Our Queen of Arendelle looked drastically different when Brittney Lee originally joined the animation work for Disney’s Frozen.
Elsa was blue and had black, short spiked hair.
The character went through several iterations before Elsa took on her final look, which included a thick white-blonde braid, white skin and an impressive purple smoky eye.
Her wardrobe has undergone the same transformation.
What began as a coat made of live weasels evolved into a glittering gown that was later worn by millions of little girls around the world.
Lee and her colleague Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay work on Disney’s visual development team.
This means they are animators in charge of everything from the characters to the setting to the props.
And, of course, the costumes.
The two collaborated on Anna and Elsa’s costumes in Frozen 2, which Sastrawinata-Lemay says may be the most detailed of any animated film in history thanks to advances in 3D and computer-generated visual technology.
It’s a change that has made her and Lee’s work more interesting as it serves to enhance the storyline, but also more difficult because there are so many more elements to take into account.
Lee and her team use Marvelous Designer, a C.G.I.’s bespoke sewing app, which allows them to explore draping different fabrics on an animated character in the same way as on a human.
“Something that’s supposed to be velvet shouldn’t move like tulle or cotton,” Lee adds.
“We do a lot of experimentation until we get the flow in a way that is believable and, ideally, authentic to the fabric we are trying to convey.”
As for the costume design direction of Frozen 2, Sastrawinata-Lemay says they have received three things in advance: the film takes place in the autumn, Anna and Elsa will be three years older and there will be an epic adventure.
“Everything else is running parallel to the project,” she explains.
Fortunately, being a sequel, they already knew what the sisters were like. “We didn’t have to ask: “Oh, would she wear this or not?” Lee adds.
“It was always more like ‘what’s appropriate for this girl at this time?
Anna’s style is inspired by the traditional Norwegian outfit known as the bunad, typically a wool dress embellished with embroidery and silhouettes such as Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ waist and voluminous A-line skirt.
Her styling is based on the fabrics and materials of the time and place (1840s-1850s, according to Lee), which means she uses heavier materials such as wool and velvet, and her colour palette leans towards the warmer side.
According to Lee, the aim of the film was to update her attire to something more mature than her bubbly, effete younger sister.
The goal with Elsa was not to make her look older, as she’s always been a little more stoic and reserved according to Lee.
“She’s the big sister, so we worked on that from the beginning.”
But the real problem was figuring out how to make a costume that could handle a lot of activity.
Elsa’s costumes are inspired by designers like Alexander McQueen and Elie Saab in their mysteriously large silhouettes and dramatic statements.
Until the second film, everything the team designed for her had long trains and floor-length hemlines, which was uncomfortable.