Here’s Why Disney Scrapped Plans for a Potential ‘Tangled’ Sequel

Disney once considered making a sequel to “Tangled,” but those plans were eventually dropped because the studio could not find a strong enough story to continue the film.

This information comes from The Direct, which spoke exclusively with Nathan Greno, who co-directed the original 2010 animated movie. Greno said that after the success of “Tangled,” there were early talks at Disney about possibly continuing Rapunzel’s story. However, nothing moved forward because the team struggled to come up with an idea that felt right.

He explained that some characters reach a natural ending point, making it hard to extend their stories without forcing new ideas. He compared this to other well-known fairy tale characters whose stories feel complete after their original films.

Greno said, “No… Again, I’m not against sequels. There was, I will say, after we finished ‘Tangled’… It’s a tricky place, because I’ll put it this way: once Pinocchio becomes a real boy, what else is there to say? Once the Beast becomes a human, what else is there to say?”

He also shared that Disney held a creative session with the original team to explore possible sequel ideas. Even with everyone involved, they still could not find a direction that felt worth developing into a full movie.

Greno said, “We actually did an off-site at Disney, and we got the original team together, and we really all talked about it for hours, and we kind of walked away saying, ‘We couldn’t find a story worth telling.’”

Instead of a full sequel, Disney later created a short wedding story for Rapunzel and Eugene called “Tangled Ever After.” That short was released in 2012 and focused on their wedding day. According to Greno, it was made because it felt like a natural small extension of the story rather than a full continuation.

Even though a sequel never happened, “Tangled” has stayed active through other projects. The original film remains popular, and Disney has released additional content over the years, including a TV series, shorts, and sing-along versions.

There is also a live-action version of “Tangled” currently in development. Reports say Teagan Croft is set to play Rapunzel, with Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider and Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel. The project will be directed by Michael Gracey. Filming is expected to begin in the near future, with a possible release window in 2027.

Greno also spoke about the remake in his interview with The Direct. He said he was not fully sure how Disney would approach it, whether it would stay close to the original or try something new.

He said, “Well, I’m not sure the approach. We’ve seen these remakes where they kind of stick to the original, and we’ve seen things where they kind of do something else. There’s a lot of different approaches with these remakes.”

He added that while sequels can work, he personally prefers original stories. He pointed to well-loved sequels like “Toy Story 2,” but said new ideas are what excite him the most.

He said, “But to me, I think what speaks to my passion is original storytelling… to create something new, especially in our current environment, to put that out there, that’s the most exciting thing to me.”

This makes sense for a film like “Tangled.” The ending already feels complete, so forcing a sequel could easily weaken what people loved about it. At the same time, it is interesting that Disney is still exploring the world through other formats and even a live-action remake. What do you think about Disney leaving “Tangled” without a sequel? Share your thoughts in the comments.