The World’s Best Frozen Fanfic

Out of all the Disney films, Frozen has the largest and most passionate fandom by some distance. This can be highlighted by the large volume of fanfiction based on the film, with almost 11,000 Frozen fanfics on fanfiction.net alone, and sites such as ArchiveOfOurOwn, Wattpad and Tumblr featuring even more Frozen-related stories. As a medium dominated by writers with little professional experience, fanfiction has a reputation for being very poor-quality. Some of this snobbery is justified, as many of the fanfics published on these sites are badly written, gimmicky and full of ridiculous changes and twists. However, several of the so-called “amateur writers” can provide stories which are worthy of comparison with the source material. Given the sheer volume of Frozen fanfics, it is possible to find dozens of high-quality ones if you look hard enough. These fanfics include straightforward sequels, stories which retell the events of the film from a different perspective, and ‘Alternative Universe’ stories that place our familiar characters into new world. Out of all the Frozen fanfics on the internet, the best is probably Frozen Wight, an epic 74 – chapter, 295,000 - word fan sequel created by an author called Thebandragoness. This fanfic blends comedy and drama to create a unique and enjoyable story for Anna, Elsa and all their friends and enemies. Not only is it worthy of being compared to the original film, it even surpasses it in a variety of areas. Fanfics tend not to receive detailed examination outside of the online fanfiction community, but Frozen Wight deserves to be shared with the wider world. This article will examine the story in greater detail to figure out why it is so excellent.

Frozen Wight is available on Fanfiction.Net and ArchiveOfOurOwn.

What’s it About?

Due to its epic length, Frozen Wight is split into four parts. The format is like a TV miniseries, with each part combining individual smaller adventures with a set of greater arcs and storylines which span the entire fanfic…

Part One (Chapters 1 - 15) – After the events of the film, Anna and Elsa must adjust to the recent set of changes to their life, as they try to keep Olaf under control and help Anna regain her lost childhood memories.  Meanwhile, volatile Ice Harvester Adrian becomes increasingly suspicious of Elsa and plots a coup against her with magical assistance from a mysterious figure…

Part Two (Chapters 16-37) – Elsa tries to cope with the pressures of being a queen, Anna’s attempts to pair her with dweeby bodyguard Fritz, and the threat posed by a sinister demon. However, a snowwoman called Mary, an imaginary friend from her childhood, comes to life and begins creating trouble.  

Part Three (Chapters 38-59)  – Elsa befriends a boy called Daniel with the same ice powers as her, but Anna becomes increasingly suspicious of him. Daniel helps Elsa take on the flamboyant dark fairy Brandr, but she soon realises that Daniel has a terrible secret and is plotting to use Elsa in a plan to gain revenge on the world which has shunned him.

Part Four (Chapters 60-74) – After Daniel takes away all of Elsa’s happy memories, she creates a second eternal winter and becomes increasingly dangerous and erratic, so Anna is forced to team up with Mary in a bid to cure her older sister. Meanwhile, an old enemy plots to escape jail and gain revenge on Anna and Elsa, but his schemes don’t go to plan…

Review

Frozen Wight is very hard to review in the traditional format, due to its large number of characters, themes and storylines, so this review will break things down a bit and highlight some of the things which make this fanfic a must-read for any writer, regardless of whether or not they are interested in fanfiction or Frozen…

Unique and Interesting Tone – Frozen Wight possesses a distinctive tone which builds off Frozen’s signature blend of comedy and drama to create something that is unique, but still reasonably close to the approach of the source material. After a brief prologue to introduce the sinister Wight, the story literally begins where Frozen left off, tying up all the loose ends left by the conclusion of the film. We see Elsa get properly introduced to Kristoff and Sven, learn what happens when Olaf meets the people of Arendelle, and find out how Hans’s misdeeds were exposed. This opening sequence establishes the tone of Frozen Wight pretty quickly, with silly and broad comedy getting combined a more serious exploration of Elsa’s fears and anxieties. From there, we go on to seeing Elsa face a variety of issues, ranging from renovating the castle and dealing with an incompetent and sexist Royal Council to fighting angry rebels and a demonic monster. The combination of mundane problems and extreme ones puts greater pressure on Elsa, and her range of responses provides her with much greater depth and nuance. It also manages to make Arendelle into an interesting and unpredictable world which is worth staying in for all 74 chapters.

Although the characters and story are the main strength of Frozen Wight, the creative writing also helps to elevate it. We get numerous great descriptions throughout the story, and there are several moments when the narrative voice intervenes to add some extra comedy. The contrast between extreme comedy and extreme drama should be jarring, but they are balanced really well. The comedy comes primarily from the characters and their dilemmas, ensuring that there is an element of truth and realism to it. Meanwhile, the most serious sections of the story contain bursts of wit and dark humour to keep things from getting too miserable. A list of some of the best lines from the fanfic can be found at the end of the review, but it barely scratches the surface – each chapter has plenty of unique and memorable descriptions and dialogue…

Love of the Source Material - It is obvious throughout this fanfic that Thebandragoness is a keen Frozen fan with a very detailed knowledge of the movie. Virtually all the characters from the original film are included here, from Anna, Elsa and Olaf down to the little kid who moaned about having to wear smart clothing to Elsa’s coronation day. Although this story is not a musical, the iconic songs from Frozen still make their presence felt, with brief excerpts of 'Love is An Open Door' and 'Fixer Upper' appearing, and several references to 'Let it Go' (including Olaf talking about his view of the famous sequence). We also get a variety of Easter eggs, including plenty of allusions to Frozen merchandise and material deleted from the finished film. There are sneaky references to Anna and Elsa’s appearance in Once Upon A Time and several spin-off books for children, and a few characters from classic Disney Animated films have cameos. If you are sick of all the Disney Animation references, there are also amusing references to other films, such as The Princess Bride and The Avengers.

A good portion of the comedy in Frozen Wight takes on a surprisingly meta tone, with various parodies of the Frozen fandom and plenty of digs at the preposterous romantic pairs frequently found there. One of the comedic highlights is a small subplot involving Anna and Elsa’s encounters with an artist who spends his time creating and selling “illicit paintings” (i.e erotic fanart) of Elsa with various romantic partners. There are also scenes with a couple of royal guards, Morten and Henrik, who spend their time discussing rumours about Elsa’s romantic life. These jokes at the expense of Frozen’s fandom could easily be mean-spirited, but even the most avid fans can realize how ridiculous all the romantic ‘shipping’ can get, and the mockery in this fanfic stays on the right side of the line between affectionate and cruel. Frozen is a pop-cultural phenomenon as well as a movie, and the acknowledgement of its unique status in the Disney canon allows Frozen Wight to be more than another continuation of Anna and Elsa’s story.

Big and Mature Themes – The comedy in Frozen Wight is used to balance out the darker excesses of an often serious story which provides a more detailed understanding of Elsa and her inner turmoil. This fanfic was initially called ‘The Trials of Elsa’, so it is no surprise that Anna’s troubled but brilliant older sister takes centre stage in this story. Elsa’s cyromancy (ice powers to you and me) is the overarching focus of this story as she struggles to come to terms with an incredible gift which stayed suppressed for so long. Having to deal with Olaf, Marshmallow and a new array of snow creatures feeds into Elsa’s uncertainty over how to use her powers, and this creates a lot of comedy and drama. One of the prominent threads running throughout the fanfic is Elsa’s struggle to deal with a drought affecting Arendelle. With climate change becoming an increasingly urgent issue following the heatwaves which affected the Northern hemisphere over the summer, this subplot feels incredibly timely, as Elsa ponders the ethics of using the fairytale equivalent of Geoengineering to solve the problems faced by her kingdom. You do not need cyromancy to understand Elsa’s fears and insecurities, and this is what makes her such a compelling protagonist.

The serious elements of the story are pretty heavy and disturbing at points. Elsa’s fragile mental health is a central issue in Frozen Wight, particularly in the second and fourth parts. In the second part, Elsa’s battle with Mary’s toxic influence provides a disturbing representation of the intrusive thoughts that often afflict obsessive or anxious people, with Mary forcing her to act on her worst instincts.  Mary corrupts Elsa through a mirror, echoing Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen (the inspiration for Frozen) and the damage she causes highlights the fact that losing control of your own mind can be scarier than any demon or snow monster. In the fourth part of the story, things get even worse as Elsa’s happy memories are removed, turning her into a paranoid and dangerous character who begins sliding into monster territory. Elsa’s extreme turmoil is explored in a disturbing amount of detail. Parallels are drawn between Daniel and the numerous real-life predators who destroy women’s lives to live out their fanatical fantasies, and this make it clear that Elsa is as much of a victim as a villain in this section of the story. The scenes where she loses control and starts freezing her friends are genuinely disturbing, because we know that her breakdown is based on fear rather than malice. Things reach their climax when Elsa accidentally hits Anna with an extra-potent version of the “Frozen Heart” curse from the first movie, making things even more difficult for Anna, as she seeks to prevent Elsa from losing control of herself and her powers for good. Anna’s race against time to save herself and Elsa is intense and dramatic, with a powerful resolution which  makes the eventual happy ending all the sweeter.

In addition to providing drama and philosophical conundrums, Elsa’s struggles are used to generate plenty of important messages. Beneath all the chaos, the primary message of Frozen Wight is an excellent one - you should never let tragedy and trauma define you. Elsa’s relationship with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and the rest of the “Frozen Family” emphasizes the need to preserve our bonds with the people who can support us when things get difficult. These messages are consistent with the themes and ideas explored by the original film, but take them far further to provide a more sophisticated and detailed examination. Elsa is a role model for many people with mental issues, and the exploration of her struggles here gives this fanfic an emotional impact and maturity. Like most fanfics, Frozen Wight is aimed at older audiences, but whilst many of these stories misuse the “more adult” tone, Frozen Wight gets the balance correct, adding more drama and danger without feeling gimmicky or needlessly shocking.

A Strong Supporting Cast – Although Frozen Wight is primarily about Elsa and her powers, its grand scale and elaborate narrative means that the other characters from the Frozen Universe also get plenty to do. If Elsa is the primary protagonist of Frozen Wight, then Anna is a pretty powerful deuteragonist. The emphasis on Elsa over Anna leads to some changes in their dynamic. With her attempts to play matchmaker for Elsa and Fritz and a newfound obsession with punching all her enemies in the face, Anna gets a lot of quirky and goofy moments, and can border on being a comic sidekick at times. However, when push comes to shove and Elsa needs her help, Anna proves to be the kind, brave and tenacious protagonist we all know and love, fully earning her heroine status. A traditionally-built, inanimate snowman with handprints over the heart becomes a powerful symbol of Anna’s unconditional love for Elsa, and the scenes in which it is used are the most powerful and moving in the fanfic. The bond between Anna and Elsa is the one thing which made Frozen truly iconic, and Frozen Wight treats this important relationship with the respect it deserves.

It is not surprising that Elsa’s snow creatures also have a prominent role. Olaf is his usual blissfully happy, heat-obsessed self, and gets some hilarious lines in this story. We learn about his inability at keeping secrets and get a running gag about his obsession with the curse words which he hears Anna using once too often. Hearing the innocent and childlike Olaf use profanities which rhyme with “witch” and “wrap” is one of those things which should just be cheap, lowest-common denominator humour, but turns out to be hilarious due to his total lack of awareness or malice. Elsa’s intimidating snow monster Marshmallow has an expanded role as well, as we learn about his relationship with Elsa – beneath his menacing exterior, he loves his creator just as much as Olaf does. In addition, we get several mini-Marshmallows, a set of talking birds made from pure snow and a living, walking snowball who provides some much-needed cuteness during the intense later chapters.

Anna’s allies from the original film also get some memorable moments, although they are somewhat less significant compared to the more complex and entertaining characters surrounding them. Kristoff retains his “anti-social straight man” personality and gets some good lines, but he and Sven are slightly overshadowed by the other members of the cast. Pabbie retains his role as the magic expert, providing exposition to make the complicated magic and mythology easier to understand. Although he generally uses his magic to help Anna and Elsa, Daniel eventually forces him into doing things which create problems for our protagonists. Meanwhile, the rest of the trolls get involved in the romantic tangles at the centre of the story, providing unreliable advice for Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Fritz. Given that he is one of the most overused characters in Frozen media, the eccentric Sauna salesman Oaken appears surprisingly little in this story. However, the character is given various identical-looking cousins who run other businesses in Arendelle and generate a lot of extra silliness – Thebandragoness could have easily ran this concept into the ground, but thankfully manages to handle it carefully. Overall, Thebandragoness stays true to the essence of Frozen’s main characters and gives them a lot of great new material.

Great New Characters - There are also a variety of interesting new characters to enjoy. Aside from the villains (mentioned in further detail below) the two most prominent are Anders, the chief of staff, and Fritz, an awkward young bodyguard hopelessly infatuated with Elsa. Anders is a stereotypically posh and stuffy assistant and gets a variety of dry and snarky lines, but the caring and compassionate elements of his personality still shine through. When he is forced to babysit Olaf, he initially finds the wacky snowman insufferable, but soon begins to form a sweet little friendship with him. Fritz is another major source of comic relief in the story, getting involved in a complex romantic subplot involving Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, a bullying and macho bodyguard, and a sickeningly sweet member of staff. Whilst the romantic subplots are relatively convoluted and can feel like filler at times, they yield a lot of great comedy. With his ghastly mother, a complete lack of social skills and a job he is hopelessly unqualified for, Fritz is incredibly out of his depth in the royal world, but he is likeable enough to root for, and its pretty satisfying when things finally start to go his way. Besides these characters, other new additions to the Frozen universe include Mrs. Dale, Adrian’s wise and kind wife, and Admiral Klaus, a tough military man who has his own personal reasons for taking interest in Elsa’s cyromancy. Both of these characters are engaging and three-dimensional, with revelations about them later in the story add to their depth and complexity.

Excellent Villains - Whilst the villains are one of the weakest aspects of the original film, the villains in Frozen Wight are among the highlights of the story. There are six main villains (seven if you count “Evilsa” – the brainwashed and crazy version of Elsa from Part 4), of whom four are completely original characters. These four new additions are all memorable antagonists who present Anna and Elsa with formidable challenges. Daniel is the best of these, representing an excellent evil counterpart to Elsa whose tragic past has driven him insane and turned him into a nihilistic demon who has decided to embrace the death and destruction he associates with his ice powers. Mary has one of the biggest character arcs in the story, as she goes from demonic creature seeking to control Elsa to vulnerable and sympathetic snowwoman who realises that her fears and anxieties are not so different from Anna’s. Both characters are given depth through a variety of flashback sequences, which explain how they came to pose a threat to Anna and Elsa. These sequences add horror and tragedy to Frozen Wight, with Daniel’s backstory being especially harrowing – his behavior may be deplorable, but it is certainly easy to understand how he ended up becoming a monster. In contrast to Daniel and Mary, Brandr has no internal depth or complexity, but is still a twisted and entertaining villain. With his fast-talking, obnoxious personality and complete disregard for human life, he feels like a more extreme version of Hades from Hercules and is as much of a scene-stealer as this description implies. Adrian is a smaller villain, only causing trouble in the first part, but still has a considerable impact, particularly when we find out WHY he wanted to kill Elsa. This devastating revelation fuels Elsa’s doubts and uncertainties about her powers and adds depth to a villain who previously seemed like a prejudiced thug. It needs to be stated that none of these villains are suitable for children. Brandr’s flamboyance means that he is the closest to a traditional Disney baddie, but this is still a character who boasts about killing a child cyromancer and plots to replace all of Arendelle’s little children with demon changelings. The total lack of family-friendliness gives this story a bite which provides urgency and high stakes to prevent this being an excessively upbeat and silly farce.

Compared to villains like Daniel and Brandr, The Duke of Weaseltown Weselton and Prince Hans, the two villainous characters from the original film, no longer feel like threats, and their portrayal in this story reflects this. Weselton was always more of a boorish and ridiculous ‘hater’ rather than a true menace, and Frozen Wight stays true to this characterization. During the second part, Elsa is forced to negotiate with him to form a new trading agreement, leading to a lot of the awkward and amusing comedy generated by forcing our protagonists to be nice to someone who they find totally insufferable. Needless to say, the uneasy business partnership does not work out. It is a lot more surprising to see Hans played for laughs as well, but this is handled really well here. Most Frozen  fanfics portray Hans as a troubled but redeemable young man or a completely evil supervillain, so it is refreshing to see this one try something different, and the material is funny enough to justify the more comedic interpretation. The Hans we see here is still a scheming sociopath, but feels pathetic instead of threatening, as he spends most of his time formulating impractical and ill-conceived plots from within his jail cell whilst picking his nose and getting increasingly miserable about the fall from grace that he brought upon himself. The confrontation between him and our two sisters towards the end of the fanfic is incredibly one-sided, demonstrating how far Anna and Elsa have come over the course of the story. It’s telling that whilst Weselton and Hans are mere sideshows in Frozen Wight, their portrayal here is more interesting and entertaining than they were in a film where they were the central antagonists.

What Are the Negatives?

This is an excellent fanfic, but it has its flaws as well, and whilst these are relatively minor, they are still worth mentioning. The epic approach of Frozen Wight is one of its strengths, but also generates some problems. The second and third parts can get a little baggy at times, with the issues of Anna and Elsa’s daily life sometimes distracting from the bigger picture. The mythology of this story, involving magical swords fuelled by hate, evil fairies and a mythical cyromancer called Mother Winter who turned the entire world into a snowy wasteland, is incredibly convoluted and not easy to follow, going against the fairytale simplicity which makes Disney films so appealing. There is also a problem with the otherwise excellent final chapter. The concluding scene involving Daniel reuniting with a figure from his past ends his story on an ambiguous but surprisingly hopeful note (Without going too far into spoiler territory, his final fate is similar to that of The Moon King in Kubo and the Two Strings). However, it would have been more satisfying to intercut this with Anna and Elsa’s final conversation together, a simple, moving and sweet scene where Anna provides Elsa with support as she comes to terms with the awful ordeal she went through over the fourth part of the story. Ultimately, the most powerful element of  Frozen Wight is  the unbreakable bond between two sisters and seeing them put their handprints on Anna’s snowman one last time would have been the perfect full stop for this tale.

What Else has TheBanDragoness Written?

Thebandragoness has provided two sequels to Frozen Wight. They are considerably shorter, but still packed with the humour and drama that are the author’s trademark. Anatomy of A Snowwoman is centred on Mary and her struggles to find meaning in her life. It continues in the tone set by Frozen Wight, with Elsa travelling to a kingdom who worships her as a goddess and dealing with a mysterious force which turns all her snow creatures (even Olaf!) into rebellious monsters. Fritz: The Musical centres on Fritz’s romantic misadventures and features parodies of numerous famous Disney songs. Both of these stories have plenty of great moments, and are worth checking out, but Frozen Wight is still the best story in Thebandragoness universe by some distance, due to its epic scope, great humour, powerful dramatic moments and its excellent depiction of Anna and Elsa’s sister dynamic.

Verdict

Although there are times where it feels a bit excessive and self-indulgent, Frozen Wight is a must-read for Frozen fans, and even those who despise the Disney megahit will find something to enjoy in this fanfic. With its creative combination of funny, sad, scary and heartwarming, the story deepens our appreciation of the characters in the Frozen universe whilst also adding some excellent new elements to their world. Ultimately, Frozen Wight sets an extremely high bar for Frozen 2, and it provides proof that committed and talented amateur fans can provide a sequel capable of standing toe to toe with the best from Hollywood.

Best Lines

 “Here’s a secret. All politics is just a bunch of old rich people who hate each other being locked in a room to argue about boring legal stuff” (Chapter 1)

“In the span of a week, the castle had gone from a quiet, dignified albeit empty, house of royalty to a place where sentient snowmen ran amok and princesses dated hairy mountain men. It was starting to dawn on Anders that the only thing standing between order and hair-splitting madness was one elderly and overworked butler” (Chapter 3)

“Anna: Discussing Talking Snowman philosophy is great and all, but can we please get back to fixing my brain now?” (Chapter 6)

“Anna: When you ran away just now, I was so scared, I didn’t know what you were going to do, and, well, between today and yesterday, I guess we both almost lost each other. And all I could think of was how we needed to build a snowman again because… if we built the snowman, then…then you would know…that  I don’t care what happens, or what you’ve done, or what you think you’ve done. I love you no matter what.” (Chapter 15)

"Anders thought back to the conversation he'd had with Elsa the previous day. He was glad to see she'd dealt with the issue in her own unorthodox way. He just wished her way hadn't involved freezing the whole castle, that was all. Sudden, drastic change and finicky old men didn't agree with each other." (Chapter 17)

“Olaf: I’m great at keeping secrets! Like the time I promised Marshmallow I wouldn’t tell anyone he wants to wear women’s clothing!” (Chapter 29)

"Anna glanced back long enough to scream "Evilsnooooooowmaaaaaaan!"

Okay, Kristoff was seriously confused. But then an ice-creature charged after her down the hallway, and he pieced things together.

Lesson Learned: Never try to surprise Anna. She will outdo you every time" (Chapter 33)

"Brandr: Please, must this end in violence? […] Wait, who am I kidding? I love violence." (Chapter 37)

"Olaf: First Elsa wears boy clothes, then I wear girl clothes...What a day for gender roles, right? Wait. Do snowmen have genders?" (Chapter 55)

“Anna had learnt a valuable lesson. No matter how bad a person could seem, they can always realise their mistakes and find redemption.

Except Hans. Screw Hans. Anna hoped he was having a miserable time in prison.” (Chapter 65)

“Morten the Guard: Why can’t the queen stay single, huh? Her life seems fine without romance in it! And its not like there aren’t already a gazillion royal chicks out there who turn romance into their defining trait! Why can’t Queen Elsa stay special? Why can’t she be a strong, independent person?” (Chapter 74)

25 Fascinating Facts About Frozen

On this day five years ago, Disney’s Frozen premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, five days before it was officially released in cinemas all over America.  Inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story The Snow Queen, Frozen told the story of Princess Anna and her attempts to repair her relationship with powerful but troubled older sister Queen Elsa. Subverting numerous fairytale clichés to provide a magical celebration of sisterhood, Frozen captured the imaginations of millions of viewers across the 2013/14 winter season. It soon became the most successful animated movie of all time, earning almost $1.3 billion worldwide and winning an Oscar for its inescapable signature song “Let It Go”. In the time since its release, Frozen has become a merchandising behemoth all over the world, with the soundtrack selling over 10 million copies in 2014 alone. Frozen has been spun off into two animated shorts (Frozen Fever and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure), and numerous theme park rides and shows, with Anna, Elsa and their friends inspiring numerous pieces of merchandise, ranging from toys to lunchboxes. In addition, the movie has recently been adapted into a Broadway musical seen by some of the biggest celebrities in the world. The much-anticipated sequel Frozen 2 will premiere in exactly one year, having recently moved its release date forward by 5 days (from 27^th November 2019 to 22^nd November 2019) to take full advantage of the build-up to Thanksgiving. Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the co-directors of original Frozen, will be back for the sequel, with Oscar-nominated  screenwriter Alison Schroeder (Hidden Figures) joining Lee on the writing team. Songwriting duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are writing the songs for Frozen 2, aiming to emulate the record-breaking success of their soundtrack for the original film. Meanwhile, Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel will reprise their roles as Anna and Elsa, with Josh Gad and Johnathan Groff also returning to voice Anna’s sidekicks Olaf and Kristoff. In addition to our four leads, there will be a variety of new characters, with TV veterans Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K.Brown being lined up to voice two of them. 

Like most of the great Disney films, Frozen appeals to viewers of all ages on a variety of levels. Its catchy songs, impressive animation and colorful characters captured the hearts of youngsters, whilst older audiences were impressed by its dark and sad undertones, its feminist twists on traditional princess tropes and its timeless messages about the importance of family and the power of love over fear. Like most Disney films, Frozen had an eventful and chaotic journey to the big screen, with numerous twists and turns in the development process. It took almost 7 decades to come up with a story, and when this was finalized, the creative team had just 15 months to get the film ready for release. However, the success of Frozen made all this hard work worthwhile.  In order to celebrate Frozen’s 5^th anniversary, here are 25 fascinating facts about the making of the film and its iconic characters and soundtrack…

25 Fascinating Facts About Frozen

1.      Disney planned to make a film based on The Snow Queen as early as the 1940s, when it would have been part of a larger anthology film based on Hans Christian Andersen’s works. However, it was CEO Michael Eisner who really started pushing for the project to be made, with various versions consistently in development from the late 1990s. Disney legends such as Glen Keane, Alan Menken and Linda Woolverton were attached to the project during this gestation period, but all dropped out at different points, due to the difficulties involved in adapting the long and episodic source material.

2.      In order to get around these problems, Frozen made numerous major changes to The Snow Queen. Despite this, some parallels to Andersen’s story remain if you look closely. The gruff but ultimately helpful reindeer herder Kristoff fulfills the same role as the robber girl from source material, whilst the Finn woman and her incredibly hot house may have been an inspiration for flamboyant sauna owner Oaken. Frozen also put an unusual spin on the evil mirror which starts the conflict in The Snow Queen. The treacherous Prince Hans was modeled after a living mirror, with his personality changing depending on which characters he is interacting with.

3.      The title of the movie was changed from The Snow Queen to Frozen, following in the footsteps of the successful and controversial renaming of Tangled and Brave. However, some international versions (such as the German and French releases), retained the title The Snow Queen, with others (Such as Japan) using translations of the title Anna and the Snow Queen instead. In Spain, Italy and Portugal, the original and final titles were combined, and the film was called Frozen: The Snow Queen.

4.      Although the sheer scale of Frozen’s cultural impact took everyone by surprise, the higher-ups at Disney anticipated that it would be a hit from an early stage. Plans to make it into a Broadway production were put in place before the film was released.

5.      Not all the songs from Frozen made it into the Broadway version. "Frozen Heart", sung by a group of Ice Harvesters at the very beginning of the film, was cut because it was not sufficiently connected to Anna and Elsa’s story. However, instrumentals from this song are still included in the score, and elements of it are used in climactic number “Colder by the Minute”.

6.      In order to develop the sibling relationship between Anna and Elsa, the team behind Frozen held a “Sister summit”, where sisters were invited to talk about their relationship, with anecdotes being used to form the bond between the two characters. 

7.      In The Snow Queen, the protagonists were called Kai and Gerda. In order to pay tribute to the source material, Anna and Elsa’s head servants were named after the characters, although these names are only revealed in the end credits.

8.      Director Jennifer Lee had a small role in the film, voicing Anna and Elsa’s mother. Fellow Disney directors Stephen J. Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Chris Williams (Big Hero 6, Moana) also had cameos as Kai and Oaken respectively.

9.      “Do You Want to Build A Snowman?” was almost cut, but it was decided to retain the song at the last minute. There were initial concerns that it sounded too somber, but the team were forced to revise it again when it became too cheery and upbeat.

10.   It is widely known that Elsa was originally intended to be a villainous character, but was changed into a heroine after the Lopez’s wrote “Let It Go”. They believed that the song made her too sympathetic to be a villain, and the story was substantially rewritten afterwards to reflect this. In the earlier versions of Frozen where Elsa was an antagonist, she would have been modeled after iconic divas Bette Middler and Amy Winehouse and voiced by Will & Grace star Megan Mullaly.

11.   When it was decided to make Hans a villain instead, the writing team introduced a prophecy where the protagonists were instructed to beware a “ruler with a frozen heart”. Elsa and Anna would assume that the prophecy would relate to the former, but it would really be referring to Hans. Although this prophecy was mentioned in the original synopsis for Frozen, it was discarded late in development.

12.   Anna and Elsa’s bond would have initially been represented by a snowglobe, but it was eventually decided to make Olaf the embodiment of their relationship instead. This was because there were too many symbols and motifs in the movie (such as gloves, doors and ice), so adding an extra one would have created confusion. Olaf’s status as the symbol of Anna and Elsa’s sisterhood was explored in more detail in Olafs Frozen Adventure and the Broadway version.

13.   One notable question left unanswered by the film is “who runs the kingdom until Elsa comes of age?”. In early drafts, it would have been a female regent who has magic powers, subverting the “villainous advisor” tropes represented by past Disney villains such as Jafar and Yzma. However, it was decided that such a character would be superfluous.

14.   Several racier lines were cut from the songs. “For the First Time in Forever” would have initially featured Anna singing “I hope I don’t vomit in his face” but it was decided that this line would have been too gross – The Lopez’s daughter came up with the replacement line “I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face”. For Let It Go, the line “God knows I’ve tried” was replaced with “Heaven knows I’ve tried”, because this use of God in this context would have been considered blasphemous.  

15.   If you’re wondering why Hans is so skilled at pretending to be the good guy, then that’s because his voice actor had experience as a genuine Prince Charming. Santino Fontana played Prince Topher in the Broadway version of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella when it opened in March 2013, conveniently leaving the role shortly after Frozen was released.

16.   The scene where Anna and Elsa fall out (causing Elsa to lose control of her powers) went through several revisions. Initially, Anna was merely asking for Elsa to give Hans a job, but it was decided that having Anna get impulsively engaged to him would pose a greater threat to Anna and Elsa’s relationship.

17.   The changes to Anna and Hans had an effect on Anna and Kristoff’s relationship. Anna would have initially been more flirtatious, but it was decided that this would make no sense if she was engaged to Hans, so a more combative initial dynamic was used instead.

18. The trading post where Anna first meets Kristoff is called “Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna”. According to the Lopez’s, Lee chose the name because ‘Wandering Oaken’ is an anagram of ‘Naked Norwegian”.

19.   Olaf was the character most prominently featured in the Frozen promotional campaign, but his role in the movie was in doubt for much of the production process. Olaf was initially much more abrasive, but Jennifer Lee changed him substantially when she joined the project, later saying that the initial scenes written for the character made her want to “kill the ****ing snowman”. The scene near the end when he helps out Anna was added relatively late to ensure that he would have a greater role in the story.

20.   A variety of songs were written by the Lopez’s but eventually discarded, including “Life’s Too Short”, “We Know Better”, “Cool with Me”, “More than Just the Spare” and “You’re You”. However, some of these songs have gained a second life in the Frozen universe. Some of the instrumentals for “Life’s Too Short” were used in the Frozen Fever song “Making Today A Perfect Day”, whilst a section from “We Know Better” appeared in “Let the Sun Shine On”, the opening song of the Broadway version.

21.   Josh Gad previously worked with Robert Lopez in the bad-taste Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, but he was not the only star from that long-running show to appear in Frozen. Maia Wilson and Lewis Cleale, who also had roles in The Book of Mormon, voice Kristoff’s troll guardians Bulda and Cliff.

22.   British comedian Jack Whitehall recorded lines as one of the trolls, but went uncredited in the finished film. He claimed that he was cut from Frozen, but his character still appears in the movie anyway. Whitehall has since gone on to gain roles in Disney’s live-action films The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and Jungle Cruise.

23.   The Troll’s song, ‘Fixer Upper’, was finished in July 2013, just four months before the film was released (In contrast, ‘Let It Go’ – the first song from Frozen to be completed -  was recorded almost a year before). Several other songs for the Trolls had been considered and rejected before this, including one with a boyband theme and one based on getting Anna and Kristoff to “walk in each other’s shoes”.

24.   Hans’ ability at hiding his true nature makes him one of Disney’s darker villains, but he would have initially been even more murderous. Instead of simply trying to kill Elsa, early drafts of the story had Hans plot to defeat her by triggering an avalanche, fully aware that this would destroy Arrendelle…

25.   Some changes were made so late that the initial discarded lines and scenes were included in Frozen merchandise. Most notably, the novelization of Frozen ended with Kristoff being the one to subdue Hans at the end, but it was decided that it would be far more satisfying (and feminist!) if Anna was the one to punch him in the face instead.

The Bloody Chamber on Radio 4 – Review

Since her untimely death in 1992, Angela Carter has become recognised as one of Britain’s greatest female authors. Her vivid and often fantastical approach makes her a fascinating counterpoint to Britain’s traditional social realist literature, and her focus on unique and independent women navigating a world dominated by predatory males is more relevant than ever in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp. This increased interest in Carter’s work has led to a variety of projects inspired by her book and short stories. A documentary about Carter’s life and career aired on BBC2 in August, and a theatrical adaptation of her final novel Wise Children has just opened at the prestigious Old Vic theatre (which recently hosted the stage version of A Monster Calls). Coinciding with these two major productions is BBC Radio 4’s Get Carter season, which aired in the last week of September.

Despite the inappropriate title (Michael Caine’s gritty, masculine gangster movie of the same name represents the antithesis of Carter’s fantastical, female-centred and often eccentric approach – surely Radio 4 could have come up with a better Angela Carter-related pun?), the Get Carter season is a must-listen for Angela Carter fans, with almost seven hours of Carter-related programming. The season contained radio adaptations of her screenplay The Christchurch Murders, and her novel Nights at the Circus and retellings of her radio plays Vampirella and Come Into These Yellow Sands. However, the highlight of the season was a series of five 15 minute adaptations of stories from her seminal adult fairy tale collection The Bloody Chamber. The five most iconic stories from Carter’s 1979 anthology (The Bloody Chamber, The Erl King, Wolf Alice, The Tiger's Bride and The Company of Wolves) were adapted into radio plays by director Fiona McAlpine and writer Olivia Tetreed and aired on consecutive mornings between Monday 24^th and Friday 28^th September in the prestigious '15 Minute Drama' slot. Here are reviews of all five adaptations, listed in the order they aired.

All five of these retellings can be currently heard on iPlayer Radio. Whilst you can only watch iPlayer television programmes in the UK, you can hear BBC radio shows all around the world, but you must listen quickly, as The Bloody Chamber (the first of the five stories to air) will be on iPlayer for just two more days. However, an ‘Omnibus’ episode putting all five episodes of The Bloody Chamber together will stay on iPlayer Radio until 29^th October. Overall, this series represents an excellent early Halloween treat for fairy tale fans….

(Warning: These Reviews May Contain Spoilers)

The Bloody Chamber

Storyline: A young women gets married to a sinister Marquis whose previous three wives died in mysterious circumstances. When they have arrived at his grand castle, the Marquis gives her the keys to all the rooms but prohibits her from visiting one in the basement. However, curiosity gets the better of the girl, and when she uses the forbidden key and enters this room, she discovers a horrible secret...

At 40 pages, The Bloody Chamber is by far the longest story in Carter’s collection, so it is not easy to reduce this tale to a 15-minute time slot (in comparison, The Tiger's Bride is 20 pages and the other stories which were adapted are approximately 10 pages long). The plot is simple – this is a pretty conventional adaptation of the Bluebeard story with a few creative updates - but a lot of the appeal comes from the lurid descriptions of the murderous Marquis and his twisted world. Unsurprisingly, many of the excesses are toned down in order to stay within the time limit, but enough of them remain to reinforce the primary theme of this story, that unlimited power and wealth can conceal unlimited depravity. Sophie Cookson voices the protagonist Anne, making us care about the safety of a character who is a lot more frightened and passive than other female leads in this series. Jaspar Britton makes a pleasingly sinister Marquis, keeping enough flamboyance to remain a memorable and unique villain. Nigel Pilkington is Anne’s blind ally Jean-Yves – an unusually conventional love interest in the Carter canon - whilst Rakie Ayola voices her idealised mother, bringing maternal tenderness to a character defined by her fighting prowess. Despite the constraints of the 15-minute slot, this adaptation succeeds in retelling the story and delivering the messages, but the edits dilute the atmosphere and ensures that it is one of the weaker adaptations on this list.

The Erl King

Storyline: A women gets lost in the forest, where she meets the mysterious Erl King. He takes her to his home, and she is fascinated by his knowledge of the forest and disturbed by his cages full of birds. She allows the Erl King to seduce her, but when she finds out what he plans to do with her, she is forced to take desperate action.

Whilst most of the other Bloody Chamber stories are based on French fairy tales such as Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard and Beauty and the Beast, The Erl King is based on Jorinde and Joringel, a fairy tale almost exclusively associated with the Brothers Grimm. This lends it a unique feel which adds to the eeriness. Rakie Ayola narrates the story as the unnamed protagonist, and she provides an everywoman quality which suits the tale well. Ariyon Bakare is a charismatic and earthy Erl King, with enough of a sinister side to make the reveal of his plans effective. However, this is more than a direct adaptation. Some of the narrations are provided by a mysterious childlike voice (referred to as the Goblin in the credits) enhancing the atmosphere, and seemingly guiding the protagonist as she fights back at the end. Although it is not as flashy as the ones before and after it, The Erl King is a creative and mysterious story, and this adaptation does justice to it.

Wolf Alice

Storyline: A girl raised by wolves has more in common with the species that nurtured her than her own kind. She ends up in the estate of a Duke with more than a few supernatural secrets of his own. As she enters puberty, she starts adopting more human traits as the Duke’s Vampiric side becomes more apparent…

One of three stories from The Bloody Chamber inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, Wolf Alice adopts an unusual approach, with the innocent young woman and the feral wolf being one and the same. The fact that the main protagonist is more or less incapable of speech (the monstrous Duke also spends almost all of his time growling and barking, with just a single line of dialogue) means that the emphasis here is almost entirely on atmosphere, but that plays to the strengths of this story perfectly. Lily Lesser and Johnathan Tafler have the rather thankless tasks of voicing Wolf Alice and the Duke, but the narration steps in to speak where they cannot. A recurring feature of the Get Carter programmes is the use of veteran actress Fiona Shaw as Carter’s narrative voice – this is the only segment in The Bloody Chamber series to use her elegant and authoritative tone, and it highlights the quality of Carter’s mysterious and eerie prose. However, a nun and a hunter (voiced by Adjoah Andoh and Nigel Pilkington respectively) provide further narration, advancing the story for us and highlighting how society reacts to the otherworldly main characters. Out of all the tales here, Wolf Alice is probably least suited for radio, but this is still an interesting adaptation anyway.

The Tiger's Bride

Storyline: A young woman is sold to a reclusive lord after her father loses a game of cards to him. When she arrives in his empty Palazzo, he reveals that his one request is for her to appear undressed in front of him. When she eventually submits, she sees his true form, but it soon turns out that the Beast is not the only one hiding his animal nature…

The second of two Beauty and the Beast inspired stories in The Bloody Chamber book (The other, The Courtship of Mr Lyons, is a relatively conventional retelling by Carter standards), The Tiger's Bride has imaginative imagery, a creative culture-clash element (the protagonist is a Russian woman who has moved to Italy) and a memorable and subversive conclusion. There is some editing to get the story down to 15 minutes, with a lot of the set-up and world-building being removed. However, the quirks of the source material remain intact, with the clockwork servants and unusual masks staying in this story and enhancing it considerably. The voice acting is some of the best in this series, and the star of the episode is Hannah Genesisiaus, who voices Beauty. Initially, there is a contrast between her cool narration and the more emotional tone she uses when speaking in the story itself, but as the story reaches its climax, she brings the sensual conclusion to vivid life. The Beast communicates only in growls and purrs, but his requests and commands are expressed by his sniveling Valet, voiced by Johnathan Tafler in an intriguing contrast to his role in Wolf Alice. For all the Rococo and Neoclassical-inspired visuals, this story seems to adhere to the traditional conventions of the Beauty and the Beast stories, but this makes the ending even more unique and interesting.

The Company of Wolves

Storyline: One Christmas Eve, Red Riding Hood heads into the woods to visit her grandmother. On her journey, she befriends a handsome young Hunter who is actually a werewolf. The werewolf eats her grandmother and intends to eat Red Riding Hood as well, but she comes up with a very unusual way of ensuring her survival…

For the last of the 15-minute Dramas, McAlpine and Tetreed make an impressive effort as they adapt one of the most iconic stories in The Bloody Chamber. For this version of The Company of Wolves, they find a creative way to translate it to radio which highlights the power of oral storytelling. The mysterious anecdotes about werewolves which begin the story are told by several old women as they explain the mythology to Red Riding Hood. These storytellers then go on to narrate the rest of the story, maintaining the mystery and creepiness and providing a genuine sense of menace during the scene where the hunter transforms into a werewolf for the first time. Lily Lesser gives Red Riding Hood an element of mischief and playfulness which makes it easier to root for her.  As the Hunter, Alexander Vlahos has a smooth and formal delivery which fails to conceal his monstrous true nature. The ending takes the subtext of these five stories and makes them explicit, as Red’s sexual awakening allows her to tame the werewolf. This represents a fitting conclusion to this series, showing that the female leads from fairy tales can be stronger and more independent than we usually assume.

Verdict

This series of 15 Minute Dramas certainly live up to the advertising tagline that they are ‘Stories to Gobble you Up’. With such strong source material, it was almost impossible for Olivia Hetreed and Fiona McAlpine to fail, and they manage to provide five entertaining takes on Carter’s work. All five retellings stick as closely as they can to the source material, although they have varying degrees of success in condensing the stories and adapting them to the world of radio. The weakest adaptations in this collection, (The Bloody Chamber and Wolf Alice) are limited by the constraints of the medium, but are still mysterious and entertaining, whilst the strongest, The Company of Wolves, adapts the story in a unique and innovative way. In conclusion, all five of the 15-minute dramas represent an excellent way of introducing audiences to Carter’s brilliant work, and it goes without saying that fans of her work will have a deliciously fun time listening to these.

Hans Christian Andersen on Stage and Screen

Out of all the authors to publish fairy tales over the years, there is no denying that the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is one of the best and most iconic. Over a career spanning approximately 4 decades, he wrote several brilliant fairytales, including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor’s New Clothes, and these have inspired numerous films, TV series and plays. This month, Martin McDonagh’s new play A Very Very Very Dark Matter will premiere in London, providing a unique interpretation of Andersen’s life and work which is certain to divide opinion and offend those who prefer more tasteful fairy tale projects. McDonagh's play will be the latest in a long line of productions which have allowed Andersen's influence to endure over the centuries. This article will highlight some of the most interesting works inspired by Hans Christian Andersen and his fairytales, ranging from record-breaking Disney hits to small-scale animated series, from stop-motion musicals to TV miniseries. Some of these are straightforward adaptations, others take inspiration from history and show how Andersen’s eventful life inspired his finest work. But all the projects here demonstrate how Andersen has influenced a wide variety of writers and directors from all over the world...

Disney and Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales formed the basis for two of Disney’s most iconic and successful movies – 1989’s The Little Mermaid and 2013’s Frozen, inspired by his epic The Snow Queen. Both have already been discussed extensively on this blog, so there is no need to spend too much time talking about them. Walt Disney had wanted to adapt both tales as early as the 1940s, but had issues expanding the stories to feature length and dealing with their substantial religious elements. Therefore, when his studio finally brought them to the big screen, they took numerous liberties with the source material. The Little Mermaid turned Andersen’s tragic tale into an upbeat romantic musical with a happy ending, whilst Frozen is barely recognisable as an adaptation of this tale, keeping the basic plot (a heroine travels through a wintry world to rescue a loved one) but changing almost everything else. Andersen purists have often been outraged by such extreme deviations from the source material, but the memorable and engaging characters, wonderful animation and iconic songs have allowed these films to win the hearts of audiences all over the world. For better or worse, when you are asked to think of The Little Mermaid or The Snow Queen, most people will think of Princess Ariel and her red hair, or Queen Elsa and her ability to control snow and ice. Both films have been adapted into Broadway musicals and inspired numerous sequels and spin-offs, such as a The Little Mermaid TV series, which contained an episode where Ariel meets Hans Christian Andersen and inspires him to write his legendary fairy tale.

These two hits are not the only times Disney have adapted Hans Christian Andersen tales for the screen. In 1999, they created a short adaptation of The Steadfast Tin Soldier for their animated anthology film Fantasia 2000. Using primitive CGI animation, they created a silent retelling set to the Shoshtakovich piece 'Piano Concerto No 2' but added a happier ending to suit the triumphant conclusion of this composition. This was soon followed by an adaptation of The Little Match Girl, which was intended for another Fantasia movie, but released on DVD as a standalone short when that was cancelled. However, The Little Match Girl stuck to the tearjerking end of the source material and was nominated for an Oscar. The acclaim it received demonstrated that the House of Mouse can make a perfectly faithful adaptation of an Andersen tale when it wishes to.

The Red Shoes

Although it is not a direct adaptation, Michael Powell and Emric Pressburger’s 1948 film The Red Shoes is widely regarded as the best film to be inspired by Andersen’s work. Taking its title from an Andersen story about a foolish young girl and her cursed footwear, The Red Shoes provides a powerful examination of our need to perform and the destructive effects this can have. In the film, Andersen’s fairy tale is used as the source material for an elaborate ballet performed by Victoria Page, a dancer for the ballet company of tyrannical but brilliant director Boris Lermontov. As she finds herself torn between her work and her relationship with a young composer, life begins to imitate art as Victoria starts to unravel and lose her sanity. At a time when most films were made in black and white and resources were limited, The Red Shoes used dreamlike technicolour cinematography and lavish sets from the painter Hein Heckroth to capture the fantastical grandeur of the ballet world. This is particularly apparent in the movie’s signature scene, a 15-minute sequence where we see Victoria perform the 'Red Shoes' ballet. Whilst it struggled to make money on its initial UK release and was dismissed by some ballet experts, The Red Shoes went on to become a major success – it won Oscars for its set design and score and was even nominated for Best Picture. Today, the movie is recognised as one of the finest and most influential British movies ever made, and its influence has gone beyond cinema, as it has inspired musicals, ballets and even an album by Kate Bush.

Die Wilde Svaner (The Wild Swans)

Andersen’s success and popularity has allowed him to attain legendary status in his native Denmark. A museum about his life and work is one of the main tourist attractions in his hometown of Odense, whilst the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen has become the defining symbol of Denmark. The extent to which Andersen has become one of Denmark’s most significant cultural exports was highlighted by this Danish adaptation of The Wild Swans from 2009. This retelling was remarkable because one of the main people behind it was the Queen of Denmark herself. Margrethe II, ruler of Denmark since 1972, has become known for creating artwork and illustrating children’s books. For this production, she designed the costumes and sets, co-wrote the script, and even appeared as an extra in the climax. The film is an extremely close adaptation of one of Andersen’s most underrated stories, with the remarkably tenacious princess Elisa undergoing a vow of silence to free her brothers from a curse which has turned them into swans. This film is not afraid to explore the scarier and more mature aspects of the story, but the highlight is Margrethe’s artwork. The backdrops and scenery are made from paper cutouts (A technique known as Decoupage), which enhances the fairytale feel of the movie. The Wild Swans does not get adapted as often as other Andersen stories, but Queen Magrethe’s retelling manages to demonstrate why it deserves to be recognised as one of his best tales.

The Fairytaler

There have been numerous animated anthology series based on fairytales, but The Fairytaler is one of the best, representing a particularly excellent way to introduce children to Andersen’s work. The magical tone is set by the intro, which is initially done in live-action. Two children in a modern apartment block wait for a babysitter to arrive and tell them stories. When he arrives, the three turn off the lights, shut the blinds and light a candle. When they do this, the scene changes to animation, with the room becoming the inside of a carriage and the storyteller turning into Hans Christian Andersen (who narrates every episode) – this opening effectively demonstrates how Andersen’s stories will always seem as fresh and engaging as they were when he first told them. The series itself retains the sense of imagination and wonder implied in this opening sequence. Throughout its run, 30 Andersen tales are adapted, ranging from iconic stories such as The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling to incredibly obscure tales such as The Professor and the Flea and What The Old Man Does Is Right. Each episode sticks closely to Andersen’s text, but changes and elaborates on occasion. The animation is bursting with colour, and the characters depicted in an incredibly lively and expressive manner. For a series which was made on a limited budget and only reached a limited audience, it is legitimately impressive. The Fairytaler was primarily aimed at Danish viewers, but has also been aired in other countries, with a British dub getting a short run on the American channel PBS Kids. All the episodes are now available to view on YouTube and are definitely recommended for Andersen fans.

Other Andersen Musicals

Aside from Disney’s Broadway versions of The Little Mermaid and Frozen, Hans Christian Andersen has inspired several stage musicals, but only a few have made it to Broadway. One of these is Once Upon A Mattress, an adaptation of The Princess and the Pea. Although it is incredibly difficult to turn this miniscule story into a full-length musical, Once Upon a Mattress expands its source material substantially, adding a tyrannical queen, a king cursed with mutism, a couple trying to get married before their baby is born, and an eccentric jester to the story of Princess Winnifred and the unusual test she undergoes in order to be recognised as a potential husband to Prince Dauntless. The silly and comedic tone was ahead of its time (it would be four decades before Shrek became a hit with a similar irreverent approach), and after an initial shorter production at the Tamiment Resort, Once Upon A Mattress soon made it to Broadway. There, it defied mediocre reviews to run for seven months at four different theatres and get nominated for two Tony Awards. Once Upon A Mattress was revived on Broadway in 1996 and has been adapted for television three times, in 1964, 1972 and 2005. The iconic comedienne and actress Carol Burnett, who made her stage debut as Princess Winifred in 1959, reprised the role in the first two televised versions, before playing the villainous Queen Aggravin in the third.

Although Once Upon A Mattress remains popular with schools and drama groups all over the world, the 1991 musical Once On This Island is a far superior Andersen adaptation. Based on a novella by Rosa Guy, this creative take on The Little Mermaid translated the story to the Caribbean, turning the mermaid into a black peasant girl and the prince she wants to marry into the scion of the mixed-race social elite. With approval from Guy, Lynn Ahrens and Steven Flaherty expanded her short and bleak story into a moving and joyous musical. Blending a colourful Carribean influenced soundtrack (including catchy and powerful songs such as 'Mama Will Provide' and 'We Tell the Story') with a thought-provoking examination of prejudice and colourism, it quickly attracted favourable reviews from the critics. The original version ran on Broadway for over a year and became something of a cult favourite amongst Broadway fans. However, Once On This Island really came to prominence when a revival of it opened on Broadway in December 2017. This production made use of innovative immersive staging, featuring costumes and instruments made of recycled rubbish, as well as real sand and a real lake. The production even included live goats and chickens on stage! This adaptation was widely acclaimed and even won the Tony Award for Best Revival Of A Musical, beating productions of the classic musicals My Fair Lady and Carousel. As a result, Once on This Island has gained the mainstream exposure it richly deserves.

Eastern European Adaptations 

This article has focused on adaptations of Andersen’s stories from the western world, but emphasising American and British films, plays and TV shows means that we often ignore those from other countries. During the second half of the twentieth century, the Communist countries of Eastern Europe provided numerous high-quality adaptations of classic fairy tales. Two of the best live-action adaptations of The Little Mermaid were both released in USSR and Czechoslovakia in 1976. The Russian version – Rusalochka – chooses to emphasise historical realities by rooting the story firmly in the medieval era. Here, the mermaid befriends a tramp called Sulpitus who guides her through the human world and works to protect her from its various dangers. The focus on the kindhearted Sulpitus over the shallow prince and princess allows the film to promote the Communist vision of the virtuous lower classes, but this enhances the story instead of overwhelming it. Meanwhile the Czech adaptation, Mala Morska Vita, went for a more dreamlike approach. Whereas most productions depict the merpeople with tails instead of legs, this one depicts them as blue-haired spirits with flowing blue clothing. Detailed sets and creative designs are used to reinforce the impression that these characters live underwater, and the illusion is quite impressive. Mala Morska Vita focuses primarily on the little mermaid and her family, and this makes the adaptation even more tragic, with an ending so bleak it makes the original seem like the Disney version in comparison. Both adaptations are easy to find online and are a must-watch for Andersen fans who want to see something quite different from the usual mermaid film.

Other Andersen tales have also inspired excellent Eastern European versions. Many of these were made by the prolific Soviet animation studio Soyuzmultfilm, who produced up to 47 films a year during the Communist era. This gigantic repertoire included adaptations of The Little Mermaid, The Wild Swans and The Ugly Duckling, but their most iconic film is Snezhnaya Koroleva , their 1957 interpretation of The Snow Queen. This received an impressive amount of international exposure, and an English-language version was released just two years later. It’s not hard to see why this film transcended the Cold War divide. The visual style was close enough to Disney to feel comforting and familiar to western audiences, but with enough magic and mystery to mark it out as a truly unique product. The legendary Hayao Miyazaki, founder of Studio Ghibli and director of films such as Spirited Away, has cited Snezhnaya Koroleva as an inspiration for his output, stating that it provided “proof of how much love can be invested in the art of making drawings move”. Overall, the work of Soyuzmultfilm and other Eastern European filmmakers demonstrate how Andersen’s stories can be adapted in unique and creative ways all over the world.

Hans Christian Andersen

Most films about Hans Christian Andersen shun historical accuracy in favour of emphasising his status as a legend of the fairy tale genre. This approach was epitomised by this 1952 musical, which began with a prologue stating that it was “a fairy tale about this great spinner of fairy tales.” The great Danny Kaye applies his signature charm and likeability to the role of Andersen, as he leaves his hometown to seek fame and fortune in Copenhagen. There, he pursues his dream of becoming a storyteller whilst trying to win the heart of Doro, a beautiful ballet dancer married to her temperamental director Niels. This film is over 65 years old and showing its age in many ways – the love triangle involving Andersen, Doro and Niels simply does not work in 2018. That said, many of the songs from the movie, such as ‘Inchworm’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’, still manage to retain their magic today.

This film inspired a loose West End adaptation in 1974 (long before screen-to-stage adaptations became the norm), which was given the simpler title Hans Andersen. Starring Tommy Steele, this version kept the iconic songs from the film and the basic concept but changed the storyline to make it closer to Andersen’s real-life adventures, adding historical figures such as King Christian and Jenny Lind to the tale (This approach is similar to the recent Broadway adaptation of animated cult hit Anastasia). Hans Andersen enjoyed a successful 9 month run at the London Palladium, and would be revived at this theatre in 1977. However, it is almost entirely forgotten today, whilst the Danny Kaye film retains a significant fanbase through numerous television airings.

The Daydreamer

During the 1950s and 1960s, the animation studio Rankin Bass gained significant popularity with their unusual brand of stop motion animation, making numerous holiday specials such as Rudolph the Red Nosed-Reindeer. For their 1966 film The Daydreamer (the second of three feature-length projects they made in the 1960s), they used their signature style to tell a strange story about Andersen’s childhood. In The Daydreamer, Andersen (simply referred to as Chris in this film) runs away from home in a quest to find the Garden of Paradise, which contains the Tree of Knowledge. During his quest, he encounters characters from several of his future stories, including The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Thumbelina. The scenes with Chris and are done in live-action, but characters from Andersen’s works are entirely in stop-motion and Chris becomes a stop-motion character as well when he enters their worlds.

The story is thin and the songs are almost all forgettable, but The Daydreamer is still an interesting curiosity for Andersen fans. The cast includes several Hollywood icons from the early 20^th century, including Tallulah Bankhead, Ed Wynn, Boris Karloff and The Wizard of Oz stars Ray Bolger and Margret Hamilton, as well as 60’s teen stars Paul O’Keefe, Hayley Mills and Patty Duke and famous comedy actors Terry-Thomas and Victor Borge.  However, the stop motion is easily the most impressive aspect of the film, with plenty of time and effort going into depicting the mermaids, moles, giant frogs and piemen using the big-headed puppets and detailed sets which made Rankin-Bass famous. For a protagonist in a children’s film, Chris makes a lot of bad decisions, assisting the crooked tailors from The Emperors New Clothes and abandoning his friends and allies in his quest for knowledge. However, the value of his journey is highlighted by the closing narrative, which states that Andersen’s acknowledgment of human flaws and vulnerabilities is what made his fairytales so iconic. For all the limitations of The Daydreamer, this profound insight demonstrates a clear understanding of Andersen’s appeal and elevates the film significantly.

Hans Christian Andersen – My Life As A Fairytale

Like The Daydreamer and Hans Christian Andersen, this television miniseries from 2003 blends a narrative about Andersen with retellings of his classic stories, demonstrating how he turned his experiences and insecurities into tales which inspired and enchanted millions of readers. However, My Life As A Fairytale also features a lot more about Andersen’s own life story, including his infatuation with famous opera singer Jenny Lind, and his relationship with Charles Dickens (the two were initially friends, but soon fell out with each other). That said, this is in no way an accurate biopic of Andersen. His unrequited love for his patron Edvard Collin is omitted, and there is little to no discussion of the books, plays and poems which Andersen wrote aside from his fairytales. My Life As A Fairytale also features short retellings of Andersen stories including The Little Mermaid, The Nightingale and The Ugly Duckling, which are used to comment on Andersen’s journey from impoverished tailor’s apprentice to literary legend. Keiran Bew plays Andersen, with British thespians such as Hugh Bonneville and Simon Callow appearing in substantial supporting roles. The film is not afraid to address Andersen’s negative features – the retelling of The Little Mermaid here subverts our traditional view of the story by portraying Andersen as the Prince who abandons our Little Mermaid for another woman. Overall, My Life As A Fairytale is generally a rather routine miniseries and probably the weakest work mentioned in this article, but it illustrates the extent to which Andersen’s life story has become thoroughly intertwined with the fairy tales which he created. 

A Very Very Very Dark Matter

Most of the films and musicals mentioned here have adopted a tone of magic and melancholy similar to Andersen’s work. However, the controversial playwright, screenwriter and director Martin McDonagh will be taking a very different approach for his new play A Very Very Very Dark Matter. Fans of McDonagh’s work (he wrote the plays The Pillowman and The Lieutenant of Inishmore and directed the Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri) know to expect pitch-dark comedy with plenty of foul language and graphic violence. From what little we know about it at the moment, A Very Very Very Dark Matter seems to be based on the premise that Hans Christian Andersen’s stories were actually created by an African woman who he secretly kept imprisoned in his attic. Given that Three Billboards was often criticised for its problematic racial politics, it seems almost foolhardy for McDonagh to create a story with such a controversy-baiting premise, but there is plenty of satirical potential here (expect plenty of commentary on how Andersen and The Brothers Grimm took credit for creating stories which had been told to them by female storytellers), and McDonagh can be trusted to emphasise this in his usual acerbic fashion. McDonagh’s script will be brought to life by an impressive cast, with stage and screen veteran Jim Broadbent playing Andersen, newcomer Johnetta Eula'Mae Ackles as his prisoner Marjory, and Phil Daniels as Charles Dickens. A Very Very Very Dark Matter will begin previews at London’s recently opened Bridge Theatre on October 12^th, and it will run there until the start of 2019. If it proves successful, expect it to be performed all over the world over the coming years…