Frozen director Jennifer Lee wanted to "kill the snowman"

The director didn't love the snowman on the first cut.

By George Lewis

17 Dec 2022

Disney+

Frozen co-director Jennifer Lee has revealed that she wanted to “kill” Olaf the snowman.

The character, who is voiced by Josh Gad, is considered one of the breakout characters from the Disney animation, but Lee wasn’t so enamoured with Olaf when she first joined the project.

As she was presented with an award by Gad from the Los Angeles Press Club, Lee recalled that her first note after viewing an early cut of the film was “Kill the snowman” (via Variety).

Disney

Her mind was changed when a “sneaky” staff animator wrote a three-page script with the intention of casting Gad, with Lee subsequently saying that “Josh is Olaf.”

The first film, which was released in 2013, grossed over $1.2 billion at the box-office, with a sequel following in 2019.

Lead star Kristen Bell, who voices Anna, recently joked about the success of the franchise when being inducted as a Disney Legend, saying: “I would like to say that I'm sorry to every parent who has had to listen to Frozen on a loop. I feel you, I see you, I am you. I get it.

“Disney taught me to dream big and follow your heart. And that it is totally appropriate to bust out into song at any moment, which I really appreciate. Playing Princess Anna has been the highlight of my life I think — I mean other than my kids and stuff.”

Lee, who co-directed both films with Chris Buck, will re-join her collaborator for Wish, which will focus on “the power of wishes, and it blends the classic watercolour-esque Disney animation style with a newer, CGI look.”

A third Frozen film is not currently in development, but given the success of the previous two entries in the franchise, it would be surprising if Disney doesn't revisit Arendelle soon.

Frozen 2 is streaming on Disney+, and available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K. Tickets for the West End musical are available here.