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Frozen is a 2013 American computer-animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Inspired by the 1844 Danish fairy tale "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen, the film was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (in her feature directorial debut) and produced by Peter Del Vecho, from a screenplay written by Lee, and a story by Buck, Lee, and Shane Morris. It stars the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, and Santino Fontana. Frozen tells the story of Princess Anna as she teams up with an iceman, his reindeer, and a snowman to find her estranged sister Elsa, whose icy powers have inadvertently trapped their kingdom in eternal winter. Thematically, it explores feminism and sisterly bonds over romance, challenging traditional gender norms and Disney fairytale conventions.

Development began after the film's executive producer John Lasseter, who was intrigued by Disney's earlier unsuccessful attempts to adapt "The Snow Queen", successfully persuaded Buck to join the project. Buck wanted to explore a fresh perspective on true love rather than Disney's traditional prince and princess narrative. The story underwent extensive rewriting and testing, leading to a final version that emphasized the bond between Anna and Elsa and the themes of love and sacrifice. During animation and cinematography, the team used a careful blend of visuals and lighting to create realistic and appealing snow and ice among other elements. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez wrote the songs, and Christophe Beck composed the score.

Frozen premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on November 19, 2013, and went into its general theatrical release on November 27. It received generally positive reviews from critics and garnered many accolades, including the Best Original Song ("Let It Go") and Best Animated Feature at the 86th Academy Awards. The film was a significant commercial success, earning $1.285 billion in worldwide box office revenue and becoming the highest-grossing film of the year, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time during its theatrical run. Frozen resonated deeply with audiences worldwide, with children in the US and UK obsessing over the film and repeatedly singing its songs. The immense popularity inspired the creation of a franchise, including an animated short in 2015, an animated featurette in 2017, and a feature-length sequel, Frozen II, in November 2019.

Plot[]

Princess Elsa of Arendelle possesses magical powers allowing her to control ice and snow, often using them to play with her younger sister Anna. After Elsa accidentally injures Anna with her magic, their parents—the King and Queen—take them to a colony of stone trolls led by Grand Pabbie, who heals Anna but erases her memories of Elsa's magic. Grand Pabbie warns Elsa that she must learn to control her powers, and that fear will be her enemy. The sisters are isolated within the castle, the gates of which are now closed off to the public. Out of fear of her increasingly unpredictable powers, Elsa ceases all contact with Anna, causing them to become emotionally distant. When the sisters are teenagers, the King and Queen are lost at sea and presumed dead.

At the age of 21, Elsa is due to be crowned queen, but fears that her subjects will discover her magic and fear her. The castle gates are opened for the first time in years to the public and visiting dignitaries, including the scheming Duke of Weselton and the handsome Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Elsa's coronation proceeds without incident, but she remains distant from Anna. Anna and Hans develop a romantic connection during the festivities, and he impulsively proposes to her, but Elsa objects when they seek her blessing. Hurt and confused, Anna protests, begging Elsa to explain her fear and isolation. The emotional strain causes Elsa to accidentally unleash her powers before the court. Branded a monster by the Duke, Elsa flees to the North Mountain, where she finally acknowledges her powers, building an ice palace to live a hermit life. Unbeknownst to Elsa, her magic has caused Arendelle to fall under an eternal winter.

Anna ventures to find Elsa and end the winter, leaving Hans in command. After getting lost, she meets an iceman named Kristoff and his reindeer Sven, recruiting them to take her to the mountains. An attack by wolves damages Kristoff's sleigh beyond repair. Forced to continuing the journey on foot, Anna and Kristoff meet Olaf, a talking snowman unknowingly created by Elsa, who offers to guide them to her. When Anna's horse reports back to Arendelle without her, Hans sets out to find her along with the Duke's minions, whom the Duke secretly gave orders to kill Elsa.

When Anna reaches the ice palace and reveals to Elsa what has become of Arendelle, a horrified Elsa confesses she does not know how to undo her magic. Her fear causes her powers to manifest themselves once more, and she accidentally freezes Anna's heart, mortally injuring her. In desperation to keep Anna safe, Elsa creates a giant snow monster named Marshmallow, who chases Anna, Kristoff and Olaf away. Realizing the effects of Elsa's spell on Anna, Kristoff takes her to the trolls, his adoptive family. Grand Pabbie reveals that Anna will freeze solid unless "an act of true love" reverses the damage. Kristoff and Olaf race Anna back home so Hans can give her true love's kiss. Hans and his men reach Elsa's palace, defeating Marshmallow, who falls into a chasm, and capturing Elsa.

Anna is delivered to Hans, but rather than kissing her, Hans reveals he was actually planning to seize the throne of Arendelle by eliminating both sisters. Hans locks a heartbroken Anna in a room to die and then manipulates the dignitaries and the Duke into believing that she died due to Elsa's powers. He orders the queen's execution, only to discover she has escaped her detention cell. Anna is freed by Olaf, and they venture into the blizzard outside to meet Kristoff, whom Olaf has revealed is in love with her. Hans confronts Elsa outside, claiming that she killed Anna, causing Elsa to break down and abruptly stop the storm. Moments before Hans can kill Elsa, Anna leaps in the way and freezes solid, stopping Hans. Devastated, Elsa hugs and mourns over her sister, who thaws out, her heroism constituting "an act of true love".

Realizing that love is the key to controlling her magic, Elsa dispels the eternal winter, and gives Olaf a flurry small cloud to experience warmth. Hans is arrested and banished from Arendelle for his treason while Elsa cancels the trade agreement with Weselton to get back at the Duke. Anna gives Kristoff a new sleigh and the two kiss. The sisters are reunited, and Elsa promises never to lock the castle gates again.

Voice cast[]

  • Kristen Anne Bell as Anna, the 18-year-old Princess of Arendelle and Elsa's younger sister
    • Bell also voices 15-year-old Anna.
      • Livvy Stubenrauch as 5-year-old Anna
        • Katie Lopez as 5-year-old Anna (singing)
    • Agatha Lee Monn as 9-year-old Anna
  • Idina Kim Menzel as Elsa, the 21-year-old Queen of Arendelle who possesses magical ice powers and Anna's elder sister
    • Menzel also voices 18-year-old Elsa.
      • Eva Bella as 8-year-old Elsa
      • Spencer Lacey Ganus as 12-year-old Elsa
  • Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, an iceman who is accompanied by a reindeer named Sven
    • Tyree Brown as 8-year-old Kristoff
  • Josh Gad as Olaf, a sentient comic-relief snowman that Elsa and Anna created as children, who dreams of experiencing summer
  • Santino Fontana as Hans, a prince from the Southern Isles who seeks to kill Elsa and marry Anna so he may become the new King of Arendelle
  • Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton
  • Ciarán Hinds as Grand Pabbie, the King of the Rock Trolls
  • Chris Williams as Oaken, the owner of Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna
  • Maia Wilson as Bulda, a troll and Kristoff's adoptive mother
  • Paul Briggs as Marshmallow, a giant snow monster who guards Elsa's palace
  • Maurice LaMarche as Agnarr, the deceased former King of Arendelle and Anna and Elsa's father
  • Jennifer Lee as Iduna, the deceased former Queen of Arendelle and Anna and Elsa's mother

Non-speaking characters include Kristoff's reindeer companion Sven, horses, and wolves. The grunts and snorts for Sven were provided by Frank Welker who was not credited in the film.

Music[]

Main article: Frozen (soundtrack)

The songs for Frozen were composed the Lopezs, a husband-and-wife team known for their work with Disney Animation and Disney Parks. They were approached for the project by producer Peter Del Vecho, who had worked with them on previous Disney films. Despite being busy with other projects, including The Book of Mormon, Lopez and Anderson-Lopez were eager to collaborate with Disney on a fairy tale musical, and they were convinced to join the team after a personal pitch in New York City. Disney valued Anderson-Lopez's strong storytelling abilities, making the decision to work on the film an easy one for the couple.

The creation of Frozen's music was a meticulous and collaborative process. The songwriters, Lopez and Anderson-Lopez, worked remotely from New York City, engaging in frequent transcontinental video conferences with the Burbank production team. They composed 25 songs, but only eight made it into the final version, with one having a reprise and another being covered by Demi Lovato in the credits. The songs were recorded as demos in their home studio, and then discussed in video conferences.

In addition to songs, the film featured a score by Christophe Beck, who incorporated regional instruments and vocal techniques inspired by Norwegian and Sámi cultures. The orchestral recordings that took place on the Warner Bros. lot, blend seamlessly with the songs. Lee highlighted the importance of sound on the film's emotional impact, especially during pivotal moments, such as the complete silence after Anna freezes. Foley work was done to capture snow and ice sounds, and various attempts were made to perfect the sound of Elsa's footsteps in the ice palace.

Thematic analysis[]

Frozen is interpreted by scholars and critics including Fariha Laili, Dana Stevens, and Christy Lemire as a critique of traditional gender norms and societal expectations. Laili notes that the film promotes feminism and challenges traditional gender stereotypes including rational thought, meritocracy, and various aspects of socio-political life. Elsa assumes her responsibility as queen and stresses understanding her powers and determining the future. She denies Anna's marriage request to Hans because Anna had only just met him. Anna assumes her responsibility to save Arendelle from Elsa's powers and denies male companionship. They work together to defeat the antagonist, Hans. In the song "Let It Go", Elsa undergoes a powerful transformative experience, shedding her societal constraints and embracing her power. She discards the gloves that her parents gave her to obstruct her powers, and she replaces her modest attire with a more alluring look of thigh-high slit dress and silver-white high heels. Both Stevens and Lemire said Elsa's transformation signifies her liberation and confidence. Stevens said the discarding of her gloves symbolizes her surging sense of empowerment, and Lemire connects her transformation to the film's overarching theme of embracing one's true identity.

Eve Benhamou and Maja Rudloff said that, despite the emphasis on feminism, Frozen conveys a conflicted message about traditional gender binaries. Elsa endured many cases of female suppression throughout her childhood and adulthood. Her parents exert patriarchal control over her by concealing and obstructing her powers prior to "Let it Go". Even so, her powerful moments of freedom and agency are short-lived. She defends herself from attackers by using her powers in subdued ways but is halted when she becomes too threatening. Rudloff said that although the film promotes feminist ideals of equality and female agency, it reduces them to postfeminist notions centered on looks, self-discipline, and gendered stereotypes. Anna is portrayed as naive and excessively concerned with romance, and Elsa's empowerment and self-realization contradicts her physical appearance and sexualization. Similarly, Madeline Streiff and Lauren Dundes said Frozen conveys a limited message for young girls about feminism and heterosexual romance. Elsa's powers evoke dominance and threat toward male characters, and her lack of romantic pursuits reflects societal double standards of women's sexuality. Stevens noted the limited portrayal of female self-actualization, and she compared it to films like Grease (1978) and The Breakfast Club (1985) where the female character achieves empowerment through makeovers. Elsa's transformation into a glamorous ice queen differs in that it is not aimed at impressing a romantic interest, and she remains without a romantic prospect by the end of the film.

Others said Frozen misrepresents traditional social identities. Su Holmes said it portrays a socially constructed nature of female identity and promotes thinness as beauty, raising concerns related to issues such as eating disorders. Robert Geal pointed out biases in Frozen's portrayal of female and male homosexuality. Elsa transforms from a constrained individual to a confident and sexualized one in a way that empathizes the erotic aspects of femininity, while Oaken's male same-sex relationship and family are depicted as non-aesthetic, disavowed, alterable, and of masochistic sexuality, reflecting heteronormativity and the repression and marginalization of male homosexuality. In The Atlantic, Akash Nikolas said that Disney films like Frozen subtly resonated with queer children by featuring protagonists who similarly defy societal norms and challenges traditional ideas of marriage. These characters often present themselves as social outcasts due to their unconventional desires. Geal argued that while the film may present a facade of progressiveness regarding homosexuality, it also reinforces conservative views on sexuality and gender.

According to Geal, Stephani Linando, and Ryan Bunch, Frozen departs from traditional Disney fairytale conventions by featuring characters that challenge the instant and inevitable "true love", "happily-ever-after", the prince saving the princess through a "true love's kiss", and fulfillment through marriage tropes. These characters defy the classic and noble love narratives. Hans reveals himself as a villain who approaches Anna for personal gains rather than true love. The empowered, independent Elsa does not need a prince to give her a so-called happily ever after life. Anna fulfills the prince's true-kiss savior role by selflessly saving Elsa herself. Unlike the traditional passive princess narrative where a princess's fulfillment ends at marriage, Frozen emphasizes sisterly bonds over heterosexual romance. It conveys the separation and confinement between Anna and Elsa and Elsa's fear of hurting others, especially Anna. While they follow the typical Disney trapped princess narrative, their character arcs add depth to the themes of restraint and freedom. Anna is open and eager to explore the world, whereas Elsa seeks security in confinement and isolation.

The song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" illustrates Anna and Elsa's relationship during their period of separation, blending their coming-of-age story with grief for their parents. An enthusiastic Anna repeatedly tries to persuade Elsa to come out and play, while Elsa remains confined and distant. Anna's deepest desire to be close to her sister establishes a poignant emotional connection for the audience. The song incorporates traditional 'I Want' tropes from traditional Disney films, reflecting Anna's desire to escape confinement with her longing for love and companionship. However, unlike traditional Disney heroines whose longing for adventure typically evolves into heteronormative romance, the film collapses both desires into one. In the song "For the First Time in Forever", Anna expresses extroverted excitement about open doors and windows, and being around people, but her fantasies later shift toward meeting her true love. Bunch said these themes mirrored past Disney film motivations, intentionally leading the viewers to believe that the film is setting up expectation for another typical Disney romance narrative. However, the song subverts these expectations later in the film when Anna reveals her desire for romantic love to be secondary for her profound longing to be reunited with Elsa.

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