We haven’t heard too much yet about Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming film Frozen, but this week brought some new information about this highly-anticipated new film. Disney announced this week that Jennifer Lee, who most recently served as the co-writer of Wreck-It Ralph, will now be a co-director of Frozen with original director Chris Buck.
Lee became involved with the film, which is currently in production, when she did a rewrite of the script. While sometimes bringing in a new director means that the current director will be replaced, as with Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman on Disney/Pixar’s Brave, Lee and Buck will be collaborating together as partners for this new film. Frozen producer Peter Del Vecho said in a statement:
“Jenn has a real connection to the film and creates dynamic and relatable characters. Her sense of comedy, adventure and story structure paired with Chris Buck’s vast experience and incredible instincts create an ideal situation for this film.”
Frozen, which is loosely based on Hans Christen Andersen’s 1845 tale The Snow Queen, tells the story of two sisters. One of the sisters, The Snow Queen, has placed a spell on their kingdom to suffer in a state of perpetual winter. It is up to the other sister, Anna, to go on a quest to climb the Snow Queen’s snowy mountain and bring an end to the icy spell.
Starring in Frozen will be Idina Menzel as the voice of the Snow Queen and Kristen Bell as Anna. Songs for the new animated film will be provided by Robert Lopez, the songwriter of such hit shows as Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez. Frozen will debut in theaters November 27, 2013.
