Frozen

Frozen is an upcoming American 3D computer animated musical fantasy-comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Contrary to popular belief, this film will not be using Meander, the hybrid 2D/CGI animation tool made by Disney for the Paperman short, leading to uncertainty on when it will be used. However, it will be using the same animation style as Tangled. It is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Snow Queen. It will be the 53rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It will also feature the twelfth Disney Princess, Anna the Ice Princess. The film will feature the voices of Kristen Bell as Anna and Idina Menzel as the Snow Queen, in speaking as well as singing roles, along with Jonathan Groff playing the role of mountain man Kristoff. The film is currently scheduled to be released on November 27, 2013.

This would be WDAS's second Andersen-inspired full-length feature, the first being The Little Mermaid (not counting The Steadfast Tin Soldier from Fantasia 2000 and The Little Match Girl).

Plot
Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

Voice Cast

 * Kristen Bell - Anna, the youngest daughter of a royal family.
 * Idina Menzel - Elsa, the Snow Queen and Anna's elder sister.
 * Jonathan Groff - Kristoff, a rugged mountain man who assists Anna in helping her find her sister.
 * Josh Gad - Olaf, a goofy enchanted snowman tossed away by Elsa.
 * Sven, a mangy reindeer who is Kristoff's companion.
 * Santino Fontana - Hans
 * Alan Tudyk - The Duke of Weselton
 * Chris Williams - Oaken

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, 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, author Eric Eisenburg reported the original details about Frozen: "The story is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and is about an evil queen who kidnaps a young boy named Kai. Following his disappearance, a young girl named Gerda goes on an adventure to save him." The film is being directed by Chris Buck, who previously co-directed both Surf's Up - the animated film about surfing penguins - and 1999's Tarzan. Much like many of Disney's recent animated films, the project is being overseen by Pixar chief John Lasseter and Peter Del Vecho and will be done using computer generated animation. Originally, the film was supposed to be a hand-drawn animated film after Winnie The Pooh, but when John Lasseter (the one who decides which technic can be useful to visualize the animated project) read the script, he thought and decided that the of style of the adaptation would be amazing using the same hand-drawn/CGI hybrid technic from Tangled for the story. Eisenberg also reports that Kristen Bell will provide her voice in the film as the lead character.

In June 2012, it was announced that Bell will voice Anna, a young dreamer, and that Idina Menzel will voice Elsa the Snow Queen.

On July 29, 2012, a new story plot was given by The Walt Disney Animation Studios: "When Anna is cursed by her estranged sister, the cold-hearted Snow Queen, Anna’s only hope of reversing the curse is to survive a perilous but thrilling journey across an icy and unforgiving landscape. Joined by a rugged, thrill-seeking outdoorsman, his one-antlered reindeer and a hapless snowman, Anna must race against time, conquer the elements and battle an army of menacing snowmen if she ever hopes to melt her frozen heart." 

Broadway songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who previously wrote songs for the 2011 film Winnie the Pooh, have been confirmed to write original songs for the film. 

On November 29, 2012, Jennifer Lee, who previously wrote the screenplay for the movie Wreck-It Ralph will join Chris Buck as Co-Director. 

“This is her sister’s magic. Elsa created this winter storm and ice formation,” says director Chris Buck (Surf’s Up, Tarzan). “We love the power of it, and yet there’s a magical quality to it also.”  “We wanted to push it to the extreme,” adds Jennifer Lee (screenwriter of Wreck-It Ralph), who is directing the film with him. “The unnatural quality of the ice emphasizes this is not, you know, sky-made ice, but ice made by someone.”  If you click on the image to expand, you’ll find snowflake shapes embedded within the ice. “You’ll see that shape throughout,” Buck says. “It’s very subtle, but that’s basically [evidence of] Elsa’s magic. That’s her signature.” -Entertainment Weekly

Release
The first trailer for the film debuted alongside the release of Pixar's Monsters University in June 2013. Frozen may also be accompanied by a new Mickey Mouse short, Get A Horse!.

Music
Original songs for Frozen will be 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 to be performed by Idina Menzel as Elsa, when she leaves the kingdom and creates her own ice palace.

Trivia

 * http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/disney%20frozen