Mother Gothel

Mother Gothel is a fictional character in Disney's Tangled franchise, who first appears in the 2010 animated film. Based on Dame Gothel from the fairy tale "Rapunzel", Mother Gothel is a vain elderly woman who hoards the healing powers of a magical golden flower to remain young and beautiful for centuries. When the flower is harvested to heal the kingdom's pregnant queen, its powers are inherited by the newborn princess, Rapunzel. Determined to retain access to the flower's powers, Gothel kidnaps the infant and raises her in a secluded tower, posing as her mother while exploiting Rapunzel's magical hair to remain eternally young. Due to needing to serve as both a villain and maternal figure to Rapunzel, the filmmakers identified Gothel as the film's most difficult character to develop. They made her a more complex villain than the witch from the fairy tale by removing her magical powers and having her rely solely on her wit, charisma, and intelligence. The character is voiced by actress Donna Murphy in her voice acting debut. Gothel's appearance was designed to make it obvious that she and Rapunzel are not related, with her features inspired by both Murphy's own appearance and American singer Cher. Mother Gothel has received a mostly positive reception from film critics, who praised her humor, personality, and effectiveness as a villain, while Murphy's performance received widespread acclaim. However, some critics considered Gothel too passive or tame compared with previous Disney villains. She has since appeared in numerous tie-in media within and beyond the Tangled franchise, including video games and television series. She will be portrayed by Kathryn Hahn in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the film.