Absolute madness in Girona for the macrocasting of a new Disney production
Thousands of young people and teenagers queue up from early morning in the Devesa park to be extras in the live-action version of 'Tangled'
GironaGirona's Devesa park woke up this Monday to an absolutely unprecedented crowd. A stream of people, mostly young people and teenagers, from all over Catalonia and beyond, have been queuing since the crack of dawn, summoned by the announcement of a casting for the new Disney film Tangled (Tangled), by Disney. It will be a live-action remake of the original animated film, which will be shot in July in the city and is expected to premiere from 2027 onwards. By midday, the line of interested parties in participating in the production still surrounds the entire Girona park: from the Palau Firal, where the casting is taking place, to past the roundabout of the courts and the Copa esplanade. The surrounding streets are also overflowing, the car parks are saturated, and at some point in the morning, traffic problems have even occurred.
The production is looking for between 1,500 and 2,000 men, women, and children between the ages of 4 and 80, as well as professional and amateur dancers up to seventy years old, with no restrictions on origin or appearance. Among the applicants, the majority are young people and teenagers, as well as children, some even in costume for the occasion. They are of school age on a Monday morning and have come accompanied by an adult. Some have even spent the night outdoors with sleeping bags. They have skipped class because they like the film and saw the advertisement on social media, where the call has gone viral, especially on TikTok, through profiles outside the company that have echoed it and captured the attention of Generation Z.
This is the case of a group of girls from a dance school in Torelló, who have come with their teacher, between twelve and thirteen years old. "A video popped up on TikTok and yesterday we decided we were coming. We should be at school, but we would like to be the dancers, to be able to dance in a professional film: we can adapt to the medieval aesthetic of a fairy tale and we dance very well," they comment, sitting on the floor in a circle.
By car from Murcia and Alicante
In La Devesa, people from all over the State and also some foreigners have come expressly. Near the final zigzag of the queue, some friends who have come by car from Murcia and Alicante, where the production is also scheduled to be filmed, sit in folding chairs. "We arrived at 7 am and in five hours we have advanced less than a kilometer," resigns Àngel, 22 years old. His friend Isa, jokingly, adds: "It's a shame that the role of Rapunzel is already taken. Otherwise, they would have chosen me, but as extras we will also do very well, it will be an experience." Participation is paid, which has further increased interest in the casting call.
The vast majority of aspirants like and know the original animated film, Tangled, released in 2010: an adaptation with touches of humor and adventure of the romantic fairy tale of the princess with the long, golden hair, Rapunzel. Now, this same story will arrive in cinemas in a live-action version, and will continue Disney's recent trend of remakes of some of its classics like The Little Mermaid or Lilo & Stitch. It will be directed by Michael Gracey, director of The Greatest Showman (2017), and will feature Teagan Croft as Rapunzel and Milo Manheim as Prince Flynn.
Questions about correfocs and castellers
The casting began at 10 a.m. and lasts until 7 p.m. Hundreds of people have already entered, but the line is moving slowly and there are still thousands of people waiting under the plane trees of La Devesa, which cover the entire ground with pollen balls. This all recalls the also massive castings of Game of Thrones eleven years ago. The announcement called for 2,000 extras, but in the Girona park the number of applicants far exceeds this figure. Those who have been lucky enough to get in are given a short questionnaire and photographed one by one against a white chroma. They are asked in writing about their experience dancing, but also about whether they have ever participated in castellers or correfocs, as Catalan popular culture may play some role in the atmosphere of a festive scene in the film.
The organizers admit that they are really overwhelmed and did not expect such anticipation by a long shot. To alleviate the massive demand, they hand out sheets with QR codes so that applicants can send their applications online and stop queuing. Most, however, are distrustful that the result will be the same and remain standing until closing time.
