Disney gives folk tale makeover in ‘Frozen’

LOS ANGELES - Agence France-Presse

This image shows Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, in a scene from Disney’s animated feature ‘Frozen.’ The feature could be in the running for an Oscar. AP photo

Disney has given a chilly makeover to a traditional fairy tale in its latest animated release “Frozen,” which could be in the running for an Oscar.

The movie is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” 25 years after Disney’s last Andersen adaptation, “The Little Mermaid” even if it takes substantial liberties with plot and characters.

The studio’s 53rd feature-length film, which has had positive reviews ahead of its release for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, brings to fruition a project which was on Walt Disney’s wish list although he never made it.

“Walt Disney was passionate about trying to do a version of this,” the film’s co-producer Chris Buck told at a press conference to present the film at Disney’s Burbank, California studios.

Fellow co-producer Jennifer Lee added: “Unfortunately, we dug for some original material but nothing really surfaced .... But we knew that this was special for him.Although the exact reason Disney himself did not make a film of the 1844 Andersen tale, Lee, who co-wrote 2012’s Oscar-nominated “Wreck-It Ralph,” said she was not surprised.”It’s a very hard story, it’s very symbolic, the snow queen herself is not clearly drawn,” she told reporters.