It follows Anna, the princess of Arendelle, who sets off on a journey with the iceman Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and the snowman Olaf, to find her estranged sister Elsa after she accidentally traps their kingdom in eternal winter with her icy powers.

[41]: 6, 11  Buck later said that his initial inspiration for The Snow Queen was not the Andersen fairy tale, but he wanted "to do something different on the definition of true love ... Disney had already done the 'kissed by a prince' thing, so [I] thought it was time for something new".

[42] Art director Michael Giaimo later called Lasseter the film's "game changer": "I remember John saying that the latest version of The Snow Queen story that Chris Buck and his team had come up with was fun, very light-hearted.

The first major breakthrough at that stage was the decision to rewrite the film's protagonist, Anna (who was based on Gerda in "The Snow Queen"), as Elsa's younger sibling for a family dynamic between the characters.

[41]: 31  The team abandoned considerable detail from earlier drafts, such as a troll with a Brooklyn accent (to explain Elsa's magical powers) and a regent Lee hoped to cast comedian Louis C.K.

"[59] Additional casting was announced between December 2012 and June 2013, including Jonathan Groff as Kristoff,[27] Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton, Santino Fontana as Prince Hans, and Josh Gad as Olaf.

[90] This made Frozen the first animated film completely produced in CinemaScope since 2000's Titan A.E.. Giaimo wanted to ensure that Norway's fjords, architecture and rosemaling folk art, were central in designing the environment of Arendelle.

[41]: 76  Gillmore said that her "general approach was to meld the historic silhouettes of 1840 Western Europe (give or take), with the shapes and garment relationships and details of folk costume in early Norway, circa 19th century.

A number of other Scandinavian cultural elements are also included in the film, such as stave churches,[105] trolls,[106] Viking ships, a hot spring, Fjord horses,[107] clothes,[84] and foods such as lutefisk.

[110][111] The film has several elements of Sámi culture, such as the use of reindeer for transportation and the equipment used to control them, clothing styles (the outfits of the ice cutters), and parts of the musical score.

According to Giaimo, they acquired three important factors from the Norway research trip: the fjords and their massive, vertical rock formations, the setting for the secluded kingdom of Arendelle; the medieval stave churches whose rustic triangular rooflines and shingles inspired the castle compound; and rosemaling folk art, whose distinctive paneling and patterns informed the film's architecture, decor, and costumes.

[137][138] Rick Dempsey, the unit's senior executive, called the process of translating the film "exceptionally challenging": "It's a difficult juggling act to get the right intent of the lyrics and also have it match rhythmically to the music.

[182] By late January 2014, the companies had settled the lawsuit; the distribution and promotion of The Legend of Sarila and related merchandise had to use its original title, and Phase 4 could not use trademarks, logos or other designs confusingly similar to Disney's release.

[183][184][185] Phase 4 was required to pay Disney $100,000 by January 27, 2014, and make "all practicable efforts" to remove copies of Frozen Land from stores and online distributors before March 3 of that year.

[231][232][233] It is also the highest-grossing Walt Disney Animation Studios film in more than 45 territories,[225] including Latin America (Mexico and Brazil), the UK, Ireland, Malta, Russia and the CIS, Ukraine, Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and China.

[251] Boxoffice noted the success of previous Disney's animated films released during the holiday season (Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph), but said that Frozen's cast might not attract audiences due to its lack of stars.

[253] Clayton Dillard of Slant Magazine said that although its trailers made the film seem "pallid," positive reviews could attract interest from "core demographics" and adult audiences and Frozen might break Tangled's Thanksgiving three-day opening record.

[205] The website called it "the exclusive choice for family audiences" and attributed its successful opening to strong word of mouth and studio marketing, which highlighted Frozen's humor and its connections to Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph.

[205] Frozen opened to positive reviews,[257] and several critics compared it favorably to Disney Renaissance films such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

"[273] The Los Angeles Times praised the film's ensemble voice talent and elaborate musical scenes, calling Frozen "a welcome return to greatness for Walt Disney Animation Studios.

"[258] Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman gave the film a B+ grade and called it a "squarely enchanting fairy tale that shows you how the definition of what's fresh in animation can shift.

[276][277] Emma Dibdin of Digital Spy gave the film five out of five stars and called it "a new Disney classic ... an exhilarating, joyous, human story that's as frequently laugh-out-loud funny as it is startling and daring and poignant.

[279][280] Scott Foundas of Variety called the film "formulaic", praising its voice acting and technical artistry: "The tactile, snow-capped Arendelle landscape, including Elsa's ice-castle retreat is Frozen's other true marvel, enhanced by 3D and the decision to shoot in widescreen – a nod to the CinemaScope richness of Sleeping Beauty and Lady and the Tramp ... That's almost but not quite enough to make up for the somewhat slack plotting and the generic nature of the main characters.

A few conservative Christian commentators accused Frozen of promoting homosexuality,[289][290][291] saying that the themes of Elsa's being different from others,[289] her ostracism from society,[291] and her independence and rejection of male suitors[292][293] are metaphors for lesbianism.

[290]Akash Nikolas wrote in The Atlantic that Disney films (including Frozen) "subtly appeal[ed] to queer children" with protagonists who are often social outcasts set apart by unusual desires and who reject traditional expectations of marriage.

The phenomenon (called "Frozen-mania" by The Guardian) was noted by journalists and individuals who included UK prime minister David Cameron[317] and actors Ben Affleck,[318] Kevin Costner,[319] and Vince Vaughn,[320] who found themselves dealing with their children's preoccupation with the film.

When Terry Gross mentioned the phenomenon to songwriters Lopez and Anderson-Lopez in an April 2014 NPR interview, they said they could not have known how popular their work on Frozen would become;[321] they were "just trying to tell a story that resonated" and "didn't suck.

[343][344] The film's popularity resulted in a merchandise shortage in the United States[345][346][347][348] and several other industrialized countries in April 2014,[349][350][351][352][353][354][355][356] which increased resale prices for higher-quality limited-edition Frozen dolls and costumes to over $1,000 on eBay.

[358] Wait times for meet-and-greets at Disney parks regularly exceeded four hours in February 2014, compelling management to indefinitely extend what was originally intended as a temporary promotion.

[372][373][374][375] On September 4, 2014, Feld Entertainment's Disney on Ice presented the world premiere of a touring ice-skating show based on the film at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.