Decade-old Frozen concept art has sparked calls from Disney fans for a darker, more campy reboot.
In resurfaced images posted to X (formerly Twitter), Elsa is shown to be darker and more witch-like, drawing comparisons to Cruella from 101 Dalmatians and Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove. Dancing with snowmen of her creation at her feet, this Elsa showcases a more narcissistic side than fans have come to know, as her sister Anna looks on with slight fear. The concept art, drawn by Claire Keane for Walt Disney Animation Studios, was never used in the final version. While some of Elsa’s fear factor remains, her design and implied nature have sparked calls for Disney to reboot the franchise, as well as a return to its hallmark 2D animation.
Keane is a prolific concept artist, having contributed to Disney’s Enchanted, Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph. Her designs would be a closer adaptation to Hans Christian Anderson’s novel — The Snow Queen — upon which Frozen is very loosely based. The character is depicted as far more callous in the novels, imprisoning a young boy’s soul unless he can clear a difficult quest.
While Frozen ended up milder, instead focusing on the sisterly love between Elsa and Anna, the success of the film speaks for itself, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide. At the end of its release, the film was crowned the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. Following Frozen was Frozen 2, with Frozen 3 soon on the way. Recently, the upcoming threequel was talked up by Disney CCO and co-writer Jennifer Lee as “blowing her away,” and a Frozen 4 has already been announced.
Neither Frozen 3 nor 4 have confirmed release dates, but Disney is going all-in on expanding the IP as of the present. Disney’s numerous parks, featuring the Frozen brand, were announced to be receiving a revamp. Additionally, a Frozen podcast on climate change launched this October. Fans found their hopes for a return to 2D animation boosted this week as Wish co-director Chris Buck revealed that Disney is actively exploring the option.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
