For once, Disney appears to be making a casting decision that doesn’t feel engineered to spark controversy first and tell a story second. According to Deadline, Kathryn Hahn is in talks to play Mother Gothel in Disney’s upcoming live-action Tangled remake.
While nothing is officially signed yet, the reaction online has been noticeably different from the studio’s last several princess reboots—and that alone says quite a bit about where Disney finds itself right now.
(L-R) Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.
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Unlike The Little Mermaid and Snow White, which arrived burdened by months of ideological messaging, defensive media framing, and audience fatigue before tickets even went on sale, Tangled is shaping up to look… like the animated feature. And that may be the most surprising development of all.
A Casting Choice That Actually Fits the Character
Mother Gothel is one of Disney Animation’s most memorable modern villains. She is manipulative, theatrical, vain, and emotionally predatory—less a mustache-twirling master of overt evil and more a psychological parasite who feeds on youth and control. Casting this role correctly matters.
Mother Gothel in Disney’s Tangled – Disney+
Kathryn Hahn makes sense here in a way that feels almost old-fashioned. She has spent years mastering characters who oscillate between charm and menace, humor and cruelty. From sitcom comedy to darker dramatic turns, Hahn has demonstrated the exact tonal flexibility Mother Gothel requires.
This isn’t stunt casting. It’s not an attempt to provoke discourse. It’s not a social media checkbox. It’s simply a performer whose skill set and physical appearance align with the role.
That alone sets this apart from Disney’s recent pattern.
Disney’s Recent Live-Action Track Record Speaks for Itself
There’s no getting around the reality that Disney’s last two major princess remakes struggled to connect with audiences.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
The Little Mermaid underperformed relative to expectations despite massive marketing spend. Snow White was plagued by behind-the-scenes chaos (caused by the rhetoric of “star” Rachel Zegler), prolonged delays, and audience disinterest long before release. In both cases, Disney leaned heavily on messaging about “modernizing” the stories rather than convincing viewers the films were worth seeing.
Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
By contrast, Disney’s most financially successful live-action remakes—Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Lilo & Stitch, and The Lion King—stuck close to their animated roots. They prioritized familiarity, musical nostalgia, and broad audience appeal.
Tangled now appears to be following that earlier, more successful model.
Authentic Casting Instead of Reinvention
The casting of Teagan Croft as Rapunzel and Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider already suggested Disney wasn’t interested in radically reinterpreting the material. Both actors visually and tonally align with their animated counterparts, which may sound insignificant—but it’s exactly what audiences have been asking for.
Rapunzel and Flynn Rider next to a photo of Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim – Photo Credit: Disney+; X, @mrphillipchan
Kathryn Hahn’s potential casting reinforces that direction.
Rather than reshaping Mother Gothel into something unrecognizable to make a statement, Disney seems poised to let the character remain what she was always meant to be: a villain defined by vanity, control, and emotional abuse.
That restraint feels intentional.
Is Disney Finally Learning its Lesson?
Hollywood doesn’t change because of online arguments. It changes because of financial consequences.
The box office has made it clear that audiences aren’t interested in being lectured or baited. They want escapism, sincerity, and stories that respect the source material they already love. Every studio claims to understand that lesson—few actually act on it.
Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.
If Tangled continues down this path, it could represent a rare moment of institutional self-awareness at Disney. Not a grand apology tour. Not a press release about listening. Just quieter decisions that signal a shift away from ideological overreach and back toward entertainment.
Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel won’t make or break the film on its own. But it does suggest Disney is at least paying attention now.
And in the current climate, that alone is news.
How do you feel about Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel in Tangled? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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The vessels don’t matter. Maybe they’ve finally discovered no want wants to see the uglies in movies. Not even the uglies. They’re not fooling me though. The same uglies, the real uglies are still there, hidden behind the camera. Behind our view. They’re the one writing this trash. Hiring this trash. Coming down from their c-suite and demanding this character must be gay now. All those people are still there, safely bunkered down.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing.