By: Holly Boggs
“Do you want to build a snowman?” With one simple song, Disney Animation Studio’s “Frozen” uprooted this basic question and transformed it into an internationally renowned adage. Where once a simple “yes” or “no” would have sufficed, this question is now answered with a long-winded musical ballad. A double Oscar win only served to further cement the film’s success. Even more significantly, “Frozen” was Disney’s first win in the category of best animated feature since the category’s creation in 2001. Indeed, “Frozen” seems to have thawed a 2-decade-long creative freeze for Disney, promising worldwide success not seen since the likes of “The Lion King” or “The Little Mermaid.”
Companies such as Disney are constantly searching for the next home-run hit that will increase revenues for sales over multiple markets, or produce what is called synergy. Given that a “Frozen” Broadway musical is in the works, the “Frozen” album has topped Billboard charts, and waits in line at Disney World to see Princesses Anna and Elsa currently average around five hours, Frozen has gone above and beyond this particular goal.
This is not to say that Disney Animation Studios has been entirely unsuccessful in the meantime. They have produced hit films such as “The Princess and the Frog” in 2009, “Tangled” in 2010, and “Brave” and “Wreck-It-Ralph” in 2012. None of these, though, have led to the level of synergy that a home run film produces for the company. For instance, the princesses from “The Princess and the Frog,” “Tangled,” and “Brave” have all been incorporated into the shows in the Disney World theme park. “The Princess and the Frog” even enjoyed a short-lived riverboat ride. But when the park recently expanded Fantasy Land, none of these shows saw expansions. Instead, the creative minds behind the Disney World attractions leaned more heavily on the home runs of the past, such as 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” and 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast.”
Just last week, though, one father and his 5-year-old daughter went to Disney World at 9 a.m. and waited in line for two hours simply to meet the “Frozen” princesses. The popularity of these meet-and-greets has led to speculation that “Frozen” will find a permanent home in Epcot. Though Disney officials will not yet confirm that any plans are in the works, Lou Mongello, host of an unofficial Disney World podcast, suggests that they will most likely replace Maelstrom, a dark boat ride in Epcot that tours Norwegian seas, with a “Frozen” ride.
In addition to theme park expansions, Disney has developed other schemes to increase revenue from the film across different markets. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in January that a Broadway version of “Frozen,” similar to the Broadway adaptations of “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” is in the works. On Jan. 31, Disney released a sing-along version of the movie which found wide-spread popularity among the younger audience. The song, “Let It Go,” from the movie became the fourth animated film soundtrack to steal the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200 album-sales chart, replacing Beyonce’s new CD. “Frozen” merchandise has also been selling well, and the release of the movie onto DVD in March is already expected to break more sales records. The synergy following the film’s success has extended the movie’s life cycle, spread awareness of the film to different groups, and provided additional purchasing opportunities for the hooked consumer.
“Frozen” can attribute most of its success to multiple sources. Rivalry between animation studios has raised the bar for Disney in terms of its creative output. The 20-year gap between Disney smash hits has been filled with successes from rival studios such as Blue Sky (with “Ice Age” and “Rio”), DreamWorks Animation (with “Shrek,” “Kung-Fu Panda,” and “Madagascar”), Pixar (with “Monsters, Inc.” and “Finding Nemo”), and Illumination (with the “Despicable Me” movies). As Sito, a former Disney animator, put it, “A rising tide raises all boats… Walt Disney did some of his best work while fighting off challenges from Max Fleischer and Looney Tunes.”
Disney’s hiring of new executive leaders has led to an invigoration of fresh ideas. Pixar chiefs John Lasseter and Ed Catmull became chief creative officer and president of Disney Animation after Disney acquired Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006. John Lasseter in particular has really re-energized the studio, being the first animator to serve in his position since Walt Disney in 1966. Though “Frozen” is the first home run film Lasseter has brought to the stage since the merger, his stamp on the newest Disney releases has been evident and getting better with time. He brought with him plenty of new talent and an idea to return to the Disney specialty of movie-musicals which led to the success of “Frozen.”
Disney also learned from “Brave” and “Tangled” that by appealing to both genders in animated films, the potential market of viewers doubles. Notice that all these movies (“Brave,” “Tangled,” and “Frozen”) make no mention in their title of a princess theme, so as not to typecast them as being overly feminine. When “Frozen” was on the Disney storyboard in the late 1990s, it was originally entitled “Anna and the Snow Queen.” This quickly changed when the idea was reintroduced in the late 2000s after insight into marketing across genders was formulated. Also, the original trailers for the movie made no mention of singing or female leads. They merely featured a humorous monologue by the comical snowman, Olaf. Soon after followed trailers depicting action and adventure. The last promotional wave featured both male and female characters, action, song, and humor. It was not until theatergoers left the cinemas that people began to realize that the movie focuses primarily on two female sisters. This marketing strategy paid off, as the stats indicate that 43 percent of audience members for the film are male.
“Frozen” also breached the age-gap in popularity due in large part to its musical soundtrack and cast. Big names such as Idina Menzel and Demi Levato performing the song “Let It Go” from the movie attracted the attention of many older moviegoers. Josh Gad from “Book of Mormon,” a hit play which attracts a more mature audience, played the role of Olaf which drove that demographic to theaters. The film’s widespread popularity and A+ rating on CinemaScore, in addition to its 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes certainly didn’t hurt the movie’s widespread appeal either.
“Frozen” also breaks from the traditional mold of princess movies; the focus is not on finding a prince. Rather, it’s more concerned with the loving relationship between two sisters and the acceptance of one’s own true self. As co-director Jennifer Lee puts it, “it’s a story about love conquering negativity, in a society ruled by fear.” This is a modern, universal theme that speaks to everyone in today’s world regardless of age or gender. No wonder the movie has experienced such widespread success. It makes everyone, young or old, big or small, want to build a snowman too.
