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The idea of taking the classic story of Rapunzel and making into a Disney animated feature was on the company’s list since the 1940s, Howard explained. Walt Disney had wanted to make the animated feature, but due to the limitations of 2D animation back then and still today, the traditional method that would be used to animate Rapunzel’s long flowing locks just wouldn’t do the story justice. When Howard and Greno stepped into the directing role two years ago, the technical aspect of how to animate the tresses had already been in progress for eight years. They announced to the team that not only did they want to make sure that the hair looked good, they wanted it to act as its own character. “We told the animators, ‘In trying to tell a compelling story, it would be great if she could use it like a bull whip. If she could tie it in the rafters if she could climb it like a monkey.’ They went pale,” Greno recalled.
“The only thing that suffered in this movie was our poor crew,” Howard added.
(More on TIME.com: How Actors Become Animation: Behind The Scenes Of Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”)
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