The marketing success of "Frozen"

Raise your hand if you've seen "Frozen." (I'm sure 95% of you who read this blog will raise their hands). Raise your hand if you've seen the movie more than once (some hands drop but quite a few stay up, including mine).

It's no secret: Disney's "Frozen" is a smash hit for the box office and the company. In it's 6th week in wide release, the movie yet again won the box office with an astounding $20.6 million weekend intake. IN IT'S SIXTH WEEK, IT DID THIS.

For an animated film to have this kind of success in the winter is not common. Sure, it's the holidays and it's quite cold outside, but animated films have more success in the summer. "Frozen" has already reached $300 million domestically and will continue to climb with no family movies in sight.

Here's the crazier thing: the audience isn't mainly kids. There are people my age and more importantly, BOYS. Yes, many of those families had just boys and they loved the movie.

Let me take you back a few years to 2009. "Princess and the Frog" was Disney's newest animated film and it was going back to the hand-drawn style we had all seen as kids. The movie was well-received critically and made $104 million domestically. But, the movie cost $105 million to make. Although the worldwide total deemed it a success and it is one of the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated movies of all-time, it could have done better.

Disney's marketing team realized that most of the audience was comprised of girls rather than boys. So, when it came time for the Rapunzel movie to be released the following year, they changed the name to "Tangled" and this was the first theatrical spot.

The trailer heavily features Flynn Rider rather than Rapunzel. Many critics scoffed at this change but it worked. The movie had strong word-of-mouth proved worked well after it opened in second in the box office. The following weeks, it was number one and made nearly $600 million worldwide. Rapunzel has also become one of the most popular Disney princesses to meet in its parks, even getting a guaranteed meet and greet in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

The trick was used again for "Brave" and most recently, "Frozen." "Frozen" took the same approach to their marketing as "Tangled," featuring Olaf the snowman and Sven the reindeer.

The smash success of "Frozen," which may even surpass "The Lion King" and become the highest grossing Disney animated film of all-time, has been seen in the parks. Anna and Elsa's meet and greet in the Norway pavilion in Epcot was extended until the end of January (originally they were to appear until the beginning of January). And, there have been rumors of a "Frozen" attraction heading into Disney Parks.

According to Disney historian Jim Hill, the Maelstrom ride may be replaced by a Frozen attraction and the company is looking at possible late 2014 or 2015. Hill says that the company "doesn't want to make the same mistake they did with Little Mermaid [waiting 20 years to have an attraction]."

Right now, these are just rumors so don't start getting excited just yet. But, it would not be a bad idea. Magic Kingdom even has a rest area in Fantasyland devoted to "Tangled" which opened last spring. And, after just being in the parks, I can say that the "Frozen" merchandise is flying off the shelves and they are sold out of a lot of the merchandise.

Disney's marketing may have been a risk, but it paid off for them. More animated movies like "Tangled" and "Frozen" have been announced for the coming years.

Now, if you excuse me, I am going to listen to "Let it Go" for the 100th time this week. I cannot get enough of the soundtrack

(Box office figures from Wikipedia)