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Frozen Fever
Frozen Fever
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Frozen Fever
Film poster
Directed by
Story by
  • Chris Buck
  • Jennifer Lee
  • Marc E. Smith
Produced by
Starring
Edited byJeff Draheim
Music byChristophe Beck[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date
Running time
7 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Frozen Fever is a 2015 American animated musical fantasy comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. A follow-up to the 2013 feature film Frozen, the short follows Elsa as she attempts to throw a surprise party for her sister Anna with the help of Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf. Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee again served as the directors with Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad reprising their roles from the film and Christophe Beck composing the score.

Production on Frozen Fever began in June 2014 and took six months to complete. The film debuted in theaters alongside Walt Disney Pictures' live-action remake of Cinderella on March 13, 2015. It received positive reviews from critics, along with praise for its original song "Making Today a Perfect Day" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Plot

[edit]

One year after the events of Frozen, Queen Elsa is determined to give her younger sister, Anna, a perfect surprise birthday party and enlists the help of Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and the lovable snowman Olaf in order to make sure the party goes ahead without any problems.

Anna is led on a party treasure hunt created by Elsa, following a piece of string that leads to different gifts. The day starts fine but Elsa suddenly starts developing symptoms of a cold. With each sneeze, Elsa unknowingly produces a group of "Snowgies", little snow-babies who begin to dismantle the birthday party's decorations while Kristoff and Sven try to stop them and Olaf embraces them.

Elsa brushes away Anna's growing concern regarding her constant sneezing, assuring her she "[does not] get colds" and enthusiastically continuing the treasure hunt. Meanwhile, Anna is visibly struggling under the weight of all the extravagant presents she has found from the hunt and Elsa's condition is rapidly worsening. Anna recognises her sister is delirious with a fever as they climb the clock tower to Elsa's final present, two figures of the sisters as part of the hourly clocktower procession. Now completely delirious and wobbly, Elsa starts teetering dangerously close to the edge of the platform, before falling. Anna races forward and grabs her sister's wrist, pulling her back to safety. Reluctantly, Elsa admits she is suffering from a cold and that she needs to go home and rest in bed.

They walk back to the castle where Elsa apologizes to Anna for "ruining" another birthday, but Anna reassures her that she did not ruin anything, despite having a fever. As Anna goes to lead Elsa to bed, the doors to the castle open to reveal Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, and a mountain of Snowgies, who surprise Anna. Elsa sneezes again and finally notices the little snow-people she has been inadvertently creating all day. The cake is served and everyone celebrates Princess Anna’s birthday. Despite her sister's protests, Elsa concludes the party by blowing into an alphorn, but she sneezes into the horn, forming a giant snowball that inadvertently and accidentally hits Hans overseas into a cart of manure, as he was cleaning out the stables.

Elsa rests in bed under Anna's care while she points out that taking care of her beloved big sister is the best birthday present she could have been given. Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven escort the Snowgies to Elsa's former ice palace, where they stay with the palace's snow-giant doorkeeper and current owner Marshmallow.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]
Frozen Fever's directors, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Frozen Fever's producers, Peter Del Vecho and Aimee Scribner
Both photos were taken at the 2015 D23 Expo in Anaheim, California.

On September 2, 2014, during the ABC airing of The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic, Walt Disney Animation Studios' then-chief creative officer John Lasseter announced that a Frozen short film with a new song would be released in the future.[3] On the same day, Variety announced that the short would be released in early 2015 under the title Frozen Fever, with Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee returning as co-directors, Peter Del Vecho returning as producer and a new song by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Olaf the snowman would also make an appearance in the short.[4][5][6] On December 3, 2014, it was announced that Aimee Scribner would be a co-producer and that Frozen Fever would debut in theaters alongside Walt Disney Pictures' Cinderella on March 13, 2015.[7][8] In late December, the co-directors told the Associated Press "There is something magic about these characters and this cast and this music. Hopefully, the audiences will enjoy the short we're doing, but we felt it again. It was really fun."[9] Around the same time, Dave Metzger, who worked on the orchestration for Frozen, disclosed he was already at work on Frozen Fever.[10]

The short features the song "Making Today a Perfect Day", by Anderson-Lopez and Lopez.[11] At the premiere of Cinderella and Frozen Fever at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California, on March 1, 2015, Josh Gad told USA Today, "I want to apologize to parents everywhere for the fact that children are going to be singing a whole new Frozen song[.]"[12]

The creators started brainstorming possibilities for the short film in June 2014.[13] After early discussions about Olaf, head story artist Marc Smith pitched the idea of what might happen if Elsa had a cold, which became the basis for the short's plot.[13] The directors began working on the short in June and by August were back in the recording studio with the cast to lay down vocal tracks. The production of Frozen Fever took six months.[14] All of the animators from Frozen wanted to come back to animate at least one shot on Frozen Fever, resulting in a large number of animator credits for a short film. They struggled to squeeze the animation phase of the short's production into a tight time slot in fall 2014 after animation wrapped on Big Hero 6 and before the studio's animators had to start working on subsequent features.[15][16] It was during this time period that the directors began to realize how much they missed the Frozen characters; they began to discuss the ideas that evolved into a full-length sequel, Frozen 2 (2019).[17]

Release

[edit]

Theaters and home video

[edit]

Frozen Fever premiered in theaters alongside Walt Disney Pictures' Cinderella on March 13, 2015.[7] It was released on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on August 11, 2015, and was released on the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack on August 18, 2015.[18] It was also included on the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD releases of Cinderella on September 15, 2015.[19] On November 9, 2015, it was released on an exclusive DVD copy of its own, courtesy of Tesco stores across the UK.[20]

Streaming

[edit]

Frozen Fever was available on Netflix in North America on October 25, 2015, released in the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection, which also included Get a Horse! and Paperman, as one film title on the service. The title was removed from Netflix on October 25, 2021, six years after it was added.[21]

The short film, and most of the others that were released on Netflix, were made available to stream individually, rather than one single collection, on Disney+ on November 12, 2021 for the first Disney+ Day.[22]

Reception

[edit]

USA Today's Claudia Puig rated the short three stars out of four, and described the new song ("Making Today a Perfect Day") as "pleasant". She concluded that although the short "is not as exhilarating and inventive as the original, it's still a treat to see an abridged tale of these two sisters in a warmhearted spinoff."[11] Writing for BBC, Natalie Jamieson called the new song "catchy and fun".[23] Dan Kois of the Slate called the film "a real bummer, the first recent misfire from Disney's shorts program, and thus the first serious misfire from the Lasseter-led Disney."[24] The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin praised the song "Making Today a Perfect Day", stating that "it's a lip-smacking confection, dusted with pure icing sugar, and suggests that songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are capable of coming up with something special for the forthcoming feature-length Frozen sequel."[25]

CraveOnline's Witney Seibold wrote that the film "is a celebration of the very kind of conspicuous consumerism that Disney is always smearing the landscape with."[26] Mike Scott of The Times-Picayune wrote that "with its blend of sweetness, silliness and tunefulness, this animated Disney short is satisfyingly consistent in vision and in spirit with the original Frozen."[27]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Frozen Fever

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Frozen Fever is a 2015 American computer-animated musical fantasy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, who also co-directed the original Frozen, the seven-minute short serves as a sequel set shortly after the events of the 2013 feature film. It features returning voice cast members including Kristen Bell as Princess Anna, Idina Menzel as Queen Elsa, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, and Josh Gad as Olaf, with Santino Fontana reprising his role as Prince Hans in a brief cameo. The story centers on Elsa's efforts to throw a surprise birthday party for Anna despite coming down with a cold, which causes her sneezes to inadvertently create mischievous mini snowmen that disrupt the celebration. Accompanied by the original "Making Today a Perfect Day" performed by the cast, the short emphasizes themes of sisterly love and perseverance amid humorous chaos. Announced in September 2014 as part of Disney's promotion for the Frozen franchise, Frozen Fever was directed by Buck and Lee to capitalize on the original film's massive success, which grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide. The short premiered theatrically on March 13, 2015, attached to screenings of Disney's live-action Cinderella, before being released digitally on August 11, 2015, and later included in the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray/DVD set. It received positive reception for its charming animation and character dynamics, earning a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 78 reviews, and has been praised for extending the Frozen universe in a lighthearted manner.

Plot

On the morning of Anna's nineteenth birthday, Elsa wakes her sister with a magical new and begins leading her on a treasure hunt through Arendelle, following a long string of yarn to find various gifts prepared by Elsa, Kristoff, , and . These include a made by Olaf, a sunflower bouquet from Kristoff, and other surprises hidden around the kingdom. However, Elsa has caught a , and her sneezes cause her to unintentionally create small, mischievous known as Snowgies, which run amok causing minor chaos as they follow the group. As the day progresses, Elsa's illness worsens, but she persists in making the birthday perfect. Anna notices Elsa's condition and urges her to rest. The trail leads to the castle courtyard, where a surprise party awaits with a massive and the "Making Today a Perfect Day." Despite the disruptions from the Snowgies, Anna is touched by Elsa's efforts. In the end, Anna tucks Elsa into bed to recover, and the Snowgies are transported to the North Mountain by Kristoff. The short concludes with Elsa's final sneeze launching a that travels to the Southern Isles and hits Prince Hans in the face.

Cast

  • Kristen Bell as Anna
  • as Elsa
  • as Kristoff
  • Josh Gad as Olaf
  • as Hans
  • Chris Williams as Oaken
  • Paul Briggs as
  • Katie Silverman as Snowgie #1
  • Spencer Ganesh as Snowgie #2
  • Frank Welker as (uncredited)

Production

Development

The development of Frozen Fever began in June 2014, shortly after the massive success of Disney's 2013 animated feature Frozen, which grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide and became a cultural phenomenon. The short was conceived as a quick, lighthearted extension of the Frozen universe, focusing on a birthday celebration for Anna to reunite the original creative team and deliver a "thank you" to fans eager for more adventures with Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and . The project was announced on September 2, 2014, during the ABC television special The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic, where revealed it as an all-new short featuring the returning characters. Production proceeded at an accelerated pace, with the entire process—from storyboarding to final animation—completed in approximately six months by January 2015, allowing for a theatrical debut alongside Disney's live-action on March 13, 2015. This tight timeline was driven by the desire to capitalize on Frozen's enduring popularity while the core team was still assembled at the studio. Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, who had co-directed the original Frozen, returned to helm Frozen Fever as directors, with Lee also serving as screenwriter. The film was produced by Peter Del Vecho, the producer of Frozen, alongside Aimee Scribner, who had worked as associate producer on the feature. The story originated from an idea by story artist Marc E. Smith, who proposed depicting Elsa battling a cold while planning Anna's perfect birthday party, allowing the narrative to explore themes of sisterly love and redemption in a comedic, festive context without delving into heavier conflicts. This concept emphasized the characters' post-thaw harmony in Arendelle, providing a joyful, self-contained tale that could be produced swiftly by the familiar Frozen crew.

Animation

Frozen Fever is an 8-minute rendered in 3D by , closely adhering to the visual aesthetic and character designs of the 2013 Frozen to preserve continuity across the franchise. The production employed similar rigging and rendering pipelines as those used in Frozen, enabling consistent character movement and environmental details in the summery of Arendelle. Special emphasis was placed on motion for the Snowgies—miniature snow creatures created by Elsa's sneezes—and their dynamic interactions during the parade sequences, which added layers of chaotic energy to the visuals. Facing a compressed six-month production timeline from June 2014 to January 2015, the team streamlined their pipeline with round-the-clock efforts and contributions from numerous volunteer animators eager to revisit the Frozen characters. A primary challenge involved crafting expressive facial s to depict Elsa's illness through sneezes and sniffles, alongside the emotional nuances in Anna's reactions, all while maintaining high-quality output under pressure. Post-production wrapped under an intense deadline to align with the March 2015 theatrical release alongside , prioritizing final touches that integrated all elements without necessitating changes to the established core animation.

Music

The short features the original "Making Today a Perfect Day," written by and . It is performed by the cast, including as Elsa, as Anna, as Kristoff, and as , with a duration of 4:58. The was released as a single by on March 12, 2015, ahead of the short's theatrical premiere.

Release

Theatrical

Frozen Fever premiered in theaters on March 13, 2015, in the United States, marking the short film's debut as part of ' theatrical slate. Directed by and Jennifer Lee, the seven-minute animated featurette served as an opening short preceding the live-action adaptation of , directed by . This pairing leveraged the immense popularity of the original Frozen film to draw audiences to the new release, with the short reuniting key characters including Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and in a lighthearted birthday-themed story. The distribution strategy emphasized bundled theatrical presentation rather than independent screening, ensuring Frozen Fever reached global audiences alongside 's international rollout throughout spring 2015. opened in select markets as early as March 6 in countries like and , followed by the on March 13 and the on March 27, with wider releases continuing into April and May across , , and . There was no standalone theatrical run for Frozen Fever, positioning it exclusively as a promotional companion to enhance the feature film's appeal and extend the Frozen franchise's visibility on the big screen. Marketing efforts for Frozen Fever integrated seamlessly with Disney's expansive Frozen merchandise ecosystem, capitalizing on the short's birthday motif to drive consumer engagement. Trailers released in early 2015 highlighted Anna's birthday celebration, featuring new original song "Making Today a Perfect Day" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, which underscored themes of sisterly love and festive preparations. Retail partners like J.C. Penney introduced summer collections of Frozen apparel and accessories inspired by the short, including outfits reflecting Elsa and Anna's updated designs, further amplifying promotional tie-ins ahead of the Cinderella launch.

Home media

_Frozen Fever was released on home media in North America on September 15, 2015, bundled as a bonus feature with the Blu-ray and DVD editions of Disney's live-action Cinderella. This pairing allowed fans to own the short following its theatrical presentation ahead of the feature film earlier that year. The release was available in standard Blu-ray/DVD combo packs, providing a high-definition transfer that preserved the vibrant animation and detailed visuals of the short. Select retailer editions, such as those from and Target, offered additional packaging like SteelBooks or lenticular covers, but the core content remained consistent across formats. Internationally, similar bundling occurred with Cinderella's releases in regions including the and , where the short was included on Blu-ray and DVD editions launched around the same period. Special features on the disc highlighted the short itself in high definition, presented in 7.1, alongside Cinderella-focused extras like featurettes on production design and cast interviews, though no dedicated behind-the-scenes segments on Frozen Fever's creation were included. This physical media option catered to collectors seeking tangible ownership of the animated short in a premium format.

Digital and streaming

Frozen Fever was made available for digital high-definition purchase and rental on August 11, 2015, through platforms including and , as part of the Short Films Collection. This release followed its theatrical pairing with Disney's . The short was added to the Disney+ streaming service on November 12, 2021, where it remains available as of November 2025, often included in curated playlists featuring the Frozen franchise. It is accessible via Disney+ subscription bundles, such as the Disney Bundle combining Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, with no reported major removals or exclusive distribution shifts. To mark the short's 10th anniversary in 2025, Disney uploaded a behind-the-scenes director's retrospective video to its official YouTube channel on May 15, 2025, featuring commentary from directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck on the film's inspiration and production.

Reception

Critical reception

Frozen Fever received generally positive reviews from critics, earning a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critic consensus describes it as having "a blend of sweetness, silliness and tunefulness," making it "satisfyingly consistent in vision and in spirit with the original Frozen." On IMDb, the short holds an average user rating of 6.7/10 from 18,833 votes. Critics praised the short as a charming extension of the Frozen characters, particularly highlighting the heartwarming sisterly moments between Elsa and Anna that reinforce their rekindled bond. The new song "Making Today a Perfect Day" was commended for its catchiness, filling much of the runtime and adding to the tuneful appeal, though it was not seen as surpassing the original film's hits. Reviewers also noted the efficient , delivering a complete, funny romp in under eight minutes. Some reviewers criticized the short for feeling formulaic and less innovative than the 2013 feature film Frozen, opting for simple comic ideas over deeper emotional resonance. Its brief runtime was said to limit narrative depth, serving more as a light appetizer than a substantial story. Opinions on the Snowgies—miniature snowmen created by Elsa's sneezes—were mixed, with some viewing them as a cute but gimmicky element that lacked lasting impact. Building on Frozen's massive success, which grossed over $1.28 billion worldwide, the short was appreciated for maintaining the franchise's joyful spirit while teasing future installments.

Accolades

_Frozen Fever received no major awards or nominations from key industry bodies. It was not nominated for the Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 88th ceremony, where finalists included Bear Story, , , We Can't Live Without Cosmos, and World of Tomorrow. Similarly, the short was absent from the 43rd nominations for Best Animated Short Subject, which featured entries like World of Tomorrow by and Carface from the . The , which do not have a dedicated category for animated shorts, also did not recognize it. Despite the lack of formal accolades for the short itself, Frozen Fever contributed to the ongoing success of the Frozen franchise, whose songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez had previously won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "Let It Go" from the 2013 feature film. The short was included in the 2015 home video release Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection, which showcased it alongside Oscar-winning and nominated works like Paperman and Get a Horse!, underscoring its role in Disney's tradition of innovative animation shorts. The brevity of Frozen Fever, running just over seven minutes as a tie-in to the Frozen universe, likely constrained its eligibility and visibility for standalone honors compared to feature films or independent shorts. Its cultural impact manifested more through fan engagement and commercial s, including a 15% surge in merchandise sales at in the two weeks following its theatrical debut. Availability on Disney+ has sustained its popularity among audiences, particularly families revisiting the franchise.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4007502/
  2. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/frozen_fever
  3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4007502/fullcredits/
  4. https://collider.com/frozen-fever-details-synopsis-song/
  5. https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Frozen_Fever
  6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4007502/plotsummary/
  7. https://d23.com/walt-disney-animation-studios-announces-frozen-fever-animated-short/
  8. https://www.moviefone.com/news/frozen-fever-directors-jennifer-lee-chris-buck-interview/
  9. https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2015/03/11/making-this-short-a-perfect-short-the-making-of-frozen-fever/
  10. https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/09/03/disney-announces-frozen-short-film-for-2015
  11. https://d23.com/just-announced-new-short-frozen-fever-open-theaters-front-cinderella/
  12. https://www.disneyanimation.com/shorts/frozen-fever/
  13. https://music.apple.com/us/song/making-today-a-perfect-day-from-frozen-fever/1445023090
  14. https://music.apple.com/us/album/making-today-a-perfect-day-from-frozen-fever-single/1445023087
  15. https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/03/frozen-fever-to-debut-with-cinderella
  16. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661199/releaseinfo/
  17. https://deadline.com/2014/12/disney-pairing-frozen-spin-off-short-with-2015-cinderella-1201307698/
  18. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/frozen-fever-preview-two-minutes-780263/
  19. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2015/01/27/j-c-penney-riding-disneys-coattails-again/
  20. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Cinderella-Blu-ray/118775/
  21. https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/19285/cinderella.html
  22. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BLU-RAY-Cinderella-Inclusief-Frozen-Blu-ray/dp/B0749V9PLJ
  23. https://movies.disney.com/walt-disney-animation-shorts-collection
  24. https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Frozen_Fever?id=j2JOgXq2ANc&hl=en_US
  25. https://www.awn.com/news/disney-announces-short-film-disc-collection
  26. https://whatsondisneyplus.com/frozen-fever-coming-soon-to-disney-us/
  27. https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-c3883166-7a8e-4a55-96be-ebc8fc25161a
  28. https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/frozen-fever
  29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bjkt81BK8c
  30. https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/03/13/frozen-fever-review-a-warm-tasty-appetizer-before-frozen-2/
  31. https://gonewiththetwins.com/new/frozen-fever-2015/
  32. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2294629/
  33. https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016
  34. https://annieawards.org/legacy/43rd-annie-awards
  35. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4007502/awards/
  36. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1753663/frozen-merchandise-spurs-hong-kong-disneyland-profits
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