Frozen behind-the-scenes secrets we can’t let go of

1. An adaptation of Hans Christian AndersenThe 1845 fairy tale The Snow Queen was actually in development at Disney for nearly a decade (and was briefly considered for a hand-drawn animated film in 1937).

The first modern attempt took place in 2002, and when 2003 also proved unsuccessful, other stalled attempts followed over the years. “Frozen” really came together Christopher Buckwho directed Tarzan came on board in 2008, but the film wasn’t commissioned until 2011 after the box office success of Tangled.

And in 2012 Jennifer Leewho initially worked as a screenwriter, was named co-director, making her the first woman to direct an animated film at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

2. The film was supposed to be called The Snow Queen, in reference to the original fairy tale, but the filmmakers decided to change it to Frozen “because to us it represents the film. Frozen is set on the level of ice and snow, but also on the level of the frozen relationship, the frozen heart that needs to be thawed,” said the producer Peter Del Vecho Bleeding Cool explained, denying that it was inspired by Tangled. (The title “Snow Queen” was still used abroad.)