From Walt Disney Animation’s very first film, it understood the power of the Princess. From Snow White to Anna and Elsa, there have been so many wonderful movies with Princess main characters that the Disney Princess is a brand unto itself. Everybody has their favorite, and some are insanely popular. But I feel like some also get overlooked, especially in Disney Parks, and one movie that needs more representation in the parks is Tangled.
Disney’s take on the story of Rapunzel is one of the best Disney Animated movies. It’s also one of my favorites. I still remember seeing it in theaters the first time (the “I See the Light” sequence is still one of the best uses of 3D I’ve ever seen in any film). I may or may not have gone to Disneyland while Disneybounding as Flynn Rider with my wife as Rapunzel. Unfortunately, unless you catch Rapunzel and Flynn in the park for a photo, you won’t see much of Tangled in the domestic Disney Parks, though that will change in a small way soon.
Rapunzel’s Tower Is being Added To The Storybook Land Canal Boats
While 2025 is the 70th anniversary of Disneyland, one attraction that was there (in a slightly different way) on Disneyland’s opening day has been closed for the entire celebration. The Storybook Land Canal Boats is a simple boat ride that takes guests through miniature versions of popular Disney animated movies, and when it reopens this winter, it will include the new addition of Rapunzel’s Tower. The Rapunzel Tower will be the first new addition to the land since Frozen’s Arendelle Castle was added in 2014.
The tower will be added to the attraction path, but it’s not replacing anything, which is great news for fans who hate it when something classic gets replaced by something new. There will also be a good reason for guests to ride the Storybook Canal Boats at least twice for the new addition. An arrangement of the song “When Will My Life Begin?” will play during the day, but that will be replaced by a version of “Now I See the Light” in the evening.
While Tangled got an amazing attraction at Tokyo DisneySea, exclusivity agreements make it impossible to see something like that come to a domestic Disney park. The most significant instance of Tangled in a domestic Disney Park is a small themed area between Fantasyland and Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom. It doesn’t include an attraction or even a place to eat. It’s just a bathroom.
The Disneyland Opening Day Attraction Was A Favorite Of Walt Disney Himself
This may literally be a small addition to Disneyland, but it’s still a big deal to me. As a fan of Tangled, seeing the movie get some representation anywhere is great, but seeing it added to such a classic attraction is truly special.
Miniatures were a particular passion of Walt Disney. Some of his early designs for Disneyland included an entire Lilliputian Land that would have had guests walking around miniatures. Eventually, the land was scaled back to the Canal Boats of the World attraction that opened along with Disneyland. That version of the attraction had a variety of issues and was only open for a couple of months before being closed and refurbished into the Storybook Land Canal Boats that we have today.
With an attraction that has that kind of history, there are no “small” additions, even if the buildings are miniature. The new attraction will open this winter.