Mother Gothel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mother Gothel
Tangled character
Mother Gothel as she appears in Disney's Tangled.
First appearance	Tangled (2010)
Created by	Nathan Greno Byron Howard
Portrayed by	Katie Whetsell (Tangled: The Musical)
Voiced by	Donna Murphy
Based on	Dame Gothel from the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale
Information
Occupation	Rapunzel's guardian
Affiliation	Disney villains
Children	Cassandra (daughter) Rapunzel (foster daughter) Ginny Gothel (daughter in Descendants)

Mother Gothel is a main character from Walt Disney Pictures' animated movie Tangled (2010). The talented actress and singer Donna Murphy provides her voice. Mother Gothel is based on Dame Gothel from the classic German fairy tale "Rapunzel".

Gothel is a very old woman who wants to stay young and beautiful forever. She does this by using the special healing powers of a magical golden flower. But when this flower is used to heal the kingdom's sick queen, its magic goes into the queen's new baby, Rapunzel. This means Gothel can no longer use the flower. To get its power back, Gothel takes baby Rapunzel and keeps her hidden in a tall tower for eighteen years. She pretends to be Rapunzel's mother to keep using her magical hair.

The directors, Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, wanted Gothel to be a clever and complex villain. Unlike some fairy tale witches, she doesn't use magic spells. Instead, she uses her smarts, charm, and tricky words to get what she wants. Her look, with dark curly hair and a striking appearance, was inspired by Donna Murphy and singer Cher.

Many movie critics liked Mother Gothel. They found her funny, interesting, and a great performer. They often said she "stole the show." However, some thought she wasn't as scary or powerful as other Disney villains like Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty or Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Mother Gothel's Story in Tangled

Mother Gothel appears in the 2010 movie Tangled. For many years, Gothel was an old woman who used a magical golden flower to stay young and beautiful. She kept the flower a secret from everyone.

One day, the pregnant Queen of Corona became very sick. The flower was found and used to heal her. This saved the Queen, but it also meant Gothel lost her way to stay young. The Queen's new baby, Rapunzel, was born with the flower's magic in her long, golden hair. This magic worked when a special song was sung, as long as the hair was never cut.

Desperate to stay young, Gothel took the baby princess from the palace. She locked Rapunzel in a secret tower for eighteen years. Gothel pretended to be Rapunzel's loving mother. She told Rapunzel the outside world was dangerous and that people would try to use her hair. But really, Gothel just wanted to keep the hair's power for herself.

Rapunzel's Journey and Gothel's Pursuit

As Rapunzel's eighteenth birthday got closer, she really wanted to leave the tower. She wanted to see the mysterious "floating lights" up close. These were lanterns released every year by the King and Queen to remember their lost daughter. Gothel always told Rapunzel no.

However, Gothel agreed to go on a three-day trip to get art supplies for Rapunzel. This gave Rapunzel just enough time to escape the tower with the help of a wanted thief named Flynn Rider. Not long after, a guard horse named Maximus, who was looking for Flynn, told Gothel that Rapunzel was gone. Gothel started to age quickly without Rapunzel's hair. She became desperate and chased after Rapunzel and Flynn.

Gothel found two thieves, the Stabbington brothers, whom Flynn had tricked before. Gothel offered them revenge on Flynn and Rapunzel's hair if they helped her. But she never planned to keep her promise about the hair.

The Final Confrontation

Gothel first tried to convince Rapunzel to come home, but it didn't work. Later, she tricked the Stabbington brothers into capturing Flynn. Then, she knocked out the brothers, making it look like she was saving Rapunzel. Gothel convinced Rapunzel that Flynn had betrayed her, and they went back to the tower.

Flynn escaped from prison and came to rescue Rapunzel. Rapunzel then realized who she really was and stood up to Gothel. Gothel tied Rapunzel up. When Flynn arrived, Gothel stabbed him. Rapunzel begged to heal Flynn and promised to stay with Gothel forever if she could.

But Flynn quickly cut Rapunzel's long, golden hair. The hair immediately lost its magic and turned brown. Gothel was horrified and tried to save the hair, but it was too late. She aged very quickly, turning into dust before she hit the ground. She died of old age, leaving only her clothes behind. Flynn died in Rapunzel's arms, but Rapunzel's tears brought him back to life. Rapunzel was finally reunited with her real parents.

Mother Gothel in Other Stories

Mother Gothel also appears or is mentioned in other stories related to Tangled.

Tangled: Before Ever After

Six months after turning to dust, Mother Gothel is seen only as a painting in Rapunzel's room in Tangled: Before Ever After. Eugene (Flynn Rider) explained how Gothel had used the magic flower to stay young. He also told how she had taken Rapunzel as a baby and kept her in the tower for eighteen years. Eugene mentioned that he saved Rapunzel from Gothel, which led to Gothel stabbing him.

Later, when a criminal named Lady Cain interrupted Rapunzel's coronation, Rapunzel said she had "dealt with much worse." This was a clear reference to Gothel, the woman who had taken her as a baby and raised her.

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Gothel appears in a nightmare Rapunzel has in "What the Hair!?" Rapunzel's long, magical blonde hair had mysteriously grown back. In the dream, Gothel bragged that Rapunzel thought she was "gone forever." She was happy that Rapunzel's golden hair and its magic had returned. Gothel then tried to trick Rapunzel into coming back to the tower, saying she would be "safe and secure."

In another episode, "The Quest for Varian," Eugene proudly showed Maximus the tower window "where Mother Gothel fell to her doom."

In "The Alchemist Returns," Rapunzel told her father, King Frederic, that he wasn't the first person to lie to her and say she wasn't ready for the real world. This was a reference to her adopted mother, Gothel.

In "Rapunzel: Day One," Rapunzel lost her memories and thought Gothel was her real mother. She excitedly told Cassandra to "try the special spice Mother makes."

Gothel also appeared in a nightmare in "Rapunzeltopia," created by dark magic. In "Lost and Found," a flashback hinted that Gothel was once a student of Lord Demantius. She then betrayed him to his enemy, Zhan Tiri.

In "Rapunzel's Return," a child-like spirit, later revealed as Zhan Tiri, told Cassandra that she was Gothel's biological daughter. Zhan Tiri showed Cassandra how Gothel left her when she was four years old, after the Captain of the Royal Guard found her cottage. The Captain then adopted Cassandra. Zhan Tiri used Cassandra's anger about this to turn her against her friends. Cassandra was angry at her adopted father for hiding the truth about her mother. She also lashed out at Rapunzel, asking if it was her decision to "push her out a window."

In "A Tale of Two Sisters," it was said that Gothel's spirit haunted the cottage where she lived with young Cassandra. Cassandra and Rapunzel investigated these rumors. They found out Gothel had a diary in magic mirrors. These mirrors showed how much Gothel loved herself and how little she cared for Cassandra. A painting of Gothel was seen above the fireplace before it was burned. A broken hand mirror showed a memory of Gothel saying sweet words to Cassandra. But the truth was, she only said these words to get Cassandra out of her way, as she thought her own child was a "lousy, little pest."

Images for kids

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  Mother Gothel is voiced by Broadway actress Donna Murphy.