Disney’s Frozen was released in 2013 and is a story about a princess named “Elsa” who has the magical ability to produce ice and snow. The film became an instant hit with kids, parents, and critics alike for its catchy songs, heartwarming story, and likable characters.

The all-female cast also helped it become a massive success as girls could finally see themselves reflected on the big screen. The movie’s popularity propelled it to win two Oscars last year for a best-animated feature and best original song for “Let it Go.”

The film was created by a small group of Disney veterans and relative newcomers at the company’s feature-animation studio in Burbank, California. But they still had to deal with the pressure of creating a film for such an iconic brand. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, who have been with the company for over 20 years, the movie was carefully scrutinized from every angle before release.

From its earliest stages, Frozen underwent rigorous reviews to ensure that it would follow in the footsteps of past Disney hits. The filmmakers had a simple directive: Create a great story that would make audiences laugh and cry.

Queen Elsa’s voice was provided by Broadway actress and singer Idina Menzel, who had previously worked with Disney on Enchanted. At the same time, Anna’s voice was provided by newcomer Kristen Bell. Disney veterans Alan Tudyk and Jonathan Groff also voiced supporting characters in the film.

The English-language acting debut of singer and actress Let It Go, written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, performed by Idina Menzel at audition, later featured on “Disney’s Karaoke Series: Frozen.”

The film’s visual style was inspired by Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen, best known for his painting “The Snow Queen,” which is the inspiration for the title of this movie. Some of the landscape and environmental elements in this animated feature are hand-drawn, but most are computer-generated.

And of course, the snowman Olaf was created as a deliberate homage to the snowman that appeared in Disney’s 1964 film, Mary Poppins.

The movie grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time. It’s also currently ranked as the best-reviewed movie and 53rd overall among critics on Rotten Tomatoes and the sixth highest-rated animated film of all time on Metacritic.