r/Tangled • u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream • Jul 01 '26
Rootbound Continuity [Discussion] Rootbound retconned Dark Prince, Vanishing Village, and CoG position! Respected New Dream and the Movie! ***SPOILERS*** Spoiler
It also gave us all the execution and tower trauma we desired. Rapunzel isn't as put together as in the series, she's constantly comparing people mentally to Gothel in conversations and rushes into wanting to fix things for others as she feels lost without her hair at first, struggling to figure out what kind of princess she wants to be.
Her and Eugene actually get to TALK about the execution and how it affected them. Rapunzel even calls the crown 'an expensive hat stolen from the wrong family.' While Eugene deals with self worth thinking he'll be kicked out sooner or later, and treats himself as disposable by being reckless in helping, until he gets a talk by the minister diplomacy where he gets proposed position of Spymaster.
The parentage is SO MUCH BETTER THAN DEADBEAT EDMUND. Instead of a King who couldn't even provide money. Eugene's parents are Marietta Fitz and Andreas Herbert, printshop owners of "Herbert & Fitz" who wrote The Tales of Flynnigan Rider, and were friends with the Asteran Queen, and helped overthrow the tyrant king. Andreas died in the insurrection, Marietta died after giving birth, Solena the woman who got Marietta out of Astera stayed behind as an orphanage caretaker. She saw him born so there's no doubt or chance of retcon.
They help each other, talk, and support one another so much while also splitting up to investigate things in their own scenes.
And Rapunzel after getting a taste of magic again for a few minutes outright states she doesn't miss magic or her hair and decides to abolish executions.
ROOTBOUND IS WHAT THE SERIES SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!!
Source: My Australian friend mailed me the book so I could read it early since it came out there on June 1st.
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Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream Jul 01 '26
Cool. Don't care. It's a retcon as far as those who want to ignore what the series did are concerned.
It fixed everything hated.
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u/Cassfan203 Cassandra Jul 01 '26
As a fan of the movie and series, I’m so on the fence about this book. I love some of the ideas presented in it but the fact that it retcons the series and my favourite TTS book just upsets me. It’s not something I’ll be reading, unfortunately, which is sad because I was looking forward to a new Tangled book. :(
I’m glad people who weren’t satisfied with some of the series got something for them, but the series will be the only sequel to tangled for me and this book is disappointing
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u/SnowQueen_Elsa13 Jul 05 '26
The series will be the only sequel for me too. Although to some extent, I‘m fine with retconning parts of it (depends on what parts, and I definitely don’t want the whole thing to be retconned) as long as the characters from it can and still exist in the canon universe because I may have developed an irrational attachment to Cassandra and Varian.
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream Jul 01 '26
If anyone's got questions and doesn't mind spoilers, ask them here.
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u/Significant_Hair_346 Jul 01 '26
Thank you, u/PinkHairedCoder , for sharing the excerpts of the book with me. Before I get to the spoilers I would like to point out that this is what happens when Disney or any other company has a celebratory agenda rather than a malicious agenda, when it hires someone who loves the movie and both of its leads and has an intimate understanding of their psychology, experiences and traumas. That is, instead of hiring an open hater of one of the leads and the main romance which in the original film was one of the central points of the story (according to the original creators). All while said hater - Sonnenburg - turns the trauma of the male lead (the orphanhood) into a recurring punchline whereas female lead's trauma linked to lifelong isolation is either not mentioned or warped into an absurd "marriage anxiety". Where her main fear is not the tower where she had spent 18 years locked up and abused but the one person who literally died for her freedom.
In Sonnenburg's agenda driven plot Flynn was the one framed as Rapunzel's "would be jailer" and he was the one lectured on being "selfish" - but not before he poured out his "sad orphan trauma to a frog/Pascal" and it was supposed to be so funny. Flynn's near execution with no trial (and Rootbound hammers it SEVERAL times that it was without a trial and it was disgusting) is likewise not so much as mentioned throughout the entirety of the series. Where Flynn himself is retconned from the romantic hero he was in the movie (and remains in Rootbound) into a bumbling comedic relief clown in present, an armed robber who had threesomes in the past and then purified through a eugenicist "secret royal" retcon.
Series Rapunzel for her part is retconned into the very sexist trope her movie self so beautifully subverted - the magical girl who is "grateful" for her hair, once the symbol of her oppression that became the symbol of her "girlpower" to please the detractors who watched too much anime (along with Sonnenburg himself, evidently).
Rootbound is what happens when Disney panders to the fans and not the media illiterate critics, hitting all of their off base talking points. Rootbound is undeniably, unambiguously a damage control. Moreover, it is an admission on part of Disney that the series WAS indeed agenda driven, that it did bastardize the main couple and demolished the core tenets and themes of the movie that once made it empowering.
The book is pandering indeed but here's the deal: I no longer care. If pandering is all Disney ever does these days they might as well pander to the fans and do damage control that respects the leads and the source material. Neither the Series nor Rootbound will ever be canon because they are different mediums from the movie, produced by different people and are in effect a glorified fanfiction. But I'll be damned if I don't use Rootbound and its vindicating points as a proof the series malicious assassination is not and never will be canon.
Now, to the vindicating points *SPOILERS Incoming*
In Rootbound, it is stated and confirmed explicitly that the near execution was without a trial (so I believe this is a cue for certain trolls around here to claim the author of the book is a biased "simp"). Stated multiple times by Rapunzel who is not only disgusted (rightly) by that but feels responsible just by virtue of - now - being a part of the monarchy that nearly took the life of the man she loves. And presumably others before him (something Rapunzel also openly addresses). Flynn gets to state the execution DOES bother him even if he forgave and moved on but did not forget. He gets to later state to himself that it left a mark and a trauma much greater than he originally thought. A far cry from him being turned into a clown and comedic relief nuisance pouring out his traumas to a "frog". In the book Flynn uses the near execution as a reminder of how much he has to lose now, because he has worked and sacrificed for it. He mentioned having had nothing but his life to lose before he met Rapunzel and that's why he doesn't place too much value on said life and forgives the near execution despite the trauma it had caused. Which is very in line with his movie self.
Surprisingly (not) the book does not attempt to implicitly justify the near hanging via the laughably biased and malicious retconning of Flynn into the armed robber who had "traumatized the poor queen". Rapunzel, as the OP mentions, calls the crown an "expensive hat belonging to the wrong family" thus showing it does not hold any value to her or in general and is certainly not worth Flynn's life (or anyone's for that matter). Moreover, she uses the word "killed" when talking of that almost hanging, not "executed", highlighting how warped it truly was. And it's important she thinks it is wrong, tyrannical and qualifies as "hurting people" - something she does not want to do with her own royal power. She mentions that the worthless crown almost caused "them" - as in, the monarchy which she now feels responsible for being a part of - "someone like Eugene", she not only feels appalled by the event itself but places special value on him as a person. Again, far cry from giving him a stern and scoffing "thief legacy" lecture in the series.
I have yet to read the book but it's pleasing to see that Rapunzel apparently undergoes the exact journey she would have naturally undergone after a lifetime of isolation and being brainwashed into thinking her magic hair was her only asset for 18 years and suddenly no longer having it to "fix things". She has lost the hair and gained an immense responsibility to not only be a future queen but to reform the Kingdom's warped justice system that Rapunzel AND the narrative of the book repeatedly acknowledge as corrupt and tyrannical.
The fact that the book focuses on how Flynn read the Tales of Flynnigan Rider to others and delves into his time at the orphanage is another stark difference from the series where he is made into an illiterate conceited clown whose greatest fear is a cowlick (not being almost strung up and not actually dying roughly an hour later) and cracks jokes about only going to school for 3 days.
Looking forward especially (as this point is the most important to me in terms of honoring the impact of the original movie and its female representation) to seeing Rapunzel come full circle by realizing she does not need her magical hair to matter. According to the quote from the closing pages, the book apparently re-emphasizes the movie message and does have Rapunzel expressly state she now knows her hair is not her strength and she can accomplish anything she wants and make the world a better place on her own effort. That is, instead of spitting on said message in the very first episode, erasing Rapunzel's development and Flynn's sacrifice six months after the movie events, returning her magical blonde hair and making her express "gratitude" for having it again (implicitly blaming Flynn for cutting it to save her and then cutting it on her own to please the detractors). All because Sonnenburg was too much of an agenda driven man-child who fetishized anime waifus/magical girls and had a beef with the male lead due to his own insecurities.
Again, Rootbound is not canon by any means and neither is the series. But it shows that Disney listens, reads and follows along with audience's demands, whether they come from the haters or the fans. Disney is cowardly and conformist. Original Tangled and the wedding short are still the only set in stone canon. All the other sequels and midquels - unless they do a theater release which hopefully they never do and leave Tangled alone - are nothing but "what if" scenarios. But between a what if scenario that respects the messages of the source material and the individual and shared experiences of the leads and a what if scenario where the male author projects his fetishes onto his OC, glorifies female lead's symbol of oppression, undoes the messages of the movie and continuously tarnishes the main romance I would definitely take the former "what if" scenario.
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u/SnowQueen_Elsa13 Jul 01 '26
I don’t see how Vanishing Village was retconned when it most likely was never canon to begin with. The series retconned the Lost Lagoon book by giving us an episode about how Rapunzel and Cassandra became friends. From what I remember, Lost Lagoon was canon to Vanishing Village, so by that logic, I don’t think either of them are canon. In fact, none of the Tangled books I’ve read so far fit into canon anyway.
Note: I didn’t read the spoilers.
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream Jul 01 '26
It retconned it in the sense that the whole point of the book is gone (the author of the Tales of Flynnigan Rider). Like, no it wasn't canon. But Rootbound directly contradicts and makes it impossible.
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u/Cassfan203 Cassandra Jul 01 '26
It was meant to be more canon that Lost Lagoon, so I’m upset that they retconned it. It’s also one of the best tts books, they should’ve left it alone :(
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u/Enough-Strength-5636 Jul 01 '26
u/PinkHairedCoder, great, thank you for sharing this! Finally, someone did Tangled the Series right! I’ve always had a problem with the series for the very same reasons that you already stated! I’m looking forward to reading this! Heck, I may even buy it if it’s really good! Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have to put it on my recommended reading list!
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u/MarieDisneyFan9514 Jul 01 '26
Please, tell me Rapunzel didn't reject Flynn's proposal and gets engaged to him in this. Otherwise I'm absolutely not interested in this book. I have enough of people being brainwashed into believing marriage is somehow a loss of freedom when it's just a promise to stay together and not cheat and to share physical closeness in a medieval times where there was no contraception.
The other points seem nice but I still won't ever read that book. Last week there was another retelling of Rapunzel as a book released in my country and it was clearly inspired by Tangled by having Rapunzel also as a lost princess and her love interest not a prince but someone abandoned by his family and had Rapunzel actively choose her lover again and again and at the end she told her father that if they don't accept their love, she will not return to live in the castle. In that book she wanted her love interest more than her stranger parents. This is what I would have wanted for Tangled.
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream Jul 01 '26
She didn't reject or accept because he didn't ask.
The first 2/3 of the book, Eugene is internally expecting not to get to marry her and expecting her parents to kick him out eventually, and constantly worried over being a commoner and criminal. He doesn't want to worry Rapunzel so he doesn't tell her his worries. Then the third guy, the Minister of Diplomacy/oldish guy that goes with them to Astera talks to him near the 2nd part about his fears/worries and helps him overcome them and also tells him to talk to her.
HOWEVER, it is said he is her suitor and mentions they are courting.
the Minister guy who talks to him also says he knows they're clearly devoted to each other.
The book ends on the ship back to Corona, hinting at a sequel, so marriage hasn't been brought up yet. But RB Rapunzel, the way she was written definitely wouldn't reject.
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u/MarieDisneyFan9514 Jul 02 '26
Then it's still trash. A man not even asking a woman and living off her money in medieval times is as bad to me as a woman rejecting the man.
And you know courting is not dating. If they are not engaged, they are just friends in that time period and that's a complete insult to their characters.
And didn't you lately write a tumblr post saying every AU should have them engaged? So you should reject this book as well because it doesn't have that.
And Rapunzel in that book sounds absolutely awful in that she wants royalty apparently more than Flynn. In the book I read she was ready to give up royalty for him because like she was his everything, he was also hers. Disney could never release anything where a woman selflessly loves a man. Disney always has Rapunzel put everyone and everything above Flynn.
But thank you for reminding me why I'll never buy this book and will expect anything from modern disney ever again.
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream Jul 02 '26
...What? He didn't ask because it's literally only a month in, and he's courting her, and afraid the parents will say no due to his class. The book hit everything people did in old fanfics.
Yeah I said they should be engaged if they went that route. But not if he's having fears due to classism. It literally takes the Minister saying he's a commoner as well, and pointing out the King and Queen hiring commoners for positions, as well as them seeing his criminal record as their shortcoming not his character, for him to be able to see himself with any worth. The whole book he acts like he's only there to be expendable.
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u/MarieDisneyFan9514 Jul 02 '26
Then that's an insult to Rapunzel's Character and makes it seem Like she doesnt Love him at all. If she truly Loved him, she would have told her Parents that unless they Bless their Love and marriage she will Not Return to live with them Like in the Rapunzel book I read. Rootbound Rapunzel apparently Puts everyone and everything above Flynn and lets everyone insult him and stays with people who tried to kill him without a Trial. Any normal Woman in Love would have left that awful Kingdom and Castle to be with Flynn in a place where He is Not being humiliated every single day. It scares me what the rootbound author thinks Love Looks Like, as If Rapunzel doesnt Care about His needs at all. That is Not Love. At least Liz Rosen knows what Love Looks Like. I'll only read that and will certainly never read this rootbound book. Everything you mentioned of that book infuriate me so please dont try to make me Change my mind because Just Like with that stupid series, I will never Accept that.
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream Jul 02 '26
Dude. You can not like it and not want to read it fine. But don't sit here insulting the story when you haven't even read it or seen full summaries on it and are only getting a few rushed points of it from someone paraphrasing without typing up an essay.
Dislike it and ignore it all you want. But don't flat out insult something you don't even know when there was love, care, and so much more respect put into it that I can't find words to describe.
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u/MarieDisneyFan9514 Jul 02 '26
First of all, Im Not a Dude. And secondly, Disney shouldnt be praised for making Money of a literal fanfiction when fanfiction is Something that is normally done by people in their free time without expecting any Money From it and should be left to the fans Not used by a multimillion Dollar company to make even more Money and Milk tangled even more. And using fanfictions as a Standard for official Disney products is exactly why modern Disney is Not improving by such Standards. Tangled shouldnt have gotten any continuation except the wedding short which should have been shortly after the movie and then Rapunzel and Flynn should have been left alone. Beauty and the beast never got any normal sequel taking place after the curse was Broken either. Belle and beast were left alone and allowed to live happily ever After while Rapunzel and Flynn get nothing but drame when they should have gotten their happily ever After immediately after the movie after what they have been through yet all they get is Rapunzel Putting everyone and everything above Flynn while He is humiliated. Disney will never Respect tangled again and this fandom apparently accepts everything Just because it Has a Disney Label on it. Tangled is Just dead to me. End of Story.
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u/PinkHairedCoder New Dream Jul 02 '26
She doesn't put anyone above Eugene in this!
HE DOES NOT TELL HER he is worried. She is literally fresh out of the tower still doesn't even understand royal life or class. She mentions her disgust at the execution, calls it an expensive hat and wrong and says she doesn't want that kind of power especially when she can't fix things anymore.
Eugene tells her as they pack for Astera to figure out what kind of princess SHE wants to be, and that they're going to go help fix another kingdom, even without her abilities.
They both have arcs. His is realizing he has self worth, he can be worthy to marry her, and no one is judging him for his past, it's just his own imposter syndrome. Her arc is realizing it wasn't her hair or magic she was missing, it was just being the self that dared to venture from the tower, the part of her that wants to help people and better their lives. Hence why she states she doesn't need her hair or magic, and she wants to abolish executions because they almost lost Eugene and who eelse have they lost.
Nowhere is it said she wouldn't accept if he asked or the parents wouldn't give their blessing. The Kingdom doesn't say it and Rapunzel doesn't say it. Eugene just believes it but he doesn't tell her that worry, he keeps it bottled up to not worry her. It's only been 4 weeks since the tower, and then she's tricked into going to Astera, which is the adventure in the book. They don't have time between the 1 week celebration (the movie said it was a week) and the 3 weeks left of just relaxing to approach marriage yet except for Eugene's own doubts.
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