| Mother Gothel | |
|---|---|
| Tangled character | |
 Mother Gothel as she appears in Disney's Tangled. | |
| First appearance | Tangled (2010) |
| Based on | Dame Gothel by the Brothers Grimm |
| Adapted by | Dan Fogelman[1] |
| Voiced by | Donna Murphy |
| Portrayed by | Katie Whetsell (Tangled: The Musical) Emma Booth (Once Upon a Time) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Witch Rapunzel's guardian |
| Affiliation | Disney villains |
| Children |
|
Mother Gothel[2] is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Tangled (2010). The character is voiced by actress and singer Donna Murphy in her voice acting debut; Murphy auditioned for the role spontaneously upon learning from her agent that Disney was auditioning actresses for the film's villainous role. Loosely based on Dame Gothel from the German fairy tale "Rapunzel", Mother Gothel is a vain old woman who hoards the strong healing powers of a magical gold flower to live for many, many years and remain perpetually young and beautiful. When the flower is harvested to heal the kingdom's ailing queen, its powers are inherited by the king and the queen's beautiful young daughter Rapunzel, removing Gothel's access. With her life suddenly endangered, Gothel attempted to take a single tendril from Rapunzel, but the tendril loses its power when cut, so she kidnaps the infant, imprisoning the princess in an isolated tower for eighteen years while posing as her mother to exploit her powers. To ensure Rapunzel does not leave, she tells her the outside world is dangerous and full of people who might steal her hair to use for themselves.
Inspired by Disney villainesses such as the Evil Queen and Lady Tremaine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Cinderella (1950), respectively, Gothel was developed by screenwriter Dan Fogelman into a more original, complex villain than the witch upon whom she is based because the character is forced to rely solely on her wit, charisma and intelligence as opposed to sorcery to survive. The film's most difficult character to develop, Gothel's appearance, whose beauty, dark curly hair and voluptuous figure were deliberately designed to serve as a foil to Rapunzel's, was inspired by the appearance of Murphy herself and American singer Cher.
Mother Gothel has been mostly well received by film critics, who enjoyed the character's humor, complexity, charisma and showmanship, dubbing her a scene stealer, while Murphy's performance has been met with widespread acclaim. However, some critics argued that Gothel was too passive, dismissing her as a weaker, less intimidating Disney villainess than Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).
- ^ Lloyd, Christopher (November 24, 2010). "'Tangled': A top-notch princess tale". Harold-Tribune. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Tangled Characters". Disney. The film's page on the official Disney website clearly credits the character using her full name, "Mother Gothel", as opposed to simply "Gothel" or "Dame Gothel". Retrieved July 7, 2018.