BENEATH THE ICE
Cameras go BEHIND THE SCENES on Frozen II in a fascinating new documentary
Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II
NEW Genre: Documentary Available: Friday 26 June Season: 1 Episodes 6 Runs: 30-40min TVSW: A fascinating glimpse behind the hit movie
THE SNOW-BOUND adventures of sisters Elsa and Anna took the world by storm when movie phenomenon Frozen was released in 2013. Its follow-up, Frozen II, saw kids fall in love with the spirited siblings all over again as it became one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time.
Now, ahead of the TV premiere of Frozen II on Disney+ on Friday 3 July, this revealing sixpart series follows the painstaking work of the cast and creative team in the lead-up to the film’s cinematic release last autumn.
‘There was huge pressure to make it better than the first film,’ says animator Malerie Walters. ‘Children all over the world re-enact Let It Go
[the Oscar-winning song from the first film] in their living rooms, so I knew the movements I made Elsa do could be re-created by millions.’
PAINSTAKING RESEARCH
Walters animated several key sequences in the film, including Elsa’s big musical number Into
the Unknown, and a scene where a chorus of reindeer sing the rock ballad Lost in the Woods with Anna’s suitor Kristoff.
As well as watching wildlife footage of elks and reindeer as part of her research, Walters
videoed herself performing the scenes to
help her understand each individual movement.
The documentary also looks at how animators scrutinise the vocal performances of the cast, including Idina Menzel (Elsa) and Kristen Bell (Anna) to replicate them in the animation.
‘Our character supervisors create a “pose library” and make sure that the movements look natural and appealing,’ explains Walters.
The time pressures and creative differences involved in working on a Disney blockbuster are explored in the series, but Walters says the dedication and teamwork paid off in the end.
‘You get to put your ideas in and feel part of it,’ says Walters. ‘It was motivating and inspiring.’