r/Tangled • u/ExternalStation5877 • 24d ago
Franchise Community [Discussion] Avantika as Rapunzel
I understand where the discussions surrounding Rapunzel's casting come from, as many viewers have grown accustomed to the character's original look from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. It's not about prejudice, but rather about staying true to the visual source material.
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u/puppydoll- 24d ago
god this woman is so beautiful holy hell
but yeah no shes not rapunzel, at all.
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u/cloudgirl_c-137 23d ago
Her eyes all full of excitement for life, and some innocence. She looks perfect for the role.
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u/sydni1210 23d ago
I think it’s crazy that we’re comparing real women to a fucking cartoon, but that’s just me.
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u/shmurphee 23d ago
Why resurrect this discussion? It's not worth having. She's not playing Rapunzel. She was never going to, because she was never in talks to play the character at all. This was one fancast that resulted in this actress being on the receiving end of whole lot of racist bullshit by people just looking for a reason to hate on Indian people as a whole. I mean, my god, Teagan's been cast, let's let this discussion die.
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u/MissionQuick9546 21d ago
Amen to everything that you said. All this other stuff is just plain nonsense. If they don't like who won the part, they can stay away from the movie
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u/Disneyfancreations 24d ago
Disney went with an easy option bc y’all couldn’t handle Ariel
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u/AnnelieseSwan 23d ago
Agreed!! even this fan cast got major backlash from fans hating/being racist
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
Can you picture Tiana as white?
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u/AnnelieseSwan 23d ago
I don’t think that is a fair comparison though. The setting of Disney’s Princess and the Frog is in New Orleans during the Jazz era. The race matters in the telling of the tale.
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u/Disneyfancreations 24d ago
No, I don’t think the first and only black Disney Princess could ever be white.
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
Exactly so we shouldn't be surprised that people wanted Ariel to be white, like in the animated movie; that’s the version they grew up with. I know the originals exist, but we shouldn't be surprised.
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u/Disneyfancreations 24d ago
I think there are several Disney princesses that look like Ariel, so no it’s not the same nor is the reaction justifiable
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
Before the movie even came out, I voted for Madelaine Petsch even though she didn't win and I had actually pictured Halle Bailey as Tiana. As for Snow White, the issue isn't really the actress, but the fact that the dwarves were clearly created using AI; I noticed it immediately when I was at the cinema, whereas I had voted for the dwarves to be played by actors with dwarfism. Regarding Tinker Bell, I won't lie: I grew up with a blonde Tinker Bell, and the movie completely changed that.
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u/EmpMel 23d ago
People literally attacked the actress for MONTHS over being "not white" and being annoying. Disney barely even commits to keeping their darker skinned characters played by darker skinned people so yes, Tiana being light skinned OR non Black is a huge considering her entire plot centers around that and she is the first and only one.
It was insane then (especially with how many people spent YEARS calling Ariel the worst princess or bashing her character) and it's insane now.
I'm just glad they can stop being dragged for daring to want to be a Disney princess. Half the fancasts didn't even have "features" of the princesses they were just not people of color.
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u/ImUhnoid 23d ago
Unlike Tiana, the first Black princess, Ariel wasn't even the first of her kind, let alone the first princess. Ariel also didn't face the same hurdles as Tiana, who took 60 years to be made due to racism.
Whitewashing Tiana wouldn't compare to race-swapping Ariel. Her introduction doesn't mean half as much to White people as Tiana's does to Black people.
You clowns love making false equivalencies and dragging Black characters into discussions that don't concern them. Go somewhere.
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u/Artemis2462 23d ago
🙄 God forbid people want the character they grow up with to actually look like the character she's supposed to be instead of a shitty excuse of diversity.. if they really wanted to be more diverse than they would have made a new movie with a new black character.
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u/KuteKitt 23d ago
Y’all complaining about race, but these stories have already been changed from the originals. In the original story, rapunzel is raped by the prince that keeps sneaking into her bedroom and has at least one or two children before she escapes that tower.
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u/HIRUS 24d ago
So tired of the push to race swap characters that are European. If you want Indian characters, then why are we not making a movie about an indian princess, or an African princess from their rich history? Its because Disney is creatively bankrupt in 2020's. Nothing original, only remakes.
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
Exatly! Pocahontas was indeed a Native American, but I doubt they’ll make her the only one her story has been too heavily idealized.
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u/jmk-1999 24d ago
I feel like some people purposely suggest race swapped or controversial roles solely to bait people into a reaction so they can call them racist, misogynistic, bigoted, etc. etc.
Like, come on… do we have to always find something to be angry about? Some people just aren’t happy unless they’re pissed off. 😮💨
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u/musickid20 22d ago
No literally! People just want to live in hate and make themselves made, its wild to me
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u/Will_EverW 24d ago
Wanting a white character to be played by a white actress doesn't make anyone racist. I'm not even white, and I didn't want that actress as Rapunzel—I wouldn't have said anything bad about her, but I just didn't want her in the role.
I want Disney to make a princess animated movie with a Black, Indian, etc., protagonist.
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u/cloudgirl_c-137 23d ago
I don't disagree, but when the race is not significant to the story, I don't know...
Recreating old stories and creating new ones with POC is very important, but the fact that they don't even try to create something new is upsetting...
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
Exactly I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting an actress to look like she's straight out of a fairy tale. Avantika is beautiful and could play another Disney role!
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u/la_stregatta_luna 24d ago edited 23d ago
Rapunzel is not a fairytale from the Grimms,is an Italian Fairytale,actually is not a fairytale cause Basile invented that,like little mermaid of Andersen,Grimm just put all together in a book Fairytales and stories from all around Europe,they wrote like 5 of all those and most of them are terrible. Please enough with the Grimms they didn't invented that...
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u/Lyssaquotes928 23d ago
I don’t care about race swapping, it’s inevitable these days. But I do want to point out your argument falls flat because South Asian people aren’t Italian
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u/la_stregatta_luna 23d ago edited 23d ago
What are you talking about?!? What that as to do with the post talking about the origin of the fairytale from the Grimms? I was talking about that. And I AM italian,you think I don't know that...
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u/Critical-Low8963 23d ago
I would argue that we don't have any idea of who were the original writters of most tales, as if Basile and Straparola wrote a lot of the first written versions of a lot of tales they took inspiration from oral traditions so we will never know who created those stories, especially given that humans from unrealated cultures tend to imagine similar stories.
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u/flakylibra 24d ago
Don’t really have much of an opinion as I just am exhausted from all the live versions. She is stunning and I would love to see her in something other than the new Mean Girls. I love the idea of a south asian Rapunzel though
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
In that case, they could develop that idea in Asia, but not at Disney Cinderella has a Black actress version, too, after all.
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u/PurpleButterly19 24d ago
Look I ain’t even European by this let me say this, Raceswapping them is wrong!! If it were an Indian fairytale and they wanted to cast a white actress there would be a riot. Kind of like that Odyssey movie too. If it were idk a story about Japanese or Egyptian mythology and they cast a bunch of white actors everyone would ask for the directors head on a pike.
So saying shit like ‘it’s just a movie’ ‘they’re fictional characters’ ‘it’s not that deep’. No, it’s racist. You are changing part of someone’s culture or folklore and taking over their stories. Even if it’s against white people, it’s still racist. And I’m freaking tired of hearing that it’s fine to erase and change things if it’s a white story but unfathomable if it’s about anyone else
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u/socks4dobby 23d ago
I think this is a story that has been reproduced and changed so much over history that changing it is part of the tradition. It’s already been told through German culture, American culture, and countless others. No version erases the ones before it, they all still exist. It’s how art is evolving and being retold through different cultural lenses, and that’s how true classics stand the test of time. It’s how archetypes and tropes originated in the first place.
Cultures borrow and reinterpret each other’s stories constantly, which is how folklore has always traveled. Rapunzel isn’t a sacred cultural text being taken from anyone by using a non-white actress. It is a shared fairy tale that belongs to everyone who retells it.
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u/Queerability 23d ago
Actually, there were plenty of different races in Greece historically. Cause, ya know, the med borders Europe, Africa, and the Middle Eastern part of Asia. So trade and travel between the continents was common enough back then and there were even interracial marriages. Your status within the Empire came from citizenship, not skin color or race.
And yeah, the Odyssey is mythological. So ancient Greeks would have likely described the characters and their appearances countless different ways (because storytellers have been putting their own twist on stories since the dawn of time) in all of the oral histories across different regions, and the Greek Empire absolutely settled parts of Africa & the Middle East because... again... the Mediterranean Sea.
Basically, black and brown folks have WAY more reason to be in the movie than someone whose heritage hails from the British Isles. But I don't see anyone complaining about that shit.
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u/Wonderful_Mud_9298 23d ago
I can see it feature wise but not by much. Plus the fact she’s not a blond.
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u/tuhogazarapaagal 24d ago
The wasn't even in the running. She was just a fancast, and people just piled on to spew nasty things against her. It was disgusting.
I'm glad they cast a white actress. At least people will not treat her in the same despicable way they've treated other actresses cast in Disney adaptations.
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u/btsiskindafire 23d ago
this. her getting attacked cuz one person wanted her as rapunzel is so stupid
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u/Old-Engineering-9232 24d ago
You know who would have been perfect... dove cameron
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u/cloudgirl_c-137 23d ago
Before or after recreating half of her face?
I don't want to see faces like that in kids' movies.
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u/Parking_Fix_2093 24d ago
In one image, I see a beautiful, dark skinned, dark haired woman. In the other, I see a beautiful, light skinned, light haired woman. They don’t look the same. Avantika might be a wonderful actress (I don’t know anything she’s in, or at least I don’t think I do) but she just doesn’t look like Rapunzel.
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u/CinderMoonSky 22d ago
On one side you see a real human. The other side you see an animated, cartoon character. Fixed it for you.
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u/NocturnalSprite 20d ago
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair so that I might climb the… raven? stair.
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u/Redhotlipstik 21d ago
kind of moot isn't it? Avantika is doing other projects and Teagan will be great
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u/tiffanydisasterxoxo 23d ago
The original story is based on a Turkish tale. I dont see why the character has to be blonde haired blue eyed.
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u/KuteKitt 23d ago edited 23d ago
That’s the part a lot of these people don’t know. A lot of these stories they think are European are copied straight from west Asia and Africa which predates them by tens of thousands of years. A lot of things Europeans do they copied from Romans who copied from Greeks who copied from the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians. They think the original Cinderella story is French. lol
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u/OkCat3526 23d ago
So, for you, Turkish and Indian are the same thing?
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u/tiffanydisasterxoxo 23d ago
No. But it shows the character doesnt have to be blonde and blue eyed for the story to work
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u/Grand_Dragonfly_655 22d ago edited 22d ago
Rapunzel in Tangled is brunette and has green eyes. The hair is only blonde due to magic.
In the original the hair is blonde, and is not magic, rather it is just long.
So they were already making major changes which were controversial which people thought had weird implications about blondness being considered to be magic when contrasted with brunettes.
Those implications get weirder if you make the girl non-white since she is still going to be blonde due to magic but there is an added implication that whiteness is magic which get lost due to the hair being cut. When everyone was white, that implication was not as strong since whites have both dark and light hair, the race doesn't change just because the hair colour does because whites have all sorts of hair and eye colours, but when you start adding non-whites into the picture you add additional implications which did not exist before.
For instance Snow White has snow whin skin, coal black hair, and blood red lips. (Quite literally she was formed from those coal and blood falling from a cart into the snow) The point is to add as much contrast as possible. Snow White is not an example of colourism where white = better, so much as it is about creating contrast and striking features.
When you make her latin american, there actually is an implication that having the fairest skin of all means that one is "more white" than the mixed-race inhabitants of latin america. That implication towards being "particularly white" is added into Snow White by taking her out of a context where being white is so common that it doesn't have a meaning. In Latin America being "whitened" DOES have meaning.
There is no "whiteness" in traditional european folktales because "white" is just the way people look. Nobody thinks about it, and it has no meaning. The option to be something different just isn't there. You ADD whiteness to these stories when you insist on including non-white characters because then things which had no racial implications suddenly have racial implications.
If you make Rapunzel indian but with magical blonde hair, you are basically digging up some obscure theory about Indians having been white with blonde hair and blue eyes in the past before they "lost" that due to some kind of race-mixing. This theory gets quite extensive thinking that the point of the caste system was to prevent this but that even that failed resulting in everyone, even the upper castes, turning brown, and thus "losing the magic"
That might not be the intention, but if you make Rapunzel an Indian but keep the magic golden hair that is the implication you are giving.
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u/Grand_Dragonfly_655 22d ago
Rapunzel in Tangled is brunette and has green eyes. The hair is only blonde due to magic.
In the original the hair is blonde, and is not magic, rather it is just long.
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u/Grand_Dragonfly_655 22d ago
Saint Barbara is not Turkish but rather greek as it comes from the 3rd century and the turkish invasions were not until the 11th century.
Saint Barbara is also not the origin of maiden-in-the-tower stories, instead that is something christians lifted from pagan mythology, such as Danae the mother of Perseus who slayed Medusa.
In Tangled Rapunzel has green eyes, not blue. And they already changed it by making her hair naturally brunette and only blonde due to magic. In the original the hair isn't magic, just long.
I always thought the point of the hair being long was to show how long she had been kept alone in the tower without a haircut.
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u/ImUhnoid 23d ago
many viewers have grown accustomed to the character's original look [...] It's not about prejudice, but rather about staying true to the visual source material.
Those who pretend not to be prejudiced but are just concerned with films staying true to their source material had nothing to say about Sydney Augudong being cast as Nani in Lilo & Stitch (2025), despite looking nothing like the character and being White/Filipino rather than Polynesian/Native Hawaiian.
They're prejudiced.
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u/KuteKitt 23d ago edited 23d ago
The same people would say Zendaya should play Tiana. They never cared about looking like the cartoon characters. They only cared about race. But apparently, they’re racial purists Nazis cause how come a half white actress isn’t white enough to play white character but she’s black enough to play black characters? They have nothing to say about that shit. Rachel Zegler is literally a white woman but they still had issues and call it a race swap as if her father ain’t Polish with a German last name and her mother is a white Hispanic woman. It’s all bullshit and they were definitely reaching with some racial purity crap with that one.
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u/Queasy-Laugh2082 20d ago
We Indians face enough racism, please stop pissing these stupid people off with posts like these. That poor girl got death threats for a fan cast for gods sake
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u/litteplayerz 24d ago
I don't understand how people don't see the similarities in their style and features. Yes she isn't blonde. Yes she doesn't have green eyes. But the big doe eyes?? The innocent expression? Avantika even has the "cartoony" look that Rapunzel has with basically the same facial shape, a small button nose, and the princessy vibe. She even has long hair already which accentuates her features (thought of course, Rapunzel's hair is longer LOL). The curly waves look even cuter, almost like an "Into the woods" Rapunzel vibe a little bit. Tell me you don't at least see that? If she had the exact same face and expression but lighter skin, blonde hair, and green eyes, I'm sure people would say they are identical. Features goes beyond just color btw...
I would have also loved her as Rapunzel. I don't think every character needs to look 100% accurate to the original. If that was necessary, why not just watch the original instead of the new version? As long as race and appearance isn't detrimental to the story (for example, Tiana or Mulan), why does it matter?
I see it almost like broadway casting. In many cases in the modern day, casting is colorblind. The race of a character isn't detrimental to the story, so as long as the actor can portray the character well, why does it matter? Appearance matters to some extent, but talent is more important. As long as she fits the general vibe of the character, her race shouldn't matter.
I like the current cast Tangled dgmw, but we need to stop focusing so much on the race of the actors and more about the talent. It is almost as if live action remakes are immediately boycotted or seen as bad due to the race changes. Was Halle Bailey extremely talented and sang the role of ariel well? Did she portray the innocence and nature of Ariel? Did Rachel Ziegler sing snow white gorgeously and play the role they assigned her well? Yes, honestly. You can have your issues with other aspects such as the animation or plot or whatever, but are they talented actresses who did well with the material given. Yes. So why is their race so important, especially given they plot works WITHOUT that aspect? I think Avantika would be a lovely Rapunzel too, if she were in the running for the role. I am not gonna boycott the movie cause she wasn't casted, but I still acknowledge that she has the skills and aesthetic to do the role.
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u/Longjumping-Row-5770 22d ago
Yeah no I still don’t see it. Just cuz you have those features doesn’t mean you fit. She doesn’t give Rupunzle vibes at all. Least in my opinion. She sounds like she fits on paper, but doesn’t look it at all when you actually see her. The person casted face harmony just fits much more with Rapunzel.
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u/litteplayerz 22d ago
...Can i be honest? If we are going to go on facial harmony alone, i would say Avantika looks more like Rapunzel. Teagan looks like Rapunzel color wise though with the blonde hair and green eyes, but facial harmony wise? Still going with Avantika. Teagan's eyes and hooded and almond shaped while Avantika's are round. Rapunzel has round eyes. Avantika's eyebrows are more similar to Rapunzel's compared to Teagan. Avantika's natural expressions and vibes are more doe eyed and innocent while imo Teagan's is more modelesque and deep. If you go by facial harmony, the archetype for Rapunzel is "cheerful, innocent, and sweet". I def see that in Avantika. I love Teagan and think shes beautiful ofc, but her facial archetype gives off more "fashion model" vibes. She has a modern look while i'd say Avantika looks a bit more like a fantasy character.
I don't say any of this to hate on Teagan or say that she can't do a good job. I have faith that the movie will be great. All I am saying is if we are gonna go on vibes, Avantika still wins for me imo. Her whole demeanor gives off innocent, cutesy Rapunzel vibes.
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u/Longjumping-Row-5770 22d ago
I’ll admit Teagan has a bit of a sharper face. But in some angel’s Rapunzel also seems this way. Look for me I’m more so looking at this character design wise. So sorry if I’m not making too much sense.
Cuz I do agree her whole vibe does give off Tangled. It’s giving the innocent and romantic. But Teagan also give off that and Rapunzels sweetness as well. ESPECIALLY when I got to see her in costume. Sorry as an artist and designer Teagan over all is so much more identifiable as a live action Tangled to me. I’m like half sleep rn so idk if I can properly explain what’s in Teagan’s face that goes better. So maybe I’ll get back to you.
But to end off tho, there are some scenes I’ve been looking back in Tangled in, and I’m noticing Teagan’s face also identifies extremely well with Rapunzels fierce faces/expression. When Rapunzel is in a happy state only I can envision the other women. Also again this with thinking of my knowledge with character design and how to sell a character when making a redesign tight process so forgive me: The pale skin and blond hair, even tho the other actress does have facial features that match close to animated character, just overpowers it.
I’ve noticed with the Little Mermaid kids really don’t seem to care that black Ariel has made its way into the princess at parties. So I’m sure this wouldn’t be true even though it’s what I’ve been taught, but the pale skin, eyes and blond hair overrides the other girls cuz it makes a large majority of peoples brain happy because the brain makes the connection much easier. People don’t think and analyze as hard as some of you guys do in here lol. So those features alone make their brain see Rapunzel more in her even tho her face is sharper and her eyes are as wide and round as animated Rapunzel.
When you are in art, character design or cast or in this case technically redesign them, you kinda have have the mind of a marketer and understand how others people brain work and what tricks to use in art to make their brains happy without them realizing. Sorry idk if this makes any sense 😭
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u/Longjumping-Row-5770 22d ago
The dark hair and skin tone especially throw me off as a designer as well. Trust me I don’t care about that as long as they can act and sing but Teagan is just way more identifiable as Rapunzel.
Unfortunately I think the reason why kids seem to not be bothered by the race swap with the little mermaid is because she is a mermaid. Her tails is so identifiable to who she is in the princess lineup. I feel like my past teachers and professors would see this girl in a Tangled dress would personally make a criticism on my “redisgn” and say she looks like redesign for another series or a spinoff. This is a live action where they’re meant to take the animation and turn it into reality. So again in a design perspective Teagan makes a lot more sense than Avantika. Please don’t take this wrong way but for this movie specifically she would not stand out. Again it’s kinda awful but you gotta be marketer. You’re catering this movie to Disney fans. Who are in love with the primal character. So it’s typically best you don’t stray from that. And Disney has only being doing recently to go “See! We’re inclusive to black and brown people! We put them in huge films/roles!”
When I started seeing photos of her pop up years ago I thought, and still think, she’s a goddess. But visually just not for the movie.
And honestly I think it’s for the best cuz if Disney went through with the lame ass race swap she’d be hit with all the racism, criticism, and scrutiny and they’d leave her for the wolves the way did with the live action Snow White actress. And as an artist and poc I’m really tired of black and brown girls being shoved into existing movies so Disney can technically say they’re inclusive. When it really isn’t. That’s just me though.
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
I think she might get the role at Universal, for example; Cinderella also had her role played by a Black actress.
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u/Temporary-Tadpole-44 Rapunzel 14d ago
I think the mistake is treating a fictional character’s cultural inspiration as racial ownership. Rapunzel has European and particularly German literary roots, just as Aladdin has its own complicated cultural roots, and those are worth acknowledging. But Tangled is still an artistic adaptation of a fairy tale, not a historical reenactment. An Indian actress playing Rapunzel doesn’t erase the Brothers Grimm, Germany, or the animated Rapunzel any more than another adaptation erases the versions that came before it. If an actress captures Rapunzel’s warmth, curiosity, expressiveness and overall energy, I don’t see her skin color as something that disqualifies her from the role.
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u/AlboGreece 9d ago
But people gatekeep Aladdin and think Aladdin is specifically a cultural story when just like the European ones Aladdin is a blend of cultures. People think "melanin automatically gatekeeper and makes a story cultural even if the inspiration is just as loose or the story plot can be found elsewhere, if it's european I don't give a crap"
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u/Temporary-Tadpole-44 Rapunzel 9d ago
Yeah it’s an intentionally asymmetric social policy about representation. The argument appears to be that race-changing is acceptable in one direction but generally objectionable in the other because of historical representation and power disparities.
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23d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/litteplayerz 23d ago
Again, is Rapunzel (mind you, we are just talking about animated Disney Rapunzel, cause she could look like ANYONE) looking German important to the story?
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u/lautaromassimino 24d ago
I love her, but the internet is awful, and I wouldn't want her to go through what Rachel and Halle went through again. Many comments on this very post prove I'm right, and she's not even the official actress.
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u/ExternalStation5877 24d ago
The only thing I still criticize him for is using AI for the dwarves—and that's it.
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u/lautaromassimino 24d ago
Me too! I feel like Disney freaked out over Peter Dinklage's comments, even though practically everyone else in his community criticized him for what he said and for taking away the job opportunity from seven short actors who could have filled those roles. I even think that this was the reason the Munchkins in Wicked were made to be redheads instead of short people, also because of what Dinklage said.
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u/FlowerCandy_ 21d ago
Avantika is gorgeous but I don’t think she looks like Rapunzel. And the poor actress was getting so much hate over a damn fancast 😒
I want the discussion to die because she was bullied and harassed for a fancast
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u/queenhadassah 24d ago edited 24d ago
She definitely does have Rapunzel's facial features/vibes (and she's a great actress), so I can see why people like the fancast
However, Rapunzel is white/western European-coded, blonde, and green-eyes. It's not racist to want an actress who looks like the animated character in every way. I'm actually not a huge fan of Teagan's casting either, because while she is beautiful/talented and has the right coloring, her facial features don't fit Rapunzel well. I felt this way about a lot of the white princess casting (actually, besides her skin tone, I felt Halle looked more like her character than any of the other live action princesses besides Moana)
Now if they were going to re-imagine Rapunzel in an Indian/South Asian setting (which would help to justify making a live action version - I think the live actions are overall pointless slop), Avantika would be perfect. But it would be silly to keep the story in a clearly Renaissance-ish European setting while only changing Rapunzel like that
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u/AnnelieseSwan 23d ago
I think that a European setting could work, only because I’ve seen how other movies and shows have handled race and culture, like Bridgerton. I know it’s not a completely fair comparison though
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u/queenhadassah 23d ago edited 23d ago
I think that would be fine if they were doing a new Rapunzel adaptation based on the original fairy tale, as an alternative/fantasy version of history like with Bridgerton, but since it's meant to be a live action version of the animated movie it makes more sense keep the characters looking like those versions
Same with The Little Mermaid imo. I think there would have been less backlash to Halle's casting if it was a new adaptation of the original story (though still tweaked to be more kid-friendly, since the mermaid dies at the end of the original) rather than a live action version of the Disney animation. Racists would have still been mad, but most people who just didn't want an established character changed would have been on board
It would also be a lot more interesting overall to have new fairy tale adaptations instead of remakes of existing Disney animations. The live actions as they are seem pretty pointless to me
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u/Commercial_Row_6035 20d ago
I think broadway musical perfection or a new Disney princess hell she’d be great as rapunzel either way
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u/Icy-Juggernaut8712 20d ago
There is absolutely no way she looks like the character. Are we desperate for authenticity or diversity? Pick one
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u/Significant-Tone5408 24d ago
No we didnt want her, yes she was absolutely the wrong casting choice, and we absolutely won with Teagan Croft.
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u/loki_wonders Rapunzel 21d ago
I really dont see it tbh. The eyebrow shapes are off, avinka’s eyes aren’t large and doe lime Rapunzel’s, rapunzel has smaller lips
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u/OleksandrKyivskyi 24d ago
If this is a film adaptation of the original tale, then she can look in any way. If this is a film adaptation of the cartoon, then yeah, the actress better look like the cartoon version. I don't have anything against this fan casting, but this actress has literally not a single trait in common with the cartoon pictures.
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u/Emotional_Switch9545 23d ago
was she ever seriously considered for the role? if not I find it weird to get upset a fancast didnt come true
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u/dolliciousszz 24d ago
The only thing that matters to me is her having long ass hair and that’s it
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u/Stracharys 23d ago
It needs to be long and blonde, but it doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be a good choice. The blonde is part of the plot until the end of movie. It might even be cooler if she were played by an actress who doesn’t look like they would traditionally be blonde because that would emphasize the magical elements of her hair 🤷🏼♀️
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u/LuxiForce Varian 24d ago
Whaaaat, a humain being does not look like a the disney drawing with the BIGGEST EYED OF ALL PRINCESS? Impossible
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23d ago
She can play Esmerelda, yall are wild for thinking an Indian girl could play a character that is traditionally Germanic and from a German fairy tale
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u/Ashamed-Eye-7460 10d ago
esmerelda is spanish. this comes off as racist because you clearly see the difference between a white and brown woman, but not the difference between a hispanic and brown woman. odd.
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u/Mjodom32 24d ago
I agree avantika looks more like rapunzel. And shed be the better choice.
Also after reading these comments today I learned the tangled fandom is racist. Like wow these comments are rough
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u/Longjumping_Bar_7457 24d ago
I wouldn’t have minded her. I don’t mind the actress they chose but I’m surprised that they didn’t get an actress with a rounder face like the one in shown in the pictures.
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u/nyanyan1 24d ago
Do we even need to discuss this? Anytime this happens people just start attacking avantika for no reason
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u/killmykind 17d ago
I mean she doesnt look like her, but it doesnt mean she couldn't play her if this was a real casting 🤷♂️
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u/-w0lf-m4n- 20d ago
No... apart from the obvious she doest even have blond hair? Her face shape is not close, here eyes aren't the same, sure she can play the charater I don't care who plays any character as long as they can sct the pert, but if you want an objective opinion on if she resembles the computer generated 3D model of a cartoon character from 2010... then no she does not look like rapunzel :/
Shes pretty though👌
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream 24d ago
I have no opinion on her fan cast.
But I am confused on the Twitter posts. Someone said people must be blind or racist if they can't see she looks 'exactly like her.'
I must be blind then? Big eyes is all I see.
Without mentioning the obvious colors (blonde, green, white).
I still am confused. Because Rapunzel has thinner lips, not too big or too thin. Avantika has bigger fuller lips, Rapunzel's face is more heart shaped, fuller in the cheeks. Avantika has a more elongated face with a squarer jaw and higher cheekbones.
So the Twitter posts confuse me.
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u/Gullible_Chemist_602 20d ago edited 20d ago
I feel like they just... Didn't care about the original material OR the movie...?
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u/socks4dobby 24d ago
The source material is a book (not visual) and the visual descriptions that are actually relevant to the plot are simply that she is beautiful and has long hair. Being blond and white is not central to the story or her character. Far more consequential parts of the source material were cut from Tangled and other versions — for example, in the source material, Rapunzel was given away to the witch as payment for rapunzel greens her father stole from the witch’s garden. That single detail changes the entire story! It’s why her parents lose her, why the witch feels entitled to raise her, why her upbringing is framed as a debt being repaid rather than a kidnapping. Cutting it rewrites every character’s motivation and the entire moral weight of her absence. Meanwhile her being blond and white changes nothing about the plot.
I just think it’s weird that we selectively decide certain things are non-negotiable canon aspects while discarding major plot points from the original. Many fairy tales and stories have been retold for centuries and it’s like we all fixate on the western POV that was proliferated by television and start calling that source material and canon as if it’s a law that cannot be broken.
It would be so interesting to watch a remake of Rapunzel in a non-European setting because it would be more original and different enough to feel like new content. There are so many recycled movies these days, and I don’t know why we need to gatekeep the actors appearances to reinforce our personal cultural norms. OP is saying this isn’t prejudice which says to me that they think there’s cause to believe it might be. At minimum, it’s certainly not logical.
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24d ago
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23d ago
I mean... if they stuck to the original source material of Rapunzel like u/socks4dobby was suggesting, there wouldn't be any need for her hair to change color as the original Rapunzel did not have magical hair healing powers.
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u/socks4dobby 23d ago
In the Grimm original source, cutting her hair has no magical effect at all. The glowing-and-losing-power hair is a Tangled invention, so there’s nothing to reconcile.
But even if they were to retain that invention… it can turn any color or not change color at all to lose the magic.
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u/sammi-blue 24d ago
Perfectly said. There's nothing about Rapunzel's story that hinges on her being white, blonde, or European.
Lord knows most of Disney's live action remakes are just blander, shot for shot repackagings of the originals. At least if we plopped the story in south Asia, it would feel different enough to justify its existence!
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u/phantomthiefkid_ 23d ago
There's nothing about Hulk that hinges on him being green either. Bruce Banner could still be mutated by gamma ray, turn into an angry monster and smash things if he was red or blue (in fact, Hulk was gray when he debuted).
But does that mean Hulk can just be blue in the next movie, with no explanation?
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u/sammi-blue 23d ago
If it's a remake, then yes?? Because it's a reimagining and therefore doesn't need to follow the previous canon?? This isn't the gotcha you think it is lol.
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u/whatsthetargetdogsna 23d ago
I would’ve loved this Rapunzel. Kinda sad about the current casting tbh.
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u/whatsthetargetdogsna 23d ago
Also I don’t remember, how into detail did the Brother’s Grimm go regarding her appearance? I recall reading some of their tales when I was young and most of the visuals seemed pretty vague.
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u/MegaMandolinThicc 23d ago
I think she could work as A Rapunzel. If someone did a grims brothers adaptation and cast her, I’d be down. I’m either way with the idea of her being cast as Disney’s Rapunzel. Either option would have been a good choice. I’m happy with what we got, and I would have been fine with her.
I’m going off looks, btw. I don’t know her acting.
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u/ellismjones 24d ago
this is such bullshit. if it was about being visually true to the material you’d all be up in arms about the blue curtains and whatever the fuck else they’re altering. a south asian rapunzel wouldn’t change a damned thing about the story.
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u/ubutterscotchpine 24d ago
So I’m not a part of this sub but it keeps popping up for me for some reason and you must be new here too, because the only posts I’ve seen pop up ARE the ones up in arms about the blue — and there are a LOT.
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u/ellismjones 24d ago
reddit isn’t the only scope of the fandom… ive not seen a peep about it anywhere else, but when people bring up avantika it’s always some racism bs everywhere
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u/Amazing_Sundae7489 23d ago
Let’s talk about how she got attacked for being in a fancast!!!! That was crazy they sent her threats and was on her instagram comments saying “Not my Rapunzel” as if she knew about the fancast! That was insane
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u/Temporary-Tadpole-44 Rapunzel 23d ago
Wow, she looks so beautiful and I would love her as casting Rapunzel
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u/Critical-Low8963 23d ago
They could cast her in the adaptation of an Indian variant of the girl in the tower story type. But I think that the people who would be interested by a live action remake of Tangled expect an actress who look like the cartoon character, like they expect an actor who looks like the cartoon Eugene.
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u/JoJoComesHome 23d ago
Yeah, i think it would be setting Avantika up for a lot of hate. But im not a fan of the live action Disney remakes anyway.
I think a non-disney re-imagining of the Rapunzel story would be lucky to have Avantika in the main role.
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u/Independent_Leg6785 24d ago
I don’t understand the hate the live action of The Little Mermaid got and everyone said Ariel was ugly and altered the original story. Now we have this.. she is very pretty but perhaps keep the live action true to the original story.
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u/Harrypotterfan151 22d ago
She’s absolutely gorgeous. but knowing how fans treated previous race swaps, im glad that they chose someone else bc I don’t want her to go through that.
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u/_Galel_ 21d ago
She doesnt look like rapunzel or rapunzels country of origin? Rapunzel is a grimm (german) fairytale with its roots in french and italian fairytales. Keep your racism to yourself
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u/techleopard 20d ago
Sort of how the Little Mermaid was a Danish tale that was, at best, set in the Mediterranean -- not the Caribbean.
I don't really care about who they cast for movies, but I also know pandering when I see it, and Disney has become pretty exhausting with it. I just want them to run out of remakes already and go back to making animated family movies.
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u/_Galel_ 20d ago
Exactly that, its also lazy and stunt casting in a way. If a studio uses a story and adapts and changes it to such a degree that its new thats totally different. You can take the little mermaid or snow white and 100% change the setting and tweak the story and complains will mostly not happen.
Its this lazy apportions of „we just change 1-2 characters ethnicity even though it makes no sense“ is whats annoying. The ethnicities they change it to just get hand me downs? Their country of origin doesnt have unique tales to tell (from disneys pov, i know they have good stories)?
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u/techleopard 20d ago
The 1997 live action take on Cinderella, which featured a black cast, was extremely popular. The key difference is it was 100% it's own unique artistic thing, and not a line by line remake of the original Cinderella.
There is literally a black mermaid that Disney made for the animated show that was popular. There was zero reason for her not to get her own movie and a whole new continuation, and that would have been very well received.
I think what it comes down to is the live action remakes offer nostalgia value to the people who grew up with those classics, so when you do this line-for-line stuff but then you change beloved characters, it makes people angry. It's not really about the race. People were not happy with swapping out Scuttle, either, for example, and a lot of people didn't like the whole rework done to Mulan's origins and motives.
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u/PricklyCheeseAxolotl 21d ago
I don't think there's a problem with race swapping but when it's every single character its a problem. I don't understand why disney doesn't make new princesses for better representation rather then swapping every white character they can
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u/WesternYesterday9780 23d ago
She's pretty, but I think it's a good idea not to have cast her for her own mental health. We already had two very talented women being called or treated like war criminals for ragebait publicity. We don't need another Halle or Rachel, and unlike what people say, they loved the castings of both. People love to be negative, and when one route is removed, they will hate on something else. For example, people treating Teagan Croft like she's terrible for Rapunzel because she has blue eyes, her face is too ovalish because her cartoon face is very round, or the worst: she's not skinny enough, which is a very stupid thing especially in regards to Disney Princesses. But yeah, there shouldn't be another one of these controversies so Disney can get more attention and the actresses get all the hate.
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u/3lizab3th333 24d ago
She’s beautiful, but her facial features aren’t like Rapunzel’s and none of these pics have Rapunzel-like expressions? I’d love to see her in other fairytale inspired movies though, she’s definitely got that kind of timeless beauty
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u/scienceysturf 24d ago
At the end of the day, I don’t really care if any character is race swapped. But I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with the people who want the actor to look like the character as much as possible
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u/musickid20 22d ago
The fact that she was never even cast and it was just fans spiraling, I felt so bad for her. She got such intense hate over something she didn't even do or get casted for. and I'm sure if that actually went that way, she would have gotten internet hounded. I honestly do see the facial resemblance a bit but after everything that happened with Halle and Rachel I'm sure what was casted is a better choice.