In addition to a Virtual Roundtable discussion with Tangled’s Executive Producer Glen Keane, I also participated in one with the two directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard. Below are questions and answers from the session.
In reading, you’ll discover how they came up with the floating lanterns, that Tangled isn’t the last of the Princess films (contrary to rumors), the kingdom’s real-life counterpart in Europe, and tons more!
Q – The scene in the gondolas is a show-stopper. Where did the idea of the lanterns come from?
A – Byron Howard: The idea for the lantern scene came from John Ripa, one of our story artists. We needed something that Rapunzel could see from miles away, locked up in her tower, that would draw her out to the kingdom. We thought “Fireworks?” But that didn’t seem quite right. Then John mentioned this lantern ceremony that they do in Indonesia. We brought it up on YouTube and that was it, we knew that had to be in the movie. It’s perfect for CG as well, because we can actually create thirty to forty thousand of these beautiful things for the audience to marvel at.
Q – Having worked in both mediums, what do you prefer about computer animation and what do you miss about traditional 2D animation?
A – Nathan Greno: I really love both 2D and 3D animation. 2D is really graphic and classic. 3D has amazing textures and cameras to play with. It all comes down to your story… some tales work best in 2D, some in 3D!
Q – How do you feel about TANGLED being the last of the Disney Princess films (for a while anyway)?
A – Nathan Greno: I’ve heard that rumor. Not true! If we wanted to do a Princess movie as our next project, John Lasseter would be ok with that. There is a lot in development at Disney Animation… I wouldn’t rule out the idea of seeing another Princess movie!
A – Byron Howard: Honestly, I’m very happy that Disney Animation’s upcoming slate includes vastly diverse projects. That keeps the studio healthy. And, believe it or not, that slate does still include some great fairy tales.
Q – What was it like working with Alan Menken?
A – Byron Howard: Alan Menken, and our lyricist Glenn Slater are two genuinely brilliant guys. In a few minutes on the piano, Alan can create a tune that you will remember for the rest of your life, and Glenn’s diverse talent shows from the hilarious pub song to the heartfelt ballad in the gondolas. We’re very honored to have worked with them both.
Q – Did you have any real life locations in mind when designing the Kingdom and its surrounding environments?
A – Byron Howard: Yes. We take our research very seriously. Knowing that we wanted Rapunzel’s story to take place in central Europe (Austria/Hungary) we did exhaustive research into local architecture, artwork, even flora and fauna. Every tree you see in TANGLED’s forest actually grows in those regions of central Europe.
Q – What prompted you to include Pascal, Rapunzel’s chameleon side kick, in the cast?
A – Byron Howard: Pascal came from the need to have someone for Rapunzel to talk to in that tower. We knew we needed that character, but we didn’t want to do the typical squirrel, chipmunk or bird that you see so often in these tales. We thought a lizard sounded like a quirky pet for a quirky young woman.
Q – Rapunzel’s “mother” Gothel was also a very interesting, and rather scary, character. Did you draw on past witches and femme fatales from Disney movies for inspiration?
A – Nathan Greno: Disney does villains better than anyone and we needed to live up to the classic villains of our past films. We think Gothel is mostly scary because she isn’t a witch. She doesn’t have “powers”, but she has a very evil mind. Evil minds actually exist in the real world — I think that’s why she freaks people out!
Q – How important was it for you to make sure that the lead in this movie was a strong woman? It goes a little bit against the stereotype of a fairy tale princess…
A – Byron Howard: We knew Rapunzel had to have a lot of girl power. She and Flynn are the engine that drives this story, and making her too prissy or passive would have been cheating our audience. We love that Rapunzel’s not perfect, she’s quirky, funny and real. She has a very bohemian quality about her, painting her walls and running around the forest with bare feet through the mud. Above all, she’s much more like a real person, strong, smart interesting and flawed.
Q – Family plays a very strong role in this film. What prompted you to explore the mother/daughter dynamic through the character of Rapunzel?
A – Byron Howard: Nathan and I were fascinated by this bizarre relationship that Gothel had created between herself and this kidnapped girl. To try to find out more about mother/daughter relationships, we asked a bunch of women from our studio to stay after one evening to have a chat about their relationships with their mothers. It turned into a therapy session! We were amazed at how brutal some of the things that their mothers would say to these women, but it was always coming from a place of “I know what’s best for you” or “I’m trying to keep you safe”. This push/pull that happens between parents and children is a rich, rich area to explore with classic tales like this.
Q – Are there any hidden nods to other films included in TANGLED that you can tell us to look out for?
A – Byron Howard: Look for Pinocchio hidden in the pub and in Rapunzel’s tower, each newel post on her staircase is painted with the symbol of Disney’s previous five princesses.
Q – Why do you think you were able to get boys interested in a “Disney Princess” film?
A – Nathan Greno: Mostly because I don’t feel we made a “princess film.” Honestly, I feel we made a movie that has princess elements in it — but I wouldn’t call it a princess film. TANGLED has a ton of action, a ton of humor, a ton of heart and emotion. It’s a film for everyone. Yes, we have a princess… but she doesn’t know she’s a princess. It was easy to get boys interested in the movie because we made a movie for everyone to enjoy.
Q – Was there a character that was initially in the story, but was removed because they no longer fit within the story?
A – Byron Howard: We had a fortune-telling monkey that was very popular, but eventually we found that he wasn’t part of where the story needed to go. You can see a hint of him in the end credits.
Q – Who thought up Flynn’s “smolder” face? Was it based on anyone in particular?
A – Byron Howard: The smolder is based on my directing buddy, Nathan. He has a way with the ladies.