How I got into Tangled and the Fandom
So, I just saw the 12th podcast of Tangled Talk (awesome job, @tangledbea, @kelseyfitzherbert, and @forever-tangledup!) today and listened to how they all got into Tangled and the fandom, and it got me thinking about how I got into Tangled. Then, I read @mazda-321‘s post about how they got into the fandom, and of course, I decided to jump on that bandwagon!
So, strap in, boys and girls! This is how I got into Tangled and the Fandom!
As you all know, Tangled came out in November 2010, and I was actually in my senior year of high school. I saw the trailers on TV, and I actually thought that the movie looked stupid. Like Team Awesome, I saw how Eugene was talking in the trailer, and it felt like it was one of those movies where the characters talked in modern “slang” and did not look like something to be taken seriously. I was hesitant to go see it not only because of the trailers but because I was always under the impression that liking anything Disney related was considered “childish.” I mean, I was a senior in high school looking forward to going to college, why would I see a Disney movie?
Finally, around the time the movie was released, my mom and one of my sisters went to see the movie, and they both said that they liked it. After hearing my mom and sister talking about it, my other sister expressed an interest in seeing it, and then my dad actually suggested that he, my other sister, and I go see it for ourselves. Of course, I agreed, but I was still a little hesitant.
So, we went to the theater about a couple weeks after the movie was released (sadly, I don’t really remember the date, but I think it was when I started my Thanksgiving break at school), and as the movie kept going on, I was slowly but surely getting sucked in! Eugene was hilarious and lovable! Maximus was freaking hilarious! Gothel was a great villain! And of course, my girl Rapunzel was amazing! I even remember thinking that she was probably the first Disney Princess to be around my age when her movie was released, and I love how cute, lovable, and amazing she was during the movie!
Not only that, but the story was amazing! I was blown away with the changes they made from the original fairytale. Rapunzel actually had a legit reason to not cut her hair, and Gothel had motivation to keep Rapunzel in the tower instead of her parents just giving her away. Plus, I loved how they used magic with the sundrop flower! I felt so drawn in the entire time and slowly came to love it, but also, I was really interested to see how things were going to wrap up. It’s actually pretty funny, but when Eugene opened with “This is the story of how I died,” I was actually thinking, “Oh crap, Flynn Rider is going to die? Disney is going to kill off this guy? How? What?” And the whole movie, I just kept waiting for that moment to happen when Flynn/Eugene would die, and then finally...the final battle came.
This scene in the tower is still to this day one of the reasons why I love the movie as much as I do! The fact that Eugene sacrificed himself to save Rapunzel just blew my mind, and when he finally died in Rapunzel’s arms, I was actually tearing up. I myself could not think of a way for Disney to bring Eugene back, but Disney totally took care of that, lol! By the time the movie was over, I was SOLD! I came to love the characters, the story, and New Dream! I loved everything about the movie, and it is because of that love that I was drawn to the fandom.
I didn’t join Tumblr until 2013, so during the years of 2010 to 2013, I was merely using fanfiction and deviantart as a way to silently be a part of the fandom. One of the first Tangled fanfics I read was “This is the Story” by Garvin Mark on fanfiction, which was basically Eugene telling his and Rapunzel’s kids the story, and it continued from there with me reading fanfics and drawing and finding art for the movie.
In 2013, I joined Tumblr mostly for Rise of the Guardians, HTTYD, and the RP that a few friends and I did (Battle of the Grounded Dungeon in 2014), but I peaked into the Tangled Fandom from time to time and caught glimpses of the observations and the Tangled Fandom Resurrection. I think it was around the time the show was being hinted at that I finally became immersed in the Tangled fandom, and the rest was history!
So, yeah, there you have it, boys and girls! I’m so grateful that I gave this movie a chance and that it helped bring me even further into the world of the Tangled fandom. Currently, I place Tangled in my Top 3 Favorite Disney movies with Lion King and Beauty and the Beast! Here’s to more Tangled, guys!
