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I don’t know how in all of my reading reports from D23 I managed to miss this piece of news. I guess I was just so excited about the newly announced Pixar films and spoilers from “The Avengers” that this slipped through the cracks. Then one day while reading on animation website Cartoon Brew I learned that at the con, Disney also announced plans for another “Tangled” movie.
When I first read about “Tangled Ever After,” I was so excited by the prospect of getting to return to this world that what the announcement really meant completely escaped me. But now that I’m returning to the story to share it with you, I realize what it means, and my enthusiasm has dimmed a bit. A Disney sequel. I tend not to write about them because they’re often, well, awful.
The best stories leave us wanting more, despite us knowing that things are probably better left to end where they did. Usually returns to our favorite story universes, unless they’re planned in advance, don’t go that well. Disney’s perhaps one of the best examples of this, as nearly all of its films, especially those from the 1990s-onward, have regrettable made-for-DVD sequels.
But I can still have some hope. Disney, or more aptly, Pixar, has done some fantastic work redeeming the sequel genre lately. Also, the famous Disney direct-to-DVD sequels are often poor quality because they feel like an afterthought, another movie scraped together by few people who actually worked on the first, just in an effort to capitalize on the marketing possibilities.
“Tangled Ever After” is being put together as a Disney Channel special movie for next year by Bryon Howard and Nathan Greno, who directed the original “Tangled.” Knowing that the direct-to-Disney-Channel sequel is in the hands of the directors who made the wonderful theatrical movie is quite a comfort.
So consider me in the cautious optimism crowd, despite the fact that I’m a bit nervous how quickly they might be making this film. Now we can speculate on the story. Sometimes sequels aren’t that interesting because they’re just peeks at the domesticity that follows the “happily ever after,” which, while pleasant to think about, is often a bit dull on screen.
Where might the conflict come from? My best guess is Eugene Fitzherbert’s background as Flynn Rider. It always surprised me how quickly Rapunzel’s parents welcomed Eugene with open arms; he was a wanted criminal, after all, one they’d seemed to have no compunctions hanging for theft mere hours before (a move that always shocked me a bit: sure, it was a huge theft, but hanging for what’s still a petty crime in such a supposedly blissful kingdom? But I digress).
Perhaps we’ll see a bit more tension with the in-laws, who maybe were only so cool with Eugene in the glow of the return of their long-lost daughter. That’s not quite enough conflict to really hold attention, however, so I think what we’ll need is the introduction of more unsavory characters from Eugene’s past. I figure he’s got to have more shady acquaintances like the Stabbington Brothers, and I’m sure all sorts will come out of the woodwork wanting a piece of royalty. I’d love to see Eugene get kidnapped and Rapunzel having to race off to save him.
Sign me up to watch “Tangled Ever After.” Despite my reservations I’ll be there, and I’m excited.
Related Articles:
Tangled: Hand Drawn vs. Computer Animation
A Study in Princesses: Rapunzel and Beyond
Rapunzel Inducted into the Disney Princess Royal Court
*(This image by Jeff Christiansen is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
