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The Art of Frozen #1
The Art of Frozen
In Disney's Frozen, fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister, Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.
Taking inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" and the culture and landscape of Norway, the artists of Frozen have created a dynamic, other-worldly icy setting filled with striking background work and detailed costumes. Featuring stunning artwork from the film's creation—including sketches, storyboards, colorscripts, and much more—The Art of Frozen is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the research and artistry that went into the making of this wintry action-packed adventure.
Taking inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" and the culture and landscape of Norway, the artists of Frozen have created a dynamic, other-worldly icy setting filled with striking background work and detailed costumes. Featuring stunning artwork from the film's creation—including sketches, storyboards, colorscripts, and much more—The Art of Frozen is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the research and artistry that went into the making of this wintry action-packed adventure.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2013
57 people are currently reading
1673 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
September 29, 2024
Frozen y su secuela son los éxitos definitivos de Disney Animation Studios; Frozen es además, una película visualmente muy atractiva, y con una linda historia centrada en el amor de hermanas; me encantó ver su arte.
December 29, 2013
Any Disney artbook is going to be a good one. I enjoyed this one, but it simply wasn't what I was hoping it would be. I was hoping for another The Art of Tangled and this was lacking.
The Snow Queen started out as a traditionally animated feature so I was looking forward to a ton of concept art from that. I had seen some online so I couldn't wait for a book featuring that. Unfortunately there are very few illustrations in pencil period, let alone these early character designs.
Instead this book focuses more on the Mary Blair/cutout style artwork (as seen on the cover). It's really fun to look at and shows a big change while the film's being developed, but again, I wanted more pencil drawings.
That being said, the book is excellent for storyboards and environments in the film. It has storyboards for a lot of the major scenes. There is a major costume section going into embellishment, shape language, etc. which is very useful. I also appreciate their discussion of the ice and snow effects. The problem is that while one "chapter" is sufficient for how they handled ice and snow, one chapter is not enough to go over seven or eight character designs.
As I said, it wasn't what I was looking for, but if you like costuming or storyboard this is your book.
The Snow Queen started out as a traditionally animated feature so I was looking forward to a ton of concept art from that. I had seen some online so I couldn't wait for a book featuring that. Unfortunately there are very few illustrations in pencil period, let alone these early character designs.
Instead this book focuses more on the Mary Blair/cutout style artwork (as seen on the cover). It's really fun to look at and shows a big change while the film's being developed, but again, I wanted more pencil drawings.
That being said, the book is excellent for storyboards and environments in the film. It has storyboards for a lot of the major scenes. There is a major costume section going into embellishment, shape language, etc. which is very useful. I also appreciate their discussion of the ice and snow effects. The problem is that while one "chapter" is sufficient for how they handled ice and snow, one chapter is not enough to go over seven or eight character designs.
As I said, it wasn't what I was looking for, but if you like costuming or storyboard this is your book.
March 24, 2018
I love this book. The drawings are amazing, and it gives you intros and info on different things (objects, palaces, houses, clothing...). There is also some info about the characters and the special traits that makes them them.
July 25, 2014
Would have liked to have seen less digital and storyboards and more of the hand-drawn character studies and backgrounds.
Not the most interesting of the art concept books.
Not the most interesting of the art concept books.
December 31, 2019
A friend of mine gave me this book for Christmas, and it was such a wonderful surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire book, because even though most artwork-focused books are primarily visual displays to flip through, this book includes quotes from various members of the production team and detailed information about how the story developed. I learned a lot about how the artists, animators, and storytellers developed their work, and was intrigued to learn the reasons behind different aspects of the visual designs, character development processes, and story devices.
I appreciated this from the triple perspective of being a writer, and artist, and a fan. Because I'm used to the many permutations that my own stories go through as I develop and improve them, I am always fascinated to learn about the histories of novels and films that I enjoy. People usually approach art with the assumption that whoever created it knew what they were doing and built it from the ground up in a way that perfectly fits, but creation requires many rounds of trial and error, and I'm always interested to learn about the winding paths that other creators have taken to get to their final product.
As a painter, I loved the many references to how complicated snow is to portray visually, and about how white is never really white, but always picks up the colors and shades around it. My art teacher always emphasized this aspect of color theory, and I'm interested to re-watch the movie with an eye to details like this. I am always so caught up in the story that I don't pay much attention to the finer visual details of the animation, but now that I know more about the design process, I want to look for visual subtleties that I haven't noticed before.
However, even though I read this book with an interest in the art and writing, it was also an emotional experience for me because of the impact that Frozen has had on my life. When I first went to see the movie in the theater, I knew enough about the story that I expected it to change my life, and it did. So many aspects of Elsa's life paralleled with mine that it was surreal, and for the first time ever, I had a character other than Gollum to identify with in the midst of my mental health dysfunction. After a life of rolling my eyes at "What Disney Princess Are You?" quizzes, I identified with Elsa and used that connection to heal from years of traumatic experiences.
My then-undiagnosed OCD was so severe that I lived in a constant state of explosion. I managed to hold myself together in public, but I could not sustain that kind of white-knuckled effort at home and had to deal with years of blame and misunderstanding. No one understood what was wrong; nothing fixed it; I couldn't change, no matter how hard I tried; I couldn't behave or get along with my siblings; I created endless distress for everyone. By the time that I saw Frozen, my life was vastly improved because of discovering food intolerance issues and fixing other things that affected my health, but I was still struggling and was so traumatized by earlier experiences that I couldn't bear to think about them.
Even though there are many different reasons why I can now talk and write about these painful parts of my past, Frozen was the catalyst for my healing. I cannot be grateful enough for the role that this movie played in my life, and it was a very emotional experience for me to read the parts of this book that deal with Elsa and how her story changed over time. As I already knew from general movie trivia and from the outtake songs on the soundtrack, the original plan was for Elsa to be the story's villain, and it was fascinating to see the early concept art for a creepy, evil-looking Elsa and to wonder how different my life would be if these creators hadn't unlocked the idea of two innocent sisters trapped in misunderstanding.
The creators discovered their story and its emotional core just a year before the movie was slated to release, and I am so grateful that they did and that they still got the movie out on time. I needed to start working through my Elsa-paralleled issues exactly when I did. 2013-2016 were some of the most tightly-plotted, interdependent years of my life, and I couldn't have gotten to the point of healing and freedom that I did in 2016 without all the cumulative influences of the past few years. This movie was one of the biggest catalysts for everything that followed, and I wouldn't be the same person that I am now without it.
Back then, I found it deeply cathartic to connect with Elsa. When I was angriest, most anxious, and most out-of-control, I sometimes imagined myself shooting fire out of my hands as some way to release the tension, and even though I knew that this was deranged and would never have mentioned it to anyone, here was Elsa, whose affliction manifested itself in exploding ice everywhere! This was me. I saw my unidentified anxiety disorder and my worst pain in her, and if the biggest corporation on the planet could create a character like this and portray her so sensitively, then maybe it wasn't as impossible as I thought for people to understand me.
However, I didn't just see myself in Elsa. I also saw a path forward, because after her terrifying exposure and alienation, she was able to reach a new understanding with the people she loved and return to her community. I started to believe that this wasn't just a fairy-tale ending, and that it could actually work for me, too. I waited another two years before I told my best friend about the mental health issues that I had carefully, meticulously hid from her, but even before then, Elsa and Anna's dynamic helped me understand dynamics in our relationship and become more patient with myself and with her.
I went into the theater knowing that Elsa's story was going to change my life, but I could never have imagined how many doors it would open to healing, community, love, and hope. Even though I was desperately excited to see experiences like mine in a movie, I had no idea how high the stakes really were for me, or how different I would be at the end of the decade because of it. If the Disney creators had made different choices about how to tell this story, where would I be? How else could my healing have unfolded? I believe that it would have eventually happened, but it wouldn't have come as soon, been as powerful, or led into the same experiences. Reading this art development book in the last days of 2019 was incredibly special to me, because even though Frozen is just a nostalgic movie or a cultural phenomenon to other people, it was a force of healing for me. This movie shaped the second half of my decade, and I cannot imagine my recent past or future without it.
I appreciated this from the triple perspective of being a writer, and artist, and a fan. Because I'm used to the many permutations that my own stories go through as I develop and improve them, I am always fascinated to learn about the histories of novels and films that I enjoy. People usually approach art with the assumption that whoever created it knew what they were doing and built it from the ground up in a way that perfectly fits, but creation requires many rounds of trial and error, and I'm always interested to learn about the winding paths that other creators have taken to get to their final product.
As a painter, I loved the many references to how complicated snow is to portray visually, and about how white is never really white, but always picks up the colors and shades around it. My art teacher always emphasized this aspect of color theory, and I'm interested to re-watch the movie with an eye to details like this. I am always so caught up in the story that I don't pay much attention to the finer visual details of the animation, but now that I know more about the design process, I want to look for visual subtleties that I haven't noticed before.
However, even though I read this book with an interest in the art and writing, it was also an emotional experience for me because of the impact that Frozen has had on my life. When I first went to see the movie in the theater, I knew enough about the story that I expected it to change my life, and it did. So many aspects of Elsa's life paralleled with mine that it was surreal, and for the first time ever, I had a character other than Gollum to identify with in the midst of my mental health dysfunction. After a life of rolling my eyes at "What Disney Princess Are You?" quizzes, I identified with Elsa and used that connection to heal from years of traumatic experiences.
My then-undiagnosed OCD was so severe that I lived in a constant state of explosion. I managed to hold myself together in public, but I could not sustain that kind of white-knuckled effort at home and had to deal with years of blame and misunderstanding. No one understood what was wrong; nothing fixed it; I couldn't change, no matter how hard I tried; I couldn't behave or get along with my siblings; I created endless distress for everyone. By the time that I saw Frozen, my life was vastly improved because of discovering food intolerance issues and fixing other things that affected my health, but I was still struggling and was so traumatized by earlier experiences that I couldn't bear to think about them.
Even though there are many different reasons why I can now talk and write about these painful parts of my past, Frozen was the catalyst for my healing. I cannot be grateful enough for the role that this movie played in my life, and it was a very emotional experience for me to read the parts of this book that deal with Elsa and how her story changed over time. As I already knew from general movie trivia and from the outtake songs on the soundtrack, the original plan was for Elsa to be the story's villain, and it was fascinating to see the early concept art for a creepy, evil-looking Elsa and to wonder how different my life would be if these creators hadn't unlocked the idea of two innocent sisters trapped in misunderstanding.
The creators discovered their story and its emotional core just a year before the movie was slated to release, and I am so grateful that they did and that they still got the movie out on time. I needed to start working through my Elsa-paralleled issues exactly when I did. 2013-2016 were some of the most tightly-plotted, interdependent years of my life, and I couldn't have gotten to the point of healing and freedom that I did in 2016 without all the cumulative influences of the past few years. This movie was one of the biggest catalysts for everything that followed, and I wouldn't be the same person that I am now without it.
Back then, I found it deeply cathartic to connect with Elsa. When I was angriest, most anxious, and most out-of-control, I sometimes imagined myself shooting fire out of my hands as some way to release the tension, and even though I knew that this was deranged and would never have mentioned it to anyone, here was Elsa, whose affliction manifested itself in exploding ice everywhere! This was me. I saw my unidentified anxiety disorder and my worst pain in her, and if the biggest corporation on the planet could create a character like this and portray her so sensitively, then maybe it wasn't as impossible as I thought for people to understand me.
However, I didn't just see myself in Elsa. I also saw a path forward, because after her terrifying exposure and alienation, she was able to reach a new understanding with the people she loved and return to her community. I started to believe that this wasn't just a fairy-tale ending, and that it could actually work for me, too. I waited another two years before I told my best friend about the mental health issues that I had carefully, meticulously hid from her, but even before then, Elsa and Anna's dynamic helped me understand dynamics in our relationship and become more patient with myself and with her.
I went into the theater knowing that Elsa's story was going to change my life, but I could never have imagined how many doors it would open to healing, community, love, and hope. Even though I was desperately excited to see experiences like mine in a movie, I had no idea how high the stakes really were for me, or how different I would be at the end of the decade because of it. If the Disney creators had made different choices about how to tell this story, where would I be? How else could my healing have unfolded? I believe that it would have eventually happened, but it wouldn't have come as soon, been as powerful, or led into the same experiences. Reading this art development book in the last days of 2019 was incredibly special to me, because even though Frozen is just a nostalgic movie or a cultural phenomenon to other people, it was a force of healing for me. This movie shaped the second half of my decade, and I cannot imagine my recent past or future without it.
October 23, 2020
Un libro maravilloso y muy detallado sobre la producción y desarrollo de la película. Se pasa por el guión, el diseño de personajes y escenarios (y su correpondiente investigación de otras culturas como la noruega en este caso), la computación gráfica...
December 28, 2024
This book was like one of those behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD extras. Those don't always work well for me, and I have a feeling the exact same content found in this book, as a DVD extra, would have bored me. However, in book format it was wonderful - I got to spend time poring over images I really liked, and the illustrations were given the space and time to shine.
I particularly enjoyed the section on Norwegian rosemaling and efforts to incorporate it into the movie's designs. I also liked seeing the various character design sketches - it's amazing how much Elsa, in particular, changed.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I particularly enjoyed the section on Norwegian rosemaling and efforts to incorporate it into the movie's designs. I also liked seeing the various character design sketches - it's amazing how much Elsa, in particular, changed.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
January 28, 2022
Best part of this book is them saying people in quebec were celebrating the cold ! We don't, we endure the cold.
April 26, 2014
All of the art books I've read so far have their own sort of personality, with different methods of organization and different focuses. The book for "Brave" was heavy on storyboards talked a lot about the technical details of doing CGI, as did the book for "Tangled." The book for "Princess and the Frog" talked a lot about setting and characters. I think this story book might be my favorite so far.
I feel like the writer really rounded this out well. There are storyboards, but no so many that I get sick of them. There is plenty of concept art, and a lot of character sketches. It's heaviest, I think, on character designs/costumes and art for the different settings in the movie. (As someone with an interest of making some of the costumes, the costume pictures are incredibly detailed and helpful.)
The writing, also, was really well done, and I think illustrates why "Frozen" is such a strong film. Solomon discusses the journey of turning "The Snow Queen" (my biggest gripe would probably be the way the original "The Snow Queen" fairy tale is summed up not-so-accurately) into a story of two sisters. I really loved reading details about things like the "Sister Summit," where Disney employees with sisters came together to tell stories about their relationships to help provide insight into the relationship between Elsa and Anna.
There's a lot about the trip to Norway and a lot of the detail in the design of the film (architectural, rosemaling, etc.), but it all ties back into the story and creating a setting that meshes with the characters. There are details about the sort of materials used and methods for creating the clothing, but the clothes also reflect the personalities of the characters. I loved that one of the details discussed was a worn patch on Kristoff's pants from kneeling to secure Sven's reins. In discussing snow scenes, I liked that Solomon talked about the importance of not just filling the screen, but very intentionally thinking out each bit of landscape and how it contributes to the mood/plot/etc. The section on the ice palace has plenty to say on the subject of animating it, but also reveals insight into how Elsa's powers work. When Solomon talks about the songs, he talks about the effort the creators put in to make sure the songs were advancing the plot and not just places where people stop and sing.
He goes into lighting, the storyboard process, some of the difficulties of CGI and 3-D technology, etc., but I felt like nothing was given so much emphasis that it felt overdone, and he still explained how all of the pieces came together to tie back into the story.
Solomon did a really great job highlighting all of the effort put into making "Frozen" not just impressive art or writing or music, but a movie that is impressive on all fronts, and successful at blending all of those things together to make something really great.
One thing about "Frozen" that I love is it is the first time I've really been impressed with CGI animation. I enjoyed the lantern scene from "Tangled," but spent most of the movie just wishing it was hand-drawn. "Legend of the Guardians" came close, but just wasn't quite there. But "Frozen" really, truly floored me with the animation, and I was sold. This book, also, gave me an appreciation of the work that goes into a CGI movie (without overdoing the subject and boring me) and some of the advantages (for example, I'd never thought before how difficult it would be to create the rosemaling details on the clothing if the whole movie were hand-drawn).
Still, one of my favorite things in the book was near the beginning: "A strong story will carry weak animation, but the most polished animation can't save a weak story." The creative forces behind "Frozen" made a visually amazing movie, but I love that they recognize the importance of a good story as well.
Oh, and also, the art is great.
I feel like the writer really rounded this out well. There are storyboards, but no so many that I get sick of them. There is plenty of concept art, and a lot of character sketches. It's heaviest, I think, on character designs/costumes and art for the different settings in the movie. (As someone with an interest of making some of the costumes, the costume pictures are incredibly detailed and helpful.)
The writing, also, was really well done, and I think illustrates why "Frozen" is such a strong film. Solomon discusses the journey of turning "The Snow Queen" (my biggest gripe would probably be the way the original "The Snow Queen" fairy tale is summed up not-so-accurately) into a story of two sisters. I really loved reading details about things like the "Sister Summit," where Disney employees with sisters came together to tell stories about their relationships to help provide insight into the relationship between Elsa and Anna.
There's a lot about the trip to Norway and a lot of the detail in the design of the film (architectural, rosemaling, etc.), but it all ties back into the story and creating a setting that meshes with the characters. There are details about the sort of materials used and methods for creating the clothing, but the clothes also reflect the personalities of the characters. I loved that one of the details discussed was a worn patch on Kristoff's pants from kneeling to secure Sven's reins. In discussing snow scenes, I liked that Solomon talked about the importance of not just filling the screen, but very intentionally thinking out each bit of landscape and how it contributes to the mood/plot/etc. The section on the ice palace has plenty to say on the subject of animating it, but also reveals insight into how Elsa's powers work. When Solomon talks about the songs, he talks about the effort the creators put in to make sure the songs were advancing the plot and not just places where people stop and sing.
He goes into lighting, the storyboard process, some of the difficulties of CGI and 3-D technology, etc., but I felt like nothing was given so much emphasis that it felt overdone, and he still explained how all of the pieces came together to tie back into the story.
Solomon did a really great job highlighting all of the effort put into making "Frozen" not just impressive art or writing or music, but a movie that is impressive on all fronts, and successful at blending all of those things together to make something really great.
One thing about "Frozen" that I love is it is the first time I've really been impressed with CGI animation. I enjoyed the lantern scene from "Tangled," but spent most of the movie just wishing it was hand-drawn. "Legend of the Guardians" came close, but just wasn't quite there. But "Frozen" really, truly floored me with the animation, and I was sold. This book, also, gave me an appreciation of the work that goes into a CGI movie (without overdoing the subject and boring me) and some of the advantages (for example, I'd never thought before how difficult it would be to create the rosemaling details on the clothing if the whole movie were hand-drawn).
Still, one of my favorite things in the book was near the beginning: "A strong story will carry weak animation, but the most polished animation can't save a weak story." The creative forces behind "Frozen" made a visually amazing movie, but I love that they recognize the importance of a good story as well.
Oh, and also, the art is great.
April 9, 2020
El arte de Frozen es un libro que nos muestra el proceso de producción de la película en el sentido de que nos cuenta un poco cómo surgió la idea de la película y la evolución que sufrió hasta que llegó a convertirse en lo que es la película que todos conocemos y casi todos hemos visto.
A partir de ahí, hay muchísimos aspectos técnicos sobre los retos de animar la película por ordenador, las dificultades de hacer que la nieve fuera creíble, las telas y colores para los vestuarios...
Como esto constituye la mayor parte del libro, creo que básicamente es un libro para coleccionistas y grandes amantes de la película. Porque sí, las imágenes, dibujos y bocetos son espectaculares, preciosos, pero los textos no creo que sean del interés de todo el mundo, porque hay partes largas en las que habla más que nada de detalles técnicos.
YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM / WRAP UP ENERO 2020
A partir de ahí, hay muchísimos aspectos técnicos sobre los retos de animar la película por ordenador, las dificultades de hacer que la nieve fuera creíble, las telas y colores para los vestuarios...
Como esto constituye la mayor parte del libro, creo que básicamente es un libro para coleccionistas y grandes amantes de la película. Porque sí, las imágenes, dibujos y bocetos son espectaculares, preciosos, pero los textos no creo que sean del interés de todo el mundo, porque hay partes largas en las que habla más que nada de detalles técnicos.
YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM / WRAP UP ENERO 2020
September 11, 2020
Me ha fascinado, junto al libro de el Arte de Disney: Coco, ha sido mi favorito. Me ha encantado los detalles de producción, las dificultades que tuvieron trabajando la nieve y el hielo y sobre todo ver los diferentes Sketches de Elsa y Anna.
Lo mejor: la inspiración paisajística, tanto ambiente como castillos y capilla de coronación de Elsa, en Noruega.
Lo peor: se me ha hecho corto jijiji
Lo mejor: la inspiración paisajística, tanto ambiente como castillos y capilla de coronación de Elsa, en Noruega.
Lo peor: se me ha hecho corto jijiji
July 28, 2016
there was a lot about environments and design, which i would expect but i personally would enjoy more about the story and characters since that's what i loved about the movie. the artwork was beautiful though
July 19, 2021
Una vez más me enamoro de uno de los libros de esta colección. Este me ha parecido precioso pero me he quedado con ganas de saber más.
En este libro hay bocetos, la historia en la cuál se inspiraron, las ideas iniciales de los personajes (¡Elsa era muy diferente!), fotos de paisajes que visitaron para crear Arendelle en la película y muchas cosas sobre la creación de Frozen.
Me ha gustado muchísimo como los demás pero tan sólo me habría gustado saber un poco más. Pero es absolutamente precioso, lo recomiendo un montón.
Tengo también el de Frozen 2 así que a ver si leo ese pronto.
En este libro hay bocetos, la historia en la cuál se inspiraron, las ideas iniciales de los personajes (¡Elsa era muy diferente!), fotos de paisajes que visitaron para crear Arendelle en la película y muchas cosas sobre la creación de Frozen.
Me ha gustado muchísimo como los demás pero tan sólo me habría gustado saber un poco más. Pero es absolutamente precioso, lo recomiendo un montón.
Tengo también el de Frozen 2 así que a ver si leo ese pronto.
July 1, 2021
Amé por completo el libro.
La inspiración, los bocetos, las fotografías, la creación de cada personaje, vestimenta, la ambientación, es que lo encontré super completo y ver lo que hay detrás de esta tremenda película me encantó y el tiempo de trabajo woooow.
Partes de escenas eliminadas, la creación de este mundo repleto de hielo y como lograr aue se viera lo más real posible.
Le doy mil estrellas 🙈
La inspiración, los bocetos, las fotografías, la creación de cada personaje, vestimenta, la ambientación, es que lo encontré super completo y ver lo que hay detrás de esta tremenda película me encantó y el tiempo de trabajo woooow.
Partes de escenas eliminadas, la creación de este mundo repleto de hielo y como lograr aue se viera lo más real posible.
Le doy mil estrellas 🙈
November 18, 2019
Un libro muy guay si te gusta saber cómo se hacen las películas Disney y todo el trabajo que conlleva.
Me ha encantado, aunque quizás esperaba un poco más de saber cuál fue el primer boceto de cada uno de los personajes y quién fue el primer personaje que hicieron, vamos, un poco más de curiosidades sobre la película.
Pero en sí, me ha encantado. Es precioso visualmente.
Me ha encantado, aunque quizás esperaba un poco más de saber cuál fue el primer boceto de cada uno de los personajes y quién fue el primer personaje que hicieron, vamos, un poco más de curiosidades sobre la película.
Pero en sí, me ha encantado. Es precioso visualmente.
November 18, 2019
Es mas bonito que útil, y es que esta muy bien visualmente, con los diseños, ilustraciones y tal pero la información que da es muy simple. Que mola mil pero esperaba algo mas... mas datos. Será porque es animación por ordenar y con eso no hay mucho que contar?
April 4, 2022
Great art book! I only didn't give it 5 stars because I thought it could've included more pencil sketches, character concept art, and because sometimes the author talking about how hard it was to animate ice and snow got a little repetitive.
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March 19, 2021Love
June 16, 2015
An animated film requires a lot of work by a lot of talented artists and filmmakers, and the process to create Disney's latest CG-animated feature Frozen is no exception, as can be seen by the art contained in this book, featuring all aspects of creation from concept to completion.
I always love a good Disney art book. This one had some beautiful artwork surrounding the creation of Frozen, from conceptual design and storyboards to finished renderings of characters, sets and effects. As an art book, featuring the awesome work of artists like Claire Keane, Jin Kim, Bill Schwab and Lisa Keene, it was great (though I prefer my Disney art books to be a little heavier on the character sketches and a little lighter on the background paintings), but the text was a little unprofessional. A typo here and there is one thing, but major errors on every other page is just sloppy, even for an art book. It's always interesting to hear some of the background information, and see just how much the story and characters' design changed (in some cases for the much better, in other cases unfortunately not at all), but the filmmakers seemed a little too self-aware for me in this one. I understand that they want to take pride in their very nice work, but something about how they came across seemed to rub me the wrong way, like they were implying that their movie is the only great Disney movie in decades, and all others have just been leading up to THIS one, which is of COURSE far, far superior (and yes, Tangled is a musical). Just further instances of the current general obsession with this movie, I guess. I did like reading about how they tried to set it apart from other Disney films (as much as they can when they start to resemble each other's world and characters so much) with the focus on ice and snow and unique colors, and even a little bit of their justification for the currently ubiquitous insistence on releasing things in 3D. I liked the book overall, I just wanted to see more art, of which there was a lot, and it was great, but of which there could have been a lot more, and more varied.
As a word of warning, in case there's actually a human in the world who hasn't seen this movie yet, there are some plot spoilers hinted at and spelled out clearly in this book.
I liked this Disney art book a lot. It didn't inspire me as much as some of the others have, but it's a really nice one to add to the collection, and it did make me want to see the movie again and take particular note of more of the artistry involved. There was a puzzling number of typos in the text and the interviews with some filmmakers seemed a little highfalutin, but the art was great, though I would have liked to see a lot more character sketches and a few less background paintings. Also, as per usual, seeing the hand-drawn character art just makes me wish this had been a 2D animated film as originally planned. Oh well.
P.S. Anna FTW!
I always love a good Disney art book. This one had some beautiful artwork surrounding the creation of Frozen, from conceptual design and storyboards to finished renderings of characters, sets and effects. As an art book, featuring the awesome work of artists like Claire Keane, Jin Kim, Bill Schwab and Lisa Keene, it was great (though I prefer my Disney art books to be a little heavier on the character sketches and a little lighter on the background paintings), but the text was a little unprofessional. A typo here and there is one thing, but major errors on every other page is just sloppy, even for an art book. It's always interesting to hear some of the background information, and see just how much the story and characters' design changed (in some cases for the much better, in other cases unfortunately not at all), but the filmmakers seemed a little too self-aware for me in this one. I understand that they want to take pride in their very nice work, but something about how they came across seemed to rub me the wrong way, like they were implying that their movie is the only great Disney movie in decades, and all others have just been leading up to THIS one, which is of COURSE far, far superior (and yes, Tangled is a musical). Just further instances of the current general obsession with this movie, I guess. I did like reading about how they tried to set it apart from other Disney films (as much as they can when they start to resemble each other's world and characters so much) with the focus on ice and snow and unique colors, and even a little bit of their justification for the currently ubiquitous insistence on releasing things in 3D. I liked the book overall, I just wanted to see more art, of which there was a lot, and it was great, but of which there could have been a lot more, and more varied.
As a word of warning, in case there's actually a human in the world who hasn't seen this movie yet, there are some plot spoilers hinted at and spelled out clearly in this book.
I liked this Disney art book a lot. It didn't inspire me as much as some of the others have, but it's a really nice one to add to the collection, and it did make me want to see the movie again and take particular note of more of the artistry involved. There was a puzzling number of typos in the text and the interviews with some filmmakers seemed a little highfalutin, but the art was great, though I would have liked to see a lot more character sketches and a few less background paintings. Also, as per usual, seeing the hand-drawn character art just makes me wish this had been a 2D animated film as originally planned. Oh well.
P.S. Anna FTW!
January 21, 2016
I love these art books--I think this is the third I've read about an animated movie. For me, I get them partly to look at gorgeous concept art, partly because I like to see how they've developed the story. I'm not an artist by any means, but I like to think that I'm a storyteller, and in case I want to get into something like this industry, I want to see how the story is developed.
I'd heard some stories about how Elsa was originally going to be the villain in Frozen until writers decided that storyline wasn't working out and made Anna and Elsa sisters. I thought it was fun to see some concept art of when the two were butting heads and Elsa's magic was used for something a little more sinister--though I think she was still supposedly redeemed in the end, so I'm not sure how that would work out.
I really loved seeing the hand-drawn pencil sketches that were in this book, though admittedly most of the art was digital. Although digital creations can be gorgeous and magical, I still think that there's nothing that beats the original pencil. I'm going to miss things being animated that way instead of in CG--though, as explained in the book, so many aspects of Frozen would have been different. For example, Anna and Elsa's outfits would have been made much simpler, because the detailed designs on their dresses would have taken ages for an artist to render over and over.
My favorite images were the big scenery designs, I think. The sweeping landscapes, the intricate designs, the attention to detail--I was so impressed by the effort these artists went into to make something that is a perfect balance between realism and magic.
I think that any fan of Frozen would enjoy this book because it shows the backstory and development of a movie that'll go down as one of the most beloved in Disney history (though, to be honest, Tangled is still my favorite). Artists will like to see the stages that went beyond the original conception of the characters, up to the finalized versions we see in the movie. Writers will love seeing how storylines can change--over and over and over again, yes, but ending ultimately in something better and amazing.
I'd heard some stories about how Elsa was originally going to be the villain in Frozen until writers decided that storyline wasn't working out and made Anna and Elsa sisters. I thought it was fun to see some concept art of when the two were butting heads and Elsa's magic was used for something a little more sinister--though I think she was still supposedly redeemed in the end, so I'm not sure how that would work out.
I really loved seeing the hand-drawn pencil sketches that were in this book, though admittedly most of the art was digital. Although digital creations can be gorgeous and magical, I still think that there's nothing that beats the original pencil. I'm going to miss things being animated that way instead of in CG--though, as explained in the book, so many aspects of Frozen would have been different. For example, Anna and Elsa's outfits would have been made much simpler, because the detailed designs on their dresses would have taken ages for an artist to render over and over.
My favorite images were the big scenery designs, I think. The sweeping landscapes, the intricate designs, the attention to detail--I was so impressed by the effort these artists went into to make something that is a perfect balance between realism and magic.
I think that any fan of Frozen would enjoy this book because it shows the backstory and development of a movie that'll go down as one of the most beloved in Disney history (though, to be honest, Tangled is still my favorite). Artists will like to see the stages that went beyond the original conception of the characters, up to the finalized versions we see in the movie. Writers will love seeing how storylines can change--over and over and over again, yes, but ending ultimately in something better and amazing.
December 26, 2016
I l love thi
May 8, 2022
I have still never watched Frozen and don’t know if I ever will, BUT I love learning about the behind-the-scenes process for anything creative. It’s interesting to read about the inspirations with characters and designs, the Sisters Summit, and all the beautiful architecture.
Gosh, so much work goes into the process of these full-scale animated films like rigging lights, sound design, personalized body movements, themes, what you want the audience to feel, and trying to make everything as realistic as possible in a 3D- cartoon world.
There’s especially ample planning in these Disney movies, which is why it sort of irks me when an adult animation thinks weed and sex jokes are all it has to offer. Back on topic, I enjoyed the Art of Frozen.
Gosh, so much work goes into the process of these full-scale animated films like rigging lights, sound design, personalized body movements, themes, what you want the audience to feel, and trying to make everything as realistic as possible in a 3D- cartoon world.
There’s especially ample planning in these Disney movies, which is why it sort of irks me when an adult animation thinks weed and sex jokes are all it has to offer. Back on topic, I enjoyed the Art of Frozen.
April 26, 2014
The art of the highest grossing animated film right now. The illustrations were luminous and colorful. I love reading books that show the artistry of the making of animated movies. There is so much love, attention and detail that goes into so many of these films. This is a great book for exploring the world of Frozen.
April 5, 2016
This book is really cute. I loved how beautiful all the pictures where. my little sisters loved them even more. It was interesting to read about the animation process, and how the story changed as they went along. It reminded me of writing a book or a story. I had never really thought about that connection.
Overall it was just a really fun book to enjoy with my sisters.
Overall it was just a really fun book to enjoy with my sisters.
September 11, 2016
Amazing. Genuine. Mind blowing.
This book has been a delight to read. It's wonderful to see how artists manage to create such beautiful things. I mean how incredibly witty all is. The landscapes, the costumes, the face expressions, etc.
The book keeps going and keeps going. There is no end, and you keep seeing art work, and effort, and talent. Amazing read.
This book has been a delight to read. It's wonderful to see how artists manage to create such beautiful things. I mean how incredibly witty all is. The landscapes, the costumes, the face expressions, etc.
The book keeps going and keeps going. There is no end, and you keep seeing art work, and effort, and talent. Amazing read.
June 21, 2015
This is a book on how real magic is made. The perfect gift for those who set their eyes in little details. Fantastic.
December 31, 2019
I must admit that Frozen is not a particular favorite of Disney films for me, and not only because of its insufferable theme song. The film certainly has a strong pedigree with it being based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson, noted Danish collector of fairy tale stories (also responsible for The Little Mermaid). Yet for me, at least, something is missing in the story. The desire of Disney to promote sisterly unity, and quite a bit of subtext about showing oneself who who one is that can be taken in a variety of ways conflicts with the essential situation that the film is set in, and that is the way that the survival of a monarchy depends on marriage and the raising of one's children after you, and that is something that this film seems to struggle against. While this film certainly spends a lot of time talking about the color palette of the sisters and their clothes and about the various Scandinavian cultures that they have appropriated for this film, that uneasy divide between the ambitions of the film and the reality of the film's context is not really bridged so much as ignored.
This particular book is a bit more than 150 pages long and begins with a preface and forward. After that the introduction shows how the Snow Queen was transformed into the world of Frozen. A prologue covers the family relationships of the film, particularly the bond between the two sisters, and then the rest of the book contains four chapters that follow the plot of the film. The first chapter discusses the Coronation where the magical powers of the new queen become evident, leading her to abandon her kingdom and seek privacy. After that the film discusses the wilderness where the queen has gone to hide and where her sister and others seek to rescue her. Then the Ice Palace provides opportunities to focus on the Saami culture as well. Finally, the book ends with a return to Arendelle, which is based on Norway, where there is a coup being threatened by someone who had appeared previously as a courtier. The whole danger, of course, is that a queen who cannot perform her public functions, including marriage and raising children, is going to be replaced by someone else, just as what happened to Elizabeth I and others. Somehow the film doesn't recognize it, though. After that the book ends with a bibliography and acknowledgments.
This particular book is a bit more than 150 pages long and begins with a preface and forward. After that the introduction shows how the Snow Queen was transformed into the world of Frozen. A prologue covers the family relationships of the film, particularly the bond between the two sisters, and then the rest of the book contains four chapters that follow the plot of the film. The first chapter discusses the Coronation where the magical powers of the new queen become evident, leading her to abandon her kingdom and seek privacy. After that the film discusses the wilderness where the queen has gone to hide and where her sister and others seek to rescue her. Then the Ice Palace provides opportunities to focus on the Saami culture as well. Finally, the book ends with a return to Arendelle, which is based on Norway, where there is a coup being threatened by someone who had appeared previously as a courtier. The whole danger, of course, is that a queen who cannot perform her public functions, including marriage and raising children, is going to be replaced by someone else, just as what happened to Elizabeth I and others. Somehow the film doesn't recognize it, though. After that the book ends with a bibliography and acknowledgments.
January 12, 2020
¡Maravilloso! Al igual que con 'El arte de Coco', recomiendo leerlo nada más ver la película para no olvidar ningún detalle importante del que puede que nos hablen en este libro.
'El arte de Frozen' relata cómo se ha llevado a cabo el proceso de producción de la película. Veremos desde bocetos y storyboards hasta imágenes digitales, pasando por la elaboración de personajes y escenografías.
La documentación sobre Dinamarca ha sido indispensable para elaborar la película y se encuentra perfectamente plasmada en este libro. He aprendido qué es el rosemaling y cómo lo han trasladado al vestuario y la escenografía para reflejar la cultura escandinava (junto con muchas otras influencias de arquitectura, paisajismo, etc.). También que 'Frozen' y en concreto, el personaje de Elsa, está basado en 'La reina de las nieves, de Hans Christian Andersen.
La creación de la nieve y el hielo, presentes durante toda la película, fue el mayor reto al que se tuvo que enfrentar el equipo. Gracias a este libro podemos ver la manera en que decidieron afrontarlo y cómo superaron con creces las expectativas.
P.D.: lo he leído en castellano pero no aparece esa versión en Goodreads.
'El arte de Frozen' relata cómo se ha llevado a cabo el proceso de producción de la película. Veremos desde bocetos y storyboards hasta imágenes digitales, pasando por la elaboración de personajes y escenografías.
La documentación sobre Dinamarca ha sido indispensable para elaborar la película y se encuentra perfectamente plasmada en este libro. He aprendido qué es el rosemaling y cómo lo han trasladado al vestuario y la escenografía para reflejar la cultura escandinava (junto con muchas otras influencias de arquitectura, paisajismo, etc.). También que 'Frozen' y en concreto, el personaje de Elsa, está basado en 'La reina de las nieves, de Hans Christian Andersen.
La creación de la nieve y el hielo, presentes durante toda la película, fue el mayor reto al que se tuvo que enfrentar el equipo. Gracias a este libro podemos ver la manera en que decidieron afrontarlo y cómo superaron con creces las expectativas.
P.D.: lo he leído en castellano pero no aparece esa versión en Goodreads.
November 23, 2019
Como fan incondicional que soy de Frozen iba a leer este libro si o si.
La verdad que no me esperaba leer tanta información, comparándolo con otros libros de la colección me pareció bastante extenso. No puedo negar que gran parte de la información era bastante interesante y que aprendí un montón de cosas curiosas, pero otra parte de la información iba dirigida a los aspectos más técnicos de la animación; como el como se refleja la luz en la nieve, como se reflectan los colores a través de un hielo. Me gustó? sí. Pero en cierto modo, también esperaba otra cosa, ver algo de contenido inédito o historias paralelas como las que aparecieron en su predecesor (El libro de arte de Toy Story), algo novedoso de Olaf por favor. HOSTIA, también algo muy importante es que no tenía ni la más remota idea de que Frozen estaba basado en un clásico de Andersen llamado "la reina de las nieves", curioso.
Como amante de la animación lo he disfrutado y me lo he gozado, pero tengo algún que otro pero pequeñito :)
La verdad que no me esperaba leer tanta información, comparándolo con otros libros de la colección me pareció bastante extenso. No puedo negar que gran parte de la información era bastante interesante y que aprendí un montón de cosas curiosas, pero otra parte de la información iba dirigida a los aspectos más técnicos de la animación; como el como se refleja la luz en la nieve, como se reflectan los colores a través de un hielo. Me gustó? sí. Pero en cierto modo, también esperaba otra cosa, ver algo de contenido inédito o historias paralelas como las que aparecieron en su predecesor (El libro de arte de Toy Story), algo novedoso de Olaf por favor. HOSTIA, también algo muy importante es que no tenía ni la más remota idea de que Frozen estaba basado en un clásico de Andersen llamado "la reina de las nieves", curioso.
Como amante de la animación lo he disfrutado y me lo he gozado, pero tengo algún que otro pero pequeñito :)
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