A Look at Disney Gets Tangled: Top 6 Saddest Moments from the Show

It is okay to be sad, it is a common emotion that many people feel and express.  And sometimes media that we watch has a way of making us sad.   And that brings us to today's topic,  this is a countdown that I have wanted  to do for some time as both seasons of Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is filled with very sad moments and since I could not narrow it down,   I asked on Twitter and the Kingdom of Corona Discord for some sad moments from  the show and at the end of the day,   I had twenty moments.   Therefore, I created a poll for people to vote on and it received over fifty votes.  And there was a 4-way tie for the last two spots on the list, so I had to set up another poll but the two frontrunners there ended up in yet another tie.  So,  I ranked them and added points to determine.   Keep in mind, there were over 20 moments for people to choose from and because of that,  I'll be including the two moments that just barely missed the list as Honorable Mentions and I might go over the moments that received votes but not enough to make the list.  

Honorable Mentions

Pascal's Sacrifice - Queen for a Day (3 Votes) 

Something I find fascinating is that both of our Honorable Mentions involve Pascal and the first one here and this moment is perhaps one of the more tragic as it tricks the audience into thinking that Pascal is going to die.  Yes, you can say this is a Disney Channel show but honestly, I would not put it past the show to do that.   For some context,  a giant storm hits Corona in this episode and as the Disney Wiki explains here.

...Pascal, with tears and a smile, unties himself and jumps down. Rapunzel cries out to Pascal as he successfully pulls the stone out and the gears start to move again.

What this shows to me is how Pascal realizes that the importance of the kingdom outweighs his life at this moment and if he can do anything to help the kingdom and more importantly his best friend, he's going to do it even if it means giving up his life.   This is certainly a tragic moment to be sure and this was perhaps the first hint of the show would wreck the audience's heart. 



Pascal's Backstory - Pascal's Story (3 Votes)







Now,  Pascal's Story is set before Queen for a Day and the opening sequence shows adorable Baby Pascal but his adorability cannot protect him.

As we learn that Pascal and his mother are on the run from a snake and well... only one of them makes it out alive as Pascal is the next in the longest line of Disney characters with a dead mother.  I do believe that this shows how dark the show was willing to get but I think that Pascal's Sacrifice is a bit sadder as we also got to see how Little Rapunzel and Baby Pascal came together and became a family in this flashback.  So, there was a light of hope for the little guy at this moment. 

I appreciate the heaviness of this moment and it also shows that in bad times, people can come together and find new love and support. 



Now, onto the main list. 



6.  The Tower Is Destroyed - The Quest for Varian (4 Votes)

Now,  I have gone on record before stating that I have mixed emotions regarding the Tower and I went over my Moral Quandary with the Tower in a post a couple summers back and the show in its first season destroying the tower was perhaps the most shocking thing that was done related to a piece of iconography from the movie.  This moment fills me with mixed feelings as it frees the writers from not being so tied to the show and in the story, it is a way of Rapunzel being set free from her past but as she even states in the episode, this was her home for the first 18 years of her life.   I think the sadness at least for me is twofold,  we see Rapunzel lose her first home, even if it was her prison for so long but also the tower was one of the first things that fans saw when they watched the movie starts and just like the Floating Lights, the tower is always associated with the Tangled franchise. 

Think of it this way,  imagine if Beast's Castle had been destroyed in one of the direct-to-video sequels and was never rebuilt or if this same thing happened to Eric's Castle in The Little Mermaid TV show and was never repaired, that's how hard losing the tower felt.   As I said, it was smart from a story perspective to have the black rocks, the big focus of the series and the things that brought Rapunzel's hair back destroy the tower as that's the past and the story needs to move forward but it still stung to lose it.


5.  Waiting In The Wings - Rapunzel and The Great Tree  (6 Votes)






As I'll explain with the moment in the third spot, this is technically a villain song (Sadly)  Season 2 of the show took a darker turn perhaps because it had shown the audience that it wasn't afraid to break their hearts.  This song comes from the episode that was meant to be the midseason finale, Rapunzel and The Great Tree.  We had seen that Cassandra, Rapunzel's best friend had been starting to feel tense and overshadowed by Rapunzel and while it appeared that things were good,  Cass pours out her heart here as she yearns for a chance to shine but she's never gotten the chance to because she is just the friend and protector to Rapunzel.  She never gets to have her moment to prove her worth.   Now, there's an interesting moment where we see these visions of what Cassandra wishes she could have as her dream is to be Captain of the Royal Guards like her dad but she put that on the line to help Rapunzel.

The two things that help to sell this moment is that season 2 had been leading to this moment and Eden Espinosa's singing as it's just so heart-wrenching.



4. Rapunzel Compares Her Father To Mother Gothel - The Alchemist Returns (7 Votes)

I am so glad that this moment made the list as it is perhaps one of the most impactful moments from the show's first season.  After Rapunzel discovers that her father, King Frederic had been lying to her all season about the black rocks and Frederic states that he was only doing it to protect his daughter.  And this is where the heartbreak comes in as Rapunzel delivers this line.

You know, you are not the first person to lie to me and tell me I am not ready for the real world.

Rapunzel comparing her father to her captor is heartbreaking because she's not wrong.   In many regards, Frederic and Gothel aren't that dissimilar, they both lied to Rapunzel and that caused Rapunzel to turn on them both.  Now, Rapunzel was able to reconcile with her father but the audience can just feel the pain in Rapunzel as she does this and for Frederic to be compared to the woman that took his daughter away from him is so harrowing but he deserved it.   Just look at Rapunzel's face here.

 












This moment is so perfect for how honest and raw it is with these two family members.




3. Cassandra's Betrayal - Destinies Collide (8 Votes) 





Yeah,  to get the full effect of this moment, I'm gonna have do some backtracking to earlier episodes from season 2.  First,  at the end of the episode, Rapunzeltopia,  we see Cassandra walk out of a door from an inn that they were staying during a 3-part arc as the inn is destroyed and she looks different. 

Then at the end of the episode right before the finale, Eugene is given a warning that one of Rapunzel's Party will turn against her and he assumes that it's gonna be Cass.

And this was Eugene's big fear throughout the second season finale but as our heroes reached the end of the journey and made it to their destination, The Dark Kingdom, we were led to believe that everything was going to be fine and that it may have been Eugene accidentally betraying the one he loves as he was reunited with his father in this episode.   And as we learn, Rapunzel has to connect to the Moonstone that is at the center of the Dark Kingdom but that doesn't happen as well, just watch.






And that's how season 2 ended.   There are two things that make this moment heartbreaking, the first being that this is the second time that Rapunzel has had a friend turn against her in two seasons with Varian turning on her last season as she wasn't able to help him save his father but this one leaves a larger impact as Cassandra has been part of the cast since the first episode of the series and the audience had always been led to believe that Cassandra would always care for Rapunzel.  Which makes this ling sting all the more.

I tried to warn you, Rapunzel. You have to be careful who you trust.

Which brings me to something that broken me with the character since this episode aired,  Cassandra is featured prominently on merchandise for the show whether it be books, comics, a Christmas ornament or a Lego set. 

And I get it that it's just merchandise but it felt as though, Cass was being sold as a new character that we could trust and the thing that makes her different from other twist villains that Disney has done recently is that we got to know Cassandra and see her relationship with Rapunzel grow over two seasons.  Now,  this moment didn't come out of nowhere because as I stated season 2 had shown the tenseness growing between Rapunzel and Cass.   So, in a way, it was inevitable that this was going to happen but there was a sliver of hope that we were wrong but alas that was not the case. 


2.  Everything I Thought I Ever Knew - Destinies Collide (9 Votes)






Consider this line from the movie.

For the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider.

One of the best aspects of the show is how Eugene has accepted his old name again and is willing to go by it as that is who he truly was and Flynn Rider was just a mask or so he thought.    As when our gang reaches The Dark Kingdom, Eugene is reunited with his father, the King of the Dark Kingdom. (voiced in a subdued and nuanced performance by Bruce Campbell).  So, Eugene finally gets his big solo number as he questions if every part of his life was a lie.  And no disrespect to  Shazam but this was my favorite Zachary Levi performance of the year as Levi in Eugene's first solo number really gets to highlight a side of this character that we don't often get to see.  The vulnerable side,  consider that Eugene hides his pain behind his wit, sarcasm, and bravado.    At this moment, Eugene lets his guard down and is honest with the emotions that he's asking.   As for so long, he has been a thief and that has been the only life he's known but to all the sudden find out that your father is not only alive but you are a prince is a lot for anyone  to take it and I appreciate the honesty here with Eugene as he questions his life.  Perhaps, the line that hits me the hardest is this one.

All my sweetest memories were castles made of sand

This is heartbreaking because it ties back into how Eugene seems to think that his time as Eugene with Rapunzel such as the Floating Lights don't matter because Eugene may not be who he truly is.  We will have to see the rest of this plays out in the final season but we do get to see Eugene reunite with his father and bond and that Rapunzel is excited that he has a family and she loves him no matter what. 




1. Quirin Gets Trapped  - Queen for a Day (12 Votes)

I'm not shocked that this moment got the most votes as I listed it as Varian's Dad Gets Trapped and Varian is a fan-favorite character that so many people that want to protect and hope for redemption.  One of the biggest themes of the first season, as inspired by Chris Sonnenburg's (Tangled showrunner) relationship with his own daughter, was that of father/child relationships and as I talked about in my review for the season one finale, we saw three different father/child relationships and Quirin getting trapped in one of his son's experiments and that is what that fan-favorite character down the path of villainy or at least started him down this path.    Quirin was the only family that Varian had and they didn't have the best relationship but he would do anything to please the only family member he left and now he lost that relationship.   It's quite heartbreaking and we can see that with the reprise of Varian's song, Let Me Make You Proud, that this situation spurns Varian even further to do anything to save his father.







And these last two lines sum up how bad this has affected Varian and he's all but gone dark at this moment.

Anybody who stands or has stood in my path, they are going to pay
They...will...pay

Perhaps dark isn't the right word but rather, he's broken but that is what makes Varian a sympathetic villain and this moment is but just one of many as to come with his character during the first season. 



There you have it, the Top 6 Saddest Moments from Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure.    Thanks to everyone that voted and I was quite pleased with where the moments landed, I'm not sure how similar my list would have been if I didn't let people vote but that is the fun of it.   Now, I want to keep going with Tangled articles but I wish to do something a bit lighter, so we are going to review a lighter episode from season two, the next time A Look at Disney Gets Tangled as I look at the episode...


You're Kidding Me

Elsa Vs. Moana

After a bit of a hiatus, Vs. is back.  For those that may not recall, Vs. is where I pit two Disney characters against one another to see who might be the stronger character.  Now, this was determined by a Twitter poll as today, we are looking at Elsa Vs. Moana.  As a reminder, the categories for Vs. include Personality, Grand Desire, Defining Moment, Song (If they sing and these two do, so that is included) and finally The Film Factor,  which determines which character worked better in her film overall.  With that outta the way, let's begin.

Personality (Round 1)

Elsa

On the surface and at the start of the film, Elsa may seem cold and distant but that is because she wasn't afforded the opportunity to understand her powers.  Take into consideration what the Disney Wiki says here. 

. Beneath this cool and collected appearance, however, Elsa is quite turbulent; in truth, the Snow Queen was, for a majority of her young life, troubled by her abilities, a feeling which stems from a traumatic incident as a child.

 

Elsa became a recluse because of the incident with Anna at such a young age and that harmed her psyche greatly. 

 

So yeah, it's quite understandable how this moment could affect someone as it is such a traumatic experience.   And you really get that sense as you see a young adult Elsa after her and Anna's parents have died as that speaks volumes to everything she had been put through.  Now one should not only look at the traumatic experiences of Elsa's life even if they did shape who she became.   One must also understand that Elsa is a very compassionate person and will do anything to protect those that she loves especially her little sister.   There is so much one can unpack with Elsa's personality as that is the most fascinating aspect to her character but we'd be here all day if I did that.  

Moana 

Moana is an interesting case as she is on the surface, good-natured loving and very caring.  I've seen so many people my age compare her to Ariel and to some degree that works but not by much.  Ariel felt surer of herself than Moana did at the start of her movie.  That's not to say Moana isn't a strong character as she is  But the Ariel comparison does make sense if one considers how Moana wants to go out into the ocean but it has been forbidden and I like how the Disney Wiki states this as being a bit of an identity crisis as you truly get the sense that Moana feels just a smidge out of place on her island.  You also get the sense that Moana like other characters before is a teenager and doesn't think things through such as sailing without knowing exactly what to do.  And leaping before thinking.  

This is tough as both of these characters are great and their personalities are two of the biggest things that make them work but in the end, I gotta give this round to...

Elsa

  

Grand Desire (Round 2)


Elsa


In many regards,  Elsa's grand desire is a bit hard to define as she isn't the character the audience follows throughout the movie as the character movie focuses on is Anna.  But that does bring us to something that that was stated in the previous round and I could be way off but I think something that Elsa may have been trying to do but it backfired on her is protect Anna while growing up.   And we see now that she goes overboard in spoiling her little sister. 

However, these articles are meant to only look at the characters in their original appearances.   And I may be off-base here but that is the best I could come up with.



Moana


Moana's goal is a bit easier to pin down as she wants to save her people by returning the heart of Te Fiti and restore them to brave people they were once before.  As much as I love Frozen,  I think this one is easier to understand as Moana is the main character and the audience gets to see her achieve this goal as she grows. 


I gotta give this round to...

Moana

Defining Moment (Round 3)


Elsa

Hmm... so many options but I think I have to go with this moment.

While some might argue Let It Go is Elsa's Defining Moment and it is one of them,  I feel Elsa saving Anna speaks volumes to where she comes from the beginning of the movie as she thought she was going to lose the only relationship she had left and this was one if not the first time that we saw Disney successfully redefining how love could save a princess in one of their movies by showing the love of a sibling saving her younger sibling.  It is a powerful moment that shows how much Elsa would do to keep the one person that loves her.



Moana

Moana's defining moment is a bit similar






This film subverted the recent trend of twist villains by having Moana go up to Te Ka and sing remind her that is not who she truly is as Moana returned her heart.  It's beautiful, simple and personal.  We will tackle that in a bit but one of the biggest things that makes this moment work shows how grown up Moana has become on her journey by talking to Te Fiti instead of fighting her.   Last year, I wrote a blog about this song and this moment and how it meant so much to me because it helped me to express that I know my epilepsy much like Te Fiti having her heart stolen does not define her.  I typically try to only focus on movie appearances with Vs.  but that is so hard with these two movies as that song has come to mean so much to me and if you've noticed, I'm using little and not younger to describe Anna & Elsa's relationship, that's because it's like my relationship with my big sister.  Looking at it from that perspective of which of these moments hit me more is the hardest one because both left me crying but for different.  Elsa saving Anna because I know my sister would do the same for me and Moana giving Te Fiti reaffirmation that this does not define you, let me hear something that told me everything would be okay. 



This is the hardest category to pick a winner for but I gotta give it to Moana as I'm just tearing up listening to that number again. 



Moana

Song (Round 4)


Let It Go (Elsa)






Seriously,  what can I say about this song that hasn't been said at this point?   This is one of the most iconic Disney songs of all time and for good reason, much like Defying Gravity also sung by Idina Menzel,  this is a song of liberation and owning who you are.   And not letting others hold you back.   This song wouldn't fit into the typical mold of an I Want song as this is more a statement of Who I am and if you don't like it,  I don't have time for you.  Elsa is freeing herself of her past and you can see the weight being lifted off her as the song goes on and that just makes this number all the more empowering. 



How Far I'll Go (Moana)








I really do like this song and it is a great I Want song.  And it was my favorite song from Moana until I re-listened to Know Who You Are but this song really does sell the idea of Moana filling out of place and how she yearns for more and wants to only help and loves the island.    I really love the part where she asks what is wrong with her.    As so many people have had that moment and I always enjoy coming back to this song.


While that is a great song, I gotta be honest and acknowledge that Let It Go is the stronger song.  So this round goes to...

Elsa

The Film Factor (The Final Round)


Welp, we are all tied up with Elsa taking Personality & Song while Moana took Grand Desire & Defining Moment.  Now, it all comes down to The Film Factor.  Which character worked better in her respective film.


Elsa


Elsa worked wonderfully in her movie and that was seen by how many little girls have been dressing up as Elsa since Frozen came out.  Elsa became a role model and one that I feel is needed to show that is okay to be strong but also let yourself break down.  Elsa showed that you can be caring and flawed at the same time and there are so many hard-hitting moments that make her character in the movie work so well such as when she believes that Anna had died.  Ooh, chills.



Moana


Moana is good and does a lot to carry her film. Even if at times, Maui has a stronger film factor than she does and while Know Who You Are is a great hard-hitting moment that shows wonderful strengths of her character,  I don't think she has as many hard-hitting moments as her opponent except maybe when her grandmother died.  But even then, I dunno. 



I gotta give this round to...

Elsa

The End Result!


By a score of 3 -2,  Elsa is the winner.   Gotta be honest and say when I originally came up with this one, I thought for sure Moana was gonna win the personality round but there ya go.  Things change, once you start putting words in motion.  Again,  I like both of these characters and this is just meant for fun.   Do you agree with the winner?  Let me know in the comments. Peace!