Rapunzel's film, Tangled, was the first Disney Princess movie to use computer-generated imagery for its main character.
Released in 2010, Tangled was Walt Disney Animation Studios' first fully computer-animated fairy-tale princess feature. Disney had previously used CGI in traditionally animated films and scenes, but Tangled made computer animation the foundation for Rapunzel's entire world. The film deliberately combined 3D production with a storybook look inspired by oil paintings and traditional Disney animation.
Rapunzel's famously long hair was one of the production's biggest technical challenges. Disney engineers developed specialized software to simulate roughly 70 feet of hair, while artists reduced the number of individually modeled strands to make the animation practical. The hair also had to move believably during action scenes, underwater moments, and the lantern sequence.
A common mix-up is The Princess and the Frog, released in 2009. It was Disney's return to hand-drawn 2D animation, so Tangled—not Tiana's film—was the first computer-animated Disney Princess feature.