The Snow Queen is a 1979 American animated fantasy musical film directed by Lana Ponce and Rick Reinert and produced by Paramount Cartoon Studios. It is the 24th feature film produced by the studio. The film is based on the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen and features the voices of Marisa Burke, Keith Burke, Mel Blanc and Phyllis Diller. The film follows two little kids named Gerda and Kai (voiced by George Burke's grandchildren Marisa and Keith Burke), who enjoy play together until an evil magical woman named the Snow Queen (voiced by Phyllis Diller) hardens Kai's heart and then lures him to her snowy palace. Gerta tries to find the palace and rescue Kai, but is waylaid at one place after another.
The Snow Queen was released on December 19, 1979 by Paramount Pictures. The film received critical acclaim from critics who praised its animation, musical score, and emotional weight of the story and was a modest box office success, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1981, as well as the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film before An American Tail dethroned it in 1986. In recent years, the film has garnered a cult following. It was eventually re-released in theaters on February 25, 1994. A direct-to-video sequel, The Return of the Snow Queen was released on November 9, 2004.
In 2001, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", making it the first Paramount Animation film to earn that honor.
Plot[]
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Cast[]
- Marisa Burke as Gerda
- Keith Burke as Kai
- Mel Blanc as Rick the Crow, a friendly crow who accompanies Gerda in her journey after mistakely believing that the new prince of his land was Kai.
- Blanc also voice Crawler, one of the Snow Queen's henchanimals.
- Phyllis Diller as The Snow Queen, a cruel, cold-hearted, power-hungry, and clumsy ruler of the North Pole and the film’s title main antagonist.
- Frank Welker and Charles Nelson Reilly as Liger and Ratty, one of the Snow Queen's henchanimals. They make their 3rd appearance in a Paramount animated film.
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Production[]
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Songs[]
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Differences between the story and the film[]
The film features a number of significant changes from the original story. Most prominently are that Gerta and Kay are siblings instead of being best friends, that the Snow Queen is the owner of the magic mirror, and that the crow (named Rick in the film) is given more prominence as he follows Gerta throughout her entire journey after she had escaped from the magic garden. Here are the other differences:
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Release[]
Home media[]
The Snow Queen debuted on Super 8 film and several home video formats in 1980, including VHS, Betamax, CED Videodisc, Video8 and LaserDisc, which were distributed by Paramount Home Video. With a $90 purchase price in the US, the VHS version sold approximately 22,000 copies within the first few months. It was later released under Paramount Home Entertainment brand on VHS and Laserdisc in 1990 and again on VHS in 1996 by Paramount Home Entertainment.
The film was released on DVD for the first time on December 15, 1998, which was reprinted numerous times in the ensuing years, both as a stand-alone release or bundled with other animated movies from Paramount. On October 19, 2004, a 2-disc DVD set called the "25th Anniversary Edition" was released under the Paramount Animation Collection label and included special features such as audio commentary from both individuals and an interview featurette.
The Snow Queen was first made available on Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray for the film's 40th anniversary on August 6, 2019, as part of Paramount Signature Collection.
On March 4, 2021, The Snow Queen, along with other Paramount Animation films, was available on Paramount+.
Reception[]
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Sequel[]
- Main article: The Return of the Snow Queen
A direct-to-video sequel titled The Return of the Snow Queen was released in 2004.
Transcripts[]
Main[]
To see the main transcript of the film, click here.
Trailers[]
To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.