The Snow Queen 2

"The Snow Queen" was originally conceived as an international project with the appropriate high level of animation and the more satisfying is the high demand, which we celebrate at the largest film markets around the world. Like the original fairy tale by Andersen which served as the starting point for our film, its story is universal and is understandable to audiences all around the globe.

— Timur Bekmambetov[6]

After The Snow Queen, the producers and the creative team of Wizart Animation decided to continue the story. The story was already taking shape before the release of the original film.[7] It was the breakthrough moment of the original movie that spurred the writers for a sequel.[8] The director's chair in the new project was taken by Aleksey Tsitsilin, who worked as the director of photography in the first installment. Under Tsitsilin's oversight, the scriptwriters continued the themes of the first film while bringing one of the audience's favorite character troll Orm to the forefront as a main character. Aleksey Tsitsilin, producer Vladimir Nikolaev, art director Aleksey Zamyslov, with participation of Timur Bekmambetov and Roman Nepomnyashchiy wrote the script for the sequel.[9] Diana Yurinova, Wizart's leading international distribution manager as well as producer was instrumental in selling the movie to international markets such as China.[10]

The movie took an innovative turn from the prequel by emphasizing the character development of Orm the troll instead of Gerda. After the release of the first movie, the audience was amazed by the troll Orm. As a result, taking the audience consensus into account, the sequel developed the side-character to new levels.[11] Previously the character Orm was depicted as the creator of a magic mirror, a fragment of which got into the eye and heart of Kai.[9] In this movie, the scriptwriters presented Orm as someone who must pay off the debts after the financial hardships he faces such as foreclosure and mortgages. However an opportunity to save Princess Maribel causes the troll to commit deceptions leading to the development of themes like corruption and the consequences of telling lies.[12] The writers instilled elements of tragedy without losing the plot's comedy framework.[13][12]

They used an orb and its reflections as a vehicle for the plot's conflict. The use of the orb's reflection and its subsequent mysterious whispering in Orm's imagination cause him to lose control of his emotions and create an alter ego.[13][12] The script writers intended the transformation as an allegory, referencing Plato's Ring of Gyges and Tolkien's One Ring.[13] A review from Russia found parallels with The Lord of the Rings when Gerda and Orm finally reach the palace of the Snow Queen. The scene recollects the moments when Frodo seeks to overcome his identity crisis by journeying to the volcano at Mordor.[14] The themes of truth and creating friendships are highlighted in the film that will serve as a factor in regaining Orm's consciousness.[13] The film also was inspired by Russian Olympic bobsleigh team who won two gold medals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.[13]

A report noted the similarity of the Russian cast with the characters.[15] The Russian cast included Ivan Okhlobystin who voiced Orm and Snow King. Acclaimed Russian singer Nyusha (Anna Shurochkina) voiced Gerda. Pirate girl Alfida was based on Andersen's nameless Little Robber Girl.[13] Wizart gave a competition to Russian residents for a position as voice cast for the character Alfida. One person was picked among 150 contestants. St. Petersburg accountant, Valeria Nikolaeva was chosen as the voice cast for Alfida.[16] Garik Kharlamov voiced the Troll King Arrog.[15]

Popular Brazilian actors Larissa Manoela (Carroussel) dubbed Gerda and João Côrtes voiced Orm.[17] Portuguese voice artists include famous singer Ana Malhoa, TV host and actor Júlio Isidro, and actress and mother of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dolores Aveiro.[18]

Work on the second feature progressed at an international level. Ned Lott was announced as voice director and casting with animation credits including Zambezia, Khumba, and the English version of Ernest and Celestine.[19] At the Toronto International Film Festival, the voice cast was announced for the English version of the film. International stars took part in the dubbing including Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings) as Arrog, Sharlto Copley (District 9) as Orm, Bella Thorne (Blended) as Gerda, and Isabelle Fuhrman (Hunger Games) as Alfida.[19] In February 2014, the teaser for the movie was released.[20]

On 5 November 2014, Wizart presented the full English-version of the movie at the American Film Market.[21][22][23] Promotional activities in Russia started on 6 December 2014 as the Snow Queen, an ice rink designed after the movie opened near Triumphal Arch of Moscow. Singer Peter Nalitch and the band Nogu Svelo! performed at the opening.[24][25]

The main characters become even more realistic than the prequel. A report by Vesti Voronezh remarked in this "Re-freezing", the characters were "unfrozen." The wool dynamics is utilized by physics, converging animation to science. Vladimir Nikolaev states, "All our wool is dynamic, that is, it is crushed by clothes, it is crushed by fabrics. It interacts with all objects that the trolls touch, that is, this is all honest physics - this is not animation."[15] The character "North Wind" consists of nearly 80 million particle pixels. The most complex scene was animating the fish that splashed out of the waterfall. With over 25 layers of effects, the tests and production of that scene took three weeks.[26] For all the materials and calculation of special effects, a server of 200 terabytes was needed. It would have taken 997 years to produce this cartoon if it had been produced on a single computer.[27]

In the second installment, new animation innovations were introduced by Wizart that weren't present in the prequel. The animals will become more naturalistic with a unique program developed for the fur and wool of animals.[28] The characters have the new opportunity to raise their eyebrows; to move in different flexible ways allowing them to express a new set of emotions. The movie also feature more special effects as evident in the polar battles with a Troll army. The animators refined lighting and shooting systems that added a subtle layer to the movie.[29]

Director Aleksey Tsitsilin remarked the movie script was a product and contribution of the residents of Voronezh, the city in south Russia where Wizart is located. Even some of the settings like the tall clock tower is inspired by the southern railway at Voronezh. In terms of character design, drawing the protagonists required a concerted effort from the animators more than drawing the antagonists. There were over 100 modifications before reaching a final picture. The Valley of the Trolls was inspired by the water channels featured in a map of Venice. The Troll king's palace was built in the style of Italian architecture. The cast recording was done at the studio in Moscow.[29]

Mark Willott composed the original score of the movie.[30] British band Butterfly Stone provided vocals for the theme song "Find Yourself."[31] The soundtrack includes also includes two songs performed by the Belarusian-Russian band Bi-2 who also were voice cast for the characters Rahat and Lokum.[32] Bella Thorne who voiced Gerda performed the main song “Diamond."[33][34] Composed by Mark Willott, Chosun Entertainment says the song is "cheerful and addictive melody."[35] A localized version of the song was also released in Bulgaria performed by Eurovision 2008 contestant Yoanna Dragneva(bg).[34]

The popular Korean girl band SISTAR gave voice to the main theme song rendered for the South Korean audience. Starship Entertainment employed singers Soyou to create the album: Diamond (The Snow Queen 2 OST).[36] The Korean boy band Boyfriend gave voice to the main theme song "Find Yourself."[31] Chilean actress and singer, Denise Rosenthal also provided voice to the theme song. The music is featured as OST Snow Queen 2/La Reina de las Nieves.[37] The official soundtrack “Maak My Dag” for the African release was performed by Ghoema Music Awards singer Leah from South Africa.[38] The movie also included the Russian patriotic march Farewell of Slavianka in its soundtrack.[39]

A special pre-release in UK, US, and South Korea was followed by the main premiere in Russia. The UK premiere of The Snow Queen 2: Magic of the Ice Mirror was supposed to be on October 25, 2014 at Vue Cinemas,[40][41] however the release date changed to 12 December 2014.[42] The US release was in Los Angeles on 6 November 2014. A few days later, the Golden Globe Award of the Association of Foreign Journalists nominated the film for the Golden Globe Awards.[43][44] The South Korean release was on December 24, 2014.[45] On 26 December 2014, the Lithuanian premiere started.[46]

The Snow Queen 2 Russian premiere took place at Karo cinema theater in Moscow on Dec 17, 2014. It was visited by special guests-Ivan Okhlobystin, Nyusha, and many others.[47] Then in the turn of the New Year, the movie was released throughout Russia.[48] A charity event by Peace Foundation, Wizart, and the Voronezh government arranged a show for boarding school students on December 26, 2014 at the Spartak theater in Voronezh.[49]

At the 2014 Cannes, distribution manager Diana Yurinova negotiated with Feng Yi of Flame Node, to give The Snow Queen 2 an entry way into the selective quota-based box office in China. Yurinova states, "This deal is significant for both Wizart Animation and the Russian film industry as a whole since distribution of a Russian animated film in China is unusual."[10]

Distributors Shooting Stars acquired rights for the Middle East premiere and released it to the cinemas of United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.[50][51] The Snow Queen 2 premiered globally as it was slated to release next spring in 2016 throughout Turkey, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.[40][52] As a result, Russia, Great Britain, US, South Korea, and the Middle East had simultaneous openings.[53][22]

On 1 March 2015, Wizart organized a special screening of the animated film on the oldest Russian Antarctic station named Mirny. The polar explorers of the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) got the opportunity to see the DVD version of the film.[54] In 18 July 2015, for the first time The Snow Queen 2 premiered in Japan. Katsuhira Yamaguchi of One Piece was one of the voice actors for the release.[55]

The animated film was presented at the international market of audiovisual content MIPCOM, held from 5 to 8, October 2015 in Cannes. The event coincided with its nomination for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, considered as the Asian Oscars.[56] The movie launched in France in DVD under a contract with Universal in conjunction with KLM.[57] On 12 November 2015, the film broadcast in 350 screens in Brazil. Since that date in Brazil more than 280 thousand viewers have watched The Snow Queen 2. The audience view is thrice as much as The Snow Queen audience in 2013 taking into account that the first installment headed to 179 screens only.[17]

The movie released in the winter of 2015 in Spain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Italy. There were screenings in Vietnam, Romania and Hungary.[58] For the first time, Russian animation was shown in Bolivia in January 2016. A day earlier, the movie premiered in the Philippines.[59] Following Bolivia it was slated for release to two more Latin American countries, Chile and Peru.[60] On 19 September 2016, the animation team released a Chinese poster. Later the film was released on December 31, 2016 in China.[61]

DVD distribution in Russia was through Bazelevs. The movie took 7th place in the highest grossing DVD Russian rental box office for 2015 with over (301.8 million rubles) (~US$4.3) in DVD sales.[62] As part of the MIPTV international TV market, held in Cannes from 4 April 2016, Wizart announced the conclusion of a contract with one of the world's largest TV broadcasters – Discovery Network Latin America allowing the film to air in Spanish.[63]

The movie received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, although they agreed that it was suitable for audiences of all ages due to its story and animation. A critical movie review by The Guardian stated, "There’s a frenetic, eye-popping quality to the visuals that forestalls the kind of emotional engagement Disney can offer, but there is some entertainment to be had here."[64] A review from Savette says: "The Snow Queen 2 is Pirates of the Caribbean on ice. You will soon be drawn into the story of lies, deceit and how telling the truth can save the day and possibly save the kingdom. He learns that friendship is the most important thing in life."[65]

Special effects magazine RENDER highlighted key strengths of the film including its special effects, 3D effects, atmosphere, chase scenes, and moral story line giving a total of 9/10 stars.[66] Russian website Allbestmovies gave the film 6/10 stars.[67] KinoKultura noted, "The commercial potential and universal appeal of the Andersen brand cannot be overestimated."[13] Film.ru's review accepted that although the 1957 The Snow Queen adaptation still is the best, The Snow Queen 2 is a "solid sweeping canvas." The review stated the climax battle between trolls, pirates, and ice monsters does not come to the level of The Battle of the Five Armies, but is still comparable. The review also heralded the movie's animation, highlighting "noticeably stronger computer animation than in the first "Queen", beautiful and diverse virtual scenery, [and] decent voice-over of all the characters." The review also pointed out how the movie could improve on developing its side characters, emphasizing Gerda's quest alongside Orm and music.[14]

A review from Evening Moscow(ru) commented that the winter film stands apart from other films by stating the movie has "lot of humor and warmth, which is so lacking in frosty winter days", finding the movie's highlight is not its animation but its message: "But the main thing is not even the stunning beauty of the picture, but the fact that there is the same message of good that has always been in Soviet cartoons."[39]

German review from Film-rezensionen had a mixed review. The review highlighted the movie is not without its faults: "There is no longer even a snow queen who could lend the film its title." However, the review did find that the film had improved from its predecessor cinematographically: "The final fight was worth seeing, dramatically as well as visually. Anyway, the Russian animation studio Wizart Animation (completely out of the woods) has significantly polished the look this time. With the blockbuster colleagues from the West, the sequel still can't take up. But it does at least make enough that you can also look at it as a critical observer."[68] German review from Moviebreak stated the users should not judge the movie by its cover, because what is in store is a "charming, rather entertaining as easy-going Russian animation." The review concluded by stating, "The Snow Queen 2 turns out to be an entertaining and beautiful fairy tale; at second glance, which might swings into the moral club too much, but always remains humorous and pleasantly cheerful. The film is rather something for our little ones, but also the parents should not get away without a little smile."[69]

Chinese reviews were positive toward the film. 2nd by 2nd review states the highlight of the animation is "the world of ice and snow" which has a "different aesthetic than Disney movies, it may be due to Russians more exposure to the ice and snow." Furthermore, the "kernel" of the movie is about lies to the point where the children will say "I know to be honest, I can not lie to others."[70] Sina Entertainment Review recalls the audience reaction for the film, "At the same time, the role of the film is also vivid, fresh and full. Almost every character allows the audience to find their own figure, making people feel as if they are in the film, naturally inspired."[71]

A Quebec review remarked the humor with the Grandmother was "well-balanced." The story's explication of "the consequences of the destruction of the power of the Snow Queen on Orm and his entourage" is an "excellent extension of the first film, since it strives to flesh out its own mythology."[72] Emil Calinescu from Romania stated it is "an educational film, with a moralizing message much more obvious than in the case of the first."[73]

The 3D toon motion film picture was a winter blockbuster. In the pre-release at South Korea, the movie attained $1.3 million in just two days after the release in 24 December 2014. After the New Year, the total box office in South Korea was $3 million.[74] The performance made South Korea, one of the most "prosperous" territories in the geography of international sales of Wizart Animation.[45] In Russia, the movie received 60 million rubles by 13 January 2015.[11] The movie became the 7th highest grossing Russian film in 2015.[62] In January 2015, it was reported that The Snow Queen 2 collected millions of dollars at the foreign box office. With over 300 million rubles collected in the country alone and a combination of rentals in South Korea, where the fees exceeded $4 million, the film had already broke even.[75]

A box office record was set when the film was released in Europe. The movie became the first Russian film to top weekend box office in a European country, namely Slovakia. The movie was released in Slovakia in December 2015. The only other time the record was set was in 2005 international hit Night Watch by Timur Bekmambetov, going for the second place.[76] During the second week of its release there was a 395.5% increase in screens.[77]

According to box office analysts Box Office Mojo, The Snow Queen 2 grossed $37,266 in Slovakia, topping local film Vánocní Kamenák, English-language French 3D animation The Little Prince, Hollywood Bridge of Spies and 3D animation The Good Dinosaur. The record set in 2015 created a new precedent that Russian animation is finding international appeal.[78] The final estimates show the film grossed $4.5 million in Russia.[79] Since September 2018, the movie attained a position at the top ten box office in Portugal. There the picture was shown in fifty cities whose premiere bypassed such films as Mission Impossible and Ant-Man and the Wasp.[18] The film collected a net box office of $15.5 million from domestic and foreign markets.[79] The gross increases to $19.8 million when DVD sales are taken into account.[62] The Snow Queen franchise has sold to 130 countries to date, with a total international box office of $30 million.[80]