Dark inspiration behind Disney’s ‘Frozen’ to be staged in Maine

Calling all parents of “Frozen” fans! Are you tired of hearing “Let it Go” yet again or being song-asked if you “Wanna Build A Snowman?”

 BIZ MKTG-DISNEYFROZEN 2 LA Disney works to keep its hit film 'Frozen' hot The snowman Olaf toy is for sale at a Toys R Us in Los Angeles. Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times/TNS

The snowman Olaf toy is for sale at a Toys R Us in Los Angeles. Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Consider introducing your kids to the original story that served as inspiration for the now cult classic — Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” being performed at the Portland Stage next winter. It may just scare the catchy tunes right out of them. At the very least, it’ll teach them a valuable lesson — fairy tales at their core usually don’t contain comedic snowmen and trolls that doll out love advice.

Merchandise from Disney's movie "Frozen" for sale at a Toys R Us in Los Angeles. Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Merchandise from Disney’s movie “Frozen” for sale at a Toys R Us in Los Angeles. Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times/TNS

All kidding aside, “The Snow Queen” explores the struggle between good and evil through the lens of young friends Gerda and Kai. According to the theater, Gerta searches for her friend Kai who has been kidnapped by the evil Snow Queen (the Elsa in Andersen’s tale) who lives in a palace of ice. Along the way she meets magical creatures and friends that help — robbers, reindeer and witches.

Note: the story, though the inspiration for the millions of Elsa and Anna enthusiasts, is a lot scarier than the Disney movie and may not be appropriate for all ages.

The play is part of the theater’s upcoming 2015-2016 season. Executive Artistic Director Anita Stewart said she hopes the plays selected will help audience members explore traditions.

“Tradition in our families, our culture, our accepted ways of framing history, our classic stories, our individual struggles in relation to time honored traditions and what happens when those traditions are challenged, re-imagined, or lost,” Stewart said in a statement.

She added that many of the issues characters in this years’ plays face are the same we all face throughout our lives.

“With this coming season, we want to bring these stories into focus, because we hope our audience will see themselves in them and be able to relate them to their lives, to their communities and to their own family traditions right here in Maine,” Stewart said.

The other plays this season will be: “Lost Boy Found in the Whole Foods” by Tammy Ryan; “Dancing at Lughnasa” by Brian Friel; “The Mountaintop” by Katori Hall; “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson; “My Name is Asher Lev” adapted by Aaron Posner, based on the best-selling novel by Chaim Potok; and “They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!” by Dario Fo translated by Jon Laskin and Michael Aquilante

 

Natalie Feulner

About Natalie Feulner

Natalie Feulner is a journalist and “semi-crunchy” cloth diapering momma to a rambunctious toddler named after a county in California. She drinks too much tea and loves to climb rocks but not at the same time.