Frozen is a feature-length animated motion picture released by the Walt Disney studio in 2013. It became the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Frozen won Academy Awards for best animated feature and best original song.
Frozen was inspired by the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The film tells the story of princess Elsa and princess Anna, her younger sister, who live in the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa has the power to produce ice, frost, and snow. When the sisters were children, Elsa’s powers almost accidentally killed Anna. The girls’ parents, the king and queen, sought help from a troll, who healed Anna and removed her memory of Elsa’s powers. When the girls were teenagers, their parents died at sea during a storm. During Elsa’s coronation, Anna hastily accepts a marriage proposal from Prince Hans. However, Elsa forbids the sudden marriage and the sisters argue. Elsa flees the castle, inadvertently unleashing an eternal winter upon Arendelle. Frightened that she cannot control her growing powers, which are triggered by her emotions, Elsa isolates herself so that she will not harm anyone. Joined by a mountaineer, his reindeer, and a snowman, Anna sets off on a journey to find Elsa and save the frozen kingdom.
Kristen Bell provided the voice of Anna; Idina Menzel provided the voice of Elsa; Jonathan Groff provided the voice of Kristoff, the mountaineer; Josh Gad provided the voice of Olaf, the snowman; and Santino Fontana provided the voice of Prince Hans. The film was directed by the American animator, director, and writer Chris Buck and the American director and writer Jennifer Lee. Lee also wrote the screenplay.
The film’s soundtrack, released in 2013, became a worldwide hit. It featured original songs written and composed by the American husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. It also featured pieces of instrumental music by the Canadian composer Christophe Beck. The song “Let It Go,” performed in the film by Menzel, won an Oscar for best original song and a Grammy Award for best song written for visual media. A pop single of the song, performed by the singer and actor Demi Lovato, was released earlier in 2013 and later became a hit.
A musical-theater version of Frozen opened on Broadway in New York City in 2018. A sequel film, Frozen 2, was released in 2019.
