It has spent weeks at the top of the US box office charts, defying even its own company’s high expectations. It overtook The Lion King to become the highest-grossing Disney film in the States. And its soundtrack album roared to the head of several music listings. It's no surprise, then, that the Mouse House is seriously looking at turning Frozen into a musical.
Given how the company likes to spin-off its movies, this was probably a given from the opening weekend, but, talking to Forbes magazine, CEO Bob Iger has said they’re in deep discussions about the idea, though he says, "We're not demanding speed. We're demanding excellence."
Frozen, even more than, say, Tangled, has Broadway in its bones thanks to the lyrical (and story) contributions from composing couple Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who have worked on hit musicals including Avenue Q and The Book Of Mormon.
While Frozen’s technical challenges might be considerable given all the snowy scenes and effects, it’s should be within the capacity of the company that made The Lion King work. And though the composers, who worked closely with directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, are busy on other projects (including one for Disney itself), they’re said to be interested should the story of Anna, Elsa and co. make it to the stage.
With the film still storming the box office and yet to open in Japan and China, its stage future seems assured.