dan Stevens as the Beast. I, for one, would have loved to see a man of colour cast as Rider – some suggestions mentioned by fans on social media included Taylor Zakhar Perez, Fabien Frankel, Avan Jogia, and Luke Pasqualino.
However, if we look at the root of the issues surrounding a lack of POC representation in these films, it is clear that Disney have always grappled with diversity as they are quite infamously known for racial stereotyping controversies and typecasting in their past animations (as can be seen in Aladdin, The Jungle Book, and Pocahontas). This reiterates the long-discussed subject of casting people of colour to play existing characters of different races, when instead, companies like Disney should centre more of their films around original stories of diverse cultures instead of repeating the same ones.
“Make the live action relate to the animated movie. It feels more real than just a parody of someone of colour,” a TikTok contributor has commented. The few times they have done this has been proven to work well: Encanto has witnessed over 180 million rewatches since its release in 2021; Coco grossed approximately $808 million worldwide at the box office in 2017; even the live action distribution of Mulan on Disney+ in 2020 was watched for an estimated 525 million minutes in just the first three days following its release. Thus, the argument for making more original films focused on ethnic minorities and their cultures is so strong because it clearly works – the proof is in the pudding!
Overall, I am slightly disappointed with the casting decisions of Tangled live action due to it reinforcing the lack of diversity that is already so prevalent within the Disney world, as well as the feeling that they are taking a step backwards from their recent moves towards a more progressive POC inclusivity (which may have something to do with the current socio-political climate we are living in, where racial tensions are unjustly rife). Nonetheless, I have no animosity for Croft or Manheim and am optimistic for the final outcome of the film; it will be interesting to see how well they work together and how they bring this beloved story to life. It must also be noted that there is a demand for more original stories in Disney films, both in terms of culturally-rich plots that give people of colour their own spotlight – but also just new stories in general, as I think the repeated attempts to revitalise popular animations purely for the security of knowing they will do well at the box office are lazy. What happened to the creativity of our great filmmakers?
Editor: Millie Adams