Be honest—Mavunzel is the ideal
Photo courtesy of Kaboompics.com/Pexels
Tangled (2010) is a movie that defined our generation. We know the music, we know the quotes, and we certainly know Rapunzel. She is most of our favorite Disney princess, an enthusiastic and curious dreamer who is creative enough to figure out uses for both hair and kitchen utensils that you would never think of. Hotel Transylvania (2012) does not have quite the same chokehold on our childhood, but I am reasonably certain that most of us have watched it and got a kick out of it. While not technically the main character, I bet Mavis was the one who stuck out the most in our minds. The vampire daughter of Dracula himself, she is also a curious dreamer who wants to explore the world of humans.
If you were in the fandom spaces for either of these movies growing up, odds are you saw a couple “Mavunzel” edits shipping these two characters together. Call it childhood cringe if you must, right next to all those edits of Jack Frost and Hiccup and Elsa that found themselves beside this pair, but I would rather brand it as nostalgia. Quite honestly, these editors were really onto something. I like the idea of Mavis and Rapunzel. I am quicker to support this than I am to support these two in their relationships with the people that either of them actually ended up with.
Do not worry, I know my audience. I would not dare speak ill of Flynn Ryder, and I am not going to say he is not a good match for Rapunzel. I know the fanbase this movie has, and in spite of the fact that I am using a fake name and this is an April Fools’ Day article, I still fear the repercussions for such a claim.
But guys. Guys. You cannot possibly have a word of defense to say for Johnny. Johnny is Mavis’s husband by the end of the first film, and he is thoroughly unremarkable. He happens to have a background in traveling, which aligns with Mavis interests. That is great, but there is the pressing concern that his loyalty does not really seem to be to Mavis. Instead, he tends to seem more concerned with Mavis’s bizarrely controlling father, Dracula, in most cases. It is weird. It is weird and makes Johnny lie to his wife (or at the very least actively hide the truth from her) in three out of four movies! No character development in sight! Somebody get Mavis away from this man, please!
The bar for Mavis is on the floor. Anyone would be better than Johnny, but let us review why Rapunzel is the ideal candidate. First off, they have very similar backgrounds. They were both raised very isolated from the world around them, raised by VERY controlling parents. I am not about to say Dracula is as bad as Mother Gothel—he is not. However, the lying to his daughter in all four movies and getting her husband to lie to her—it is really not great. Mavis and Rapunzel can relate to each other and can understand each other in ways that really not everybody could. Not even their current partners can.
Even better than their similar pasts is the fact that their hopes for the future align! Both Rapunzel and Mavis want to explore the worlds that they were not allowed to grow up in. There are scenes in each of their respective movies where they are each ecstatic about discovering some pretty simple things about the human world, like Mavis trying all the slushie flavors, or Rapunzel dancing in a festival. Watching their current partners get drawn into their infectious excitement is cute. Now imagine Mavis and Rapunzel discovering these small things together, completely matching each other's sense of wonder. It is adorable!
Now that I have convinced you of what a beautiful match these two would be, allow me to step into some dangerous territory. We all know the lantern scene, Flynn and Rupunzel in a boat in the middle of water, beautiful floating lights around them as they sing to themselves about realizing their love for each other. I know, I know! Sacreligion to touch that scene, but hear me out. Swap out Flynn for Mavis. We have evidence that Mavis can shapeshift (into more than just a bat!), and is insanely strong. So now, instead of in a boat, they can be flying along with the lanterns. I daresay flying gets a few more romance points than a boat, and I am not sorry. That scene is already visually beautiful as is, but think of how much more beautiful it could be with the aesthetic of Mavis and Rapunzel. Black and red mixed with bright gold and purple, against a moonlight backdrop! Stunning!
The truth cannot be denied. Rapunzel and Mavis were simply meant to be!