Disney’s Live-Action ‘Tangled’ Gets March 2028 Release Date and First Look at D23

The live-action Tangled release date is officially set for March 31, 2028, after Disney unveiled its first look at the film during the company’s D23 Entertainment Showcase on August 14. Kathryn Hahn appeared at the Anaheim event as Mother Gothel while Disney introduced footage featuring Teagan Croft as Rapunzel and shared new details about the adaptation now filming in Spain.

Milo Manheim stars opposite Croft as Flynn Rider, with Diego Luna playing a newly created character named Hawthorne. Disney also confirmed Caitríona Balfe as Queen Arianna, Elliot Cowan as King Frederic and Patrick and Hugo McPherson as the Stabbington twins.

Live-action Tangled release date anchors Disney’s new adaptation

Disney confirmed the March 31, 2028 theatrical date in its official recap of the D23 Entertainment Showcase. The announcement gives the project a firm destination after an extended development period surrounding Disney’s live-action interpretation of its 2010 animated film.

The D23 presentation also gave audiences the first official glimpse at how several central characters are being translated into live action. Hahn introduced the project onstage, while Croft and Manheim appeared in a recorded message because they were working on the film in Spain.

The production is directed by Michael Gracey, whose credits include The Greatest Showman. Kristin Burr is producing through Burr! Productions, with Lucy Kitada serving as executive producer.

The Hollywood Reporter independently confirmed the new release date and D23 first look, while Variety separately reported Disney’s March 2028 scheduling announcement.

Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim take over Rapunzel and Flynn Rider

Croft is stepping into the role of Rapunzel, the princess whose extraordinarily long hair and isolated life in a tower provide the foundation of the story. Manheim plays Flynn Rider, the fugitive thief whose arrival changes the direction of her life.

The first-look material shown at D23 emphasized recognizable visual elements from the animated film, including Rapunzel’s long blonde hair and the costumes associated with its central characters.

The casting gives Disney a new pair of leads for characters originally voiced by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. Rather than relying on performers from the animated version, the live-action movie is establishing a separate ensemble built around Croft and Manheim.

The two actors were absent from the Anaheim stage because production is underway in Spain. Their recorded appearance confirmed that filming continues across locations in the country, providing one of the clearest current indicators of the project’s production status.

Kathryn Hahn becomes Mother Gothel

Hahn’s Mother Gothel was one of the focal points of Disney’s presentation. The character is central to the original story as the woman who keeps Rapunzel isolated while exploiting the magical qualities connected to her hair.

Disney had previously announced Hahn’s involvement, so her casting itself is not the fresh development. What D23 provided was the first official presentation of her interpretation alongside the new imagery from the movie.

Entertainment Weekly’s coverage of the D23 footage described the reveal of Croft’s Rapunzel and Hahn’s Mother Gothel while confirming that filming remains underway.

The supporting ensemble also now includes several actors whose characters clarify how Disney is building out Rapunzel’s kingdom. Balfe plays Queen Arianna, Cowan portrays King Frederic and the McPherson brothers take on the Stabbington twins.

Diego Luna plays a character created for the live-action film

One of the more notable departures from the animated cast is Luna’s character, Hawthorne. Disney specifically describes Hawthorne as a new character, meaning the role is not simply a renamed version of one of the original film’s established figures.

Disney has not disclosed enough information to establish Hawthorne’s relationship to Rapunzel, Flynn or Mother Gothel, so his importance to the plot remains unresolved.

The addition nevertheless demonstrates that the film is not being presented as a shot-for-shot recreation. Even with familiar characters, costumes and story foundations, Disney is introducing at least one significant new figure into the adaptation.

Tangled returns as Disney continues revisiting animated hits

The original Tangled was released theatrically in 2010 and expanded Disney’s version of the Rapunzel story into a broader franchise that later included additional screen projects and theme park experiences.

The live-action movie arrives within Disney’s continuing strategy of revisiting animated properties for new theatrical adaptations, but its unusually distant 2028 date gives the studio considerable time between the first-look reveal and release.

That also means promotional details remain limited. Disney has not released a full public trailer or comprehensive story synopsis establishing how closely the finished movie will follow every event in the animated original.

What D23 actually confirmed

The most important distinction is between information Disney has now established and details that remain speculative. The March 31, 2028 date is official. Croft, Manheim, Hahn, Luna, Balfe, Cowan and the McPherson brothers are part of the cast, while Gracey is directing and production is underway in Spain.

What is not yet known is how extensively the screenplay changes the original plot, what role Hawthorne plays or when Disney will release the first full trailer to the public.

For now, the August 14 D23 presentation marks the clearest transition yet from development and casting announcements to an actual production audiences can begin to see. Rapunzel has a new face, Mother Gothel has stepped into view and Disney has placed a firm date on when its live-action return to the kingdom will reach theaters.