Flynn Rider

Eugene "Flynn Rider" Fitzherbert is the deuteragonist of Tangled. He is voiced by Zachary Levi.

Physical Appearance
Flynn is of average height and build with short, dark-brown hair that falls a bit into his eyes, and a scruffy goatee on the end of his chin. On the official Tangled Blog, Flynn's animators have said that he's twenty-six years old.

Personality
At first, Flynn comes off as cocky, arrogant, and a little self-centered. He is overly concerned about money, wealth, and the tiara he wishes to regain from Rapunzel. But when one gets to know him, he is sensitive, laidback, and good-hearted. As an experienced thief, he is skilled in escaping the authorities, hiding out, and stealing right from under people's noses. Thus, he is agile, strong, and quick-witted. Flynn's talents also include fencing, horseback riding, scaling and maneuvering over high walls and towers, and "superhuman good looks", which unfortunately have no effect on Rapunzel. For the first part of the film, he is solely focused on thieving and increasing his personal bank, aspiring to bask in his wealth one day on his own private island. However, as he begins to fall in love with Rapunzel, he transforms into a more compassionate, chivalrous, and trustworthy person, and changes his priorities. He even willingly gives the tiara to the Stabbington Brothers to keep them off their back, (although he never quite loses his initial cockiness and tendency to cause mischeif). Flynn loses sight of the importance of becoming rich as he fights to be with Rapunzel. By the end of the film, Flynn's love for her has grown to the point where he is willing to die so that she can be free. In the ending narration, he claims to have given up thieving.

Biography
Eugene Fitzherbert seemingly never knew his parents and spent all of his time with his fellow orphans in the orphanage. The orphan children looked up to him greatly and he was something of an older brother to them. Every night, Eugene would read them "The Tales of Flynnagan Rider", stories of a rich and dashing swashbuckler who had an abundance of thrilling adventures wherever he went. The more Eugene read it, the more he dreamt of a more audacious lifestyle and decided to break out of his orphan upbringing. Eugene eventually ventured out on his own and grew up into a dashing swashbuckler and gifted horseman and took the name of his childhood admirance. Flynn Rider became one of the most infamous thieves in all of Corona despite the fact that the original Flynn Rider was not a thief. Flynn had a talent for getting himself out of any situation simply by flashing his famous smile, "the smolder" as he called it. Being drawn in more and more by his new ambition and becoming more and more aloof from the people around him, Flynn sought a solitary life of money and freedom, far far away. He eventually became close to having everything he ever wanted, despite being on the run from almost every person in the valley.

Everything he ever wanted, however, quickly lost its appeal in the days he met Rapunzel. When Flynn met the lonesome girl in a remote tower, he was quite irritated to be coerced into taking her to see the Festival of Lights at the kingdom so that he could get back a valuable stolen tiara she had hidden from him. As he spent time with her, he gained a respect for the headstrong young lady that became strong affection and caring. As Flynn cast aside his cares for trasure and solitude he realized his old dream had been replaced by a new one. Flynn fell completely in love with the lost princess and helped her reconcile with her parents and reclaim her throne.

Eugene went back to his birth name and married Rapunzel a few years later. The two are currently living happily ever after.

Role in the film
Flynn serves as the opening narrator for the story, where he gives a brief recount of the circumstances surrounding Rapunzel's birth to the King and Queen of a kingdom, and Rapunzel's subsequent kidnapping by Mother Gothel. Many years later, Flynn is on the run from the law after stealing the crown jewels of the lost princess and deserting his former partners The Stabbington Brothers. Flynn is chased by the Captain of the Guard's horse Maximus whom he had unsuccessfully tried to commandeer. Flynn stumbles upon Rapunzel's tower and climbs it to escape the horse, only to be knocked out by Rapunzel. When Flynn awakens, he finds himself tied to a chair with Rapunzel's hair. He is struck by her beauty, but when he fails to woo his way out of the predicament, Flynn is eventually forced to agree to consent to Rapunzel's request to take her to see the yearly Festival of Lights in the Kingdom, in exchange the return of his satchel and the crown inside.

The pair set out toward the Kingdom. Flynn tries to take advantage of Rapunzel's obvious ambivalence about leaving the tower by suggesting, with the pretense of good-natured compromise, that they give up on the entire endeavor. When Rapunzel sees through his ploy, he tries another method to dissuade her by taking her to the Snuggly Duckling, where she will be sure to encounter the "ruffians" and "thugs" she most fears. Flynn's plans are foiled again, however, when he is recognized and the thugs fight over who will receive the reward for his capture. Rapunzel manages to distract the thugs by inspiring the "I've Got a Dream" song, during which Flynn reveals his dream to own an island, where he can relax alone with his money. However, after the song, the palace guards arrive.

Flynn and Rapunzel are able to escape through a tunnel and share a brief conversation in which he refuses to give her any of his "backstory" but asks a little bit about hers. The conversation is cut short when they discover that the guards have pursued them into the passage. The pair flee, but are cornered atop a cliff in a canyon made from a dammed river, hotly pursued by Flynn's two enemies: the guards and the Stabbington brothers. Flynn is able to fight off the guards by using Rapunzel's frying pan, but is bested in a sword duel with Maximus the horse. Rapunzel uses her hair to help him escape the cliff and the horse, but when Maximus damages the dam in order to reach them, the two are trapped in a cave, which begins filling rapidly with water. Panicking, Flynn tries desperately to find an escape under the water, injuring his hand in the process. However, unable to see anything in the darkness, he admits defeat and the two huddle together in the rising water, believing that they are about to die. As Rapunzel weeps, he tries to cheer her a little by revealing his real name, Eugene Fitzherbert. Rapunzel manages to save them both by causing her hair to glow, which lights up the cave, allowing them see an escape, and Eugene digs their way out.

When the two emerge onto the banks of a river in the forest, Eugene is clearly unsettled and even alarmed by Rapunzel's glowing hair. Later that night, when the two are sitting beside their campfire, Rapunzel uses her hair to heal Eugene's injured hand. Eugene is evidently frightened by the magic, to the point of near-hysteria. However, he able to regain his cool enough to learn Rapunzel's history, and the nature of her magical gift, which is lost if the hair is cut. Eugene is compassionate towards Rapunzel and her ambivalent feelings about the tower and her mother. He at last reveals some of his "backstory" by confessing that he is an orphan, and as a poor child he was inspired by the main character of a book, who was a rich, free-spirited, "swashbuckling rogue" named Flynnagan Rider, which prompted his life of crime in order to become rich and adventurous too. Slightly embarrassed, he asks Rapunzel not to tell anyone because he could ruin his reputation, and "a fake reputation is all a man has."

Eugene is nearly captured again by Maximus, but Rapunzel--with the help of Pascal--is able to befriend the horse, makes the two forge a reluctant alliance for the next twenty-four hours, during which Maximus will not get Eugene arrested. Now accompanied by Maximus, the group arrive at the Kingdom for the festival. Eugene accompanies Rapunzel as she delightedly explores the Kingdom; he buys her a flag, cupcakes and food, and even dances with her as the two enjoy one another's company, and a romance clearly begins to blossom. That night, Eugene takes Rapunzel out on the water in a rowboat to see the lights. While they wait for the lights, Rapunzel expresses her apprehension about finally living her dream, and Eugene reassures her and encourages her to find a new dream afterward. During the lantern festival, Rapunzel returns his satchel, but he pushes it aside and the couple release their own two lanterns. Eugene and Rapunzel finally realize their love for one another, and nearly kiss.

A moment before kissing Rapunzel, Eugene is distracted by the sight of The Stabbington Brothers on the shore, and appears to come to a conclusion about his satchel. He brings the boat to shore, and assures Rapunzel that he will return momentarily. He attempts to make peace with the Stabbington Brothers by giving them the satchel and the crown inside and tries to leave. However, they reveal that they know about Rapunzel and her hair, and express their desire to use her for money. He is knocked unconscious and tied to a boat, which is set to sail toward the Kingdom. When she sees his silhouette steering the boat away from her, Rapunzel is tricked into believing Eugene abandoned her, and returns with her mother to the tower.

Later, Eugene's boat crashes into the guard tower near the jail, jolting him back to consciousness, but as he realizes that Rapunzel is in trouble and calls out for her, he is captured by the guards. The next day, as he is taken to be hanged, he notices The Stabbington Brothers in their own cell. They reveal that it was Mother Gothel who told them about Rapunzel and her hair. The Pub Thugs and Maximus arrive and help Eugene escape prison, and he and Maximus rush to save Rapunzel.

After arriving at the tower, he becomes worried when Rapunzel does not answer his calls, but her hair soon comes down to let him climb up. However, when he climbs jubilantly through the tower window, he finds Rapunzel chained and gagged, and is then mortally stabbed by Mother Gothel. Mother Gothel attempts to flee with the captive Rapunzel, leaving him there to die. Rapunzel resists her and refuses to go willingly, but then promises to submit completely to Mother Gothel if she will only let her heal Eugene. Mother Gothel agrees and chains the wounded Eugene instead. Rapunzel rushes to his side, but Eugene pleads with her not go through with it, preferring to die rather than Rapunzel be a prisoner. When his attempts to dissuade her fail, he cuts Rapunzel's hair, which causes it to lose its power and turn brown. Mother Gothel rapidly ages and dies without Rapunzel's hair. Rapunzel tries desperately to save the dying Eugene by singing the healing incantation. Eugene stops her and, with his last breaths, tells Rapunzel that she was his new dream, and she tells him that he had been hers. Eugene smiles and dies. As Rapunzel sobs and cradles his body, she hopelessly finishes the healing incantation, and inadvertently heals him with one of her tears. The two kiss at last.

Eugene accompanied Rapunzel during her return to the Kingdom, as she had discovered that she was its lost princess, and was present during her reunion with her parents. He appears to have been graciously accepted by the King and Queen. During his closing narration, Eugene implies that Rapunzel eventually ruled the Kingdom. The two are shown together, both wearing nicer clothing and clearly still in love. He then claims that he accepted Rapunzel's proposal of marriage after several years, only to be corrected by Rapunzel, and he amends by saying that he asked her, and that the two are currently living happily ever after, but whether or not they had their own children is unknown.

Disney Parks
Before the film's release, Flynn and Rapunzel began making meet and greet appearances in Walt Disney World and Disneyland. In Disneyland, he is found in Fantasyland often while in Florida he can be found in Epcot in the World Showcase section.

Flynn makes many meet and greet appearances in Disneyland Paris as well.

World of Color
Flynn makes a cameo during the So Close segment of the film with Rapunzel.

Trivia

 * Eugene is the third Disney Prince to have "two names". The first was Prince Adam (The Beast), the second was Aladdin (Prince Ali Ababwa).
 * Eugene is the second Disney Prince to be a thief after Aladdin.
 * Similar to Beauty and the Beast, Eugene was stabbed, dies, then revives.
 * Eugene is the second Disney prince to become the love interest of the heroine who discovers she is a princess, but is the third to find out that the so-called peasent girl is really a princess.
 * Eugene is the third Disney prince to ride a horse, but is the first to ride one that is not his.
 * Eugene is the second to tell the heroine some of his history after Naveen.
 * Eugene is the fifth Disney prince to not be of royal decent, the first being Aladdin, the second being John Smith, the third being John Rolfe, and the fourth being Li Shang.
 * Eugene was originally named "Bastian", or as many people call him, "Bear Flynn".
 * Zachary Levi, the voice of Flynn Rider, auditioned for the role and got it with a British accent. Later, this idea was dropped and Levi read for the role with his own American accent instead.
 * Flynn Rider stopped appearing as a regular meet-and-greet character at Walt Disney World in Florida on July 2, 2011, though he will continue to appear at the Halloween and Christmas parties.
 * Flynn is the first Disney Hero since Phoebus from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to have facial hair.
 * Like most Disney assults, Flynn was stabbed in the back but his injury was shown and treated in the front. However, since Mother Gothel's exact pin-point injury wasn't shown, it is possible that she stabbed him in the stomach from behind. *Dan Fogler was the original choice to voice Flynn Rider.