Croft and Manheim Ascend as Disney Spins Tangled’s High-Stakes Revival

Olivia Bennett, 1/8/2026Disney's live-action "Tangled" stars Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim, reigniting nostalgia with high stakes. As the industry watches, the search for the pivotal villain Mother Gothel continues. Will the film capture the magic of the beloved animated classic or fall flat?

Croft, whose name floated up from Netflix and HBO’s superhero tides, somehow manages to look both freshly scrubbed and dangerously ambitious—an ingenue who wears relatability like a designer fragrance but radiates the kind of quiet assurance that only a true triple-threat can muster. The sort of performer whose audition tape probably arrived stitched inside a gilded spiral of hair, metaphorically speaking. Meanwhile, Manheim slips comfortably into the shoes of Flynn Rider, all loose limbs and knowing grins, a Disney channel veteran who’s been dancing—literally and metaphorically—around this prince-adjacent territory for years. The resume: crowd-friendly. The jawline: undeniable. It’s as if casting asked for a boy who could out-charm a puppy on command, and Manheim’s headshot was already waiting on the desk.

All this, of course, does nothing to dim fans’ memories of 2010’s animated gem, which landed with the force of a thunderclap on the post-millennial princess landscape. Tangled wasn’t content to be a simple fairy-tale retread; it shimmered with the pop sincerity of a Broadway spectacle, raked in nearly $600 million, and even picked up a little gold man for “I See the Light.” The pressure to match that—let alone outdo it—must hang over Disney’s boardrooms like a particularly elaborate chandelier.

Then comes the snag. The role of Mother Gothel, still glaringly unclaimed after Scarlett Johansson’s polite departure, is circling the city’s rumor circuit like a well-bred shark. Anyone who doubts the power of a truly delicious villain has never sat through a live-action remake straining for gravitas. Even now, somewhere in Los Feliz, half a dozen grande dames of Hollywood are probably practicing their best octave-leaping “Mother Knows Best” in the shower. The casting shortlists are being guarded like crown jewels. For now, all that escapes is a trail of whispers: Who will fill those sinister stilettos?

Disney, it seems, is feeling the heat. Live-action adaptations have been far from bulletproof lately. The recent Snow White attempt? Quietly limped away, stage left—leaving nervous energy in its wake. Fiona Apple might’ve written a song about it, had she watched the box-office numbers. Lilo & Stitch managed to charm critics and recover some lost faith, but around Burbank, one senses a palpable, almost post-coffee nervousness.

So, what’s the strategy when the fairy dust has started to clump? Apparently, double down, polish the tower, and invite another round of Gen Z royalty to the throne. Other classics are being reassembled behind Disney’s gilded doors: Gaston, forever flexing in the shadows; Hercules, limbering up; Bambi prepping doe-eyed stares; and Moana—if rumors swirl right—surfing in with a prime summer slot in 2025. Clearly, the animation-to-live-action pipeline won’t dry up anytime soon. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s the only aqueduct left running at full pressure in Hollywood.

Now, peering behind the curtain, The Greatest Showman’s own Michael Gracey is helming this Tangled revival, tasked with balancing modern spectacle and that elusive, fine-threaded Disney magic. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is penning—one hopes she’s ready, given that a single flat line of dialogue will be torn apart before the ink’s dry. Producer Kristin Burr, ever the industry multitasker, will be hovering nearby. Frankly, it remains to be seen if the finished product will invoke rapture or social media snark. Hollywood’s memory for triumph and disaster spans several lifetimes—and Rapunzel’s hair.

That’s the tightrope these productions walk. Everyone wants to bottle the alchemy of animation-to-live-action success, but the formula shifts with every new director’s vision and each audience’s expectation. Live-action remakes, for all their dazzling trailers, have the uncanny ability to go from captivating to cartoonish in the length of a single act. Perhaps Disney’s learned, at least, that people want more than familiar faces with modern Instagram followers—what they’re chasing is a genuine, imaginative reinvention, not a high-gloss duplicate.

Meanwhile, the Mother Gothel sweepstakes roll on. If the right performer lands the part, a whole new standard for villainy may be set. If not—well, it wouldn’t be the first Disney matriarch to haunt the studio’s annual earnings call. Industry chatter hints at secret auditions and last-minute pitches. Who could blame A-listers for sharpening their claws?

For now, all that’s certain is this: Croft and Manheim are buckling up, preparing to deliver a new chapter in the ever-shifting canon of Disney icons. One minor misstep—one misplaced curl or a flat rendition of a classic love song—will be met with the Internet’s collective wit (and wrath). Disney is holding its breath, the town is watching, and maybe, just maybe, the old house that Walt built is preparing for its next moment under the celestial spotlight. Or another lesson in humble reinvention—stranger things have happened in Hollywood, especially before the September festival season starts to wind the machine up all over again.

Every time Disney revs up its live-action engine, the industry braces for another heady spin on the carousel of nostalgia. This time, it's Tangled getting the gilded treatment, and with a cast that has the rumor mills working overtime, the anticipation is unusually feverish. Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim are stepping into the pastel-hued center ring as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider—and, make no mistake, their arrival is already setting off the familiar flurry of chiffon dreams and meme-ready speculation.Croft, whose name floated up from Netflix and HBO’s superhero tides, somehow manages to look both freshly scrubbed and dangerously ambitious—an ingenue who wears relatability like a designer fragrance but radiates the kind of quiet assurance that only a true triple-threat can muster. The sort of performer whose audition tape probably arrived stitched inside a gilded spiral of hair, metaphorically speaking. Meanwhile, Manheim slips comfortably into the shoes of Flynn Rider, all loose limbs and knowing grins, a Disney channel veteran who’s been dancing—literally and metaphorically—around this prince-adjacent territory for years. The resume: crowd-friendly. The jawline: undeniable. It’s as if casting asked for a boy who could out-charm a puppy on command, and Manheim’s headshot was already waiting on the desk.All this, of course, does nothing to dim fans’ memories of 2010’s animated gem, which landed with the force of a thunderclap on the post-millennial princess landscape. Tangled wasn’t content to be a simple fairy-tale retread; it shimmered with the pop sincerity of a Broadway spectacle, raked in nearly $600 million, and even picked up a little gold man for “I See the Light.” The pressure to match that—let alone outdo it—must hang over Disney’s boardrooms like a particularly elaborate chandelier.Then comes the snag. The role of Mother Gothel, still glaringly unclaimed after Scarlett Johansson’s polite departure, is circling the city’s rumor circuit like a well-bred shark. Anyone who doubts the power of a truly delicious villain has never sat through a live-action remake straining for gravitas. Even now, somewhere in Los Feliz, half a dozen grande dames of Hollywood are probably practicing their best octave-leaping “Mother Knows Best” in the shower. The casting shortlists are being guarded like crown jewels. For now, all that escapes is a trail of whispers: Who will fill those sinister stilettos?Disney, it seems, is feeling the heat. Live-action adaptations have been far from bulletproof lately. The recent Snow White attempt? Quietly limped away, stage left—leaving nervous energy in its wake. Fiona Apple might’ve written a song about it, had she watched the box-office numbers. Lilo & Stitch managed to charm critics and recover some lost faith, but around Burbank, one senses a palpable, almost post-coffee nervousness.So, what’s the strategy when the fairy dust has started to clump? Apparently, double down, polish the tower, and invite another round of Gen Z royalty to the throne. Other classics are being reassembled behind Disney’s gilded doors: Gaston, forever flexing in the shadows; Hercules, limbering up; Bambi prepping doe-eyed stares; and Moana—if rumors swirl right—surfing in with a prime summer slot in 2025. Clearly, the animation-to-live-action pipeline won’t dry up anytime soon. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s the only aqueduct left running at full pressure in Hollywood.Now, peering behind the curtain, The Greatest Showman’s own Michael Gracey is helming this Tangled revival, tasked with balancing modern spectacle and that elusive, fine-threaded Disney magic. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is penning—one hopes she’s ready, given that a single flat line of dialogue will be torn apart before the ink’s dry. Producer Kristin Burr, ever the industry multitasker, will be hovering nearby. Frankly, it remains to be seen if the finished product will invoke rapture or social media snark. Hollywood’s memory for triumph and disaster spans several lifetimes—and Rapunzel’s hair.That’s the tightrope these productions walk. Everyone wants to bottle the alchemy of animation-to-live-action success, but the formula shifts with every new director’s vision and each audience’s expectation. Live-action remakes, for all their dazzling trailers, have the uncanny ability to go from captivating to cartoonish in the length of a single act. Perhaps Disney’s learned, at least, that people want more than familiar faces with modern Instagram followers—what they’re chasing is a genuine, imaginative reinvention, not a high-gloss duplicate.Meanwhile, the Mother Gothel sweepstakes roll on. If the right performer lands the part, a whole new standard for villainy may be set. If not—well, it wouldn’t be the first Disney matriarch to haunt the studio’s annual earnings call. Industry chatter hints at secret auditions and last-minute pitches. Who could blame A-listers for sharpening their claws?For now, all that’s certain is this: Croft and Manheim are buckling up, preparing to deliver a new chapter in the ever-shifting canon of Disney icons. One minor misstep—one misplaced curl or a flat rendition of a classic love song—will be met with the Internet’s collective wit (and wrath). Disney is holding its breath, the town is watching, and maybe, just maybe, the old house that Walt built is preparing for its next moment under the celestial spotlight. Or another lesson in humble reinvention—stranger things have happened in Hollywood, especially before the September festival season starts to wind the machine up all over again.