How Disney’s Frozen was inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale

By Megan Dodson, AC Marketing intern

Since the beginning of his career, Walt Disney and his Imagineers have been inspired by artists from throughout the world and time.

The story of Aladdin comes from an old Middle Eastern anthology, Alice in Wonderland was originally published as a book by Lewis Carroll in 1865, and A Bug’s Life is based on an Aesop’s Fable!

Some are more obvious, like Hercules' clear modeling of Greek mythology, and Swiss Family Robinson follows Johann David Wyss’ 1812 book of the same name, which is well known in its own right. The list goes on!

But, did you know that Disney’s Frozen is based on a historical tale as well? Titled “The Snow Queen” and written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1844, the story is drastically different from the Frozen we know today.

The original story is very long, following a young girl named Gerda as she goes on a journey to save her friend, Kai. This friend is struck in the eye and heart by invisible shards of a mirror crafted by the devil, which makes him harsh and see the world in an ugly light. Kai begins to be mean to Gerda, who is confused as to what happened to her close companion.

Soon after, Kai is taken by the titular Snow Queen, who kidnaps him and plans to use him to fix the mirror by having him put the piece lodged deep in his eye to complete it. Gerda travels across lands to find her friend, encountering witches, princesses, and robbers. Finally having found Kai in the Snow Queen’s palace, Gerda’s tears and song melt Kai’s heart and flush out his eye, freeing him from the Queen’s hypnosis and the effects of the mirror.

So, yes, maybe a bit different from the Disney version, but, we can connect together how the animated movie came to be! While the original Snow Queen may often be seen as a villain, it’s not like her Disney counterpart, Elsa, isn’t seen the same way by many within the story. While Elsa doesn’t kidnap a child and kill talking birds with her freezing breath, she is ostracized for her powers and we do see the potentially harmful effects of her ice.

There are other similarities between the two tales, outside of there just being a person with ice powers. Gerda is very reminiscent of Anna, Elsa’s sister. Both girls are sent on a sudden mission to find the Snow Queen, both stories feature a reindeer companion, both are heavily influenced by their Scandinavian setting, and both conflicts are vastly resolved by love melting a frozen heart.

This isn’t the only Disney project inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen piece! The Little Mermaid is perhaps the most well known, and the beginning of the Disney version does follow the Andersen fairy tale version quite closely. 

That is, until the prince in the latter form marries another woman, leaving Ariel heartbroken and without a voice, so she transforms into sea foam before being made immortal by her sisters.

But other than that, it’s fairly similar! Some adaptations are even closer, like The Ugly Duckling. The Disney short film from 1931 you may know follows Andersen’s story nearly exactly, save for the fact that the original sees the duckling suffer from bullying and isolation for months, rather than the Disney narrative of his woe only lasting a few minutes.

In all, Disney has built its catalogue of iconic stories through both entirely original ideas and seeking brilliance from other art.

While Frozen may not strongly resemble the first tale, the pieces it has taken have helped our more modern society to challenge the tropes of ‘damsels in distress,’ exclusively male lead characters, and the idea that every story has to end with true love. 

The impact of this story on pop culture has opened space for more complex themes in children’s media, leading to important discussions about self love and mental health. All thanks to a tale from 180 years ago!

If you would like to see this story come to life for yourself, the Arvada Center is putting together our very own production of Disney’s Frozen this season! Running November 21 to January, this production is a great opportunity to get into a winter spirit as the seasons change! Come watch as this historical tale is reimagined right here in Arvada.