As we edge slightly closer to the November 23rd, 2013 release date of Disney’s new animated adventure film Frozen, Disney has presented eager fans with an official synopsis included within a recently published press release:
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.
Hit the jump for more!
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.
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 anorchestra led by composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch.
Frozen will be computer animated and takes inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen‘s story The Snow Queen. Whereas his tale involves a boy falling under the evil spell of the Snow Queen, forcing his childhood female friend to save him, Frozen seems to be replacing the boy-in-distress narrative with an adventure story shared by both a girl and a man. Though Disney certainly seems to be working within the trend of female-fronted action/adventure films geared towards teens and children, most notably demonstrated by extremely successful release of The Hunger Games adaptation and the wildly anticipated Brave by Disney Pixar, it remains to be seen whether or not Frozen will give us the strong female lead and complex female villain young girls deserve. Hopefully Frozen will not fall into the obvious trap of letting the bravery of the mountain man overshadow Anna, allowing her to take center stage and save the day in her own right.
Adding to the potential awesomeness of this flick is definitely the casting of Idina Menzel as the Snow Queen — given her excellent portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked, it seems that she just might have the whole misunderstood witch thing down pat! Hopefully we’ll see an awesomely multi-dimensional female villain in addition to the heroine Disney seems to be promising its fans.
(via geektyrant.)
