New 'Tangled' short will screen with 'Beauty and the Beast 3D'

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Fans of last year's "Tangled" have been given an extra incentive to shell out their hard-earned money for "Beauty and the Beast 3D" in January, with a new short film entitled "Tangled Ever After" now slated to screen before every showing of the updated animated classic when it begins its limited run. "Tangled" directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard helmed the short, a follow-up to the first film that focuses on the royal wedding between Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and Flynn/Eugene (Zachary Levi).

Here's a full synopsis of the film, courtesy of the official press release:

The Kingdom is in a festive mood as everyone gathers for the royal wedding of Rapunzel and Flynn. However, when Pascal and Maximus, as flower chameleon and ring bearer, respectively, lose the gold bands, a frenzied search and recovery mission gets underway.  As the desperate duo tries to find the rings before anyone discovers that they’re missing, they leave behind a trail of comical chaos that includes flying lanterns, a flock of doves, a wine barrel barricade and a very sticky finale. Will Maximus and Pascal save the day and make it to the church in time?  And will they ever get Flynn’s nose right?

"Beauty and the Beast" is the second of Disney's modern-day animated classics to get the 3D treatment, following the successful re-launch of "The Lion King" back in September (the 3D version grossed over $90 million in domestic receipts).

Slated to hit theaters on January 13, 2012, "Beast" will be followed by 3D releases of "Finding Nemo" (September 14, 2012), "Monsters, Inc." (January 18, 2013) and "The Little Mermaid" (September 13, 2013). 

On its initial release, "Beauty and the Beast" grossed over $377 million worldwide and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture (the only animated film ever to enjoy that distinction until "Up" received a nod in the expanded category last year).

Tacking on the "Tangled" short is a sure way to boost grosses for the 3D "Beast", though I wonder whether it will ultimately perform as well as "The Lion King" did earlier this fall. What say you?

Chris Eggertsen
Producer

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A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.