Frozen co-director, Jennifer Lee, admits that she initially wanted to remove Arendelle’s friendliest snowman, Olaf, from the Disney phenomenon.

The co-director of the Disney mega-hit Frozen admits that one of her initial notes for the film was to cut the fan-favorite character Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, as the innocent and supremely lovable snowman who accompanies Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) on her quest to save her sister, the Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), and their kingdom from becoming trapped in a perpetual winter. Released in 2013, the tale of sisterhood’s strength featuring an ensemble of fascinating characters instantly became a global sensation. Frozen was quickly named the fifth highest-grossing film of all time and the highest-grossing animated film ever at the time of its release. It has become regarded as one of Disney’s most successful ventures and a staple of modern family-friendly cinema.
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Speaking to Variety, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation and Frozen’s co-director, Jennifer Lee, confesses that after an early film screening, she was convinced that the charmingly naive and winningly outgoing snowman Olaf ought to be cut from the final version of the breakout animation. According to Lee, one of her first notes for the film was, bluntly, “kill the Snowman.” Despite her initial apprehension, fortunately for fans, it was Josh Gad’s dynamic and spirited performance of the summer-obsessed snowman that assured Lee and the rest of the creative team that Olaf was a necessary character who would offer added layers of fun and sincerity to the film.

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Did Frozen 2 Hurt or Help the Original’s Legacy?

Following the immense commercial and critical success of Frozen, Disney announced a sequel that was released in 2019, with leads Bell and Menzel promising fans an even bigger and better installment than its predecessor. While the built-in fanbase and years of anticipation led Frozen II to outperform Frozen at the box office, taking its place as the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the follow-up animation, though visually stunning, paled in comparison to the novelty and narrative strengths of the first film. With songs that were not as catchy and a more convoluted yet less rewarding plot, Frozen II appeared to be a mere money-grab for the mammoth entertainment corporation that both amplified the cultural dominance of Frozen while ultimately detracting from its artistic impact.

Will Frozen 3 Ever Happen?

Despite the sequel’s success surpassing that of Frozen, Disney has yet to confirm the third installment. Clearly, the idea of a new addition has been explored, as co-lead Kristen Bell has even gone so far as to publicly apply pressure to the film’s producers by jokingly announcing a Frozen 3 franchise on the Tonight Show earlier this year, much to the delight of fans. Still, Lee and the rest of the film’s creative team have maintained that they completed the story they initially set out to tell with the first two films. Fans should not be too disappointed, though, as Frozen was initially meant to be a standalone film and still managed to achieve the first sequel from Walt Disney Animation Studios to be granted a theatrical release.

Though producers have remained tight-lipped about the prospect of Frozen 3, Disney has proven time and time again that they will never sacrifice a chance to capitalize on previous successes. Beyond releasing Frozen-inspired video games, board games, and costumes, there have been three short films released, two of which came out after Frozen 2, which continue to follow the adventures of the franchise’s most beloved core characters, as well as a TV special and multiple short series specifically following Olaf. However, a new installment to Frozen has yet to be officially announced; considering the franchise’s continued success and the fact that there was a six-year wait between the first two films, fans who are eager to see more of Elsa, Anna, and of course, Olaf, on the big screen should not yet lose hope.

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Source: Variety