The Eyebrow-Raising Age Gap You Might Have Missed In Tangled
"Tangled" is one of the movies most commonly cited as jumpstarting a modern-day revival of Disney's animated pictures (via Rotoscopers). Though the updated take on the classic fairy tale of Rapunzel didn't snag a sequel like "Frozen," it did land its own spin-off series "Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure" on Disney+ and also happened to be a major box office success.
"Tangled" follows the story of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a princess stolen from her parents by an evil witch named Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) as a baby. As Mother Gothel keeps her locked in a faraway tower, it isn't until a chance encounter with the charming thief Flynn Rider at 18 years old (Zachary Levi) that Rapunzel begins to suspect the truth of her heritage.
While the story is more or less a wholesome one, it does have a bit of edge in the form of Flynn's cheeky narration and the way it pokes fun at the princess conventions inspired by creepy original fairytales. However, it would seem that another element of the story is slightly questionable.
Flynn Rider is 8 years older than Rapunzel
Though Flynn Rider is more worldly and less naive than Rapunzel at 26 years old, fans might be shocked to find that he's eight years older than the princess is in "Tangled" (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet). This is certainly one of the more significant age gaps between Disney love interests, particularly in animated films.
As well, those who have only seen the feature film may also be shocked at their engagement history. While the final lines of "Tangled" confirm that the two eventually got married, and we see their wedding in "Tangled: Ever After," it's not noted that Rapunzel turned down his first proposal.
When Flynn proposes to Rapunzel, she initially says "no." Though the two don't break up, Rapunzel lets Flynn know that she needs more time to come to grips with the world before making such a big decision (via Hello Giggles). While the two inevitably end up living happily ever after, it's nice to see that Disney has since added a bit of nuance to their relationship, making it clear that even in medieval times, not everyone was ready to get married at the tender age of 18.