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There have been a lot of Disney princess movies, but few have risen to the status of cultural phenomenon. Five years, one Broadway musical, one spin-off short film, an upcoming sequel, and countless toys later, that’s exactly what Frozen has become. Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are more than just memorable princesses; they’re Disney royalty.
Starring Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, Frozen was released on November 27, 2013. And once it was released into the world it quickly became one of the most profitable animated movies Disney has ever created, making over $1.2 billion at the box office and slowly becoming the bane of Frozen-fatigued parents everywhere. Elsa and Anna’s tale of friendship, sisterhood, and the trials of forced responsibility have resonated with audiences around the world as much as Menzel’s iconic “Let It Go” has become an anthem for independence. Even half a decade later, Frozen was a substantial win for Disney.
But just because the Jennifer Lee-written mega hit is mega popular that doesn’t mean you know everything about it. In honor of Frozen‘s five-year anniversary below are some of the most interesting facts you may have missed. Throw on that catchy soundtrack, scroll down, and prepare to have Menzel and Bell’s gorgeous voices stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
The main characters' names may be a nod to Hans Christian Anderson.
This has never been officially confirmed, but it’s too on-the-nose to ignore. The names of four of Frozen‘s main characters — Hans, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven — sound an awful lot like a certain author’s name when all said together. Hans Christian Anderson was the author of fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid” and “The Snow Queen,” which is the story that serves as the basis of Frozen. Of course choosing these highly common Nordic names may just be a coincidence, but it’s a happy one.
Olaf's song has a reference to 'Mary Poppins.'
Who can forget Olaf the snowman singing about the joys of summer? But there’s a wink to classic Disney buried in Josh Gad’s standalone song. At one point during “In Summer” Olaf dances with a flock of four seagulls all wearing flat hats and holding canes. This is a reference to Bert’s iconic dance with the penguins in the Mary Poppins song “Jolly Holiday.”
Elsa is the third Disney role for Idina Menzel.
If you thought the modern-day queen of Broadway just recently joined the House of Mouse, you would be mistaken. Though the Tony-winning actress’ best role is that of Queen Elsa, she’s starred in two other Disney projects — Enchanted and the series adaptation of Hercules. In the 2007 live-action princess movie Enchanted Menzel played Nancy Termaine, Robert’s (Patrick Dempsey) girlfriend. She spends much of the movie thinking that her boyfriend is cheating on her with Giselle (Amy Adams) before forgiving him and coming to terms with Giselle’s addicting sweetness.
But Menzel’s first Disney role is an even deeper cut. In the animated TV adaptation of Hercules, the actress made a guest appearance as Circe in “Hercules and the Song of Circe.” Throughout the episode she keeps trying to find a boyfriend, but because of her high standards and magical prowess the demigoddess turns all of her romantic suitors into animals.
Elsa's design was originally based on Bette Midler.
The Frozen we know today is a far cry from the movie that was first pitched to Disney. For starters early versions of the film cast Elsa as the villain instead of the emotionally conflicted young ruler we know now. As io9 has covered before when the Snow Queen, aka Elsa, was in that stage of development, she was drawn to look a bit like Bette Midler. Because we all know that Midler as a sassy witch evil-doer in a Disney movie is a slam dunk.
There's a deep-cut wood-stacking joke buried in 'Frozen.'
It’s no secret that much of Frozen is based off of Norway and Nordic culture. But there’s one reference that’s goes beyond the film’s winking architecture and gorgeous, snow-covered landscapes. After Elsa loses control of her powers and covers Arendelle in snow, two townsmen can be seen arguing about whether they should stack their firewood bark up or bark down. It’s a silly moment, but there’s a national story behind it that makes the gag even funnier.
This argument is a cheeky nod to a mini-controversy that tore Norway apart in 2013. That year the state broadcaster NRK aired National Firewood Night, a 12-hour show about firewood composed of four hours of documentary footage and eight hours of a relaxing live-burning fireplace. Though most viewers seemed to find the program relaxing, not everyone was pleased. At least 60 people complained to the network about the bark on the wood stack facing the wrong direction. As Frozen knows, don’t mess with Norwegian people when it comes to wood.
