Did Disney Predict Coronavirus? The Hint In ‘Tangled’ That Has Fans Convinced
The similarities are eerie!
Getty Images The COVID-19 crisis — better known as the coronavirus crisis — is, as of this writing, reaching epic proportions. And as more and more people are being forced indoors, classic films and television shows are getting new fans — and new analyses.
The latest classic film to get a retrospective analysis is the Disney animated film Tangled, which is a 2010 re-telling of the classic Rapunzel fairy tale. Now, die-hard Disney fans say they have proof that this classic animated film predicted the current pandemic.
So, did Tangled predict coronavirus? Let's take a look at the evidence.
1. Did Tangled predict coronavirus? Die-hard Disney fans are saying it did.
Twitter is currently ablaze with fans saying that Tangled predicted the coronavirus pandemic. "Google the name of the village that Rapunzel was quarantined in. Do it!" wrote one user. "Can we stop calling the virus coronavirus? Rapunzel feels offended," wrote another. "Why isn't coronavirus named Tangled?" wrote yet another.
2. Tangled tells the story of a quarantined woman locked in the city of Corona.
Part of the reason Disney die-hards are freaking out about Tangled predicting coronavirus is because at the heart of the story is a woman named Rapunzel who is "quarantined" in a tower in a fictional city of Corona. This is leading fans to believe that Tangled is, tangentially, about a pandemic.
3. The classic Rapunzel fairy tale is a bit different than the Tangled story.
Though Tangled is the best-known modern retelling of the classic Rapunzel fairy tale, the Brothers Grimm's version of the story was the most popular version of the story. But in reality, the first time the story of Rapunzel was ever told was back in 1634, in the form of the Italian fairy tale Petrosinella by Neapolitan writer Giambattista Basile. And in the first-ever version of the story, Rapunzel's mother was forced to give up her child after she ate all of a witch's vegetables in the garden (so, basically, Rapunzel was locked away in a tower as a repayment of a debt).
4. This is not the first movie that fans are claiming has predicted the coronavirus.
Tangled is not the first film that fans are saying has predicted the coronavirus pandemic. The 2007 hit film The Simpsons Movie had a lot of facets that seemed to predict the coronavirus pandemic. And that facet included Tom Hanks' guest appearance, Springfield being on lockdown thanks to a public health crisis, and the Federal government stepping in to keep citizens calm.
5. In the movie, Rapunzel was locked away in Corona for a non-health related issue.
Despite the claims that Tangled predicted coronavirus, a closer look at the Disney film reveals that Rapunzel was locked away in a tower in Corona thanks to a completely non-health related issue. Specifically, Rapunzel was locked away because her long hair contained "magical healing powers" and cutting her hair removed it of its power. To protect her hair, and the kingdom of Corona, Mother Gothel, a benevolent witch, locked Rapunzel away.
6. All a big coincidence?
It seems that despite the claims that Tangled predicted the current coronavirus pandemic, a closer look at the film reveals nothing more than a big coincidence. What's more, any similarities between the film (such as the name of the city of Corona — which means "crown" in Latin, and sounds like a generic name for a "kingdom") and the current state of affairs seems to be tenuous at best. But it's a fun theory for sure!
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.