5 Disney Frozen Facts & 3 Movies to watch at the Cinema

If your kids are anything like mine, getting them warmly dressed is borderline impossible. They must have a little internal furnace that lets them get away with bare feet and short sleeves despite foggy morning breath in the crisp winter air. Despite that, I love the fact that this season is well-catered for by our delightful winter dress-up range. Frozen, naturally, is one of the most popular snowy flicks, set in the blustery Scandinavian north, and even has a living snowman as part of the ensemble. 

And if you, like us, have been forced to watch this modern classic about a bajillion times, you might find these Frozen facts interesting (or at least file them away to bring up awkwardly at the next children's party you attend):  

1. It took 70 years to make this movie: Technically, that is. The seeds of its creation can be traced back all the way to the enchanting pages of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Surprisingly, Walt Disney himself had envisioned adapting this timeless tale as early as 1937, a dream that took decades to materialise.
2. Idina Menzel was a living model for Elsa: In order to capture the essence of her performance, Idina Menzel had to sing in front of a room filled with animators who keenly observed her every movement. They discovered that her abdomen had a unique response when she belted out high notes and this characteristic was incorporated into Elsa's character animation, adding a touch of realism and attention to detail. 
3. The movie consulted a snow expert: The movie's attention to detail meant they wanted the snow scenes (many, many of them) to look as realistic as possible. Cue the entrance of a snow expert who helped them. 
4. The animators also took a trip to Norway: The design team took a trip to Norway to plan out Arendelle and discovered a fascinating Norwegian pattern called rosemaling. This intricate pattern was found everywhere, from columns and ceilings to traditional dresses. Inspired by its beauty, they decided to incorporate rosemaling into the fabric of their fictional world, infusing Arendelle with the rich cultural heritage they had encountered.
5. 'Do you want to build a snowman' almost didn't make it! The iconic song faced quite a rollercoaster ride during the film's production. It was on the verge of being excluded, then reinstated, removed again, and so on. According to Kristen Bell, who voiced Anna, the song went through this back-and-forth process repeatedly. She revealed, "It was not put back into the film until the witching hour before we released it." The fate of this beloved song hung in the balance until the very last moments before the film's release.

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