*Spoiler* about Disney's Tangled, not happy about it

[aragorn]

*SPOILER ALERT*








According to another long hair talk board I visit, this movie does not seem to promote long hair. A member read a storybook version of the movie, and in the end Rapunzel's long hair is cut off at the end, really short, by her love's sword. It's done to break a spell.

Also apparently, the short hair turns brown, instead of blonde. Don't know what's up with that.

Now I know that a haircut is part of the Rapunzel story, was hoping that it would grow back at the end. Apparently not.

Has anyone else heard this, and can you confirm it?

[Sweet_Decadence]

If memory recalls Repunzel hair was cut by the witch who held her in the tower beacuse she's was pregnant.

Could be wrong it's been a while since i read the story.

[Sammich]

I've heard that version of the story BOOK, however the film perhaps may be different, since it IS disney's film. :p
Much like Ariel the mermaid, mermaids are actually meant to be evil in greek mythology. LOL! :p
Though I do adore Ariel, evil or no, and mermaids, evil or no. :inlove:

[yotaka]

Even the movie storybook version could be different than the movie... I want to see it none the less. But you know how Disney is. Even though I love the princesses very few of them are good remodels.

[spidermom]

In the original story, the witch tricks the prince and he falls into thorns and is blinded. Then the witch becomes so angry at Rapunzel that she evicts her. So the prince is wandering around blind and Rapunzel is wandering around homeless, but the prince hears her singing and finds her and her tears of joy fall into his eyes, healing them. I remember nothing about cutting her hair.

[Sheltie_Momma]

In the original story, the witch tricks the prince and he falls into thorns and is blinded. Then the witch becomes so angry at Rapunzel that she evicts her. So the prince is wandering around blind and Rapunzel is wandering around homeless, but the prince hears her singing and finds her and her tears of joy fall into his eyes, healing them. I remember nothing about cutting her hair.

This is the way I remember it from a book and record I had as a child. I can totally remember that recording too where the prince says "Repunzel, repunzel let down your hair." Cannot wait to go see this with my 3 yr old and have already gotten her the barbie doll (which has a girlish face and is dressed modestly which I think is nice)

[SilvraShadows]

I have the book.... thumbing through the pages... the prince was lurking in the bushes to see how it was the witch got into the tower and when he learned how, he also called out to Rapunzel and climbed up the tower to be with her.

With a slip of the tongue Rapunzel reveals to the witch how quickly the King's son can climb up... this enrages the witch and she cuts off her hair. Rapunzel is cast away in a remote place. Then the witch fools the prince by making him believe she is Rapunzel, so he climbs up the tower and when he finds out Rapunzel is gone not only is he grieved, he is terrified so jumps out the tower window, falls on thorns and is blinded.

He wanders about, is reunited with Rapunzel and their little ones... yes they were busy in that tower, but the story doesn't mention her hair again.

Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales...

[brunetka]

if that's her in the frame at 0:10 in this clip, then it looks like the hair does turn brown but does grow out long again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnBW859qDzY

[RubyEmpress]

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Rapu.shtml

Here's the whole story if you want to read it.

[aragorn]

Not just the regular story book, this is a story book about the movie, just like they do for every disney movie.

What video clip are you talking about, brunetka?

[brunetka]

sorry, I messed up in adding the link :)

this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnBW859qDzY

[Hana212]

In the original story, the witch tricks the prince and he falls into thorns and is blinded. Then the witch becomes so angry at Rapunzel that she evicts her. So the prince is wandering around blind and Rapunzel is wandering around homeless, but the prince hears her singing and finds her and her tears of joy fall into his eyes, healing them. I remember nothing about cutting her hair.

That is the brothers grimm version...
I was told one that when the witch realised the prince had been using rapunzels hair to climb into the tower, she cut off the hair and tied it to the side of the window and threw rapunzel out of the tower.
The next time the prince came to see rapunzel, the witch let down the hair she had cut off, and he climbed up it and then I can't remember...

really want to see the movie though.. Isn't the Disney version making her hair have a mind of its own?

[Nae]

sorry, I messed up in adding the link :)

this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnBW859qDzY

Okay, I watched it and I am going to put out a crazy theory here. I think that the female character with the shorter darker hair at the beginning of the clip is Rapunzel's mom. She is holding a blonde baby with extremely, extremely long hair for an infant. I also notice that neither the "king" or "queen" character have the same features as Rapunzel and Prince Whoseewhatsit.

Although in the original fairy tale mom and dad were just the poor neighbors of the evil witch I suspect Disney did some Disney magic and made her an actual princess.

Cartoon theory over. Carry on.

[OrangeStripe]

Okay, I watched it and I am going to put out a crazy theory here. I think that the female character with the shorter darker hair at the beginning of the clip is Rapunzel's mom.

I would second this idea, because if you read the wikipedia page (lots of spoilers though) it says the film starts out with the princess as a baby before she is locked in the tower, so that would be her with her parents.

[aragorn]

Thirded, the father has a kingly beard.

[enfys]

I saw storyboards and character development and Rapunzel's haor is cut short and turns brown in them. I have no idea how I found them. I did a lot of trawling.

It'sDisney. They were never going to do it true to the book. Sadly at least a whole generation will grow up thinking this is the story.

[Nae]

P.S. I found this link, if you don't want to know how it ends or pretty much the whole movie DO NOT CLICK! http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Rapunzel

It sounds like they followed the fairy tale somewhat in the "cutting" department but not in the "Rapunzel gets pregnant" department. Of course they changed things up a bit, it is Disney after all!

[brunetka]

Okay, I watched it and I am going to put out a crazy theory here. I think that the female character with the shorter darker hair at the beginning of the clip is Rapunzel's mom. She is holding a blonde baby with extremely, extremely long hair for an infant. I also notice that neither the "king" or "queen" character have the same features as Rapunzel and Prince Whoseewhatsit.

Although in the original fairy tale mom and dad were just the poor neighbors of the evil witch I suspect Disney did some Disney magic and made her an actual princess.

Cartoon theory over. Carry on.

ah ok. I wasn't thinking of her a princess baby

[Anje]

So even if Rapunzel has an insane growth rate, like 2 inches/month.... how old is she when the movie takes place? Like 40?

[Valdeon]

if that's her in the frame at 0:10 in this clip, then it looks like the hair does turn brown but does grow out long again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnBW859qDzY

I think that is her mom :p

UPD Oops, a lot of people have already pointed that out. Sorry

Just a quick thought: this Rapuntzel looks a lot like Torrin Paige to me :D

[AnnaJamila]

In the origional Brother's Grimm, Rapunzel askes the witch why her clothes are getting tight (meaning her ego is preggo) and the witch flips out and banishes her to a desert, keeping her hair to set a trap for her paramour. The prince comes, witchy poo tosses down the hair and when he gets to the top she lets go of the hair and he falls into the thorns blinding himself. Then he wanders the world looking for Rapunzel and when she finds him she cries into his eyes. The church and local printers encouraged them to change the storyline to 1. her making the comment of how long it took to climb or 2. he brings Rapunzel skeins of silk to make a ladder so she can climb down and the witch sees a corner of it sticking out from under the bed so the issue of having a baby out of wedlock doesn't come up. I just read a really cool collection of origional sources on the subject!!!! I wish I could post pictures of the different woodblocks they had, some of them were unbelievably intricate!

There is a comic book of a teen rapunzel that was REALLY REALLY COOL!!!! I have no idea what the name was, though. :(

[Demetrue]

My guess is that by cutting her long blonde hair and having it turn brown, they are trying to send the message that princesses do NOT have to have long blonde hair to be noble, strong, good beautiful, etc. I am an early childhood educator and I have observed a number of girls thinking they can not be princesses because they don't have the right hair. Princess play is a really big theme among 3-5 year old girls, at least where I live in the US. Of course, maybe Disney fuels this, but it is also archetypal and fairy-tale based.

[slz]

I think i read somewhere it was about empowerment, cutting ties with childhood / submission, symbolized by blond, and long hair - which I find stupid, but they are the usual clichés.

[Igor]

So even if Rapunzel has an insane growth rate, like 2 inches/month.... how old is she when the movie takes place? Like 40?

I did this math in another Tangled-thread :p

Hm, if we take the lowest number: 45 feet and assume she’s 20 years old and never had a trim and didn’t have that babyhair that falls out…

Damn cant calculate that in imperial :lol:

Alright 13,72 meters then… Her hair would have to grow 5,7 cm per month! (2,24 inches)

Lets say she has a normal growth rate of 2 cm per month, then it would take her 57 years (and a month) to grow to 13,72 meters and she could never shed!

She is always depicted as blonde or blondish because that is what she had in the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm:

Oh, and one ell is about:

Flemish ell = 27 in (0.685 8 m) = outstretched hand to near shoulder,
English ell = 45 in (1.143 m) = outstretched hand to opposite shoulder,
French ell = 54 in (1.371 6 m) = outstretched hand to opposite elbow.

So, if we estimate that Rapunzel's hair was twenty ells, for the sake of easy math and not factoring in possible height and yadda yadda, her hair would fall between 45 - 90 feet if you use the units above. Phew!

[Toadstool]

I am an early childhood educator and I have observed a number of girls thinking they can not be princesses because they don't have the right hair. Princess play is a really big theme among 3-5 year old girls, at least where I live in the US. Of course, maybe Disney fuels this, but it is also archetypal and fairy-tale based.
I always thought this when I was a child.

[enfys]

Not what I originally saw, but there are links on this page to scans: http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26960&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1040

Also some pics in this show "after" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFsf9O0yWJY&feature=related

I haven't seen any after pics that contradict this, but apparently the wedding doll has long blonde hair?

[Angela_Rose]

In the original story, the witch tricks the prince and he falls into thorns and is blinded. Then the witch becomes so angry at Rapunzel that she evicts her. So the prince is wandering around blind and Rapunzel is wandering around homeless, but the prince hears her singing and finds her and her tears of joy fall into his eyes, healing them. I remember nothing about cutting her hair.

That's how I learned it, too.

[kabelaced]

My guess is that by cutting her long blonde hair and having it turn brown, they are trying to send the message that princesses do NOT have to have long blonde hair to be noble, strong, good beautiful, etc. I am an early childhood educator and I have observed a number of girls thinking they can not be princesses because they don't have the right hair. Princess play is a really big theme among 3-5 year old girls, at least where I live in the US. Of course, maybe Disney fuels this, but it is also archetypal and fairy-tale based.

You bring up an interesting point! I would even expand on that insomuch as countless celebrities or "modern royalty" (this is an observation by an American, so I don't mean literal modern royalty, more symbolic) dye their hair blonde to have the "right hair" to attain "princesslike" standards. I'm thinking Paris Hilton here.

I'm still confused, though. Why wouldn't they make Rapunzel brunette in the first place? How does hair just grow back another color (unless she has chemo or something?)? Does someone dye her hair or enchant it brown? I don't want any spoilers, so I'll have to wait to find out what really happens! :p

[naereid]

I don't really get what the big deal is. It's a movie - it has to have some kind of a dramatic climax. Giving up your beloved hair to save the life of the person you love fits the bill (I assume that will happen). And it also goes to show that true beauty is in yourself, not just in your appearance. It's all very typical and expected. :shrug:

[Charlotte:)]

I think that's her mom, because she's holding a blonde baby, and the King doesn't look like the prince.

[LittleOrca]

Rapunzel gets a little bob at the end and she is married in a little messy bob with a crown. (Saw it in a book of the movie in the kids section.) It;s all about the dramatic change. At least we should be grateful that Tyra Banks did not march into the film, cut of fher hair and wave the 70ft ponytail in the air cackling like a mad-person.

You can see what she will look like by clicking this video and moving it up to 1:09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFsf9O0yWJY&feature=fvw

But really, did we expect any less for those who have heard the story? lol Still, all the images of her that will be for sale will include the hair. Who wants to buy their daughter a "Rapunzel" doll that has a bob? Though, I am sure most of them will end up that way.

In the Grimm's version, the witch cuts off her hair, uses that to trick the prince and has it tied off so it looks like Rapunzel threw it out when she did instead. Rapunzel had been evicted long before the prince came back.

If you want a cute take on the Rapunzel story, I recommend the book "Golden." Written kind of childlike, since its meant for like the 14 yr old crowd, but it's still cute. Rapunzel in that story has no hair, and the "Mother Gothel" figure (named something different in the book) is a sweet and endearing figure.

[Fog]

My guess is that by cutting her long blonde hair and having it turn brown, they are trying to send the message that princesses do NOT have to have long blonde hair to be noble, strong, good beautiful, etc. I am an early childhood educator and I have observed a number of girls thinking they can not be princesses because they don't have the right hair. Princess play is a really big theme among 3-5 year old girls, at least where I live in the US. Of course, maybe Disney fuels this, but it is also archetypal and fairy-tale based.

I strongly agree with this post. If Rapunzel isn't a long hair model, I'm totally cool with it. Disney has been there, done that. I grew up watching Disney animated movies, and there are long hair models galore in the company's history. Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Jasmine, etc. I wanted that hair, and I think those movies had an impact on what I thought was beautiful as a child and as I grew up.

Short-haired girls also deserve to see themselves reflected on screen.

[ktani]

In the final Grimm version, she does get a hair cut and is not pregnant. No mention is made of exactly how short the remaining hair was afterward.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/rapunzel.html

This is an interesting history with background on the tale, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapunzel

Rapunzel history
http://www.suite101.com/content/the-origin-and-history-of-rapunzel-a148496
"Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm wrongly believed that “Rapunzel” was part of oral tradition ... it is really La Force’s story and the Schulz translation that the brothers popularized. Their first version in 1812 almost completely follows the earlier plots, including the young woman’s pregnancy and children. The only major difference is that the fate of the fairy ... is left unknown."

It may even go even further back in history, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rapunzel/history.html.
"As is true with many tales, the first literary traces of the tale come from Giambattista Basile's Pentamerone (1637)."

[may1em]

Also, a lot of blondes' hair gets darker as they get older. It might just look darker without the lighter, older growth.

Most original fairy tales are pretty twisted by modern standards.

[chargersfan]

My guess is that by cutting her long blonde hair and having it turn brown, they are trying to send the message that princesses do NOT have to have long blonde hair to be noble, strong, good beautiful, etc. I am an early childhood educator and I have observed a number of girls thinking they can not be princesses because they don't have the right hair. Princess play is a really big theme among 3-5 year old girls, at least where I live in the US. Of course, maybe Disney fuels this, but it is also archetypal and fairy-tale based.

Disney's most famous princesses:
http://blogsaladblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/disney-princesses1.jpg
Not included in that image is the latest princess Tiana:
http://www.houseofmove.com/img/Princess_Frog1.jpg

Out of those 9, only 2 are blonde. My DD's favorite princess is Snow White (short, black hair), and my daughter has blonde hair down to her butt. My DD was Snow White for Halloween last year, and Belle this year. Don't forget that Mulan also cuts her hair short.

[getoffmyskittle]

In the original story, the witch finds out that the prince has been coming to the tower, so she cuts off Rapunzel's hair and sends Rapunzel to the middle of a desert. Then she hangs Rapunzel's hair out the window and waits for the prince to come. When he does, she tells him that Rapunzel is gone and that he will never find her, and she pushes him out the window into a thorny bush; the thorns scratch out his eyes and he is blinded. He wanders off pitifully, and eventually comes to the desert where Rapunzel is living. He recognizes her by her voice, and when he gets close enough she recognizes him too. She weeps over his destroyed eyes, and her tears heal his sight. :D And they live happily ever after.

Okay, I know other people probably already said this, but I wanted to tell a story too. :p

[Lamb]

In the original story, the witch finds out that the prince has been coming to the tower, so she cuts off Rapunzel's hair and sends Rapunzel to the middle of a desert. Then she hangs Rapunzel's hair out the window and waits for the prince to come. When he does, she tells him that Rapunzel is gone and that he will never find her, and she pushes him out the window into a thorny bush; the thorns scratch out his eyes and he is blinded. He wanders off pitifully, and eventually comes to the desert where Rapunzel is living. He recognizes her by her voice, and when he gets close enough she recognizes him too. She weeps over his destroyed eyes, and her tears heal his sight. :D And they live happily ever after.

Okay, I know other people probably already said this, but I wanted to tell a story too. :p

Wow, now I'm wondering if this is the version Charlotte Bronte knew... :ponder:

[joiekimochi]

Wow, now I'm wondering if this is the version Charlotte Bronte knew... :ponder:

Lol! It does sound a lot like the ending of Jane Eyre!

[redheadlynn]

In the original story, the witch tricks the prince and he falls into thorns and is blinded. Then the witch becomes so angry at Rapunzel that she evicts her. So the prince is wandering around blind and Rapunzel is wandering around homeless, but the prince hears her singing and finds her and her tears of joy fall into his eyes, healing them. I remember nothing about cutting her hair.

This is the version I am familiar with as well. Doesn't the witch obtain Rapunzel in the first place because mom had cravings for lettuce (or some vegetable so much) that the poor husband, who went to ease her cravings in the middle of the night, traded the baby for some of the much-desired vittles? Something like that? And the girl was so beautiful that the witch locked her up. I think.

My daughter, 4, is DYING to see this movie. She has hair to her shoulder blades. She tells me she doesn't want to cut it because if she did, she would "look like a boy" ! (According to her. lol) :D

[redheadlynn]

Lol! It does sound a lot like the ending of Jane Eyre!


Hmm....! *goes off to search for her copy of Jane Eyre*

[redheadlynn]

Okay, I know other people probably already said this, but I wanted to tell a story too. :p

I love your sig pic, by the way! Beautiful! :)

[getoffmyskittle]

I love your sig pic, by the way! Beautiful! :)

Thank you! :flowers:

[Angelica]

So even if Rapunzel has an insane growth rate, like 2 inches/month.... how old is she when the movie takes place? Like 40?

If you think along that line you'd have to think also that it would be impossible to climb up her hair without her having her hair ripped out at the roots.

It's a fairytale and anything can happen in a fairytale, nothing is meant to be factual here, atlhough there is often a certain moral.

In the original story that I read as a child, yes her hair is cut off because the witch is angry with her.

There was another story written in which a more brainy Rapunzel cut off her own hair to use it as a rope to escape from the tower.

I always got upset that Rapunzel had her hair cut, but fairytales are often sad.

The witch blinded the prince and Rapunzel's tears fell in his eyes and he was able to see again.

Personally I don't like the look of "Tangled" at all.

[joiekimochi]

I remember reading an illustrated version of Rapunzel. In it, the witch cut off her hair and kicked her out, then used her hair to trick the prince into climbing up. When he reached the top she either let the hair go, or he was so shocked he lost his grip, hence falling into thorns and getting blinded (miraculously without dying or breaking his bones). He gave up his kingdom and traveled looking for Rapunzel, who was also wandering about aimlessly. It was a year or two before they met again, he heard her voice, yadayadayada her tears healed his sight way better than Lasik could and they lived happily ever after.

The point was, in the illustration of my book, the final image of Rapunzel had hair trailing about a foot on the ground when she met the prince again. Considering the witch cut her hair off from her nape, growing about 6 feet of hair in 2 years or less shows that yes, Rapunzel had an amazing growth speed, so it would make sense she would have about 60-80 feet of hair if she was about 20 when she met the prince.

Maybe eating lettuce or cabbage when pregnant would help your baby's hair growth speed?

[Unzadi]

When I took children's lit in college, our professor addressed the issue of why Rapunzel's hair didn't get pulled out. I had the longest hair in the class, almost waist, and it was in a braid that day. Prof asked if he could use my hair for a demonstration (we had a good, friendly relationship, so I said sure.)

He wrapped some of the braid around his hand once, leaving a tail to dangle. Then he pulled on the tail and asked me if I felt anything. I said I didn't, and he asked the class why they thought that was. No answers, so he asked me to wrap my braid around my own hand and do the same thing, then tell what I felt. That time, I did feel the braid squeeze my hand. The pressure would be on the thing the braid was wrapped around, not the braid.

Though that served to get the class back on track, I'm very thankful he didn't suggest anyone hang from my hair, because that would not have been okay. Doesn't take the weight or traction into consideration, but still an interesting experiment.

[enfys]

When I took children's lit in college, our professor addressed the issue of why Rapunzel's hair didn't get pulled out. I had the longest hair in the class, almost waist, and it was in a braid that day. Prof asked if he could use my hair for a demonstration (we had a good, friendly relationship, so I said sure.)

He wrapped some of the braid around his hand once, leaving a tail to dangle. Then he pulled on the tail and asked me if I felt anything. I said I didn't, and he asked the class why they thought that was. No answers, so he asked me to wrap my braid around my own hand and do the same thing, then tell what I felt. That time, I did feel the braid squeeze my hand. The pressure would be on the thing the braid was wrapped around, not the braid.

Though that served to get the class back on track, I'm very thankful he didn't suggest anyone hang from my hair, because that would not have been okay. Doesn't take the weight or traction into consideration, but still an interesting experiment.

That's quite a cool story. I'd probably have been mortified, but he asked and you agreed so it's all ok!

I always assumed she had her hair wrapped around a hook or something to reduce scalp tension. The weight on the hair proably wouldn't have mattered much since I always hear hair is as strong as steel; a steel rope with a 6" circumference wouldn't be much bothered by a skinny prince shimmying up it!

[Florida Mom]

I remember having the Rapunzel story on a record. And in that story it wasn't lettuce; it was "rampion" The mother said something like,"If I don't get any rampion to eat I know I shall die." And her hubby went and stole it. Maybe three times. Then he was told he could have all the rampion he wanted from the witch's garden but his first child he must give to the witch. And because he was so scared, he agreed. When Rapunzel was born, he brought her to the witch.

Of course, I really don't know what rampion is. LOL

[Wavelength]

Rampion's a type of plant, and was probably used as a salad green. Just like lettuce.

[Wavelength]

Rampion's a type of plant, and was probably used as a salad green. Just like lettuce.

[AcornMystic]

I'm still confused, though. Why wouldn't they make Rapunzel brunette in the first place? How does hair just grow back another color (unless she has chemo or something?)? Does someone dye her hair or enchant it brown? I don't want any spoilers, so I'll have to wait to find out what really happens! :p

Because her hair was enchanted (At least that's how Tangled has it, because of the gold magical flower her mother ingested while pregnant, and both her parents were brunette). Also, people's hair actually do change color. I used to be a red head when I was very young and now I am dark brown. My husband used to be dish water blonde and now he has milk chocolate with auburn highlights hair. It can caused by a change in hormone's, diet, pollution/environment. Any number of things.