Disney is still adamant about creating live-action remakes of its most successful animated films (with the latest being Snow White and Moana). Fans were given a fresh look at the next Disney princess in live action at D23 for a film set for release on March 31, 2028. Disney made a ton of new announcements at D23 (an event that Disney calls "The Ultimate Fan Event") 2026 regarding its upcoming feature films, both in the animated realm and in live-action.
At D23 2026, Disney unveiled an official look at Teagan Croft's Rapunzel, who will be one of the main characters of the company's 2028 film titled Tangled. Tangled will be a live-action remake of the 2010 animated film, a Disney entry many fans regard as one of the best princess films, especially in the modern era.
During Disney's Entertainment Showcase at D23, the House of Mouse included a behind-the-scenes video of the production of Tangled, which included Croft in her full Rapunzel costume.
Notably, the actress is sporting the Disney Princess' incredibly long blonde hair and the purple dress she wears in the 2010 animated movie. Based on the design for Croft's version of the character, and what was shown in the behind-the-scenes video, it seems as though Disney is making Tangled a shot-for-shot remake in live-action.
One section of the behind-the-scenes video featured Croft (still in full costume) alongside her co-star, Milo Manheim, who will portray Flynn Rider in the upcoming flick. Croft made some playful hand gestures for the fans throughout the video, such as a thumbs-up.
At another moment, the actress pointed her finger upward and partially stuck out her tongue, encapsulating Rapunzel's character.
Croft is following Rachel Zegler and Catherine Laga'aia as the next Disney princess in live-action. For reference, Zegler played Snow White in Disney's 2025 live-action take of the classic 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film and Laga'aia portrayed Moana in the live-action remake of 2016's Moana.
Disney undoubtedly has high financial hopes for the upcoming Tangled film, especially following the releases of Snow White and Moana. For reference, the former grossed just $205 million at the worldwide box office in 2025, and the latter brought in a measly $293 million earlier in 2026. Both of those numbers are nowhere near Disney's standards, so Tangled will try to right the ship when it is released in 2028.
As far as design goes, no one can deny that Croft's version of Rapunzel is as close as an actress could get to replicating Rapunzel's look from the 2010 Tangled film.
From the green contact lenses to the exact replica of Rapunzel's dress from the animated movie to the long wig that she wears for filming, Disney knocked it out of the park with recreating the character's look in live-action.
It is worth mentioning that Croft and Manheim will be joined by the MCU's Kathryn Hahn, who is playing the villainous Mother Gothel. During the Tangled section of Disney's presentation at D23, fans got a look at Hahn's Mother Gothel, which caused an eruption of cheers from the crowd.
That behind-the-scenes video that was shared also included Croft and Manheim addressing the audience. Essentially, they expressed regret that they couldn't attend the event in person, as they were busy filming Tangled in Spain.
For reference, the behind-the-scenes video of Croft and Manheim can be seen below:
With Croft portraying Rapunzel in live-action, she will become the ninth actress to play a Disney Princess in a live-action remake of an animated film.
Every Live-Action Disney Princess
Elle Fanning - Aurora
Elle Fanning is the one who started it all when it comes to live-action remakes of classic Disney films. She portrayed Aurora (also known as Sleeping Beauty) in two Maleficent films. Generally, audiences praised Fanning's portrayal of Aurora in those films, but she took somewhat of a back seat to Angelina Jolie, who brought the titular villain to life.
Lily James - Cinderella
In 2015, Lily James followed in Fanning's footsteps as she stood across Richard Madden in the live-action Cinderella movie. Like Fanning, audiences generally liked James' portrayal of the classic Disney Princess, noting that her character design looked as though the animated version had stepped into live action.
Emma Watson - Belle
2017's Beauty and the Beast crossed $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office, making Emma Watson the most successful live-action Disney Princess of all time. Fans loved Watson's portrayal of Belle and the story that Beauty and the Beast told, as it took the best parts of the original film and implemented them into the live-action flick.
Naomi Scott - Jasmine
Aladdin was another Disney live-action remake that crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office. In that film, Naomi Scott portrayed Jasmine, the Disney Princess who falls in love with Aladdin. Notably, when Scott was first cast, it sparked some controversy, as many believed Disney should have cast someone of Middle Eastern or Arab heritage to portray the character (for reference, Scott is of British and Indian descent). However, Scott's performance was never criticized, and many enjoyed her as Jasmine.
Liu Yifei - Mulan
Disney released the live-action Mulan in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it didn't get the chance to have a theatrical run, so no one knows how well it would have performed at the box office. However, Liu Yifei still got the chance to bring the character of Mulan to life.
Halle Bailey - Ariel
2023 gave fans the live-action remake of the beloved Little Mermaid film from the 1990s, with Halle Bailey portraying Ariel. Bailey and Disney received a lot of criticism since Ariel was race-swapped for the live-action movie, but the film still performed relatively well, and many people praised Bailey's version of the character.
Rachel Zegler - Snow White
Teagan Croft will be following in the footsteps of Rachel Zegler and Catherine Laga'aia as the next live-action Disney Princess. Zegler notably portrayed Snow White in the 2025 film titled Snow White, which performed poorly at the box office.
A lot of controversy surrounded Zegler's casting, as many people argued that a Latina actress shouldn't have played a character originally described as having "skin as white as snow."
Catherine Laga'aia - Moana
Catherine Laga'aia brought Moana to life in live action in 2026 and perfectly captured everything about the animated version of the character. From character design to mannerisms, Laga'aia nailed it. Moana did not perform well, but it had nothing to do with Laga'aia's portrayal of the titular character.
The Moana remake came out just 10 years after the original film debuted, and in the same year that the animated sequel to the 2016 movie premiered. Therefore, many people thought a remake was unnecessary.
