Walt Disney Studios has made an official announcement regarding their new animated feature Frozen, and along with it comes the first full synopsis. The film was actually borne out of the long development of The Snow Queen, which was put on hold in 2010 due to story issues. The pic came back with a new title and a November 2013 release date, and now Disney has confirmed a voice cast consisting of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, with Broadway vets Robert Lopez (The Book of Mormon) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Winnie the Pooh) tapped to pen original songs for the feature.
Bell voices a young dreamer named Anna who teams up with “a daring mountain man” to find the Snow Queen (Menzel) and put an end to a spell that has trapped their kingdom in eternal winter. Chris Buck (Tarzan) is onboard as director, and the fairy tale-esque story combined with the addition of two talented songwriters hints that Frozen may harken back to Disney’s earlier animated films. Hit the jump to read the full press release, which includes the synopsis.
Here’s the press release with the synopsis in bold:
BURBANK, Calif. (June 11, 2012) – Walt Disney Animation Studios presents an epic tale of adventure and comedy in “Frozen,” a computer-animated feature film slated for the big screen in November 2013. Directed by Chris Buck (“Tarzan,” “Surf’s Up”) and produced by Peter Del Vecho (“Winnie the Pooh,” “The Princess and the Frog”), “Frozen” features the vocal talents of film/TV/stage star Kristen Bell as Anna, a young dreamer about to take the adventure of a lifetime, and Tony Award ®-winning actress Idina Menzel as Elsa the Snow Queen. The movie will feature original songs by Broadway greats Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
In “Frozen,” a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, so Anna (voice of Bell) must team up with Kristoff, a daring mountain man, on the grandest of journeys to find the Snow Queen (voice of Menzel) and put an end to the icy spell. Encountering Everest-like extremes, mystical creatures and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.
Bell has starred in a variety of films, including the comedies “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Couples Retreat,” and the upcoming films “Hit & Run,” “Some Girls” and the Farrelly Brothers’ “Movie 43.” On the small screen, Bell is currently starring in the Showtime series “House of Lies” alongside Don Cheadle; she has also starred in “Heroes” and “Veronica Mars.” Broadway credits include “The Crucible” and “Tom Sawyer.”
Menzel, who won a Tony Award® as Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Elphaba in Broadway’s “Wicked” (2004), landed her first role on Broadway in 1995 in the Tony Award-winning musical “Rent.” Film credits include “Enchanted” and the feature film “Rent.” She has appeared in a recurring role on TV’s “Glee” and recently released “Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony,” a live concert with an orchestra led by composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch. Menzel is currently on a North American concert tour.
Robert Lopez is a three-time Tony Award®-winning writer of the Tony and Grammy® Award-winning musical “The Book of Mormon,” which was co-written with Trey Parker and Matt Stone (“South Park”), and the musical “Avenue Q,” which ran for six years on Broadway and four years in London’s West End. Lopez teamed with wife Anderson-Lopez, whose Drama Desk-winning show “In Transit” is Broadway-bound, to write original songs for 2011’s “Winnie the Pooh,” a stage version of “Finding Nemo” and a new musical called “Up Here.”
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Excited, although the young girl and rugged guy team up angle reminds me a lil too much of Tangled. But I love Tangled, so hey…
DAMN SHOULD BE IN 2D!!
DAMN YOU DISNEY!
Damian McGinty’s accent and voice works perfectly opposite Kristen Bell.
He could be the voice of Kristoff in Frozen. And his big deep singing
voice is brilliant.
Tragic. Shame Disney really. You killed Rapunzel and now you are distroying Snow Queen. Shame for Disney and Hans. Terrible plot. Hate the fact that it is not animation but computer
What are you talking about? CGI is animation, just in a different form, it’s like saying that stop-mo wasn’t animation when it clearly is. Furthermore, CGI has dominated the animation industry for over a decade now, so I think its about time people should drop this issue, because it’s obvious that they are not going to go back to traditional animation (at least not as much as it has been before, e.g. the disney renaissance). CGI can be just as good as traditional (toy story, how to train you dragon etc) and its about evolving, if the film industry doesn’t try new things, then it will stay stagnant and who wants that?
Well, you could have both. Have you heard of Studio Ghibli? They also made used of CGI but without abandoning the ‘traditional’ way and their films are simply breathtaking.
I miss 2D films. I love Tangled but I was more fascinated by the scenes in Princess and the Frog.
I DO! The older film industry was amazing if it would stay like that forever I would be very happy.
I like cgi movies but I love the old style way better.
Lion king Mulan Beauty and the beast etc they made disney so great those old style movies!
I like pixar and stuff but most of those movies did not gave me the same magick feeling the older ones did. Only Up and WallE got that done.
And normal animation thank god still exicts in the form of japanese cartoons called anime.
For people desperate for old style animation go there.
Disney lost a loyal follower in me the moment they dropped old animation.
Newer isnt always better actualy it mostly isnt.
Cgi Is great old style is better. Best would be to have both. Why should we have to chose? Why not just make both? Whats the worst that could happen making a new old style movie? Finding out they sell better than then the new ones?
Of course they should make old style disney movies not things like cows on the prairy or whatever its called. Of course that movie failed but it would have failed in 3d just as much.
Just as Rapunzel would have been just as great in old style. Its the story and characters that make the movie. If those suck you can make it look flashy all you want with your 3d it will still suck.
Please disney hear your old loyal fans give us back the movies we fell in love with or lose us all.
sorry for any grammar and typ mistakes, Im dyslexic
Can’t believe the coincidence! I’d written a story using “The Snow Queen” to lead to another
copy. Just this week 9 10, I dragged it out & re-did, then I decided I’d check the internet. Alas,
it ruins all my work, as I do not remember it this way at all. Do you think I’ll ever be able to publish it? Sadly, I did not write it for fame or money but as part of MA at SF State years ago.
“The Snow Queen is not the main theme; it leads to a more important one…
Walnut Creek, CA