Which Hans Christian Andersen story inspired Disney’s Frozen?

Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” inspired Disney’s Frozen.

Andersen’s fairy tale, first published in 1844, follows a girl named Gerda who searches for her friend Kai after he is affected by fragments of a magical mirror and taken by the Snow Queen. Disney’s Frozen retains broad ideas involving winter, magic, and a powerful snow queen, but its characters and plot differ substantially from the original story.

In Frozen, the central relationship is between sisters Anna and Elsa. Elsa is not a direct adaptation of Andersen’s Snow Queen, and Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven were created or substantially reimagined for the Disney film. The movie’s development changed direction as the filmmakers focused on the emotional bond between the sisters.

This is why Frozen is best described as loosely inspired by “The Snow Queen,” rather than as a literal screen adaptation. The film’s setting and songs are original to Disney’s version.