10 Facts About Disney's Frozen That You May Have Missed
10 Facts About Disney's Frozen That You May Have Missed
1 - Norway's Tourism Boom
The mesmerising depiction of Norway in Frozen has boosted tourism in the country. After the film’s release in 2013, hotel bookings increased by 37 percent, and data revealed by FlightTracker concludes that searches for flights to Norway has risen by a huge 153 per cent.
Disney even partnered with tourism promoter Innovation Norway so as to drive interest, and VisitNorway.com added a Frozen banner to its homepage. For those hardcore Frozen fans, you can even arrange to go on a full Frozen holiday package, designed by Adventures by Disney, the company's guided tour division.
However, this is not the first time that a country's tourism industry has been boosted by an animated movie from Disney. In response to the 2012 film, Brave, a holiday package to Scotland was available for booking.
2 - Professor Norse: Disney Never Lies
During production, Disney hired Jackson Crawford, a professor of Old Norse and Scandinavian mythology so as to accurately infuse the script with Norwegian words, accents, and phrases. For example, Anna’s horse is named Sitron, which is Norwegian for “lemon.” In addition, did you know that the lines which the bishop speaks during Elsa's coronation scene are actually in Old Norse? How is that for accuracy! Crawford's input also extends to the runes shown in a book belonging to the princesses' father at the start of the movie.
3 - Hans Christian Andersen
Based on the classic children's fairytale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, Disney made an effort not to forget the film's origin. Four of the main character’s names in Frozen – Hans, Kristoff, Anna and Sven – are a tribute to the author.
4 - Evil Elsa?
Believe it or not, the lovely and hugely adored character of Queen Elsa was originally meant to be the villain of the film. Her original concept sketch even shows the frightening blue spikey hair which was meant to adorn her head. Thankfully, the plot was redrafted after Let it Go was written.
5 - Let it Go
It is the song which none of us can get out of our head... Let It Go, the immensely popular and multi-award-winning song, was written in just one day. Composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the song was written to match the vocal capabilities of the American actress and singer Idina Menzel, who voices Queen Elsa in the film.
In spite of its speedy production, the song - just like the film itself - has gained full international recognition, with numerous covers being recorded in various languages.
6 - Mary Poppins' Jolly Holiday In Summer
Dick Van Dyke's penguin dance during the song Jolly Holiday in Mary Poppins is an iconic Disney moment. However, did you know that when performing In Summer, Frozen's loveable snowman Olaf references this exact scene? With matching canes and straw hats the two are mirror images of one another!
7 - Boston Firemen Singing On The Job
It is undeniable that Frozen’s soundtrack is beloved by children and adults across the world. To prove this, in March of 2014, two Boston firemen sang Let It Go to a girl stuck in an elevator to calm her down in order to rescue her. And, it worked!
8 - Easter Eggs
Disney is well-known for including hidden Easter Eggs in their films, and for the most observant amongst us, Frozen is no exception. In fact, there are several surprising things hidden in the film. These include a cameo appearance from Tangled’s Rapunzel and Flynn Rider / Eugene during Anna’s performance of The First Time in Forever. As well as a Mickey Mouse figure concealed on the shelves of Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post.
9 - Girl Power!
Frozen is most certainly an atypical example of a Disney love story. There is no Prince Charming to swoop our wilting flower princesses off their feet (in fact, the featured prince turns out to be the bad guy!). Instead, the story centres around the love between two equally independent sisters, Elsa and Anna.
The girl power theme of the movie extends to behind the scenes, with the director of Frozen, Jennifer Lee, being the first woman ever to direct a Disney animated feature.
10 - Dark Duet
When Anna sings Love is an Open Door with Prince Hans, it is the first time a Disney princess has ever performed a duet with a villain. However, the real mystery here is... will it be the last?
