Pragya Sancheti
Frozen redefined Disney and fairytales at a time when the franchise was facing backlash from feminists for its portrayal of women as the weaker sex. The bond between the two sisters took over the screen and hearts of everyone, however, the favorite character from Frozen continues to be Olaf, the snowman.
During a press conference, the CCO of Disney revealed how Olaf was almost going to be killed but one of the animators saved the character and convinced her to not kill him. Today Olaf is one of the most loved animated characters and has become a symbol for Frozen and its movies.
Olaf was almost killed in Frozen by Jennifer Lee
Jennifer Lee the CCO of Walt Disney Animation co-directed Frozen and its sequel, she has also authored and directed Disney films like Wreck it Ralph, A Wrinkle in Time, Wish, etc. The CCO of Walt Disney accepted the award of Distinguished Storyteller Award from the Los Angeles Press Club on December 4th at the 15th annual Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards.
Also, Read Frozen 3: Kristen Bell Would Love To Voice Anna Again
The ceremony also included a press conference where she admitted to killing Olaf. The director acknowledged that initially when she was given the script the only creative note she sent back was, “My first note was, ‘kill the snowman.’”
How did Olaf survive the Creative Director’s axe?
The co-director of Frozen also shared the story of how she was convinced against killing Olaf. The man who voiced the innocent and curious snowman Josh Gad is to be thanked for Olaf’s character arc in the film.
If Olaf was killed off anywhere in the story it could have been a disaster given the film’s massive success in Box-Office numbers as it made $1.28B globally. The critics too were extremely happy with the film and its treatment.
Also Read: ‘I’m Just Older’: Frozen Actress Idina Menzel Claims ‘Ageist’ Hollywood Blacklisting Her
Lee shared how a sneaky animator created a three-page script treatment with Gad in mind after the actor impressed Lee in a late-night appearance. Gad won over Lee who finally had to give in and the rest is history. Jennifer Lee also hinted at a possible Frozen 3 as she expressed her enthusiasm to collaborate with Gad once again but subsequently warned media personnel, “And no, that is not an announcement.”
Frozen and Frozen 2 are streaming on Disney+
Source: Variety
