The Snow Queen — the story behind the story of Frozen

The original story of strength and endurance behind childlike friendship

First published on December 1844, Snedronningen or The Snow Queen has fascinated many, one of which was none other than Disney Producer, Peter Del Vecho. Fueled by inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, Disney’s Frozen was produced, and then premiered in 2013, generating close to 1.3 billion USD in the box office.

Yet, Frozen is pretty much an original, with a story of its own that pays homage to Snedronningen through its featuring of the integral themes of The Snow Queen: family, love, and inner-strength. These messages are, however, delivered in a different tone and manner. The original fairy tale, unlike its fun-filled and song-inciting descendant, is a little less of a straight shooter. Breaking his tale up into seven short stories, Hans Christian Andersen brings the reader on an epic, confusing adventure, laced with ambiguous messages and intricate complexities.

The First Book: a Looking-Glass and the Broken Fragments

This chapter tells of a devil making a mirror that only reflects what is ugly and hateful for his mere amusement. In his attempt to bring the mirror to heaven to spite the holy, the…