The Walt Disney Company Africa is proud to share the news that Disney Animation Studios’ latest animation, Frozen, continues to receive worldwide popular and critical acclaim, by earning two Academy Award nominations announced today, Thursday 16 January.
The big-screen comedy adventure is in the running for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year and Best Original Song (for ‘Let it go’). Frozen features the fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) who sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voice of Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. In cinemas now, Disney’s Frozen continues to be well received by audiences, with over US $700 million in worldwide and over R25m in local box-office sales – it’s no doubt Summer’s coolest film, in spite of the current heat!
The nominations come hot on the heels of the film’s win earlier this month as the Best Animated Feature Film at the 71st Golden Globe Awards, and its announcement as a nominee in the 2014 Best Animated Film category at the BAFTA awards.
Featuring Walt Disney himself as the voice of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Get A Horse! rounds off the animation nods for Disney this year with its nomination in the Best Animated Short category. Shown before Frozen, the ground-breaking animated short follows Mickey and his favourite gal pal Minnie Mouse (voice of Marcellite Garner) and their friends as they delight in a musical haywagon ride. With both classic black-and-white, hand-drawn animation and up-to-the-minute technical wizardry—often in the same frame—this short takes us back to a timeless age, captivating audiences of every age. Click here to get a sneak preview.
In the technical categories, Marvel Studios’ billion box-office spectacular Iron Man 3 scored a nod in the Best Visual Effects category, whilst Disney’s wild-west adventure epic The Lone Ranger receives the accolade as one of the nominees for Best Make-up and Hairstyling. Both are currently available nationwide in leading retailers on DVD and Blu-ray.
The Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday, 2 March 2014.