Some of the Crew for Disney’s ‘Frozen 2’ Worked 14-Hour 6-Day Work Weeks to Finish the Movie on Schedule
Following up an Academy Award-winning movie isnāt easy, even for Disney. The Disney+ original documentary, Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 gave fans an inside look at this animated sequel and the work that went into making it perfect.Ā
āInto the Unknown: Making Frozen 2ā showed the process of creating Disneyās animated sequel
To get a story just right, that sometimes means rewriting the script over and over again. For Frozen 2, each rewrite meant reanimation and rerecording for some of the cast members. That includes Kristen Bell, who voiced the character, Anna.
āThe changes are necessary but it is difficult to keep up with,ā Kristen Bell said during the documentary. āOver the course of three and a half years, Iāll go in every six weeks, I guess. Sometimes Iāll record for eight hours, sometimes for two.ā
One of the animators explained that he would go home to say good night to his child and then come right back to the office and start working again. Some of the cast and crew members worked six days a week to make sure the movie was completed on schedule.Ā
Getting āShow Yourselfā perfect took a lot of extra timeĀ
With āShow Yourself,ā it was first a challenge to figure out who was calling Elsa to Ahtohallan. Inevitably, Elsa and Annaās mother became was the voice. Once the changes were finalized, according to Screenrant, āWriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez spent 24 hours re-working the front end [of the song,] hoping to find a ānew energy.āā
With āShow Yourselfā included in the final cut, it was a āmad dash to the finish.ā Just a few weeks prior to the D23 Expo, the film was wrapping production. That meant final soundbites had to be recorded so animation could finish working on their scenes. As a result, Kristen Bell headed into the recording studio on a Saturday.Ā
āYou just saved our animation *ss,ā Director Jennifer Lee said to Kristen Bell. āI just worked about 20 days in a row so I selfishly say thank you. And I donāt want to be too like āweāre getting close,ā because then I always feel like I get slapped.ā
After audience previews, a number of scenes were cut
The tricky part about Frozen 2, Jennifer Lee explained, is that it has to be understood by young viewers. After showing the film to an audience, the crew learned that the story was a little confusing and, as a result, a number of scenes were cut. There was even a song performed by the Northuldra people that was omitted from the final movie, āSee The Sky.āĀ
āItās not just me, itās the story artists, itās whoever rigged these plants or the drops, itās the lighters, the tech animators. When youāre cutting a shot, youāre cutting a dozen peopleās shot,ā Snow and Olaf animation supervisor, Trent Correy, said. āIf itās gonna make the story better, Iām all for it.ā
The omissions helped create the Frozen 2 beloved by audiences worldwide. The movie earned a number of awards and nominations, including the Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. The teaser trailer alone became the most-watched teaser for an animated movie of all time.Ā
Now, the movie, as well as the original Frozen, lives on Disneyās streaming platform. To binge-watch Into the Unknown: The Making Frozen II, head to Disney+. To learn more about this subscription service, visit their website.Ā