Disney has announced that a new miniature of Rapunzel’s Tower from Tangled is coming to the Storybook Land Canal Boats in Fantasyland at Disneyland. This shares dates & details, plus our commentary about the news–including the interesting timing.
For those who haven’t been following the 2025-2026 Disneyland Closure Calendar, both the Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybook Land Canal Boats are down for refurbishment. This sister attractions had downtime announced back in June, and commenced their closures in late July.
Up until this point, the projects have been of an indefinite nature, with the ‘TBD’ of the refurbishment getting pushed back along with calendar updates. Construction permits were filed a while back indicating that electrical work was being done, new trellises installed, and suggesting something was being added that was 10 feet tall…now we know what!
Debuting during the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration, this addition to Storybook Land joins the picturesque realm of miniature homes, villages, and castles from favorite fairytales in this classic Disneyland ride. You’ll find Rapunzel’s Tower between the Patchwork Quilt and Toad Hall when the attraction reopens in Winter 2026.
As shown in newly released concept art below, the Tangled tower is marked by a shingled turret and several windows high above the ground. A selection of flora completes the scene, creating a lush green oasis among the boulders surrounding Rapunzel’s home.
Beyond the tower, multiple wanted posters seeking Flynn Rider dot the stone wall, and even in miniature, they still couldn’t get Flynn’s nose right. Amusingly, each poster has a different depiction of Flynn’s most difficult-to-capture feature.
A secluded dock with a boat inspired by the one from the film will sit at the edge of the water further down the canal. The dock is framed by a trail of twinkling lights winding up a trellis on the bridge, where the Casey Jr. Circus Train rumbles along.
As you float by this scene during the day, you’ll hear a charming arrangement of “When Will My Life Begin?” escaping from Rapunzel’s Tower, recalling afternoons of puzzles, darts and baking.
Once dusk falls, “I See the Light” will play as you drift along the canal and watch the winking lights, reminiscent of the lanterns Rapunzel and Flynn Rider gazed at from their boat in the film.
Perhaps most notably, the Tangled Tower and Rapunzel vignette does not replace anything in Storybook Land. It’s a pure addition (no signs of “underutilized area” here!). It’s also an addition being made to a Walt Disney original, yet again demonstrating Disneyland’s commitment to its legacy and rich history.
Walt Disney had a famous fascination with miniatures, which he collected over the years. His love of these petite creations was an inspiration for the creation of the attraction that would become the Storybook Land Canal Boats.
On the opening day of Disneyland in 1955, the Canal Boats of the World debuted as a serene boat ride. The attraction underwent a transformation months later to bring beloved, small-scale fairytales to life along the banks.
The attraction reopened as Storybook Land Canal Boats less than one year later, in June 1956, inviting guests to tour a tiny wonderland of fantastical realms. Residences from some favorite stories were painstakingly recreated at 1:12 scale and surrounded by impressive works of horticulture.
As you pass through Fantasyland, you’ll notice one of the more unique attraction marquees at Disneyland Resort. Residing on a raised bank, “Storybook Land” is spelled in giant, living letters created by colorful plants. This is an example of the French landscape technique called “parterre,” which is the art of creating distinct designs with plants.
The red and white striped lighthouse just outside the queue used to be a ticket booth, where guests could purchase their admission to the ride. Until all-inclusive ticket passports were introduced in 1982, guests would purchase tickets to be admitted into individual attractions. When it opened in 1956, Storybook Land Canal Boats was one of the first “D ticket” attractions at the park.
Storybook Land Canal Boats is one of the most highly detailed attractions in Disneyland. It’s not uncommon to discover a new detail on each voyage. Between the serenity and all of the painstaking little details, it’s a must-ride for us each visit, ideally first thing in the morning after a successful rope drop run.
We’re also big fans of morning in Storybook Land because one of the best ‘details’ is the sleeping ducks. It’s amusing to see these fair-feathered friends towering over the villages, Godzilla-style, as they terrorize the denizens of Agrabah or wherever. I don’t know why, but we enjoy this immensely. Perhaps too much. Even after all these years, giant ducks in Storybook Land still puts smiles on our faces.
Tours through the tranquil waters are still narrated by charming Cast Member guides who point out landmarks from some favorite Disney stories, like the castle from Cinderella perched high on the hill and the humble workshop where Geppetto carves his wooden masterpieces.
Over the years, the attraction has evolved to introduce iconic scenes and sounds from Disney Animation stories such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and other modern masterpieces.
The last addition to Storybook Land occurred just before Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary, back in late 2014. During that project, the Kingdom of Arendelle and Elsa’s Ice Palace from Frozen joined to the Storybook Land scenery. That addition was a (minor) replacement, of the three Dutch windmills from the traditional attraction.
The Frozen scene is now one of our favorites, and we love how it lines up with the Matterhorn when you pass–a great example of borrowed scenery (much like the real world use of this with World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland).
In terms of commentary, there’s not a ton to say about this addition. We love to see Walt Disney originals getting love, and Disneyland continuing to invest in legacy attractions. This type of thing gives them a new lease on life, generating renewed guest interest and also (more or less) guaranteeing their around for another decade-plus. Not that Storybook Land was ever in danger of extinction, but these days, you never know!
In general, it’s been great to see this type of attitude from both Disneyland and Imagineering over the last year-plus. Main Street USA saw a number of plussings as part of the 70th, and although the Walt Disney Audio Animatronics was a mixed bag, the animating idea behind ‘A Magical Life’ is a good one. And we’re looking forward to seeing how Imagineering iterates on this in the new scene coming to Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom (another good example of this mentality).
It’s also interesting to see Tangled emerge as one of the enduring modern masterpieces of Walt Disney Animation Studios. The movie definitely has staying power, as demonstrated by it getting this addition over a decade after Frozen despite being the earlier release. It’s nice to see something other than Tangled Toilets stateside!
It’ll be interesting to see whether a fully-fledged clone of Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival from Fantasy Springs ever comes to fruition. I could see either Walt Disney World or Disneyland (or both!) being willing to to invest in an attraction like that, and the lantern scene is just begging to be replicated elsewhere.
Otherwise, my only real surprise here is timing.
We are fully expecting price increases in the coming days or next week, as covered over recently in Act Fast to Beat Price Increases at Walt Disney World & Disneyland for 2025-2026. (Also a good reminder that you might want to do what that post suggests, and act now to lock-in current pricing!)
It’s typically the case that when Disneyland raises prices, they extend some sort of olive branch to fans as a ‘make good’ for the higher prices. This is a way of showing that Disney is reciprocating, in a way, by continuing to invest in the park experience and offering guests greater value. In the past, that has included things like moving Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway from Lightning Lane Single Pass to Multi-Pass.
Adding the Tangled Tower to Storybook Land could’ve been an announcement along those lines, helping to blunt the impact of higher prices–or overshadow that narrative around them. And maybe it’ll still be used that way. But this makes me wonder what else Disneyland might have up its sleeve. Maybe Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will move to LLMP? Perhaps the rumored Fantasyland Theatre stage show will be officially announced? Or will they finally fix Fantasmic?!
Whatever the news, it should be interesting. Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary still has several months to go in 2026, but it’s winding down as a marketing tool. On top of that, nothing new is slated to debut next year, and there’s going to be a ton of construction (and closures) as prep work starts for Pandora and Eastern Gateway. Thanks to that, there’s a lot on the horizon in 2027 and beyond…but none of that is going to excite locals into buying tickets or APs in the here and now!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of Disneyland adding the Tangled Tower to Storybook Land? Any other animated classics or modern masterpieces you’d like to see join the attraction? Hope they have more up their sleeve to announce when the inevitable price increases occur? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!