Disney's live-action movie Tangled to be filmed in Alicante

The production will be based at Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante and  will use locations across the Valencian Community

The castle of Santa Barbara, Alicante

Disney is bringing Tangled to life in Spain with an eight-month shoot centred at Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante. The live-action version of the 2010 animated film, based on the Brothers Grimm tale of Rapunzel, will also use locations across the Valencian Community, including the city’s famous Castle of Santa Barbara. It’s the first major international production at the Aguamarga sets since the third Venom film in 2024.

The project is expected to have a big impact locally. When the last major production was filmed in the area, it created around 570 jobs, generated more than 22,000 overnight stays, and worked with over 325 local suppliers, adding roughly €35 million to the local economy. Disney’s film looks set to create similar benefits, with crews operating across Alicante and beyond for most of the year.

Currently in pre-production, the project has been confirmed by Juanfran Pérez Llorca, president of the Generalitat Valenciana, who said the studio has chosen Alicante as the 'coordination centre' for the film. Negotiations took about six months and filming is now moving quickly. Alongside Ciudad de la Luz, the cameras will also return to Alicante's Castle of Santa Barbara, following other recent shoots like Alejandro Amenábar’s El Cautivo (2024) and the musical Camino a Belén (2023) with Antonio Banderas.

Director Michael Gracey, known for The Greatest Showman, is leading the project, with Teagan Croft as Rapunzel, Milo Manheim as Flynn Rider, and Kathryn Hahn as Mother Gothel. The goal is to bring Rapunzel's story to life with real actors, though many details remain under strict confidentiality.

Tangled also comes as part of a wider revival at Ciudad de la Luz. British company Good Films is preparing The People of the Book along with several other projects, while Netflix is filming a docudrama on the 1990s Sala murder case at various city locations. The studios remain under the public company SPTD, with no new management tender planned.

Exciting times ahead for Alicante, keep an eye out as the city turns star-studded and you might just cross paths with one of your favourite actors!

Read also:Netflix films in Spain... and 'cleans up' church's priceless civil war graffiti

Image: CC/ Diego Delso