After years of fancasts and anticipation, Disney has finally released who will be starring in the live-action remake of “Tangled”: Teagan Croft as Rapunzel and Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider. Despite previous Disney remakes being poorly received, fans are excited about the announcement.
On Jan. 7, 2026, Disney revealed who would be playing the iconic princess and her charming counterpart via a post on Instagram. This came a year after Disney originally announced plans for a live-action remake of the 2010 film. Following the initial announcement, fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the casting. Ideas on who should be cast as Rapunzel were plentiful, with Sabrina Carpenter, McKenna Grace, Avantika Vandanapu, Freya Skye and Meg Donnelly being just a few of the names commonly suggested. However, the public’s opinion on who should play Flynn Rider was relatively agreed upon: Milo Manheim. His experience in the realm of Disney musicals, with his starring role in “Zombies” along with his striking resemblance to Flynn Rider, made him the ideal candidate for many.
Most fans got their wish with the casting of Manheim, and although Croft wasn’t a common suggestion, fans seem to be pleased with Disney’s casting. Kaiya Poole (‘27), a junior at a local high school, shared her excitement over the casting. “I was pretty excited because obviously Milo Manheim is a pretty big name, and a lot of people were saying he should be cast.” Poole was even more excited to hear about Croft getting the starring role as she had seen her in the show “Titans,” where she plays Raven. She also noted Croft’s resemblance to the animated version of the princess as another reason she was happy to hear of her casting. “I hope this means Teagan Croft will get more attention,” said Poole.
Another local high school student, Fiona Shipman (‘27) shared similar feelings regarding the cast of the upcoming remake. “I wanted Milo Manheim to get the role, but I didn’t have strong feelings about the actress who’d play Rapunzel.” Despite her unfamiliarity with Croft, she’s “happy that they’ve chosen someone that will be similar to the version I already love, I just hope she can sing well.” All in all, the public seems to be satisfied with Disney’s choice of actors, especially in comparison to the outrage that flooded social media platforms after Rachel Zegler was casted in the most recent live-action remake, “Snow White.”
Disney fans certainly haven’t always been impressed with Disney’s reimagined versions of animated classics, leaving many unsure of what to expect from the “Tangled” remake. However, fans still seem hopeful that the film will be a success. Poole admitted, “As a whole, I’m not a huge fan of live-action remakes, but I’m hopeful that the original movie being made in this century means that they can be faithful to it.” The original film was released in 2010, making it a relatively recent Disney film. Poole hopes that its modernity will make it easier to bring to life than other films that were made as early as the 1930s.
Shipman shares her optimistic outlook, but for a slightly different reason. She enjoyed watching the remakes of both “Cinderella” and “Beauty and the Beast,” so she feels hopeful that the “Tangled” remake will be successful as well. Shipman also thinks that seeing a new spin on the movie will be “both interesting and a nice way to harken back to the movie I loved as a kid.”
Although previous Disney remakes haven’t always been well-received, the studio’s choice to cast fan-favorite actors that closely resemble the original characters is a promising sign. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced, but fans are excited to know that “Tangled” is finally being brought to life.
