Disney has stopped development on the live-action remake of “Tangled,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film would have featured direction from Michael Gracey, the creative mind behind “The Greatest Showman.” Jennifer Kaytin Robinson prepared the script for this reimagining of the 2010 animated hit.
Tangled Put On Hold
This pause comes after the weak performance of Disney’s “Snow White” live-action film. The remake earned just $69 million in domestic markets and $145 million worldwide. These numbers pale against its massive $270 million production budget. Various delays from the 2023 labor strikes drove up these costs.
From the start, “Snow White” faced many challenges. Controversies erupted over casting and creative choices throughout production. During the press tour, social media posts from star Rachel Zegler created more problems. Both critics and audiences gave lukewarm responses to the film. It received a B+ Cinemascore, below the A-range expected for successful films. On Metacritic, it holds a mere 50 percent rating.
Disney’s Live-Action Strategy Under Review
Since the early 2010s, Disney has turned many animated classics into live-action features. Results from this approach vary across their catalog. Hits like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” and “The Lion King” broke box office records. Yet films such as “Dumbo” and “Pete’s Dragon” failed to connect with audiences.
Recent releases show mixed success at the box office. “Mufasa: The Lion King” by Barry Jenkins opened with just $35.4 million domestically. Later, it picked up steam and reached $718 million worldwide. Earlier, “The Little Mermaid” earned $570 million globally, a modest result for such a major release.
Upcoming Live-Action Tests
Over the next 15 months, Disney will test audience interest with two more live-action remakes. Both films show early signs of potential success.
“Lilo & Stitch” will hit theaters on May 23, based on the beloved 2002 animated film. Its Super Bowl spot with Stitch “crashing” the field gained 173 million views in 24 hours. This makes it Disney’s most-viewed digital spot ever. The trailer now stands as Disney’s second most-viewed live-action trailer of all time.
Meanwhile, the live-action “Moana” will sail into theaters on July 10, 2026. This project builds on the animated film’s huge streaming popularity on Disney+. The original has collected over 1.4 billion streaming hours on the platform. This equals about 735 million complete viewings. Recently, “Moana 2” crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office. It now ranks as the third highest-grossing film of 2024.
Leadership Changes Impact Strategy
The “Tangled” pause coincides with major leadership changes at Disney. Many architects of the live-action remake strategy have left the company. In February, Daria Cercek took over as head of live action theatrical films. She reports to David Greenbaum, who became President of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios last year. Greenbaum replaced Sean Bailey in this role.
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