Disney’s 2010 hit movie “Tangled” is a fun, updated take on the Brothers Grimm’s version of the fairy tale “Rapunzel,” but… did it also totally predict the coronavirus?
No, not really, but that’s the humorous conclusion fans came to after what we assume are marathon re-watch sessions thanks to all that free time caused by the coronavirus quarantine.
It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds though, thanks to some rather amusing coincidences. See, in the film Rapunzel was kidnapped as a baby by the witch Mother Gothel, and then hidden away from the world in an isolated tower. Told that the world is a dangerous place filled with things that can kill her, Rapunzel is forbidden to interact with anyone new for decades. Or, as it’s now known, social distancing.
But that’s not all. It turns out that for centuries, Gothel kept herself young and healthy using a magical flower that grew on her property. Then one day, soldiers from a nearby kingdom showed up and seized the flower from her so they could use it to heal the queen. Yes, that’s right, the richest person in the land confiscated medicine from someone who was hoarding it — then they just used it for themselves.
So Gothel went to that kingdom to steal it back, then discovered that while the flower was gone — not enough vaccines for everyone apparently — its power was inherited by the queen’s newborn daughter, Rapunzel, or more specifically her hair. Cue the kidnapping and years of isolation as Goethel used Rapunzel’s magical hair to remain young.
But most importantly, the name of the kingdom Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel from? Corona. We see what you didn’t intentionally do there, Disney.
That’s about where the similarities end of course. In the movie, Rapunzel parents, the king and queen of Corona, desperately want her back, while coronavirus doesn’t exactly have a benevolent reputation. But we admit it would be nice if it turned out someone could heal the rest of us with their hair or, as revealed at the end of the movie, even just their tears.
Even so, if Rapunzel can spend 18 years of her life trapped in quarantine, surely we can all handle a few weeks, right?
Obviously, fans had a lot of fun on Twitter pointing out these coincidences. Read on for some of the funniest reactions:
https://twitter.com/DjsinsuatDj/status/1239454466794860544?s=20
Wait a minute here…In tangled, Rapunzel is trapped in a tower (quarantine) and hidden from the kingdom named Corona… Did anybody else realize this? #Disney #DisTwitter #DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/TPmY1kPSjt
— Jared Talbot (@JaredTalbot_) March 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/anisadabi/status/1239815891719618560?s=20
just saw a tweet how rapunzel was quarantined in her tower, and the kingdom in tangled is called corona… pic.twitter.com/WxWXudVr4z
— jacey (@mygrandpIans) March 14, 2020
Fun fact: Corona is the name of the Kingdom in the Disney film Tangled where Rapunzel was forced to social distances by her mother. Thanks, @Disney. What other predictions await us in your vault?
— Robert E Hughes (@chicagohughes) March 20, 2020
So in the movie Tangled, Repunzel’s mother keeps her ‘quarantined’ in a tower. The name of the kingdom in the movie is Corona. pic.twitter.com/tdFXidAliw
— Jackie Watson (@JcWatson810) March 19, 2020
Holy Crap it’s really scary…
Remember Disney’s “Tangled”?
Rapunzel‘s mom keeps her “quarantined” right?
Google the name of the kingdom from Tangled…
Yo.#Tangled #TangledCorona pic.twitter.com/1gZbsFAh1J
— Akasan ??????@TGS2022 (@akasan) March 20, 2020
Thank you social media for reminding me that Rapunzel was locked in a tower in the kingdom of Corona for 17 yrs. We can handle a few months of quarantine. Also, watch the tv series. It's amazing!#Rapunzel #tangled #tangledtheseries #disney #fanart #quarentine #corona pic.twitter.com/XAgViowtS4
— Vickie Chau (@vickieschau) March 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/jonwensley/status/1240934071523475457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240934071523475457&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmetro.co.uk%2F2020%2F03%2F20%2Fdisney-predict-coronavirus-fans-lose-realise-tangled-locks-rapunzel-tower-away-village-corona-12428891%2F
“Tangled” stars Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, and the movie was written by “This is Us” creator Dan Fogelman and directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard. What do they know that we don’t?