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The Snow Queen is One of Disney's Next Hand-Drawn Films

by Alex Billington
December 7, 2009
Source: SlashFilm

Back in February, we reported that Disney wants to release a new hand-drawn animated movie every two years. The Princess and the Frog is already out in theaters, with an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is set to expand nationwide this weekend. But what's next for Disney? We've heard rumblings of other projects in the works and, of course, the new Winnie the Pooh movie will be hand-drawn, but is there more? Brendon Connelly from SlashFilm got a small update on another new hand-drawn Disney project called The Snow Queen. It's apparently an old project that fell apart a few years back and has been dusted off again recently.

Here's the quote (via SlashFilm) from producer Peter Del Vecho talking about what's next for Disney:

"So right after The Princess and the Frog, the crew actually first goes onto Winnie the Pooh... After that, the next full-length feature is Snow Queen. Our [animators] are looking forward to getting started on that. And then of course Ron [Clements] and John [Musker] have another project coming up which they've asked me to produce, and we'll go into development on that one pretty much next spring."

Brendon also learned that apparently Alan Menken, the musical mastermind behind The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, is working on the music for The Snow Queen. They also have a bit of concept art on the site of the new queen, who looks much more like a villain than a hero (but maybe that's the twist in this story). The Snow Queen is a fairy tale by author Hans Christian Andersen that centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by a little boy and girl, Kai and Gerda. It looks like that's what Disney will be adapting for this animated film, which will follow Winnie the Pooh (currently set for release in 2011).

As for the other projects mentioned, Ron Clements and John Musker are the two directors who just finished The Princess and the Frog. They obviously already have another project lined up next, but they haven't yet revealed any details on it yet (as far as we know). I still haven't seen Princess and the Frog yet, but I am certainly excited to see more soon-to-be-classic Disney hand-drawn animated movies and I'm glad to know John Lasseter is making sure they stay true to that promise of delivering a new hand-drawn movie every two years. As for The Snow Queen, it sounds like it could be great. Stay tuned for updates on all things Disney!

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Nikhil Hariharan

Its like Narnia, lol! -But i cant wait for Winnie the Pooh, its art-style is very different, feels like a slow smooth artsy cartoon.
Brian Barajas

dont forget Rapunzel...
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

Oh yea, Rapunzel too! But we haven't heard anything about that in a while. I have a feeling it'll be much more of a CG feature than hand-drawn (like originally).
SlashBeast

Excited for more 2D animation. Bring it on Disney!
samuel j

they need to take a break from CG. i prefer hand drawn.
http://www.superliminal.wordpress.com Nathalie

I absolutely adore "The Snow Queen"! The japanese animated version of it is so lovely, slow-paced and magical. I hope this version will be anything like it.
indyjack86

pixar and dreamworks have cornered the cgi market. It's time for disney to return to it's roots
eric

I personally think this kind of story is better off using motion capture from the master of the style, Robert Zemeckis. The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol were all groundbreaking in their own ways. I thought that Disney's next animation after Repunzel was a remake of Yellow Submarine from Robert Zemeckis and his motion capture techniques.
Kenneth

Something about the Snow Queen leaves me feeling cold, (pun intended). I haven't read the original tale, so I'm not sure about specifics, but I believe the queen IS a "bad" character. I'm not sure why Disney would even attempt this, especially when so many people are making similarities to the Queen in Narnia. The overall feel of this one does not make me want to jump for joy, as most classic Disney features do... Rapunzel, on the other hand, has the potential of being the strongest features to come out of the Disney studios since the old days of Mulan and Tarzan. Even though it will be CG, it's supposed to look organic and hand-crafted, with all its aesthetic, 2D flatness. (If you've seen some of the background shots in Bolt, you'd understand what I mean.) I would love to see some official trailer, heck, even a picture, from Rapunzel! It's been too long without an update from Disney about this film! But I'm glad Disney is making more old-fashioned fairy-tale stories in 2D, as opposed to more Winnie the Pooh sequals.
Mark

Yeah, the Snow Queen is the villain of the film. It's a story I've wanted to see as a traditionally animated Disney film for as long as I can remember. And it's got Alan Menken doing the music, too. It all sounds good so far. Let's just hope they can keep it as dark as the original story.
Nic

Eric, I hope you were being sarcastic.
eric

#11 No I was serious about that. The Polar Express was the first motion capture animated movie ever. Beowulf was the most hardcore/extreme motion capture animated movie. A Christmas Carol was the first motion capture animated movie done in IMAX 3D. If anybody knows how to use motion capure it's Robert Zemeckis. He's practically the Miyazaki of motion capture.
Gerald

I bet my ass Disney will ruin it some how. Here's the proof Cinderella's Sisters still had their eyes intact Ebenezer Scrooge extinguishes the Ghost of Christmas Past with his snuffer and was shot up like a firework. Ebenezer Scrooge was chased and shrunk by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
Melanie

"the new queen, who looks much more like a villain than a hero (but maybe that's the twist in this story)" MAYBE IT'S THE TWIST? Didn't you even read the Wikipedia article you linked to? The Snow Queen is basically the same as Narnia's White Witch. Of COURSE she's the villain!
Vicky

AHHHHHHHHHHH! The Snow Queen is being made? The only people who aren't excited about this movie are people who haven't read the story. It is a gorgeous, dark, and extremely exciting fairytale. It's almost as if Hans Christian Andersen could predict the future and wrote this story FOR Disney. It's my ultimate favorite fairytale because it is very dark, actually. As a more mature human being I've distanced myself from the whole Disney franchise as I automatically associate Disney with the Disney Channel (naturally) and when the Disney Channel is on 24/7 at your house because your little sister loves it you grow some disdain for Disney. But after this incredible news I just can't wait until the next great Disney comes out. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Disney I freakin' love you.
Movie Fan

This has potential to be the darkest Disney animated movie in YEARS. And be one that I'm actually interested in. The original story was dark, I watched this at a theatre when I was a kid. Good story, left an impression on me.
wtf

Oh my god NO NO NO Snow Queen is beautifully dark and I know Disney will crap up and insert some freaking musical song into this or twist the story around. God damn it, of all fairy tales why are they choosing this one?!
Debbie Santha

Every year when I was a little girl when it was Christmas time I could hardly wait to see Snow Queen. Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen was my favourite animated Christmas show. I have searched for the movie to buy over the years. If Disney produceds it I am definately taking my grand daughter to see it and buying a copy of the movie as long as it is true to Hans Christian Andersens' version.
Mike

I love the 1957 Soviet animated version of "The Snow Queen", It was wonderful. I hope Disney can do it one better.
GR

Ooooo...I loved that too!
Jess

to wtf yes but you never know. I mean, many people say that hunchback was pretty dark for disney and I loved it when I was a kid. it was so dramatic and great!! not to mention the animation fire scenes where awesome! so who knows, but I have faith in disney. if they can make it dramatic with awesome animation scenes then its a go!!!! which I do remember ready some of teh book but not all of it (I was pretty younge) all of this is making wanna read the story so I can compare it to the movie when it comes out!!) I cant wait!!
Echo

This is my second favorite fairy tale of all time, and since Disney has already tackled the first, I've been hoping they'd take this one on. I can't wait to see what they do with it. Though there are things I don't think they'll carry into their film (like the overtly Christian moments, since Disney seems a little too PC for that), for the most part, I think it was practically made for Disney. I don't think I'll be disappointed. (The fairy tale didn't seem all that dark to me, but I read the original long before I saw any on-screen interpretations.)
Aoi

Eric, a lot of the CG films like Polar Express may be nice in terms of motion capture, but if they're animating it, there would be no point in using hyperealism if there's no emotion. 2D all the way.
claire

umm thats because the snow queen is a villian. i remeber watching the russian animated movie when i was a little one. classoc <3
Andrew

Yeah that was a bizarre comment... that's like saying "Disney is taking a whole new approach by rendering Cruella de Vil as the villain". Of course the Snow Queen is the villain!!!!!! I have been dying for Disney to adapt this as a lush, magical animated movie since I was a child. I am SOOOOOOO HAPPY! Disney, please don't f'kark it up.
Sarah

This sounds totally interesting. I'm sooooooooo happy that they Disney FINALY went back to hand drawn animation. After I heard they weren't making animation anymore, I thought,"Oh NO!! I'm not going to have a future!!!"(I want to work on animated movies for my career). Anyway,I'll have to check out the story sometime. I can't wait for the trailer!
anon

Mike mentioned the amazing soviet animation Snow Queen from 1957 and there's no way Disney can top it. Everything's perfect in that adaption!
Rosie

I've gotta do homework on the snow queen :'( boring or what? I've typed in "google" what happens in the story " snow queen " ? And it anit bought nothing up! :'( Which anit a lot of help really! Does any1 no what does happen? If you do then please fell free to reply! Thanks!
Aurora Dawson

The Snow Queen is such a beautiful fairy-tale. It deserves to be a Disney film, but also deserves to be Disney's darkest film since Hunchback of Notre Dame. Do I smell Oscar, lol. to Rosie: Here's a link to a summary of the story on wikipedia: http://wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snow_Queen
Elicia

Wow, I've got so many mixed feelings about this upcoming film... The Snow Queen I have loved since I was very small, even after I'm a teenager now I still love it, all the characters, especially the Snow Queen herself, really mean something to me. It's my favorite story and as I love seeing films, I've wanted someone to make a movie out of Snow Queen for a very long time. But, I'm worried Disney might make it not as truthful to its story. Such as, did anyone here hear that there was going to be a movie version of Rapunzel? It's supposed to be "loosely based" on the original story, but the summary I read has no resemblance at all! What if they leave out the Lapp Woman, or the Robber Girl, or even the magic broken mirror? I want Disney to stay true to the plots of the stories it adapts, but that rarely happens nowadays. I think the only story Disney hasn't mangled is its very first film, Snow White. It's pretty accurate as far as the storyline goes. Unfortunately nowadays people who make "children's films" are forever worrying about coddling our children and rendering things safe and innocent for their young eyes. But in doing so, they completely remove all semblance the film has to its original story idea, and therefore a good, not-exactly-clean, gem of a story becomes a bit of fluffy, empty waste of animation. Well, at least they're not making it CG. I've always hated CG animation because they fail at humans, and since the Snow Queen's story has unavoidable human characters in it, I say they've made a good choice to hand-draw it. Oh, and the concept art for the Queen looks amazing, as well. I hope they make her as evil as Maleficent, another favorite Disney Villain of mine. By they way, that comment in the original post about Snow Queen being a villain made me crack up! Honestly, to write a good article, one must know AT LEAST a bit of the story they're writing about, hmm? Of course it could also be foreshadowing in which Disney actually makes the Snow Queen the hero, in which case it will be certain I will lose all my faith in human existence, or at least, all my faith in animated adaptations from now on. The Jungle Book and Robin Hood were bad enough, I think in terms of story-sticking-to. Oh my, I'm really sorry for the tl;dr.
lilian

Kenneth You may be excited for Rapunzel but Snow Queen has a much stronger story than a "girl with magic hair". It's a real adventure, and the love a girl has for her childhood friend. I would like to see it animated in the style of Hunchback of Notre Dame. It would be so perfect. If the writers try, the villain could be more layered and different than the one in Narnia.
Christal

Ummmmm. . .the Snow Queen doesn't just look evil she IS evil. .it isn't a twist in the storyline she's SUPPOSED to be evil.
Snow King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GewWUktXpk I like this version!