Frozen is an American 3D computer animated musical-fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
A sequel, titled Frozen II, was released on November 22, 2019.
Plot
Princess Elsa of Arendelle possesses magical powers that allow her to control and create 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 both siblings to a colony of trolls led by Grand Pabbie. He heals Anna, but alters her memories so that she will forget about Elsa's magic. Grand Pabbie warns Elsa that she must learn to control her powers and that fear will be her greatest enemy. The King and Queen isolate both sisters within the castle, closing the castle gates to their subjects. To protect her sister from her increasingly unpredictable powers, Elsa ceases all contact with Anna, creating a rift between them. When the sisters are teenagers, their parents are killed at sea during a storm.
Following her 21st birthday, Elsa is to be crowned queen of Arendelle. She is afraid that the kingdom's citizens might find out about her powers and fear her. The castle gates open to the public and visiting dignitaries for the first time in years. Among them are the scheming Duke of Weselton and the handsome Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, with whom Anna falls in love at first sight. Elsa's coronation takes place without incident, but she remains distant from Anna. Anna and Hans develop a romantic connection during the coronation 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. In the process, her magic unintentionally engulfs Arendelle in an eternal winter.
Anna ventures out to find Elsa and end the winter, leaving Hans in command. She gets lost, collecting supplies at Wandering Oaken's shop. She meets an iceman named Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven, convincing them to take her to the mountains. An attack by wolves leads to Kristoff's sleigh being destroyed. Forced to walk, Anna and Kristoff meet Olaf, a talking snowman unknowingly created by Elsa, who offers to guide them to her. When Anna's horse returns to Arendelle without her, Hans sets out to find Anna and Elsa, accompanied by the Duke's minions, who have secret orders to kill Elsa.
Reaching the ice palace, Anna meets Elsa. When Anna reveals 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, seriously 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 spell.
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 instead reveals his dastardly plot 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 into believing that Elsa killed her, but not before they were married. 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. Anna spots Hans about to kill Elsa; she 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 ends the winter and gives a small flurry cloud to Olaf to experience warm. Hans is arrested and exiled from the kingdom for his treason and attempted assassination, while the Duke's trade links with Arendelle are cut off. Anna gives Kristoff a new sleigh and they share a kiss, starting their relationship. The sisters are reunited, and Elsa promises never to lock the castle gates again.
In a post-credits scene, Marshmallow, having survived the fall, finds Elsa's discarded crown and places it on top of its head.
Timecard
- Three years later
Voice cast
- Kristen Bell as Anna, a member of a royal family and Elsa's younger sister
- Idina Menzel as Elsa, the Snow Queen and Anna's elder sister
- Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, a mountain man
- Josh Gad as Olaf, a snowman
- Santino Fontana as Prince Hans
- Sven, an energetic reindeer who tends to fall asleep due to the amount of sugar he devours.
- Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton
- Chris Williams as the Wandering Oaken
- Ciaran Hinds as Grand Pabbie the Troll King
Production
Walt Disney Animation Studios has been working on its own adaptation of The Snow Queen, most recently after being scrapped in late 2002. However, as of March 2010, Disney had shelved the project again. As of June 2010, Disney announced that the film was put on "hold." In December 2011, following the success of Tangled (formerly Rapunzel), Disney announced a new title for the film, Frozen, and a release date, November 27, 2013. A month later, it was confirmed that the film will be a 3D CGI animated feature. On March 5, 2012, it was announced that actress Kristen Bell will provide her voice to the lead character; Chris Buck will be directing, with John Lasseter and Peter Del Vecho producing. In June 2012, it was announced that Bell will voice Anna, a young dreamer, and that Idina Menzel will voice Elsa the Snow Queen. The songs will be written by Broadway composers Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez. This is the plot according to Disney D23: "In order to stop the spell which has trapped the kingdom in eternal winter, Anna teams up with Kristoff, a mountain man, and goes on a journey to find the Snow Queen, all while encountering Everest-like extremes, mystical creatures and magic." On November 30, 2012, it was announced that Jennifer Lee, one of the screenwriters of Wreck-It Ralph, has joined Buck as co-director. On December 19, 2012, it was announced that Jonathan Groff will voice the role of Kristoff.
Music
Original songs for Frozen were written and composed by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. At D23's Destination D event in August 2012, a song called Let It Go was performed as a preview. The song is performed by Idina Menzel as Elsa, when she leaves the kingdom and creates her own ice palace. In February 2013, it was reported that Christophe Beck has been hired to score the film.
On May 11, 2014, Let It Go won the Academy Award for Best Music (Original Song).
Trivia
- This is the Disney animated feature film that is rated PG by the MPAA as a theatrical version in 2013, but this one is currently rated G by the MPAA as a home media version in January 2018.
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