Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel On Redefining Disney Princesses In 'Frozen,' Film Coming Soon
Disney is sure to draw audiences far and wide with its most lovable and charismatic characters yet in the upcoming movie "Frozen."
When Elsa, the Snow Queen, is forced to conceal her supernatural powers and accidentally freezes her entire kingdom, she isolates herself deep in the forest. With the help of some unlikely friends, Elsa's younger sister Princess Anna follows the queen into the forest to try and reverse the spell.
Offering their voices to the life-like, lovable characters of Elsa and Anna are Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell who sat down with The Christian Post in order to talk about "Frozen."
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Famous for her roles in the long-running hit Broadway shows "Rent" as well as "Wicked," Menzel is the voice of Queen Elsa in the film. The actress gushed over the chance to work with Disney Studios.
"There is an organic relationship between the creators and actors," she said. "At Disney, they show you storyboards, they want you as an actor to really understand where you are. I love the process in animated films."
As for the plot, Menzel noted Disney's veer from the traditional love story in "Frozen."
"True love doesn't have to be between a man and a woman, it's larger than any story that Disney has told in the past," the Broadway star explained. "This is Elsa's journey and she's speaking about forces coming together, it strikes a chord, and it's an intangible thing to describe."
In the role as Elsa, Menzel drew comparisons between herself and her character.
"What I take from the character, where Elsa and I sort of meet, is wrestling with being a strong powerful extraordinary woman and having to hide it for fear of hurting certain people," said the vocal powerhouse.
Menzel went on to explain the difference between successful men and successful women.
"As women, the smarter/more powerful we are, the more threatening, the more people alienate from us, more than men," she told CP. "When I was younger I didn't own who I am and celebrate what I'm doing, I didn't want my friends to think I was showing off."
Conversely, no other cast member had as much influence on their character as Kristen Bell had on her character, Anna. The actress is best known for her role on the television series "House of Lies" as well as the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," but she revealed a lifelong goal of becoming a Disney princess.
Bell's portrayal of Anna allowed the actress to make specific changes to the character, including the infusion of the actress' own personality within the lovable princess.
"I had always wanted to be part of Disney animated movie feature," the 33-year-old explained to CP. "I grew up watching musicals, 'The Little Mermaid,' 'Aladdin…' It's always been my dream as a little girl to be a Disney princess, but I wanted to be a very specific kind of princess.
Bell elaborated that she wanted a princess who was "way more awkward than most."
"[The animators] really allowed me to mold someone," said the actress. "My whole goal was, I didn't want to play someone with good posture. I wanted someone goofy, klutzy, too energetic, ate dinner next to the dog. They let me add extra unique attributes to her."
Further delving into her character, Bell explained why Anna is sure to please audiences this year.
"Anna's charm is caught somewhere between her sincerity and her optimism," the star said. "It's hard to dismiss someone who is genuine and sincere, and compounded with optimism, those people to me are goofy, and I think that's how she is. Eternally optimistic people are the most attractive to me because they never bring you down."
Moreover, "Frozen" offers audiences an incredibly entertaining and perfectly imperfect heroine.
"In this movie, everything is different, it's a story about the love of family," Bell continued. "I think that my character isn't nearly as put together as many perfect Disney characters, I wanted her out of her gourd, and she was snorting, tripping, adding the scene where she wakes up with saliva and hair all over her face. Its way more fun to see stuff that's realistic and silly."
Watch the trailer for "Frozen" here. The film hits theaters on Nov. 27.
