Frozen Fever - Details and Stills
USA Today has the first look at the upcoming Frozen short, that will screen in front of the live action Cinderella movie next month.
The short will tell the story of Princess Anna’s birthday, as Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven aim to throw her a party. Elsa is a bit more light-hearted now that she’s got her powers under control, but when gets a cold not everything goes as planned.
"The first revisiting of the now-beloved characters features some surprising changes, including older sister Elsa's attitude. Elsa, weighed down by her royal duties in Frozen, has lightened up so much that she's throwing Anna a birthday bash. It's another side of Elsa the audience hasn't seen before and we hadn't really played with in the original feature," says Chris Buck, who reunited with Jennifer Lee to direct the short.
The birthday plans go awry when the powerfully magic Elsa comes down with a cold on the big day. "Elsa doesn't get a cold in the usual way," says Lee. "She's special. Surprising things occur that wreak a little havoc."
The short features a new song from the husband-and-wife team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who won an Oscar for Let it Go. Parents, be warned: The new song is catchy.
"If history is any indicator, kids will go nuts," says Gad.
Life for the two princesses has changed in other ways. Olaf and Kristoff (along with Sven, the non-verbal reindeer) add to a highly unorthodox family. Their goofy portrait, inspired by the website AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, hangs in the castle.
"There's a slight dorkiness to the painting," says Lee. "But it's the best thing they could all wish for, just that ordinary family feeling."
The Frozen landscape is also changed, as the kingdom embraces warm weather and Anna's summer solstice birthday. The directors promise other surprises as well.
Luke Henderson