Disney Puts Tangled Live-Action Remake on Hold in the Wake of Snow White’s Disastrous Box Office Run

The fallout from Disney’s Snow White disaster is beginning to spread—and the next casualty is Rapunzel. According to insiders, Disney has hit pause on its planned live-action Tangled remake, quietly shelving the project just weeks after Snow White’s disappointing box office performance.

The decision, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by multiple sources close to the studio, signals growing internal concern over the viability of Disney’s remake-first theatrical strategy.

The dislike ratio for the Snow White trailer as of 02/03/25

Snow White, originally budgeted at $210 million but bloated to upwards of $270 million after costly reshoots, has grossed a mere $69 million domestically and $145 million worldwide. That’s a catastrophic return on investment for a movie meant to revive one of Disney’s foundational fairy tale brands. Even with international help, Snow White is on track to lose hundreds of millions.

Now, Tangled—once considered a crown jewel in the next wave of Disney live-action remakes—is being yanked from its golden tower.

Tangled Up… and Tossed Aside

The live-action Tangled had been in active development, with The Greatest Showman’s Michael Gracey set to direct and a screenplay from Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Thor: Love and Thunder, Do Revenge). Gracey’s involvement had generated some enthusiasm online, especially among fans of Tangled’s musical flair. But Disney has reportedly “paused” the project indefinitely in the wake of Snow White’s failure.

While official language from the studio remains vague, there are many who believe this isn’t a creative delay—it’s a strategic retreat.

The numbers on Snow White seem to have spooked executives, and the studio is reassessing which properties are still worth the live-action treatment. The box office collapse, coupled with years of mounting backlash toward the remakes’ tone and direction, may be forcing Disney to finally reconsider a formula that’s rapidly showing diminishing returns.

A Strategy Losing Its Magic

Since the early 2010s, Disney’s live-action remake strategy has churned out blockbuster hits and costly flops in near-equal measure. Beauty and the Beast ($1.26B), Aladdin ($1.05B), and The Lion King ($1.66B) brought in enormous profits. But those were legacy properties with broad four-quadrant appeal and built-in nostalgia across generations. These remakes also stayed fairly faithful to the original source material.

Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In contrast, Dumbo, Pete’s Dragon, Cruella, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, and now Snow White have all stumbled—creatively or financially, or both. In most cases, these failure films were radical departures from the original with sweeping story changes, an injection of modern progressive ideology, or race swapped classic characters. 

Now, with Snow White essentially dead on arrival and Tangled on ice, the question must be asked: Has Disney’s remake era run out of steam?

What Comes Next?

Despite this shake-up, two more live-action titles are still heading to theaters within the next 15 months—and Disney is betting big on both.

First up is Lilo & Stitch, arriving May 23. The studio has gone all-in on marketing, with its Super Bowl spot featuring Stitch “crashing” the field racking up 173 million views in 24 hours. The trailer itself became Disney’s second-most-viewed live-action trailer ever, offering hope that this one might strike a chord with younger and nostalgic audiences alike. It also seems to be sticking closer to the actual source material, which historically has been a hit with audiences. 

Lilo and Stitch with Nani in the Live Action Lilo & Stitch movie – YouTube, IGN

Further down the road is Moana, which sails into theaters July 10, 2026. And Disney has reasons to be optimistic here: the original Moana has become a streaming juggernaut, logging 1.4 billion hours watched on Disney+—equal to over 735 million full plays of the movie. Adding to that momentum is the animated sequel, Moana 2, which despite lackluster reviews was a runaway financial hit last year with over $1 billion grossed worldwide.

These two films may be Disney’s last best hope of salvaging the live-action brand. If either underperforms, the studio could be looking at a major overhaul of its theatrical strategy.

A New Regime, A New Direction?

Tangled’s shelving also reflects a larger shift in Disney’s leadership. Daria Cercek was named head of live-action theatrical films earlier this year, reporting to David Greenbaum, who replaced longtime live-action overseer Sean Bailey. Greenbaum and Cercek are said to be more cautious about “expensive nostalgia plays” and may pivot the division toward original projects or tighter, character-driven remakes.

Dopey in the Live Action Snow White movie – YouTube, Disney

That change could be what finally ends Disney’s decade-long reliance on CGI-heavy, IP-fueled remakes. It’s a model that once printed money—but as Snow White and The Little Mermaid have proven, audiences are no longer enchanted.

How do you feel about Disney shelving the live-action Tangled film? Sound off in the comments below and let us know! 

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