Tangled (aka Rapunzel) Discussion - Part III

[TheValentineBros]

Serious girl is serious.

[mawnck]

[Disney's Divinity]

I don't know, the idea I had of Gothel wasn't someone "sexy" (although that is an aspect to her). I imagined she would be more of an overly strict maternal figure.

From the original tale and the illustrations I'd seen, I imagined that Gothel (or quite simply the Witch, since I didn't know she had a name ) would be an oldish woman (around sixty), tall and with sharp facial features like Lady Tremaine, and be clad in a medieval/renaissance costume similar to that of Maleficent.

I agree. Though my impression of the character details from the Disney film is how I processed a tall, Tremaine-esque picture in my head--less the original tale. I also thought maybe Gothel would be some kind of plump-ish (not fat though), rosy-cheeked woman with puffy blonde hair. Another maternal, deceptive look.

And it's interesting to think maybe Pfiefer's Stardust character influenced the depiction of the witch here. I'm not sure if I like that or not. I mean, I loved Stardust, but I never pictured Gothel as the same kind of character as the witch there.

But maybe it'll all end up for the best. Just not quite what I expected them to do with this character (she's actually not even that pretty, tbh). At the moment, she kind of looks like a gypsy to me.

[Disney Duster]

Wonderlicious I agree your Stardust theory may be true, especially with that picture of her on the wall evidence.

Divinity, the Evil Queen wanted to be Fairest, not sexiest. She probably wanted concentration on her face. She was covered in robes, not really showing off her body. For Mother Gothel to look like a queen in robes climbing the hair would be weird, and for her to look like the up-tight Lady Tremaine would be equally weird as she didn't try to look beautiful, either (I think Tremaine thought she was naturally pretty in the face because of how she looked in the window in the beginning).

But anyway, the original Mother Gothel would have probably been a rather little old woman (shrunken from age, and being a hag) not thinking of beauty or flamboyant clothes. In the original tale, she was actually only described as possibly translated to either a fairy or enchantress, and Mother Gothel is actually just a German term for Godmother. She wanted Rapunzel as her own daughter, and she only locked her up when she hit puberty to stop her beautiful body from attracting men to steal her away from her.

This new beauty angle Disney added to Mother Gothel almost, not entirely, but almost completely changed her and how she would look.

Well, in my opinion, but there's some info I gave to support it, too.

And I agree Divinity, I don't think she's very pretty (except in colors and dress), but I think she thinks she's pretty, and that she thinks her curled hair looks good, etc. And like I said, she's not that pretty just like Rapunzel isn't very pretty...Glen may have...messed up a bit on these things...Rapunzel's big head, even bigger eyes...shudder. But I think Gothel looks pretty in the blueish drawing of her in the video, know which one I mean?

BUT I almost forgot, Mother Gothel will be having her hair up and look like Lady Tremaine when she is old, and she has looked like that in a lot of concept art we have seen, and that is probably why you thought she would look like that...

[Super Aurora]

She may be dumb, but she can kick Rapunzel's ass anyway.

[DisneyFan09]

Am I the only one kind of let down by Gothel's design? A part of me expected me an austere, uptight character--Bree Van de Kamp style--with her hair up in a bun. Instead, it seems like we got a white trash, Susan Sarandon fill-in (imo, a black-haired version of Medusa from The Rescuers). Totally different approach from what I expected. Can't really see a character like this singing, "Mommy Knows Best." Donna Murphy better be pretty fantastic.

I'm a bit dissapointed by her design as well. No offence.

[blackcauldron85]

CiciRose!!! THANK YOU for posting the video!!! And, yeah, I totally noticed the awkward pause after the directors said the title. Still I laugh at the smolder...awesome. I agree with you, estefan, about wanting to hear Alan Menken's music!!!

[spitweet]

I totally agree with whoever said that Gothel looks like Susan Sarandon ! She would have been a good choice for the voice too I think, although she played the queen in Enchanted lol

[singerguy04]

re-casting voices never stopped Disney before. Lady Tremaine and Maleficent share the same voice actress.

I overall like Gothel's design. It seems as if her conceptual look has changed a lot since early designs were seen.

[Disney Duster]

And, yeah, I totally noticed the awkward pause after the directors said the title.

See, I'm not crazy!

[TheSequelOfDisney]

And, yeah, I totally noticed the awkward pause after the directors said the title.

See, I'm not crazy!

If they don't even like it than how should we?

[KubrickFan]

See, I'm not crazy!

If they don't even like it than how should we?

I think you're just a bit overreacting. There's not even an awkward pause. Maybe you just see what you want to see?

[Elladorine]

With all the new stuff coming out about the film I wanted to try a different take on Rapunzel.

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<a href="http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/178111450/">tangled girl</a> by *<a class="u" href="http://enigmawing.deviantart.com/">enigmawing</a> on <a href="http://www.deviantart.com">deviant</a><a href="http://www.deviantart.com">ART</a>

[fatcake]

Wow she is so pretty!

[Disney Duster]

Kubrick, that pause is longer than most and their faces and voices show absolutely no enthusiam for it, more like dislike.

Enigmawing, she looks very much like your character in the eyes...but nonetheless, that piece is absolutely almost breathtakingly goregous!

[DancingCrab]

This has been the most effective bit of advertising for me. It would be nice though hearing some of the film's score at least if not any of the songs yet.

[KubrickFan]

Kubrick, that pause is longer than most and their faces and voices show absolutely no enthusiam for it, more like dislike.

Again, maybe you're seeing what you want to see. I see the enthusiasm. i notice a pause, but nothing awkward. Are you trying to convince everyone the title is bad, that you're grasping at everything to make a case even the filmmakers don't like it? What's next? The font of the title doesn't look as good as the earlier one, proving that even the poster artists prefer the old title? There's no conspiracy, just a name change.

[singerguy04]

I think you're just a bit overreacting. There's not even an awkward pause. Maybe you just see what you want to see?

I agree, there really isn't anything of a pause there. It seems more to me like the teleprompter they are reading from had a gap following the title and before moving on to the next part of what they were supposed to say.

They also just look extremely tired, which is understandable considering how much time they are probably putting in at the studio to get this film done.

[Disney Duster]

Excuses exscuses. You already know they didn't make the change, that the marketers made the change for them and they had to deal with it. I'm just pointing out they're still bummed about it and it's still a travesty they have to deal with something that changes their creative, intended vision. I am just pointing it all out.

But recently I went to the Disney Store and despite the name...finally...it felt really EXCITING that a new Disney movie was coming out. I felt the Disney magic as Rapunzel was finally becoming part of Disney. I really felt great like I haven't in a long, long time... !

[CiciRose]

I agree, there really isn't anything of a pause there. It seems more to me like the teleprompter they are reading from had a gap following the title and before moving on to the next part of what they were supposed to say.

They also just look extremely tired, which is understandable considering how much time they are probably putting in at the studio to get this film done.

Exactly. It was a normal "hey, these are lines and I'm pausing before the next one" beat.

Anyway, let's just agree to disagree and put a stop to this name-change nonsense once and for all, please? I mean, honestly, it's been discussed so much, don't we have anything better to talk about by now...? Like, you know, the actual content of the movie.