Frozen (2013)
Description: Fearless optimist Anna teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven and sets off on an epic journey to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. From the outside Elsa looks poised, regal and reserved, but in reality she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret: she was born with the power to create ice and snow. It’s a beautiful ability, but also extremely dangerous. Haunted by the moment her magic nearly killed her younger sister Anna, Elsa has isolated herself, spending every waking minute trying to suppress her growing powers. Her mounting emotions trigger the magic, accidentally setting off an eternal winter that she can’t stop. She fears she’s becoming a monster and that no one, not even her sister, can help her.
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writers: Jennifer Lee (screenplay by), Hans Christian Andersen (story inspired by: “The Snow Queen” by)
Stars: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff
Photos
Trivia
When the gates open during “For The First Time in Forever,” there is a cameo of Rapunzel and Eugene (Flynn) from Tangled (2010). Rapunzel has short, brown hair and is wearing a purple and pink dress (her celebration dress at the end of ‘Tangled’), and Eugene is wearing a maroon vest and a brownish sash. They are entering the screen from the left.
In a magazine interview, Idina Menzel claimed her young son boasted to his classmates that his mom sings the songs in Frozen. To this, another child replied, “So does everyone else’s.”
Idina Menzel auditioned for the part of Rapunzel in Disney’s previous fairytale, Tangled (2010). Even though Menzel didn’t get the part, a Disney casting director recorded her audition and two years later, it got her the part of Elsa.
The characters of Hans, Kristoff, Anna and Sven are a reference to Hans Christian Andersen, the author of “Snedronningen” (“The Snow Queen”), which is the inspiration for Frozen. Say the names quickly in sequence to hear the similarity.
According to Jennifer Lee, Anna is 18 years old in the film, while both Elsa and Kristoff are 21 years old and Hans is 23 years old.
In an interview on “Fresh Air with Terry Gross,” Josh Gad (Olaf) said that when he took his older daughter (then about four years old) to her first-ever movie in a theater (Monsters University), there was a trailer beforehand for Frozen. The trailer didn’t contain any of Olaf’s lines or songs, but did feature the brief sound of Olaf laughing. Gad said that as soon as his daughter heard that laugh, she said, “That’s Dada, more Dada.” Gad started crying in the movie theater.