Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #50: Greno the Thug

Wow, 50 films in 71 years! I wonder if Walt Disney himself thought that his films would endure and be loved for this long.

As for the 50th film, you’d think that we’d get a good movie since it’s an important milestone…and you’d be thinking correctly. We get a very good movie entitled, “Tangled”.

Released in 2010, the film tells the story of “Rapunzel”, but with a twist.

Apparently, Rapunzel’s long beautiful flowing hair contains magical powers that heals all injuries and bodily defects via a sung incantation.

An old woman, Mother Gothel, kidnaps Rapunzel when she’s a baby so that she can use Rapunzel’s hair all to her herself so that she can stay young and healthy forever. She takes Rapunzel away to a tower buried deep into the forest, so deep that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men can’t even find it.

The king and queen are extremely saddened by this event and send up flying lanterns into the sky every year on Rapunzel’s birthday. These lanterns can be seen by everyone in the kingdom including Rapunzel who watches annually from her tower.

On her 18th birthday, she asks Mother Gothel to take her to go see the lanterns as she has never been allowed to set foot outside the tower before. But Mother Gothel denies and forbids Rapunzel to ever ask her to leave the tower, much less actually leave the tower.

One day, when Mother Gothel goes on a trip, a handsome, charming thief named Flynn Rider somehow finds Rapunzel’s tower. Rapunzel then makes a deal with him to take her to see the flying lanterns and the rest of the movie is about them on their journey and dealing with Mother Gothel.

So where does our forgotten/minor character come in? Well, one of the detours that Rapunzel and Flynn come across on their journey is a pub called “The Snuggly Duckling”. And for such a sweet name, it should have sweet customers, right?

Nope, it’s filled with thugs. They recognize Flynn from his posters as a wanted thief. And their leader, Hook Hand,

tells one of the thugs named Greno to go fetch the royal guards who are looking for Flynn.

So, I chose Greno for a couple of reasons. One, he’s named after one of the directors. I wonder if he actually voices him too.

Two, while Greno’s away, Rapunzel and Flynn win over the thugs’ affection and they change their minds to give Flynn up to the guards. But Greno doesn’t know that and when he comes back, he sees this.

Yeah, literally, huh?!

One of the most frustrating and confounding things ever is when you’re sent to do something and then come back to find that it was totally unnecessary.

Do we see Greno later on in the film? I think he’s amongst all the other thugs as they appear later on in the film, but I honestly don’t remember anything else that he does.

But in a group of thugs where everyone is memorable (and has dreams such as collecting ceramic unicorns), let’s take the time to honor the one who is not quite as memorable nor do we know what his dream is.

Here’s to you, Greno!