Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons

Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons (also known as RotBTD, The Big Four or RBTD) is a crossover of four animated CGI movies consisting of Rise of the Guardians (2012), Brave (2012), Tangled (2010), and How to Train Your Dragon (2010). In this crossover, the main characters Jack Frost, Merida DunBroch, Rapunzel Corona, and Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III all come together as one to fight a common enemy, have met together by accident or by the purpose of somebody else.

Jack Frost
Spirit of Winter, Guardian of Fun and Immortal Spirit. Jackson Overland Frost sacrificed his life to save his sister, and was chosen by the Man in the Moon, becoming the all-powerful force of nature you see before you. 300 years later, he is chosen by Manny to become a Guardian and fight back the forces of darkness.

Many fans believe that Jack or Hiccup is somewhat the "leader" of the Big Four, as well as the link that keeps the team together. Because he is immortal (providing a shadow of wisdom brought from his prolonged life) and has the ability to ride on the wind and travel with the seasons, it is possible that he was able to meet Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida before they met each other.

Merida DunBroch
Princess of the Highlands, Greatest Archer in the land and first-born heir to the Clan DunBroch. As per tradition, Merida is forced into marriage by her mother, the first born sons of the clans having to compete in the games to win her hand. Wanted to change her fate, she escapes and find an old Witch's Cottage, where she convinces the witch to concoct a spell for her to "change [her] mum, thus will change [her] fate." Unaware of the price she was willing to pay, she gives the spell (in the form of a pastry) to her mother, turning her into a bear. She mends the bond between her and her mother, mends the rift between the clans and regains control of her fate.

Merida is fiercely loyal to her friends and will stand up for them in any situation, no matter how dangerous. Though in the film, she shows no interest in romance, many fans like to pair her with other members of the Big Four. Her archery and sword-fighting skills are a big help when needed, as is her strong personality and fearless attitude. She is the warrior of the group.

Rapunzel Corona
Lost Princess of Corona and wife of Eugene Fitzherbet AKA Flynn Rider. When her mother drinks an elixir brewed from a magic flower while pregnant to cure herself of an illness, Rapunzel was born with magical blonde hair that can restore youth and heal the sick and injured when sung to. The original owner of the flower, Mother Gothel, sneaks into her nursery in the dead of night with intentions of taking the hair with her. Because the magic dies when her hair is cut, Gothel escapes into the dead of night with the infant Rapunzel. To prevent anyone from learning of the lost princess and her magic, Rapunzel was kept in a tower her whole life, her hair growing and growing as she reached her 18th birthday. When thief Flynn Rider sneaks into her tower, Rapunzel makes him an offer; he escorts her to the center of the kingdom to see the floating lanterns on her birthday and she gives him back the crown he stole (which actually belonged to Rapunzel). She learns of her origins, defeats Gothel, reunites with her parents and lives happily ever after.

Rapunzel is the sweetheart of the group and has her friend's backs no matter what. Because she is shown to have her long blonde hair with all magical abilities intact in most fanfiction and fanart, she has the power to heal her friends if they ever were to get hurt, making her a valuable asset to the group. She is the healer and emotional support of the group.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
Dragon Master, inventor and eventual Chief of Berk. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, son of Stoick the Vast and Valka, was the worst viking his village has ever seen. Wanting to prove himself, he invents a bola-catapult that shoots down a Night Fury. Unable to kill the Night Fury, he frees it and later befriends the misfit dragon, naming him "Toothless" for his retractable teeth. He learns new things about dragons from working with Toothless, using his new skills to become the most popular viking in the village, and realizes that everything his tribe ever knew about dragons was wrong. After fellow dragon-trainee Astrid discovers Toothless, the three discover dragon's nest, and learns about a massive dragon that forces dragons to feed it at the cost of their lives. After nearly losing everything, Hiccup and Toothless saves the tribe from the dragon at the cost of his leg and peace between vikings and dragons is achieved in the process.

In the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons crossover, Hiccup is usually depicted as the voice of reason within the group and uses his quick thinking to get his friends out of sticky situations. In fanfiction, fanart, and other works, he is most often shown to enter a romantic relationship with Merida, though he is not limited to this relationship. Toothless usually accompanies him on their adventures. He is the brains of the group, making up for what he lacks in having a very special ability or power, and expertise in magic or weapons. He is also a tie of leadership between Jack Frost. Hiccup shows more Maturity out of all the group and has more experience in the battle ground. Hiccup is a suitable leader for the gang.

However due to the fact that Hiccup has a second movie (2014) and a third approching, Fans often choose to have the 20 year old Hiccup being shown in fanfiction, fanart and other works. This would make him the second oldest (Jack nabbing the first spot due to being immortal), Wereas previously being the youngest member at 15 years old.

History of the Fandom
It is unknown when the idea of the crossover sparked, or who started it. Rapunzel and Merida were the two newest additions to the Disney Princess Lineup, in the moment started the fandom, and Hiccup and Jack Frost are both beloved heroes from their respective DreamWorks movies, all CGI characters. Before the ladies were added, fans began shipping Hiccup and Jack together in their own crossover known as How to Train Your Guardian. It is likely the four were matched together because they are all teenagers who had to face similar issues in their films. At the start of the films, all characters want more out of life. Jack wants to finally be seen, Merida wants to break free from her mother's strict control, Hiccup wants to be accepted by his village, and Rapunzel wants to leave her tower to see the lanterns. At times these goals seem far out of reach, but as the movies progress, the characters realizes that what they wanted might not be what they need. All four films have wonderful messages as well.

Other than "Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons", there are also other names for the fandom, such as "How to Train Your Brave Tangled Guardian", "How to Untangle Your Brave Guardian" and more prominently, "The Big Four". "Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons" is usually shortened to "RotBTD".

The crossover is popular on many sites, specifically Tumblr, where it seems to have originated. The fandom is young but thriving, and consists of hundreds of talented fans. Since nothing is canon, these fans have the freedom to come up with their own AUs and ideas.

Popular AUs
Visit the AU category for more.

Popular EUs
Visit the EU category for more.

Other Crossover Films
Visit the Character Index for more.

Fanfiction
Visit the Fanfiction category for more.

Videos

 * The Big Four - The Movie by Crystal .Erin
 * Light 'Em Up - Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons by PetrichorPond
 * {The Big 4} R.A.D.I.O.A.C.T.I.V.E MEP ..:VOL 1.:.. by sweetkairi1992
 * Radioactive in the DARK BIG FOUR by Charline84130
 * The Big Four: Wonderland by ParadiseAvenger
 * ♡ ❄Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragons☀ ♡ || Let it Burn || by TangledLover13
 * The Big Four||Demons by kanal ideya
 * The Big four's bad memories- Demons by Jackunzel Frost
 * SkyFall: Big Four ☺ by PipstrellaAngel