Mother Gothel always about ... who’s best for the part". Film critic James Berardinelli of "ReelViews "observed that this decision echoed "Disney's approach during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when big name stars where often bypassed in favor of lesser known talents." An additional asset was that the actor be able to perform well both independently and collaboratively. Mother Gothel is voiced by American actress and singer Donna Murphy, a Tony Award-winning Broadway actress who was informed about the casting call for "Tangled "by her agent. Having never voiced an animated character before, the actress decided to audition for the role
Mother Gothel Scott's opinion, "The Disney pantheon is full of evil stepmothers, though none quite match Mother Gothel for sheer sadistic intensity." According to Jake Coyle of the "Southtown Star", Gothel is "one of Disney's best" villains, while Gary Thompson of the "Philadelphia Daily News "dubbed the character "one reason to love Disney". Michael Smith of the "Tulsa World "reviewed Gothel as "perfectly wicked as she kills Rapunzel's dreams". Kirk Baird of "The Blade "identified Gothel as the film's "strongest character". Colin Covert of the "Star Tribune "commented," ""In her own way, Gothel is scarier than Snow White's wicked stepmother" because the