Disney’s Upcoming Fantasy Remake Has A Big Problem After 32% RT Disappointment

As one of the biggest movie studios in the entire industry, Disney has a plethora of incredible IPs, but their iconic animated originals are what helped the company become a true titan. Understandably, it was only a matter of time before these classics were reimagined in live-action formats, with Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Snow White all receiving modern remakes.

While these projects allow new audiences to engage with such beloved stories, Disney’s remakes have been very hit-or-miss, which already puts pressure on the upcoming Tangled movie. Unfortunately, after the disappointment of 2026’s Moana, the future looks even more challenging for Tangled.

Although 2016’s Moana was a bona fide success that warranted a sequel, the fact that it only came out 10 years ago instantly had people scratching their heads about why it needed a live-action version. Unsurprisingly, this hurt its release, with Moana‘s live-action remake facing box office obstacles, having received just a 32% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

This continues Disney’s poor streak when it comes to these types of remakes, as 2025’s Lilo & Stitch faced plenty of backlash despite its incredible box office performance, while Snow White, Mufasa, and The Little Mermaid all received mixed to negative reviews.

On paper, reimagining such a recent hit should’ve been a safe bet since audience trends haven’t changed that much in ten years, yet the reviews for Disney’s Moana remake have proved otherwise. With this in mind, it’s clear Tangled faces a substantial problem, as it came out just six years earlier, meaning the fantasy remake needs to learn from these shortcomings.

Moana Was Arguably More Suited To Live-Action Than Tangled

Don’t get it twisted, Tangled is an absolute gem from Disney and could perform really well in live-action, but Moana was arguably more suited to this treatment, making its failure even more concerning. One of Moana‘s greatest strengths is its visuals, and while they were clearly hard to replicate in a live-action setting, this should’ve been a major draw.

Seeing the beautiful blue oceans and vibrant islands come to life made the remake a worthwhile investment, and considering the sequel made over $1 billion just a few years ago, it made sense financially. The music and cultural celebration also appeal to a wider audience, hence why Moana felt like a decent pick for a remake despite its recency.

In contrast, Tangled isn’t quite as mainstream and feels more like an underrated hit, rather than a box office juggernaut. It still performed well financially, but it simply doesn’t have the staying power of something like Moana. Visually, it remains a gorgeous movie, yet the backdrops and locations aren’t as eye-catching as Moana‘s, with the story and characters being its key qualities.

On the other hand, Tangled‘s streaming success on Disney+ earlier this year is a sign that it remains incredibly popular ahead of its live-action debut. Therefore, there is still a chance it overcomes the studio’s recent misfires and stuns everyone, but Moana‘s poor critical reception and financial failures ensure this will be an uphill battle.

Live-Action Moana’s Audience Score Is Reason For Optimism

©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection

Despite the challenges that lie ahead, it’s not all bad news for the upcoming Tangled remake, as Moana‘s audience score provides some hope. Although the movie has been panned by critics and has also been the recipient of criticism all over social media, it still has an 89% Popcornmeter rating on Rotten Tomatoes, proving a large section of fans did like it.

It may not be the best live-action Disney remake out there, but it’s far from the worst either. Even though it’s performing well below expectations financially, it has still made over $100 million in a week, meaning a lower budget and better critical reception could actually do the world of good for Tangled.

There are clearly some major flaws with 2026’s Moana, but if Tangled can take the good aspects from it that won over the viewers who did choose to see it, the potential to succeed is there. People have already connected with these characters the first time around, and 16 years on, Disney could repeat this magic all over again.

Doing so will take strong marketing, a faithful adaptation, but also something different to make moviegoers want to show up for the live-action version as opposed to just rewatching the original. Fortunately, Moana does offer some positive lessons on how to do this based on its audience score, proving Tangled can still have a bright future.

What Tangled Can Learn From Disney’s Past Live-Action Remakes

Between Disney’s best and worst live-action remakes, they all offer something for Tangled to learn from in order to flourish. Firstly, the upcoming Tangled film must keep the original’s core themes at the center of the narrative. It’s a well-crafted love story that doesn’t rush its romance and also has some hilarious fantasy elements, which should be retained.

The chemistry between Rapunzel and Flynn is key to the movie’s charm, but the remake can’t forget to allow its incredible supporting characters a chance to shine as well. Keeping these dynamics is crucial to the live-action adaptation working, but it also must offer something new, as many of Disney’s previous attempts have felt like inferior imitations.

Animation makes the characters feel more expressive and the fictional worlds more memorable, so the live-action depictions have to give viewers another reason to come along. More expanded backstories or the adaptation of cut scenes could do the trick, but a simple retelling of events isn’t what people want to see.

Strong marketing campaigns and even smart timing for the movie’s release could all factor in as well, proving Tangled needs to get a lot right. Still, Moana‘s failures may light a fire under Disney to make sure Tangled‘s remake doesn’t face the same issues, and if it learns from past mistakes, it could easily surpass all of its predecessors.