‘Frozen 2’ Director Jennifer Lee Has Not Seen ‘Olaf’s Frozen Adventure’ Yet [Interview]

I can guess that over the years people were trying to make this there were many versions of it where someone declared, “Oh, you have to make the IT like an actual person, like someone we can cast and who can stand there.”  That’s not the direction you and Ava went. Did you have to fight for that? Or was that something where everyone was like, “No, we buy it”?

It came up.  It did come up in terms of a question, but what I ended up doing is, in the book the concept of there’s the shadow, there’s darkness, there’s the IT and there’s the brain, the dark thing, so it has many names.  So, I think what I tried to do was reduce it into one concept and by doing that I think that helped. But then also The Man With Red Eyes in the book.  Unless we were going to start the villain of this in act one we were never going to care about that villain.  But when we were able to reduce it into one being but with Charles Wallace as the face I felt like it gave it that connection.  Understanding what the IT is [was talked about]. I think frankly it was harder when I first wrote this. It was a different world four years ago than it is now.  I think the concept of what the IT is now everyone projects a million different ideas onto it and gets it.  And so part of it is the nature of our world and where we are I think allowed me to not be pushed to the more cliché.

When Ava came on board where there any significant changes that to the script?

I think there was not one scene we didn’t rewrite.  I mean, we really touched everything.  What I loved was just a lot of conversations about what I intended, what she could see, and where we met. And then a lot of things like I loved that she would push me, go deeper go more raw. So, for me it was a lot of deeper conversation and her wanting those layers added as opposed to blowing anything up.  I thought she would just take it and then rewrite it herself. And I was happy to hand it off to someone I admired so much, but I felt very fortunate that she wanted me to stay and she did really truly collaborate with me. I learned so much.  And she’s made me a better writer, so I am so honored by the whole process, but surprised that she worked so closely with me. I was appreciative.

Was there anything in the book that you really wanted to put into the movie that didn’t fit?

Aunt Beast is a very beautiful part of the book but it’s in a funny way, it’s one that is almost all about feeling. It almost visually floats. And so then to make it a scene you do rob from it. But [because it’s a movie and not a book] we really needed to not arm her with anything. [Meg] had to walk into the IT’s lair with no help.  And thus Aunt Beast is a scene that really gives her a lot in the book.  Gives her the answers and that’s not what we were doing. And so, it was necessary for this iteration of course, but she’s a character that I love.

My last question, I don’t know if the script is finished but you’ve been working on “Frozen 2”…

It’s not finished. (Laughs.)

It’s not finished.  I’m gonna ask about the big elephant in the room, then.  A “Frozen” short, “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” screene d in front of  “Coco” and it didn’t have the greatest reaction.  Did you guys learn any lessons from that that you’ve taken into writing the script for the feature sequel? Or are you not worrying about that?

We’re not worrying about it. I haven’t actually seen it, so.

Oh, well that’s the perfect answer!

I haven’t. It was a different team and I’m great for them, but I did actually feel like I couldn’t [see it]. I was so deeply in “Frozen 2” in terms of my creative process and my world is those films and what that journey is with those girls and I felt like the ideas for doing that was wonderful. Go ahead, but I worried about that very thing that I don’t want to do that. Because I don’t want to be holden to anything. So, I didn’t see it.

Is there anything else you’re working on?  Anything else that you want to do or that you’re trying to work while you’re doing “Frozen 2”?

Right, right now? No. I’ve been doing this and “Frozen on Broadway.” I wrote the book for that and we just started previews two nights ago. So, I’ve decided that once we open in a month I’m going to let it just be “Frozen 2” for the next year and a half. So, that’s when we come out. I think “Frozen 2,” I think that’s enough. (Laughs.)

I buy that.

And then I don’t know. We’ll see.

“A Wrinkle In Time” opens nationwide on Friday.