Tangled is Disney’s fun retelling of Rapunzel that hit theaters in 2010. The story stars a cute golden hair heroine, a swash-buckling thief, a sassy chameleon, a dog-like horse, and a manipulative villain. Their adventure is backdropped by a vibrant kingdom and a whole bunch of floating lanterns.
While this is the Tangled we know and love, lots of early illustrations show the characters wearing different outfits, exploring varied locations, and altogether taking on different forms. We’re here to look at a selection of this concept art so you can see just how far Tangled has come.
It’s time to journey to Rapunzel’s kingdom; Here is just a small collection of illustrations that show what Tangled could have looked like.
Mother Gothel And Rapunzel
This illustration shows a very different version of Mother Gothel. While this Rapunzel appears close to her final form, Mother Gothel has a completely different look. Here, she has light brown hair pulled into a bun instead of springy black curls. She’s also wearing a green outfit rather than her medieval maroon dress. Her facial features, most noticeably her eyes, are much smaller.
Despite the differences in looks, you’ll notice that Gothel is just as devious here as she is in her final design. Her facial expression along with Rapunzel’s trusting smile represents these characters true intentions.
Flynn Riding Maximus
The illustration depicts Flynn surrounded by guards who are holding spears toward him. While no scene is exactly like this, he is constantly on the run, so the scene comes as no surprise.
Right away, you’ll notice that this Flynn looks quite similar to the Flynn we know. However, Maximus is a completely different color and wears a large, medal-like object on the front of his chest. The colors used here are also a lot dimmer than the ones in the film.
Pascal
While Pascal is naturally green, he changes colors throughout Tangled to blend in with his environment. These drawings have the artists testing that out.
Both Pascal and Rapunzel look a lot like their actual selves here, just in 2D. You will notice, however, that all of Pascal’s color-changes contain a yellow pattern. Though parts of Pascal turn yellow during the film, it is not a trait that consistently stays with him.
Rapunzel’s Hair
This dreamy illustration shows Rapunzel looking out to the kingdom from the top of her tower. Her long blonde hair flows through the wind as she hangs on the edge.
While Rapunzel does end up looking toward the kingdom to watch the floating lanterns in Tangled, she doesn’t do so from the tip of her tower. She instead longs for the lights from the edge of her window. This seems like a much safer idea.
Flynn And Rapunzel
If you’re wondering what happened to Flynn here, you’re not alone.
This early version of the charismatic thief shows him to have a much sturdier build. You might even think he resembles Kristoff from Frozen more than he does Flynn in this illustration. Which is correct! This original concept for Flynn was saved for the script that would later become Frozen! His shoulders are broad, his hair is shaggy… yup, not the Flynn we know.
Rapunzel appears to be painting on Flynn’s hand in this depiction. It’s a really cute drawing, but it’s not the image we usually think of when Tangled comes to mind.
The Kingdom
Guys, I want a castle.
This image shows Rapunzel looking out at the beautiful castle she should be able to call home. The cascading arrangement of buildings is accurate, but the actual buildings turned out a bit differently in the real film.
Rapunzel’s actual kingdom doesn’t contain a neat swirly pathway that leads to the castle. Though the bridge is pretty accurate, the lack of ships in the surrounding harbor is noticeable.
Mother Gothel
Compared to the first Mother Gothel illustration we looked at, these sketches are much closer to the one we know. Here, she’s ditched the neatly arranged brown hair for her iconic curls, large eyes, and perfectly shaped lips.
Her dress is also much more similar to its final form with long, draping sleeves and a square-cut neckline. You should additionally notice her body language. Her movements are as boisterous and her expressions are as manipulative as they are in the film.
The Snuggly Duckling
Rapunzel joins the ruffians and thugs for the singing of “I’ve Got a Dream” in this charming illustration of the Snuggly Duckling, though the final depiction of the pub went through a few changes.
First off, Rapunzel’s dress is shorter here. It’s also entirely different. Her final dress is a lavender, though here, it is green, magenta, and white in color.
You’ll also notice that the ruffians are indistinct, not really representing any actual character that appears in the film. The piano player isn’t some huge bald guy with a hook. Instead, he’s a smaller blonde dude.
Rapunzel’s Clothes
The dress you saw in the previous entry isn’t the only one Rapunzel tried on. This collection of paintings shows various outfits animators tried out on Tangled’s heroine. You’ll notice that in all of these, she is wearing dresses that are in the general green-blue color pallette. Quite opposite of purple, huh?
Though her dresses are the main focus of these illustrations, you can also see various hairstyles Rapunzel cycled through. On the left, her long hair looks clipped back. The two illustrations in the top right corner, on the other hand, show various flowers in her hair that match the detail on her dress.
Flynn’s Escape
This depiction of Flynn running away from the castle’s guards mirrors a scene that actually ended up in the movie. You can see the speed the kingdom’s most handsome thief is running with as he clutches a satchel to his chest and sprints away.
Maximus’ owner has a blonde beard in this depiction, whereas in the movie he sports a brown mustache. You’ll also notice that his sleeves and gloves are blue and his armor is silver. In the real movie, the guards’ gloves are white, their sleeves are red, and their breastplates are gold.
