Producer Ron Coneli explains that the new title has come with a reinvented storyline for the classic fairytale:

“It’s a really fresh, smart take on the Rapunzel story. In our film, the infamous bandit Flynn Rider meets his match in the girl with the 70 feet of magical golden hair. We’re having a lot of fun pairing Flynn, who’s seen it all, with Rapunzel, who’s been locked away in a tower for 18 years.”

Directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, this new take on the classic fairy tale will come to life using CGI, Computer Generated Imagery, a technology used by Disney in their previous films to enhance their animated features. Some fans find the hand-drawn animation “The Princess and the Frog” a little sloppy maybe because they were accustomed to CGI animation that’s why Disney returns to the use of this technology and we will definitely see in Rapunzel Tangled.

Rapunzel will be voiced by pop artist Mandy Moore while Zachary Levi (Alvin and the Chipmunks) will play dashing bandit named Flynn Ryder. The voice cast is also rumored to include David Schwimmer, Matthew Gary Gubler, Kristin Chenoweth, Dan Fogler, and Grey DeLisle.

Tangled is scheduled to hit theaters in Christmas 2010.

Rapunzel is an upcoming American CGI film created and presented by Walt Disney Animation Studios featuring the voices of Kristin Chenoweth and Dan Fogler. It will be the 50th animated feature produced by the Studio, planned for release in 2010. The story is based on the classic German fairy tale Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm.

Doeri Welch-Greiner, the production manager for the movie, says that “The original version was that a girl got pulled from the modern world and replaced Rapunzel (Kristin Chenoweth), and Rapunzel got turned into a squirrel. But we’re on a clearer, more classic fairy-tale sort of track right now with Dean Wellins as co-director; he was one of the story guys on Iron Giant and a Disney animator for a long time. It really plays on the mystery of the girl in the tower, and I think it’s really going to be great with Dean’s story sense and sense of staging, and the artistry that Glen brings to it, we hope we can bring the artistry of the movie to a different place.”

Keane also promises that he’s going back to Rapunzel’s literary origins to do a traditional, character-driven fairy tale that speaks to a modern audience. “It’s a story of the need for each person to become who they are supposed to be and for a parent to set them free so they can become that. It will be a musical and a comedy and have a lot of heart and sincerity. I think that’s what Disney needs to do right now. No one else can do it. We should not be embarrassed or make excuses for doing a fairy tale.

On October 9, 2008, it was reported Glen Keane and Dean Wellins would be stepping down as directors and would be replaced by a new team of Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, director and storyboard director of 2008’s Bolt.

Confirmed Cast:

* Rapunzel – Kristin Chenoweth
* Father Sam / Mr. Sunton – David Schwimmer
* Prince Flynn – Dan Fogler
* Mother Amy / Woman on T.V. – Carolyn Lawrence
* Narrator – Kevin Linehan
* Father Sam (singing) – Wayne Allwine
* Grandma Claire – Pam Hyatt
* Young Prince Flynn – Matthew Gray Gubler
* Grandpa Franklin – Peter Sallis
* Madame Gothel/Evil Witch – Grey DeLisle

Disney’s Rapunzel is set to hit the silverscreen on Christmas Day of 2010.