Created by co-writers and directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, Anna is loosely based on Gerda, a character from the Danish fairytale "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen.

In the Disney film adaptation, Anna is depicted as the princess of Arendelle, a fictional Scandinavian kingdom, and the younger sister of Elsa (Idina Menzel), who is the heiress to the throne and possesses the elemental ability to create and control ice and snow.

When Elsa exiles herself from the kingdom after inadvertently sending Arendelle into an eternal winter on the evening of her coronation, Anna goes on a dangerous adventure and brings her sister back.

[7] Later on, Glen Keane, Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi, Harvey Fierstein, Dick Zondag and Dave Goetz were among other Disney executives to make efforts towards translating this potential material to the big screen, but none of them made their way.

"[9] After the success of Tangled (2010), on December 22, 2011, Disney announced a release date, November 27, 2013, for the film, together with a new title, Frozen, and Peter Del Vecho and John Lasseter took up as the project's producers.

"[33] Director Jennifer Lee strongly believed that there could not be any other Anna but Kristen Bell, saying, "It was definitely a wonderful surprise hearing her voice [during auditions], not knowing that she had been classically trained.

When Elsa accidentally unleashes a magical secret that locks the kingdom of Arendelle in an eternal winter, Anna embarks on a dangerous adventure to make things right.

[27][28] Bell significantly made specific changes to Anna, including the infusion and incorporation of the actress' own personality to the character,[46][47] embodying a relatable heroine,[33] which received full support from the directors.

[37] Co-director Jennifer Lee created a cheerful wardrobe featuring "playful" floral patterns and saturated colors in order to accurately reflect Anna's personality.

The animators also took into account the climate that Anna is living in, costuming her in heavy wools and velvets, reflecting traditional winter clothing of the Scandinavian area.

[52][53] The animators added structures to the costumes in a way, such as pleated dresses, that allows movements, giving the character a free range of "twirl[ing] all she wants" throughout the film.

[58] Anna is the youngest child in the royal family of Arendelle, whose older sister, Elsa was born with the power to create and control ice and snow.

One night, after they create a snowman named Olaf in the throne room, Elsa accidentally strikes Anna in the head with her magic, and the impact knocks the latter out cold.

Confused by the sudden loss of contact by Elsa, Anna makes repeated failed attempts to draw her out of her room and ceases trying to rekindle their bond as they grow into young adults.

Realizing her mutual true love feelings for the latter, Anna breaks out of the castle with Olaf's help, and races against time to reunite with him in order to find Kristoff before her curse is completed, but has to brave a blizzard Elsa inadvertently made.

[59] In the flashback sequence, some time before the first film takes place, a young Anna and Elsa listen to a bedtime story from their father, King Agnarr.

Agnarr tells them their grandfather, King Runeard, established a treaty with the neighboring tribe of Northuldra by building a dam in their homeland, the Enchanted Forest thirty-four years ago.

[62][64] Anna's merchandise also covers a wide range of other products, such as rolling luggage, boots, clothes, nightgowns, bowls, plates, coffee mugs, and home décors.

[62][63] In addition, the film was adapted as simplified storybooks for children, with diverse versions featuring sound effects, original character voices,[65] and mini projectors that project movie images on the wall.

[70] In November 2013, prior to the release of Frozen, Anna and Elsa began daily meet-and-greet sessions at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in Florida and California, US.

[74] In February 2014, these meet-and-greet sessions were extended indefinitely, with wait time to meet the princesses frequently exceeding two hours, which is longer than any previous Disney characters.

[82] On April 20, 2014, Anna and Elsa moved from Epcot to the Princess Fairytale Hall at Magic Kingdom, with wait time to see the characters amounted to three hours, comparing to Cinderella and Rapunzel's 15 minutes.

[102][103] Beginning May 22, 2015, Disneyland debuted a new nighttime parade called "Paint the Night", which includes a Frozen float featuring Anna, Elsa, and Olaf, as part of the park's 60th anniversary celebration.

"[113] Travis Bean, a reviewer of Community Newspaper Group put emphasis on the lessons that kids could perceive from the film, saying, "Children can also root for Anna to race through the forest and break through Elsa's icy walls and prove that love conquers all fears.

"[114] Linda Barnard, Toronto Star film critic, described the sisters as "engaging female characters", particularly praised Anna for her funny and iron-willed characteristics.

Michelle Im, writing for the Eye of the Tiger referred to the character as "bubbly and spirited", and commented, "Not only was [Bell] able to nail those vibratos and belting notes in her songs, it was actually her singing them.

"[116] The Coast News review of the film wrote that Bell "earns top marks" for instilling a spirited sensibility in the clumsy but well-meaning Anna.

"[109] Magdalena Lachowicz of The Heights referred to this sisterly bond as "what truly makes the film and the moral that comes with it", commenting, "the plot is set up to lead the viewer into thinking that it needs to be true love's kiss—something which Anna then goes to seek.

"[118] Debbie Lynn Elias of Culver City Observer commented, "Female driven with confidence and positivity, Elsa and Anna are like two sides of a coin, both strong, albeit one through power and confidence and the other through clumsy sticktuitiveness and love,"[119] while Stephen Holden from The New York Times appreciated that instead of a romantic attachment, it was a sisterly love and devotion that drove the story, which departed greatly from traditional Disney formula.

[120] Noah Lee described Anna and Elsa's relationship as "genuine", saying, "watching those themes of family and love versus isolation and fear touched my heart in more ways than one.