Never let it be said that the Disney Corporation has failed to master the art of marketing. Although a full-length Frozen sequel is not yet on the way, Disney has decided to append a short film, Frozen Fever, to the beginning of its upcoming Cinderella. With a return to Arendelle and the now beloved characters that inhabit it, Disney has practically guaranteed that Cinderella will have a strong opening weekend. Plus, we do have to admit: the trailer for the short does make it look enticing.
Frozen Fever features a return of our favorite characters from Frozen as they prepare to throw Anna (Kristen Bell) a birthday party. Preparations are underway with the help of Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), but then Elsa (Idina Menzel) gets a cold and her powers get a wee bit out of control. It’s a cute little plot and has a cute little trailer featuring Olaf (Josh Gad) merrily stealing cake and Anna getting very excited for her party.
It’s a piece of very clever marketing to stick this short in front of Cinderella, effectively promising a strong box office take for that film solely because both adults and children will want to see the short. Not that Cinderella is going to have too much difficulty bringing in some strong box office, with a cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Lily James. Still, Frozen Fever is hardly going to hurt the film.
As the trailer informs us, Frozen Fever will premiere in front of Disney’s live-action Cinderella, which comes to theaters on March 13. It might not be the Frozen 2 that many are hoping for, but it’s a good placeholder all the same.
