Frozen: One Year Later

[Yellowstonetim]

It has been just over a year since Frozen was released and there is absolutely no doubt that the movie has had an amazing impact. The purpose of this thread is to discuss and analyze the cultural impact of Frozen as well as the impact on Disney. The impact on Disney includes financial overall, Disney Animation Studio, Parks, and Products.

If you want to rail* against Disney and Frozen, please start your own thread.

(*To rail against is to curse, revile and assail against something. To rail against the wind is to go up against, curse, revile and fight against a worthless adversary. The wind is a fleeting and meaningless cause. The wind has no substance and a rail against it is a rail against nothingness, to fight and curse a meaningless cause.) (Answers.com)

 

[Yellowstonetim]

While we don't know yet the long term place Frozen will hold in Disney Canon (Although we can begin to suspect it will be a classic) we can clearly see the Cultural Phenomenon Frozen has become and how it is different than any other movie ever - animated or live action.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/12/05/kids-...-frozen-is-everywhere-this-christmas-4975028/

https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20141205/entlife/141209691/

I find all this fascinating from both a Disney perspective and a cultural one. Right now every movie studio that makes any products for children is examining Frozen's affect on children and adults.

Some of the affects:

Someone could list all the Frozen changes at Disney Parks
Frozen on Once Upon a Time
Idina Menzel's career at an amazing high in both broadway and pop culture. (Did anyone see her sing Let It Go on the Country Music Christmas Special?)

Every. Single. Store. has sizable Frozen toy/book/product displays. We saw an ad on TV that said a store had "Frozen and Disney..." toys. Notice Frozen was first, Disney was second.

Barbie has been the #1 Christmas toy line for the past 11 years in a row. Frozen - Not Disney, just Frozen - toys have replaced the entire Barbie line of dolls and toys.

A Frozen short will be in front of Cinderella in March. Want to bet the short will get almost as much marketing as the movie? Cinderella looks great and a Frozen short will help it to hit status.

What have you seen? What have you heard from parents/friends? What do you think is next?

Why? Why has all this happened?

 

[xlxo]

The question is whether the short/sequel will be as good as the original...
http://www.ibtimes.com/frozen-2-not-confirmed-idina-menzel-has-no-idea-if-sequel-will-happen-1731354

 

[luisov]

I sure hope Frozen will have an effect on Disney Animation Studios. Not long ago they were producing poorly developed projects that reflected on their commercial success. I really hope that this trend of great animated features they've released since Princess and the Frog will let them see that there's still money and potential in the animation business, and they'll keep the great work going.

 

[surferdave]

I think that the biggest impact of interest around here is that young girls are so fanatical about the movie that WDW was able to do some cheap cosmetic stuff and put together a few shows and dramatically bump attendance, which they needed to justify NFL & MDE expenditures. It's a shame Frozen isn't getting the credit it deserves in this regard (or park attractions worthy of the movie).

 

[Yellowstonetim]

If there was any doubt about the cultural phenomenon status of Frozen:

The New Yorker discusses the Frozen phenomenon June, 2014: http://www.newyorker.com/science/mar...over-the-world "Why? What is it about this movie that has so captured the culture?"

Variety in September, 2014: http://variety.com/2014/tv/reviews/t...ic-1201294375/ "What could easily play like another synergistic infomercial or glorified electronic press kit somehow trumps that with “The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic,” an ABC special touting its parent company’s valentine to warm the hearts of shareholders. Perhaps that’s because “Frozen” qualifies as a legitimate cultural phenomenon..."

In this fun and funny article from Bustle, they discuss 15 strange things about the phenomenon: http://www.bustle.com/articles/28377...disney-classic "Frozen has gone from Disney movie to cultural phenomenon in just a few short months, so quickly that people are still trying to figure out how to handle it. Whether you’re still getting swept away in the Frozen wave or you’re going to cry if you have to hear one more Frozen reference (okay, bye…), you can’t deny that the zeitgeist has been a different place ever since Frozen came out."

A popular marketing blog prSpeaks even references 5 reasons you should watch the film for marketing purposes. Number 4 is that it is a cultural phenomenon: http://www.pancommunications.com/prs...-or-film-buff/

In this Digital Spy article, Channel 4 in Britain is doing a documentary on the phenomenon: http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv...oXOtRnoLhSbAZW "Even if you haven't seen Frozen, there is no way you can't have heard about it. The Disney animation was released at the end of 2013, but its impact has lasted through the whole of this year and plans for spinoffs, musicals, and sequels are already underway to cash in on the cultural phenomenon."

Even this Rock Father rock for families blog gets in on the action with the 5 best rock covers of Let it Go! (I like Kimmi Smiles version!) in November, 2014 http://www.therockfather.com/grownup...s-of-let-it-go "Given how big a Global cultural phenomenon it's become, it's almost hard to imagine that it was just one year ago today - November 27, 2013 - that Walt Disney Animation Studios' FROZEN first hit theaters."

There are more articles, many from the United Kingdom, too, where Elsa jumped hundreds of places on the baby names list!!

 

[Aladar2004]

Awesome.

 

[Yellowstonetim]

Here is the icing on the cake of proof showing the cultural phenomenon of Frozen is real and continuing.

On Match.com Frozen showed up as the most popular interest of singles followed by selfies and zumba.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...king-love-online-alongside-selfies-Zumba.html

 

[Yellowstonetim]

This one, from MTV, says it all:

http://www.mtv.com/news/2037254/fro...campaign=zergnet_358061&xrs=mtvnewszergnetext

Why 2015 Will Still Be The Year Of ‘Frozen’
One year later and we still can't build a snowman I mean let it go.

 

[Bluegrrl]

Posted this on another thread since it applies to a that thread as well. Be warned, it has some language issues (I like swearing but you may not)

It kinda reflects on some of the cultural issues on Frozen and why, despite peoples instance, Frozen is not a feminist move, or a "different kind of Disney movie" or anything special at all from the usual Disney movie tropes.
https://medium.com/@directordanic/the-problem-with-false-feminism-7c0bbc7252ef

 

[Yellowstonetim]

Posted this on another thread since it applies to a that thread as well. Be warned, it has some language issues (I like swearing but you may not)

It kinda reflects on some of the cultural issues on Frozen and why, despite peoples instance, Frozen is not a feminist move, or a "different kind of Disney movie" or anything special at all from the usual Disney movie tropes.
https://medium.com/@directordanic/the-problem-with-false-feminism-7c0bbc7252ef

Thanks for posting this article. It is absolutely hilarious! She gets so much wrong because she wants to. Note that this is the longest article on Frozen I have seen. A large volume of words to twist things around.

 

[Yellowstonetim]

Here is the latest on the cultural impact of Frozen:

Time Psychology article by Psychologists on why kids cannot resist Frozen.
http://time.com/3656230/why-kids-cant-resist-frozen/

In the UK, Let It Go is named the number one karaoke song of 2014. As crazy as the response is to Frozen in the US, it is even crazier in the UK.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2892426/Can-karaoke-singers-Let-It-Go.html