Two sisters, one with a unique gift: the power to freeze anything she lays her hands on, a sort of midwinter’s Midas touch.
When we first meet them, in the dazzling opening sequences of Disney’s Frozen, Anna and Elsa are best of friends.
The two princesses love to play together especially when Elsa transforms the nursery into a magical ice adventure for her baby sis.
But after a shocking accident, Elsa is advised by her parents (seeking wisdom from the trolls in the woods) to hide her abilities for fear of doing more harm.
The sisters grow up estranged, but on the day that Elsa is crowned Queen, Anna falls in love with Hans, a total stranger, and pledges to marry him. What follows next is a huge row that leads to Elsa losing her self-control and exposing the magic she’s been hiding.
With her big sister storming out of the palace, it’s up to Anna to go after Elsa and help thaw her heart as well as the frozen kingdom she’s left behind.
Frozen Sing-along + Director Q&A
We were invited to an exclusive screening of the Frozen Sing-along edition at Soho Hotel where we also got to chat with the filmmakers in a post-screening Q&A.
Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (who also wrote the screenplay) were still giddy from their BAFTA for Best Animated Film win the night before, to add to their Golden Globe (they’ve since also scooped the Oscar for Best Animated Movie)!
It was fantastic to hear from the creative minds behind this movie, particularly from Jennifer, a 42-year-old mother of a 10-year-old daughter who is also the first female director in 76 years of Disney animation history. Work it, mama!
She said the dynamic between Anna and Elsa was partly inspired by her relationship with her own sister. The filmmakers were sweet and gracious in their responses to some of the kids who asked questions, including my very own babe about town.
‘What inspired you to make the film?’ Ezra asked the directors.
Frozen was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, although they’ve remixed it for modern audiences and given the fairytale an upbeat, girl-power twist.
Here, the square-jawed Disney heroes are more like sidekicks to the ladies and the true love at the heart of the story is between the sisters.
I’ll admit I had tears in my eyes at the end, thinking about my own bond with my sister Nkiru. *sniff*
Frozen is a simply breathtaking spectacle – the icy landscape is beautifully animated and it’s filled with colourful characters including the adorable Olaf, a talking snowman.
The songs are soul stirring, especially Elsa’s big number Let it Go, which has become an anthem for owning what you do and who you are, no matter what.
Fab film, cool tunes, great message.
Frozen is out on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download on Monday Mar 31.
Disney Store Frozen pre-order offer: http://bit.ly/FrozenPrePurchase
Official Website: http://www.disney.co.uk/movies/frozen (you can also download colouring sheets here for your kids)
Official Twitter: @Disney_UK #Frozen
NB: Why not take the kids to the family-friendly Frozen Sing-along at Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square on May 18?!
Sounds like a fun screening. A isn’t a movie buff but this is the only film she has ever managed to sit through and I think did enjoy. She is obsessed with ‘Let it Go’ – we often have it on repeat for 2 hours during which I get “treated” to a live singing and dancing show too!
Oh wow, looks amazing especially the Q and A, which you know I would have loved, Bafta often do Q & A’s with directors and producers with screenings, really miss that being up North. Must get Oliver to watch this, he keeps saying it’s his favourite film and he hasn’t even seen it!
Haha sounds like you have a mini starlet on your hands there Nomita! Really loved Frozen and saw it just after the LEGO movie which we also thought was excellent. Kids animation features keep moving on in leaps and bounds!
Haha Oliver will love it I’m sure. Ezra actually had seen it on a school trip and kept telling me how ‘epic’ it was, which I thought was impressive considering it’s such a female-centric film. Very glad they won the Oscar!
We loved the movie, went to see it at Xmas with Isabelle.