Looks like it’s time to find a new dream. Tangled will make its broadcast debut as a new Disney Channel animated series in 2017.
Announced today by Disney, the program will reunite much of the original talent behind 2010’s Tangled, regarded by many as a glorious return to form for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ fairytale signature. Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi will reprise their voices for Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, while Alan Menken and Glenn Slater return as composer and lyricist, promising new toe-tapping songs. Other crew includes:
- Producer and Supervising Director Chris Sonnenburg (Enchanted)
- Co-Executive Producer and Creator Director Shane Pigmore (The LEGO Movie)
- Story Editor Jase Ricci (Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles)
- Score Composer Kevin Kliesch (Tangled Ever After)
- Development Consultant Claire Keane (Tangled, Frozen)
The story will take place between Tangled and Tangled Ever After as Rapunzel explores the new world around her as she prepares to take on the responsibilities of ruling a kingdom. Pascal, Maximus, the Snuggly Duckling gang, and Rapunzel’s parents are all confirmed to return. New to the cast is Cassandra, a tough handmaiden and one of Rapunzel’s closest friends.
The show will be produced by Disney Television Animation, most recently responsible for Phineas and Ferb, Gravity Falls, and Mickey Mouse. Familiar Disney characters are routinely cast in their own Disney Channel series, but lately their presence has been restricted to Disney Junior programming like Jake and the Never Land Pirates and The Lion Guard, the upcoming series about Simba’s son. The last time a Disney Channel animated project with classic characters wasn’t aimed at a preschool audience was The Emperor’s New School in 2006. (I suppose you might count The 7D, but that’s more of a loose interpretation.) To bring Tangled to the small screen certainly feels like a move out of an era gone by, when nearly every Disney title on the shelf had an accompanying TV adventure.
The image Disney released to accompany its press release depicts Flynn and Rapunzel in a decidedly different art style from their film. It’s unknown whether this is meant to reflect the animation style of the show, or if it’s just a nice placeholder of concept art to get the public pumped.
[UPDATE 6/3/15 3:05 PM PST] Regarding the animation style, Bobby Pontillas, an artist at Disney Television Animation, confirmed that the Tangled TV series will indeed be in 2D. However, he could not give more information about the exact type of animation (e.g. Flash). He also confirmed that the artist for the concept art Disney released with this news was done by Shane Prigmore.
All right, feel free to scream and shout your excitement below. How pumped are you for the story of ‘Tangled’ to continue on Disney Channel?
Edited by: Kelly Conley
