Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is an American animated television series developed by Chris Sonnenburg and Shane Prigmore, and produced by Disney Television Animation. It premiered on Disney Channel as a Disney Channel Original Movie titled Tangled: Before Ever After on March 10, 2017. Its regular episodes premiered on March 24, 2017. The series is based on the 2010 film Tangled and features the returning voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, alongside Eden Espinosa, Clancy Brown, Julie Bowen, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeff Ross, Paul F. Tompkins, and Jeremy Jordan.
In February 2017, ahead of the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 24, 2018. In May 2018, ahead of the premiere of the series' second season, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third and final season, which premiered on October 7, 2019, and concluded on March 1, 2020.
Plot
Six months after escaping Mother Gothel and reuniting with her birth parents, King Frederic and Queen Arianna of Corona, Princess Rapunzel is unable to properly adjust due to her father's constant protection. When she and her handmaiden Cassandra sneak out of the castle, they come upon some black rock spikes that magically restore Rapunzel's long blonde hair. Rapunzel, Cassandra, Eugene Fitzherbert, Pascal the chameleon, Maximus the horse, and a young alchemist named Varian uncover the mystery of her hair's return and its connection to the black rocks growing around Corona. Eventually, Rapunzel learns that the Sundrop Flower's power resides in her with the black rocks directing her to the Dark Kingdom.The second season centers around Rapunzel's group traveling to the Dark Kingdom while accompanied by Lance, Hook Foot, and Shorty and joined by the mysterious sword-wielding Adira of the Dark Kingdom. The group soon learn that the rocks are created by the Sundrop's counterpart, the Moonstone Opal. During the journey, Rapunzel gets the chance to explore the world and learns the origins of the Sundrop and Moonstone as two halves of an ancient power seeking to be rejoined. At the end of the season, Cassandra betrays Rapunzel and absorbs the Moonstone's power for herself.
The third and final season involves Rapunzel returning to Corona to act as queen upon finding out that her parents were overthrown, while also dealing with the threat of Cassandra and Zhan Tiri, an ancient demon that plots to use the Moonstone and Sundrop's power to take over and destroy Corona.
Characters
- Rapunzel is the long-lost Princess of Corona who adjusts to her new life as a princess while trying to uncover the mystery of the Black Rocks and her destiny.
- Eugene, formerly Flynn Rider, is a reformed thief. He is Rapunzel's boyfriend who finds his place in Corona as a royal guard instructor and later becomes Captain of the Royal Guard. He is later revealed to be the son of King Edmund and the long-lost Prince of the Dark Kingdom.
- Cassandra is the adopted daughter of the Captain of the Guards. She is Rapunzel's best friend and lady-in-waiting, but over time grows tired of constantly being in Rapunzel's shadow and later learns she is the biological daughter of Mother Gothel herself. She is manipulated by the evil demon Zhan Tiri to turn on Rapunzel by wielding the all-powerful Moonstone before reforming at the end of season 3.
- Pascal and Maximus
- *Pascal is Rapunzel's pet chameleon. His backstory is revealed in Episode 11 "Pascal's Story".
- *Maximus is a white stallion said to have the nose of a bloodhound. He is originally owned by the Captain of the Guard and later by Eugene.
- King Frederic is the King of Corona and Rapunzel's overprotective yet loving father.
- Queen Arianna is the Queen of Corona and Princess Rapunzel's mother.
- Captain of the Guards is the head of the Corona royal guard and adoptive father of Cassandra. He retired at the end of Season 3.
- Lance Strongbow is Eugene's childhood best friend and former partner-in-crime from his thieving days. He adopts Kiera and Catalina at the end of "Plus Est En Vous".
- Hook Foot is the hook-footed younger brother of Hook Hand. He accompanies Rapunzel on her adventure in Season 2 until "The Brothers Hook" to go on a world tour with his brother.
- Shorty is a crazy drunk who joins Rapunzel and Eugene on their adventures in Season 2.
- Varian is a clumsy but smart alchemist who uses his skills to help others. Later on in the series he becomes an antagonist after his father got encased in amber, but reforms in the Season 3 premiere episode "Rapunzel's Return" after his father is freed. At the end of "Plus Est En Vous", he becomes the Royal Engineer and is finally able to give Corona hot water which is something that he wanted to do to in the first episode of season one.
- Angry and Red are a pair of young former thieves who appear as minor characters, later as major characters and revealed that their true names are Kiera and Catalina.
- Quirin is leader of the small village of Old Corona and Varian's father. Later in the series he got encased as a result of Varian's attempts to destroy the black rocks but was eventually freed in the season three premiere.
- Adira is a mysterious warrior who serves as Rapunzel's guide to the source of the black rocks.
- King Edmund is King of the Dark Kingdom who keeps the Moonstone Opal from harming the world and is Eugene's long-lost father.
- Hector is a dangerous and sadistic member of the Brotherhood. He is the antagonist in the special episode "Rapunzel and the Great Tree".
- Lord Demanitus is an ancient engineer and inventor who lived in ancient Corona when the Sundrop Flower and Moonstone Opal descended from the heavens.
- Zhan Tiri is an ancient and powerful demon sorceress from another reality who serves as the series' main antagonist. She personally appears in a child-like form to manipulate Cassandra in season 3 after acting through her minions in the first two seasons. She is vanquished in the season 3 finale.
Episodes
Production
On June 3, 2015, Disney Channel announced that the series was in development. On February 15, 2017, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season ahead of the series premiere. The series features new songs from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Menken previously scored the original film, while he and Slater wrote the film's songs.On May 31, 2018, it was announced that the second season would premiere on June 24, 2018, and that the series had also been renewed for a third season. Additionally, it was also announced that the series would be re-titled Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.