When Fandango was offered the chance to interview Frozen codirector Chris Buck in support of the Walt Disney Animation Studio's Shorts Collection (available on DVD/Blu-ray this week) -- featuring the brand new short Frozen Fever -- we thought who better to interview him than a Frozen-obsessed six-year-old?
You might remember our six-year-old correspondent Zoe from back when she was our five-year-old correspondent interviewing the cast of Annie. Well now she's back following several months of watching Frozen, singing Frozen, wearing Frozen and just plain old loving Frozen, so we thought we'd give her a chance to ask the director of Frozen the kinds of questions a six-year-old obsessed with Frozen would want to know.
Note: Since Zoe is still learning how to read and write, the following was transcribed by her father, our managing editor, Erik Davis.
Hi, my name is Zoe and I love Frozen. I've watched Frozen so many times that our copy of the movie broke and my parents had to go out and get a new one -- true story. I love everything about it. I love Anna, Elsa and Olaf -- and I was so excited when my dad asked me to go meet the director of Frozen, Chris Buck. He's not the only director, though -- a woman named Jennifer Lee also helped direct the movie and the two of them wrote it together, too. I just watched both Frozen and Frozen Fever -- oh my God you HAVE to watch Frozen Fever -- and I had plenty of questions.
First, we had to travel to a place called Lincoln Center in New York City. That's where Chris Buck was, and that's where they were showing a bunch of the Disney shorts in a movie theater. Here's a picture of Chris Buck introducing the shorts on a stage.
After a brief escalator ride, we finally arrived at a movie theater they call the Walter Reade Theater. After waiting for a few minutes on some comfy leather couches, Frozen director Chris Buck walked in. He was such a nice man -- he had a shirt on that was full of Olafs, and when he sat down I asked the one thing I've always wanted to know since the first time I watched Frozen...
Fandango: So how exactly did Elsa get her powers?
Chris Buck: That's a fantastic question! We didn't answer that in the movie, so that's why you want to know, huh? [Laughs] We figured in our minds that she was just born with the powers, and we're not sure how. It's just magic. I don't know if you draw or sing or paint or do any music, but if there's something that you're really good at -- something special that you can do -- then that's sort of what Elsa was born with. This very special ability that a lot of people have -- both kids and adults -- that's very unique and magical to them. So she was born with that power -- the ability to create ice and snow. Everybody has some kind of special power like that. For me it was drawing. I was always drawing as a kid, and from there I became an animator and then a director. So that was my special power.
Fandango: My favorite song from Frozen is 'Let It Go." Do you have a favorite song?
Buck: Those are tough questions because it's like picking your favorite kid. But the first time we heard "Let It Go" we knew we had something special. It was just the rough demo from Bobby (Lopez) and Kristen (Anderson-Lopez), but we knew it was going to be great. We also knew we had to revise the story a bit from what we had before because the song wouldn't play the same way. We were struggling with whether Elsa was going to be a villain or not at the time, and as soon as "Let It Go" came in we knew she couldn't be a villain.
Fandango: Wait, Elsa was going to be bad?
Buck: Yes, she was going to be redeemed at the end, but originally she was a villain. Can you believe that? And she actually froze Anna's heart on purpose! And they weren't sisters in the beginning when we first started doing the movie.
Here's an early image of Elsa and Anna from before they were sisters.
Fandango: And "Let It Go" convinced you to make her good?
Buck: Well by the time "Let It Go" came around, we had already made them sisters -- but we were struggling with how bad she was going to be. Is she a dark person? Does she have a villainous quality? And then once we heard "Let It Go," we just couldn't go there. There was none of that.
Fandango: Were there any songs you created for the movie but never used?
Buck: There was one I thought was really cute - it was called "The Heir and the Spare." You know how you have Elsa, who's the heir to the throne -- and this song was Anna talking about what it feels like to be the spare. The sister who in case something happens to the heir, she can go in and be the one in charge. But until then, it's like... who am I? What am I here for? I thought it was a very cute and sincere song.
You can listen to the song below.
Fandango: Were there any scenes or characters you wanted to put in Frozen, but never got a chance to?
Buck: Characters, no. We fit everyone in who we wanted in there. But we did want to have a better introduction for Kristoff. We originally had an introduction where we met Kristoff up in the mountains, climbing the mountain -- showing how good he is as an outdoorsman -- and he has this rope attached to him. Once he's at the top, he starts pulling on this rope and -- whaddya know -- he has Sven tied to the rope! So that's how you met Sven and Kristoff.
Watch the deleted scene below.
Fandango: When did you decide to make the short film Frozen Fever?
Buck: We started work on the short last June, and the movie came out the previous November. Basically people wanted to see more Frozen. We wanted to do this one for the fans. Plus it was nice to show what was next for Anna and Elsa -- their relationship after the movie.
Fandango: Where did the idea come from?
Buck: Well the idea was to have fun with these characters. They went through a lot in the feature, and so we wanted to give them a break. The first was to have a lot of fun, and we pitched a bunch of ideas -- the first ones were more Olaf-centric -- and then one of the story artists came up with this idea of Elsa getting a cold. We thought that was cool because... what would happen?
Fandango: What happens is when she sneezes, she creates these little snowmen!
Buck: Yes, we call them the Snowgies! They're cute little guys. Originally they were all going to be little Olafs, but Olaf is so unique -- and we didn't want to give all these guys Olaf's voice -- so we just made them very simple versions of Olaf. They don't have arms; they're just these cute little things who get into mischief.
Fandango: In Frozen Fever, there's also a part where Elsa fixes up her dress and Anna's dress. But how does she do that without turning them into ice?
Buck: This is a very good question! Everyone at the studio asks us these questions, too! When Elsa changes her dress, she brings over some flowers from a vase and then freezes them. Once she freezes them, they become part of her new dress. She can affect the temperature in the air with her powers, so she can also affect the temperature of a color -- so she's able to change the color of a dress, too.
Fandango: When do I get to see Frozen 2??
Buck: [Laughs] Well we're working on the sequel now. Jennifer [Lee] and I are working on some cool ideas -- some very cool ideas. I can't divulge anything yet, but I know for us it's been so much fun getting back in the room and being with these characters again. They are truly a part of us. It's fun to play with them again and see where we can go next. [We talked a little more about Frozen 2, and you can read that here.]
Fandango: And there's going to be a Frozen musical too?
Buck: Yes, Jen [Lee] is writing the book for that, and Robert and Kristen are writing new songs. I don't know when it's coming out, but I'll check in every now and then to see where they're at with it.
After our interview, Chris Buck was kind enough to show me how to draw Olaf! Look, you can see him drawing Olaf below. This version of Olaf was closer to the first version of what he looked like, he told me.
And here's the finished drawing that now hangs on my bedroom wall.
I hope you liked my interview with Frozen director Chris Buck -- thanks for reading! And make sure you pick up Walt Disney Animation Studio's Shorts Collection. They have some really great short movies, like my favorites Feast and Tangled Ever After. And of course, Frozen Fever!
