Directed by Julian Gibbs, it stars Juliet Stevenson as Gerda's mother and the voice of Patrick Stewart as the raven.

A set of operatic songs had been written by Paul K. Joyce for a concert at the Barbican Arts Centre held in 2003.

Due to the success of the concert, a full-fledged film was developed around the original songs, and in which Sydney White and Juliet Stevenson returned to contribute as actresses.

The songs written by Paul K. Joyce are central to the film, providing main narration throughout the story.

The story also focuses entirely on Gerda's journey, with all others, including Kay himself, acting as supporting characters.

One night in winter, a young girl named Gerda sees a poor boy shivering in the cold.

Gerda gives him a penny and one of her blankets, and her mother eventually takes the boy in, feeding and clothing him.

Gerda, the raven and reindeer brave many dangerous obstacles and make it safely to the land of the Midnight Sun where the Laplander gives them a potion which flies them through the Northern Lights.

They finally arrive at the Snow Queen's palace, but are charged at by her giant Polar Bears.

Live-action filming was carried out in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where according to Sydney and Juliet, the challenge lay in pretending that they were freezing cold while wearing multiple layers of clothing in a hot studio.