We’re Ready to See the Light as Disney’s Live-Action “Tangled” Heads to Theaters in 2028

At last, we are ready to see the light.

Over the years, Disney has continued to open the doors for some of its most beloved animated stories to find new life through live-action adaptations. From princesses who have been part of the Disney legacy for generations to more modern heroines, there are plenty of magical worlds that have been given another chance to shine on the big screen.

Now, it is finally Rapunzel’s turn.

More than 17 years after audiences first ventured into the kingdom of Corona, Disney’s live-action adaptation of Tangled is officially heading to theaters on March 31, 2028.

And during D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, those in attendance were treated to the very first footage from the upcoming film.

While the look was brief, sometimes all you need is a little bit of magic.

The footage began with Rapunzel’s unmistakably long blonde hair flowing down a set of medieval stairs before revealing Teagan Croft as the beloved Disney Princess. We were also given our first glimpse of Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel, emerging from the shadows and calling out for Rapunzel.

Yeah. We are definitely ready to head back to Corona.

Originally released in 2010, Tangled helped introduce a new generation of fans to the Disney Princess legacy through a heroine who wanted something beyond the walls that had surrounded her for her entire life.

Rapunzel wasn’t simply waiting around in a tower to be rescued.

She wanted to leave.

She wanted to explore.

And, perhaps most importantly, she wanted to finally see those mysterious floating lights that appeared in the sky every year on her birthday.

Her chance arrives when wanted thief Flynn Rider quite literally falls into her life, setting the pair off on an adventure filled with royal secrets, dangerous criminals, one extremely determined horse and enough frying pans to prove they really are useful for just about everything.

That adventure will now be reimagined for live action with Milo Manheim stepping into the role of Flynn Rider, alongside Croft’s Rapunzel and Hahn’s Mother Gothel.

The film will also feature Diego Luna in a new role, while Patrick and Hugo McPherson will play the Stabbington brothers.

Behind the camera, The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey is taking on Rapunzel’s world, something that could prove particularly interesting for a movie where music is such an important part of its identity.

Because you really can’t talk about Tangled without talking about its music.

From “When Will My Life Begin?” to “Mother Knows Best” and, of course, the Oscar-nominated “I See the Light,” those songs have remained part of Disney’s musical landscape long after Rapunzel first let down her hair.

But Tangled has also become much bigger than its original movie.

Disney continued Rapunzel’s story through Tangled Ever After and Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, expanding Corona, its characters and even the mythology surrounding Rapunzel’s magical abilities.

That leaves us especially curious about how Disney will approach this new adaptation.

Will the live-action Tangled remain closely tied to the original animated movie? Or could elements from the larger world that has been developed around Rapunzel over the last decade find their way into this new take?

For now, those answers remain locked away in the tower.

But Rapunzel has become one of the defining Disney Princesses of the studio’s modern era, and seeing her finally join the growing collection of heroines making the leap from animation into live action feels like a natural next chapter.

The tower is waiting. The lanterns are getting ready to rise.

And on March 31, 2028, we’re ready to venture out and see the light all over again.