Disney Renames ‘Rapunzel’ to Appeal to Boys (At Least It’s Not a Well-Known Story or Anything)

Mar 10, 2010 | Filed Under: Movies, Pop Culture

Apparently, Disney executives were surprised that boys didn’t want to see “The Princess and the Frog” (which didn’t rake in the bucks the studio expected) because it’s about, you know, a PRINCESS — so they have vowed not to repeat that mistake with its next animated film, “Rapunzel” by giving the movie a less gender-specific title: “Tangled.”

The Brothers Grimm are surely rolling over in their graves.

The studio’s marketing campaign will also target young lads, amping up the role of the dashing Errol Flynn-styled male lead to share the spotlight with the real star of the flick, Rapunzel herself.

“In our film, the infamous bandit Flynn Rider meets his match in the girl with the 70 feet of magical golden hair,” wrote the film’s producer, Roy Conli, on Disney Animation’s Facebook page. “We’re having a lot of fun pairing Flynn, who’s seen it all, with Rapunzel, who’s been locked away in a tower for 18 years.”

Flynn Rider, of course, is nowhere to be found in the original “Rapunzel” story.

After being locked up for 18 years, I can’t imagine why she’d even waste precious time on a strange dude with questionable chin scruff when there is TWITTER to discover.

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About Candy

Candy Kirby is the founder of The Laughing Stork and a professional fun-maker who will never stop chasing her lifelong dream: to find the Pomeranian or porn star after whom her parents must have named her. She also used to be a staff writer for the soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, where she penned many scripts featuring prolonged heated stares and countless “Who’s the Daddy?” story lines. Candy lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two young kids and three rescue Persian cats who enjoy blanketing every inch of the house in kitty fur. For more of Candy's nonsense, check out her personal Twitter, The Laughing Stork's Twitter and The Laughing Stork's Facebook page.