Warrior Rapunzel

I finally saw the Disney animated adaptation of Rapunzel, "Tangled"! I have been waiting for at least 9 years to see the company produce this film.

In 2001, I played Rapunzel in a middle school production of "Into the Woods" and felt a really strong connection with the character. So much that my nickname in high school was changed to Zelly.

Because of this, I referred back to the faerie tales that I grew up with to analyze- yes, somehow theorizing faerie tales in my early teens became a hobby. But on the side, I would daydream about my own versions of the stories to entertain myself when I was bored during brunch period. One of which shown as the illustration above.

Because of my infinity with Rapunzel, I came up with a ridiculously comical tale (with myself representing character) of a girl who came across a tower and a ditzy faerie who poofed on a frily pink dress and long blonde locks. She then cut off her hair (restoring to my own natural hair color) to escape the tower and using the excess hair as a whip, becoming a warrior and exploring the world. (I told you this was completely silly and strictly for my personal entertainment value at the age of 14).

See the princess illustration here: [link]

As I watched "Tangled", I come to realize how much I theorize about the character/with myself was actually accurate when compared to this adaptation. Her freckles, her natural hair color, and the envision of using the hair as a whip. It kind of made me wonder if I'm really psychic or if Disney is getting into my head and stealing my ideas.

To this day, I still relate to Rapunzel the most; at first I wondered why. She was the most passive princess ever created (by terms of the original story). But I heard somewhere that your favorite faerie tale is the one that best interprets you. For me, I suppose that I feel naïve and sheltered from the world, and I'm just "waiting for my life to begin". So it's time to cut off the locks...