#historicalcontextmatters

Disney had so many options for how to give Rapunzel and Flynn a realistic, romantic, and satisfying ending. Instead, they went with the lazy, unrealistic “everyone’s fine with it now” route — and then let the TV series drag Flynn through years of humiliation, rejection, and classist nonsense.

Here’s how it should have gone:

1️⃣ The Anastasia Route — Eloping

In their historical time period, it’s laughable to think Rapunzel and Flynn could:

Date for years without being married

Or marry without royal approval

Especially since her parents had literally sentenced him to death without a trial for stealing a crown. The idea that they’d just “accept him” is absurd.

They could have run away together, married in secret, and lived free — showing:

Flynn’s transformation into an honest man working to support them

Rapunzel’s willingness to give up royal privilege for love

2️⃣ The Aladdin / Little Mermaid Route — Fighting for Love

They could have:

Faced her parents’ rejection head-on

Proved to the kingdom that their love was real

Earned the royal blessing after showing courage, loyalty, and sacrifice

That would’ve made their marriage feel earned, not handed to them in a convenient fairytale shortcut.

3️⃣ The Sleeping Beauty Twist — Prince Reveal as the Key

Instead of Rapunzel spending years calling marriage a prison until Flynn turns out to be royalty, the story could have:

Had her parents forbid the marriage

Then had the “Flynn is secretly a prince” reveal win their approval

That way the “title” reveal comes from the world’s prejudice, not Rapunzel’s own shallow classism.

4️⃣ The Bitter Greens Approach — Marry Before Returning

They could have married before going back to her parents, securing their bond before any royal politics could tear them apart. This is actually common in Rapunzel retellings (where the prince marries her before taking her to his kingdom), and it makes sense:

Ensures no one can separate them

Shows Rapunzel’s commitment to Flynn the man, not Flynn the title

5️⃣ The “Forget the Palace” Option — Leave the Kingdom

Honestly? The healthiest, most in-character choice would have been:

Not returning to parents who condemned Flynn to death

Building a life together somewhere far away

Living free of the crown and choosing love over status

That would’ve been the ultimate arc:

Flynn proves his growth through hard, honest work to take care of her

Rapunzel proves her love by choosing him over power

❌ What We Got Instead:

Rapunzel returns to strangers who almost killed the man she loves without ever questioning that cruel sentence

Immediately acts like titles matter more than love

lies to him, lets everyone insult him, draws his face on a freaking punching bag for a toxic friend, rewrites his personality through time travel without ever feeling guilty about it

Spends years calling marriage to him a prison, a trap, a nightmare

Only changes her mind when he’s revealed to be royalty

This is after he literally died for her freedom.

The message? “Love is only worth it if your partner is royal.” It’s insulting. It’s classist. And it completely destroys the love story of the original movie.

Flynn Rider deserved better. He’s the sweetest, most selfless Disney male lead. He gave up his life for Rapunzel, gave up his old ways for love, and was ready to commit fully. And in return, he got years of rejection, humiliation, and abuse from someone who once called him her “new dream.”

Disney could have given us a love story for the ages. Instead, they gave us a cautionary tale about how to ruin one.

Let’s get one thing straight: Flynn Rider deserved better.

In Tangled, he was the most selfless, emotionally mature, and respectful male lead Disney ever gave us. But then the TV series turned him into a punching bag — literally and figuratively — for years, all while rewriting Rapunzel into one of the most toxic love interests Disney has ever produced.

And no — that’s not “trauma.” Trauma doesn’t give anyone the right to abuse their partner. Especially not a partner who has done nothing but love and support them.

Let’s take a look at how every classic Disney couple showed more love, commitment, and mutual respect than whatever that was in the Tangled series:

🍎 Snow White & The Prince

Snow White endured extreme abuse and trauma.

Yet, when she was shown kindness and love by her prince, she embraced it.

She didn’t push him away or punish him for her past.

She also understood commitment — marriage wasn’t a prison, it was part of the fairytale ending.

Compare that to Series Rapunzel, who:

Treated Flynn like a threat to her freedom

Rejected his proposal for years

And only stopped seeing marriage to him as a nightmare after he turned out to be a prince

🥿 Cinderella & Prince Charming

Cinderella also suffered terrible abuse.

But she never mistreated her prince because of it.

She fell for him without knowing he was royalty, based on kindness and connection.

Compare that to Rapunzel, who:

Doesn’t want to marry Flynn until he becomes a prince

Tolerates everyone insulting him

Only reconsiders marriage once he’s revealed to be royal

🌹 Aurora & Prince Phillip

They fell in love believing the other was a commoner.

They didn’t care about crowns, titles, or thrones.

They fought to be together because they loved each other.

Meanwhile, Series Rapunzel:

Literally refuses to marry Flynn until he turns out to be royal

Sees marriage to a non-royal as a trap

Treats status like it matters more than love

🧜‍♀️ Ariel & Prince Eric

Ariel had a controlling, toxic parent too.

But she never projected that trauma onto Eric.

She chose love and commitment.

Marriage was part of her freedom, not a prison.

Ariel and Eric are probably the healthiest Disney couple.

Series Rapunzel, by contrast:

implies marrying Flynn would be like being locked in the tower again

Has literal nightmares about marrying him

Only stops seeing him as a “trap” once he’s a prince

📚 Belle & Beast

Their story started with pain — but it evolved through growth.

Beast learned kindness, Belle responded to it.

She appreciated his sacrifices and chose him after he changed.

Series Rapunzel:

Spits on Flynn’s growth and sacrifices

Draws his face on a punching bag

Treats him (or at least his proposals) like Belle treated Gaston, not the Beast

🕌 Jasmine & Aladdin

Jasmine fell for Aladdin despite his poor background

She rejected royalty if it meant losing her freedom to choose

They fought against a system that told them they couldn’t be together

Series Rapunzel?

Becomes the system.

Doesn’t want to marry Flynn unless he’s royal

Never once defends him from her royal peers’ mockery

⚔️ Mulan & Shang

Even with their disagreements in the sequel, they fought for each other

They both made sacrifices

They had mature conversations and found compromise

Meanwhile, Flynn in the series:

Is the only one compromising

Is lied to constantly

Is shut down and never allowed emotional safety or partnership

🍯 Tiana & Naveen

They chose each other even when it meant staying frogs forever

They worked hard, supported each other, and got married

Money, titles, power — none of that mattered

Series Rapunzel?

Needs royal privilege to feel okay with love

Doesn’t appreciate Flynn until he’s “worthy” in the eyes of her class

Makes zero sacrifices herself — it’s always Flynn

🗑️ Summary: Series Rapunzel & Flynn Are the Worst Disney Couple

Let’s recap what she does:

Lies constantly

Keeps secrets

Lets others insult him to his face

Puts his face on a punching bag

Travels back in time to rewrite his personality

Calls marriage to him a nightmare

Sees being his wife as worse than the tower

And only stops when — guess what — he’s a prince

Flynn deserves better.

He was kind. He was patient. He was respectful. He died for her freedom. He proposed out of love. He supported her dreams.

And in return, he got years of rejection, gaslighting, and public humiliation. All from someone who once looked him in the eyes and said that he was her new dream.

💬 Final Word:

Every older Disney couple understood love, respect, and sacrifice. They didn’t need trauma excuses to justify cruelty. They didn’t trade love for class. And they didn’t wait to commit until their partner was “royal enough.”

Series Rapunzel and Series Flynn? That’s not a love story. That’s emotional abuse disguised as girlboss empowerment.

I decided to also write a defense post about Ariel, my favorite princess.

It honestly frustrates me to no end how Ariel is constantly mischaracterized as "weak" or "anti-feminist" when in reality, she’s one of the strongest, most independent princesses Disney has ever created. She had an abusive and controlling father who tried to crush her dreams and limit her world—and she still found the courage to fight for freedom, for love, and for her own voice. And yet, Ariel is so often torn down, while series-Rapunzel is bizarrely praised for treating love like a prison and her partner like a burden.

Ariel wanted to live on land long before she met Eric. Her dream of freedom and exploration wasn’t driven by romance—it was hers alone. But when she did fall in love, she was allowed to embrace it fully. She saw marriage as liberation, not a cage. She never once treated Eric as her enemy, or as someone holding her back. In fact, her love gave her the strength to break free from her toxic family dynamics and finally live life on her own terms. That is empowering. And that is exactly what the original Rapunzel/ Petrosinella tale was about too—a girl escaping an abusive parental figure through love and marriage, not in spite of it.

But somehow, Disney decided to completely trash that message with series-Rapunzel. Suddenly, marriage is framed as a prison, and Rapunzel—a girl who spent 18 years locked in a literal tower—has nightmares about being with a man who would literally die for her. Instead of escaping an oppressive environment, she stays with her abusive parents because they’re “her real family,” while pushing away the one person who actually supported her and gave her a way out. And people applaud this? Call it feminist?

Ariel was also traumatized—she lived under constant fear, was gaslit by her father, and punished for being different. But she never turned that trauma into cruelty. She never lashed out at Eric, never used him as an emotional punching bag, never called marriage a trap. Meanwhile, Rapunzel in the series treats Flynn like a villain just for loving her. And yet, people constantly excuse her toxic behavior because she’s “traumatized”—while simultaneously blaming Ariel for wanting to escape her father’s control and painting her as “selfish” for leaving. Why is Ariel’s rebellion villainized and Rapunzel’s coldness glorified?

Not only that, but series-Rapunzel only stops fearing marriage after she learns Flynn is secretly a prince. So we’re just okay with that? We’re okay with her subconsciously believing he isn’t good enough until he turns out to be royalty? That’s classicism, plain and simple—and it gets even worse when you remember her so-called “best friend” mocks Flynn for his poor background and Rapunzel says nothing.

Meanwhile, Ariel fell in love with a human prince while having nothing to offer him. She was voiceless, homeless, and desperate—but still believed in love and fought for it. She didn’t care about class, about status, or about control. She just loved him, and believed that love could save her. And you know what? It did.

And the best part? Ariel doesn’t go back. She’s not punished for choosing love. She doesn’t get forced to stay under the sea with an abusive father just because of blood ties. She’s allowed to leave, to grow, to change, to live. That is what real empowerment looks like—not staying stuck in trauma, not rejecting love out of fear, not mistreating your partner because you haven’t healed.

Ariel is stronger than series-Rapunzel. Full stop. She didn’t let trauma turn her into an abuser. She didn’t need someone to be rich or royal to love them. She chased her dreams, fought for her freedom, and still had enough heart left to believe in love. That is not weakness—it’s power. It’s strength. It’s real feminism.

Honestly, it’s a miracle Disney didn’t use the Hans Christian Andersen ending for the live-action remake—because punishing Ariel for loving a man would have fit too neatly into their new narrative: that women can only be strong if they reject love, softness, and vulnerability. But Ariel proves them wrong. She always has.

The line at the end of Tangled:

“After years and years of asking, and asking, and asking… I finally said yes.”

This is Flynn’s joke. He’s pretending that he was the one holding off on marriage, and Rapunzel was the one proposing repeatedly. It’s playful, ironic, and in keeping with his humorous narration style throughout the movie—it's a lighthearted twist.

➡️ It does NOT mean Rapunzel rejected him for years. ➡️ It’s NOT meant to be taken literally—just like many fairy tale endings that play with humor and happily-ever-after tropes.

But some people misinterpret this line the opposite way—that Rapunzel kept rejecting him. It’s a common misunderstanding, but in context, it's a play on Flynn’s reformed scoundrel personality and meant to be sweet and funny.

Then, in the short sequel Tangled Ever After, they do get married, and the kingdom celebrates.

In Tangled Ever After:

The setting, character designs, and even the side characters like the four little girls look exactly the same.

The kingdom is still celebrating. Nothing looks aged, and the environment has the same atmosphere as the first film. Nothing in the short shows a passage of years. No one has aged. The energy is identical to the ending of the film.

➡️ This strongly suggests the wedding takes place very soon after the events of Tangled, not “years later.” Maybe a few months at most.

The line “after years and years of asking” doesn’t align visually or logically with what the short film shows.

If Disney intended it to be funny, it falls flat for many viewers.

The fandom interpretation that she rejected him over and over for years has no visual, narrative, or character support in canon.

If a viewer accepts the “rejection for years” theory, then yes—it twists Rapunzel from brave and loving into selfish or emotionally unavailable, and it reduces Flynn to a sidekick begging for commitment, which dishonors both characters.

In the Brothers Grimm version, Basile's Petrosinella and in the historical setting:

Marriage = liberation, social legitimacy, and intimacy.

It was not just romantic, but a structural necessity.

To reject it would mean refusing a future together and refusing the relationship entirely—not just “not now,” but “not ever.”

🧠 If the line Were Meant Literally?

Then:

Flynn would be waiting years for a yes (but he clearly isn't upset), despite being the one who gave up everything for her.

Rapunzel would be repeatedly rejecting him—despite loving him deeply and sacrificing everything for him in the film.

Tangled Ever After would show aged characters, different designs, or some passage of time—which it doesn’t. Everyone looks exactly the same.

So either this line is a joke, or the visuals and storyboarding of the sequel short completely contradict it. Which makes one thing clear:

👉 The line is not meant to be taken literally.

🎬 What Was the Original Intention?

The original Tangled was directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, with a screenplay by Dan Fogelman (*also wrote Bolt and Cars). Their intention was to create a classic fairy tale with a modern but sincere love story.

Everything in Tangled builds toward mutual trust, love, and commitment:

Rapunzel is willing to sacrifice her freedom to save Flynn.

Flynn is willing to die rather than let her stay trapped.

They each choose each other over everything else.

This isn't a story about fear of commitment. It's about liberation through love. Marriage is a natural continuation of that.

🤦 Why Does This Misinterpretation Persist?

Partly because Tangled: The Series (which had a completely different creative team) rewrote the characters with inconsistent, sometimes toxic logic—especially in how it portrayed marriage, commitment, and trauma. It inserted modern anxieties into a setting where they don’t make historical or emotional sense.

It literally:

Introduced a version of Rapunzel who saw marriage as a worse prison than Gothel’s tower.

Framed Flynn’s proposal as something traumatic.

Gave us scenes where Rapunzel has panic attacks and nightmares about marrying Flynn.

Yes, seriously.

The woman who sang “I’m where I’m meant to be” the second she and Flynn fell in love… Now treats him like a red flag?

And fandoms—often eager to overanalyze or push new interpretations—ran with it, despite it contradicting the emotional truth of the movie.

✅ Final Thought:

No, the original Tangled writers did not intend for Rapunzel to reject Flynn’s proposal for years because she thought marriage was a prison. That contradicts the film’s entire message, and the final line is clearly written as a sarcastic twist, not a factual timeline.

That misinterpretation came later, from the Tangled: The Series creative team, not from the original movie’s team (Nathan Greno, Byron Howard, Dan Fogelman). The movie Tangled was about love that liberates, not love that traps.

The real love story is this:

Two damaged, brave, loving people find each other, trust each other, and choose a life together.

And that is the ending Disney actually gave us.

The line “after years and years of asking…” was always a joke, not a literal timeline.

There’s zero narrative or visual evidence in the original movie or Tangled Ever After that suggests a years-long rejection happened. Everyone looks the same in the short film. The tone is light. The kingdom is still celebrating. It's clearly set shortly after Tangled.

Many fans—quietly or vocally—choose to:

Ignore the TV series.

Stick with the original film and Tangled Ever After as canon.

See the series as a misguided, out-of-touch continuation that misrepresents the characters and themes of the movie.

You’re allowed to do that too. And it doesn’t make you “wrong,” “toxic,” or “anti-feminist.” It just means you value emotional consistency, storytelling integrity, and what the film originally meant.

Turning Rapunzel into someone who:

Sees marriage as worse than being imprisoned by her abuser,

Panics over commitment from the person who gave up everything for her,

And treats Flynn like a joke or emotional burden,

I am staying away from the Tangled fandom for good. They are some of the meanest, cruelest, most toxic people I’ve ever dealt with online. The second you dislike their badly written fanfiction (because that’s what Tangled: The Series is — fanfiction, not canon), they jump to insults, name-calling, and gaslighting. Sorry, but no random toxic fan and certainly not manchild Chris Sonnenburg owns Rapunzel, Flynn, or my feelings.

Let’s get this straight:

The series wasn’t written by Nathan Greno or Byron Howard.

It wasn’t produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

It wasn’t connected to the people who made Tangled or Tangled Ever After.

By definition, it’s not canon. Period. I’ve written Tangled fanfictions too — does that make them canon? Of course not. And neither does Sonnenburg’s trash.

And let’s not forget: Disney themselves ignore spinoffs, sequels, and shows whenever they feel like it. (Pocahontas II, Cinderella II, Return of Jafar, Little Mermaid II… anyone?) If the parks don’t acknowledge the series, then why on earth should we?

Here’s what actually matters: 👉 Tangled + Tangled Ever After tell a complete, beautiful love story. That’s canon. That’s what the original creators wanted. The series is optional garbage.

What makes me furious is how the series spat on Flynn Rider’s entire character arc. In the movie, he had one of the most selfless, pure moments of love Disney ever wrote: cutting Rapunzel’s hair, knowing he would die, because her freedom mattered more than his life. That was the heart of his character. That was his redemption. That was true love.

And what did the series do? Undermined EVERYTHING:

Rapunzel calling marriage to him a prison (as if he were Gaston???).

Rejecting his proposals for YEARS but still stringing him along.

Only deciding marriage is okay after he’s revealed to be royalty. (Classist garbage!)

Letting everyone insult him while never standing up for him.

Drawing his face on a punching bag for a toxic Gothel 2.0.

Lecturing him about being a thief while ignoring her real toxic parents who literally sentenced him to death.

Traveling back in time to REWRITE HIS PERSONALITY, treating him like a puppet.

Movie-Rapunzel never would have done any of this. She loved Flynn so much she was ready to sacrifice her freedom for his life. She never would have seen being his wife as a prison. She never would have needed him to be a prince to love him. The “series-Rapunzel” is nothing more than a cruel imposter written by someone who hated Flynn and their romance from the start.

So yes: the series is garbage. Period. And anyone defending it is just proving how toxic they are.

Me? I’m done. I’ve reclaimed my Tangled. I’ve written my own ending where Rapunzel and Flynn don’t go back to those awful parents who tried to hang him. Instead, they elope, start a new life, and travel the world together — free, in love, and safe. That’s the ending they deserved.

If Disney can ignore their own spinoffs, then I sure as hell can too. I’ll keep Tangled and Tangled Ever After as my canon, and the series will rot where it belongs: in the trash.

Copying my reddit comment because this is important: Where Disney absolutely missed the mark with tangled was this rejected proposal nonsense and it's disrespectful to the source material and made their relationship so infinitely toxic and they never should have stayed together after this because nobody with self respect stays together after a rejected marriage proposal.

Rapunzel should have married Flynn immediately. Marriage is not some holy bond with some supernatural force that doesn't exist or a bond that can never be broken. Marriage was just invented to protect women, to ensure a man stays with a woman when she gets pregnant. THAT is the only reason marriage was even invented. It's a practical contract that ensured a couple could go further without the risk of the woman ending up alone with a child and cast out by society. And since Tangled is set in a time period where contraception wasn't available, they would have needed marriage immediately to protect her reputation and for them to be able to have physical closeness which she clearly wanted in the movie and it also makes perfect sense she would want that after a lifetime of isolation with only a narcissistic woman for company who barely even hugged her.

Just like it made sense in the original fairytale for her to want closeness with her prince and that's why the different authors of the Rapunzel/ Persinette/ Petrosinella fairytale insisted on including a an accepted proposal and marriage in the story to prove that it was really love between them and because those two fairytale characters were very passionate and wanted to act that way and that led to pregnancy so the story needed marriage to be a love story.

Romantic love is not some soul bonding event, it's chemical reactions in your brain (mostly hormones like Oxytocin and Dopamine) and physical attraction and in a time period with no or limited contraception such physical attraction led to pregnancies which is why marriage was necessary to protect women. So, Rapunzel and Flynn would have needed marriage immediately after becoming a couple to protect her. Marriage was protection for women, not a prison. Which might also be the reason many other disney couples married after a short time and it's unfair Tangled of all love stories didn't get that when they were presented as one of the most passionate couples and the original fairytale was about passionate love.

In honor of Tangled's 15th anniversary, here is another post about how the series ruined everything for me.

Disney’s Tangled is one of the most beloved animated films, and for good reason. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider (Eugene Fitzherbert) were a perfect couple, balancing each other out with charm, wit, and genuine love. Flynn's growth from a self-centered thief to a selfless partner was heartwarming and beautifully done. But then came Tangled: The Series, which turned this incredible relationship into a mess of bad writing, toxic dynamics, and completely out-of-character behavior—especially for Flynn.

I will never forgive this series for how it destroyed Flynn’s personality, undermined his character, and turned his relationship with Rapunzel into one of the most frustrating and unhealthy pairings in Disney history.

Flynn’s Character Assassination

Let’s start with what they did to Flynn, who was one of Disney’s most layered and likable male leads in the movie. In Tangled, his arrogance was a facade—part of his act as a thief—but deep down, he was clever, resourceful, and had a good heart. By the end, he proved he was willing to give up his life for Rapunzel’s freedom.

In the series, all of that complexity is gone. Flynn is reduced to a bumbling fool, constantly belittled and bullied by other characters, especially Cassandra, while Rapunzel stands by and says nothing. He’s no longer the clever, charismatic man we saw in the movie—he’s turned into a caricature of himself, stupid and insecure, always the butt of the joke. His confidence is gone, replaced with an exaggerated arrogance that feels completely out of place.

How is it fair that Flynn, who grew up unloved in an orphanage and learned to survive on his own, is treated like this? He deserves better, and the fact that Rapunzel never stands up for him makes it even worse.

Rapunzel’s Toxic Behavior

Rapunzel’s treatment of Flynn in the series is nothing short of infuriating. She constantly takes him for granted, keeps secrets from him, and dismisses his feelings and concerns. There’s an episode where she literally draws his face on a punching bag for Cassandra—and she never apologizes for it. In another, she uses time travel to fix his personality when he dares to disagree with her just once.

How is this okay? Even though Rapunzel went through trauma, so did Flynn! He was abandoned as a child and grew up on the streets, yet he always treats her with love and respect. Why isn’t he shown the same courtesy? A healthy relationship is built on mutual respect and compromise, but in the series, it’s always Flynn who has to give in. His feelings and wishes are constantly ignored, while Rapunzel’s are treated as the only ones that matter.

The Marriage Drama: A Horrible Message

The series also includes one of the worst storylines I’ve ever seen: Rapunzel repeatedly rejecting Flynn’s marriage proposals. In the movie, Rapunzel was willing to give up her freedom and her entire life for Flynn because she loved him so much. So how does it make sense that in the series, she views marrying him as a “prison”?

This sends a terrible message. Marriage is framed as a trap—even when it’s between two people who deeply love each other. What makes this even worse is that Rapunzel seems to change her mind about marriage only because another woman, Stalyan, expresses interest in Flynn. That’s not love—that’s toxic jealousy.

If someone considers marriage to be a prison, it means they’re subconsciously thinking about breaking up or cheating. How can you claim to love someone if you’re not willing to make a promise to stay together? Rejecting Flynn’s proposals multiple times is cruel and inconsistent with the Rapunzel we saw in the movie, who clearly adored him. And the idea that they couldn’t marry “too soon” is ridiculous for the time period the story is set in. Back then, people married young and quickly because that’s how relationships worked.

If Disney wanted to tell a story about waiting to marry, they should have chosen a different couple. But Rapunzel and Flynn were the wrong candidates for this storyline.

The Double Standards and Toxic Dynamics

What infuriates me most is the double standard in their relationship. Flynn is always treated as if his feelings don’t matter, while Rapunzel is allowed to do whatever she wants with no consequences. If the roles were reversed—if Flynn rejected Rapunzel’s proposals and prioritized his friends over her—everyone would agree it’s toxic. But when Rapunzel does it, it’s somehow fine?

Flynn is constantly bullied and belittled by Cassandra and other characters, and Rapunzel just stands there. She never defends him. Yet the moment Flynn dares to say something critical about Cassandra, Rapunzel gets angry with him! How is this fair?

And then there’s the infamous time-travel episode, where Flynn’s personality is altered against his will. Rapunzel never apologizes for this either and seems perfectly fine with him being changed. How can people call this a healthy relationship?

An Unbelievable and Inconsistent Story

The series doesn’t just ruin Flynn and Rapunzel’s relationship—it also makes no sense in the context of the movie. In Tangled Ever After, Rapunzel and Flynn look deeply in love and happier than ever. Yet in the series, we’re supposed to believe she rejected his proposals? It’s inconsistent and unbelievable.

It’s obvious the series was written by different people than the movie. It doesn’t feel like a continuation of their story—it feels like an alternate universe where everything is worse. I refuse to consider it canon because it completely undermines the beautiful love story of the movie.

Conclusion

Rapunzel and Flynn’s relationship in Tangled: The Series is a masterclass in how to ruin a great Disney couple. Flynn deserved better than to be turned into a joke and treated like his feelings didn’t matter. The series sends harmful messages about relationships, compromise, and even marriage, and it completely contradicts the movie’s themes of love and sacrifice.

The older Disney princesses set the standard: they only rejected proposals when the man was the wrong person. As it should be. And they never stayed in a relationship with the suitor they rejected. That’s called having boundaries and self-respect.

Series Rapunzel? She breaks both rules in the most disgusting way possible. She:

Repeatedly rejects Flynn’s proposal

Calls marrying him a “prison” — worse than Gothel’s tower

Still keeps dating him, enjoying the benefits without committing

Only changes her mind when he’s revealed to be a prince

That’s not romance. That’s using someone. And it turns her into the most classist, shallow, toxic Disney love interest ever put to screen.

Belle was stronger.

Belle rejected Gaston because he was a narcissistic, misogynistic abuser who would have truly trapped her in a prison-like marriage. Flynn? He was nothing but sweet, supportive, selfless. He would have treated Rapunzel like a queen from day one. He literally died for her freedom — and still, Series Rapunzel compared marriage to him to a prison. That’s spitting in the face of everything he sacrificed.

Jasmine was stronger.

Jasmine rejected suitors who saw her as a trophy. She chose Aladdin despite his poverty. Series Rapunzel does the opposite — she rejects Flynn for years, then suddenly says “yes” when he’s revealed to be a prince. That’s not love. That’s falling for a crown.

Aurora was stronger.

Aurora fell for Phillip when she thought he was just a commoner. She didn’t care about his title. She was devastated when she thought she’d have to marry a stranger prince instead. Series Rapunzel? She only stopped having nightmares about marrying Flynn after learning he was royal. Before that, she literally dreamed of accepting his proposal as a horror scenario. The moment he’s a prince — nightmares gone. Transparent much?

Ariel was stronger.

Ariel chose Eric when she was a mermaid and he was a human — before she could even be with him. She never rejected him for three seasons. She always wanted to be human long before Eric and in the end she got her dream and her love without dragging it out in a toxic cycle. Series Rapunzel couldn’t even accept Flynn after he gave her both love and freedom.

And then there’s Flynn.

The most selfless, sweetest male Disney character ever written. Ashamed of his real name, he trusted her enough to share it — only for her to turn around and imply that being “Mrs. Fitzherbert” would be a trap, a nightmare, a prison. He sacrificed everything for her — his freedom, his life, his future — and she treated him like Gaston or Prince Achmed. As if he was the abuser, when in reality, he’s the opposite.

This isn’t “quirky relationship drama.” This is character assassination. Flynn deserved the kind of love the older princes got: unconditional, committed, and free from classist garbage. Instead, Disney gave us a Rapunzel who acted like royalty was more important than the man who literally died for her.

My heart bleeds for him. He deserved a queen who saw his worth from day one — not someone who needed a crown to finally say yes.

Extra: Why the series is nothing more than bad fanfiction with a Disney logo:

1. Different Writers, Different Vision

Tangled (2010) and Tangled Ever After (2012) were written and directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, who created Rapunzel and Flynn’s story and clearly intended for them to be happily married shortly after the movie.

Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure was written by an entirely different team, led by someone who admitted he disliked Flynn as a character and didn’t like Rapunzel and Flynn as a couple. That alone makes his vision completely incompatible with the original story.

If the original creators weren’t involved, why should their work be overwritten by someone who didn’t even respect their characters?

2. Different Studio = Different Continuity

Tangled and Tangled Ever After were produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney’s main film studio.

The series was produced by Disney Television Animation — an entirely separate division.

Historically, Disney TV spin-offs are never treated as true canon. They exist as side stories, not as official continuations.

3. Disney Has a History of Ignoring TV Shows and Sequels

The Little Mermaid TV series? Ignored.

Aladdin TV series and its sequels? Ignored.

Hercules TV series? Ignored.

Even Cinderella II and Cinderella III aren’t treated as “real” by Disney parks or merchandise.

If Disney can ignore all of these when convenient, why should this series get special treatment?

4. Tangled Ever After Already Showed the “True” Timeline

Tangled Ever After clearly takes place shortly after the movie (the characters look the same, the little girls who braid Rapunzel’s hair haven’t aged a day, and none of the series characters appear).

That short was created by the same team that made the original film — meaning it reflects the actual intended timeline.

If the series were canon, the short wouldn’t make sense. It’s obvious the show was written in later as an afterthought.

5. The “Proposal Joke” Was Always Just a Joke

Flynn’s line about “years and years of asking” at the end of Tangled was never meant to be literal. It’s a comedic fourth-wall joke, not a plot setup.

The series took this joke and twisted it into an entire arc of Rapunzel rejecting Flynn, making marriage look like a “prison” for women — which is completely contradictory to the tone of the film and the historical fairy tale roots.

6. The Series Actively Destroys the Movie’s Characters

Series-Rapunzel treats Flynn terribly: lying to him, letting people insult him, rejecting him for years, and only “accepting” marriage after discovering he’s secretly a prince (a disgusting classist implication).

Movie-Rapunzel would NEVER have behaved this way. She sacrificed everything for Flynn.

This isn’t character growth — it’s character assassination.

7. If It’s Not by the Creators, It’s Not Canon

Fanfiction isn’t canon just because it’s officially licensed.

As long as Nathan Greno, Byron Howard, and Walt Disney Animation Studios didn’t create it, it doesn’t overwrite the original story.

Conclusion:

Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure isn’t canon. It’s a poorly written fanfiction that hijacked beloved characters, destroyed their relationships, and forced a modern “girlboss” agenda onto a story that was originally about love, freedom, and growth.