Disney’s 1st Woman-Directed Animated Movie Made Over $1 Billion — and Its Sequel Earned More
Women have broken into many acting, producing, and directorial ventures in the recent past — think Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and those at her company — but the animated film sector continues to have a pretty thick glass ceiling. That’s especially true at Disney and its adjacent companies, where only three women have directed feature-length animated movies.
That said, a few women have begun cracking the ceiling and forging paths. As they go, they’re creating storylines and beloved characters that put more women at the forefront. The proof speaks for itself: Women-directed animated projects at Disney have generated some of the biggest box office numbers.
Jennifer Lee co-directed Disney’s ‘Frozen’ and its sequel
The first woman-directed film from Walt Disney Animation Studios is perhaps the most famous animated movie from the media powerhouse. Frozen and its sequel were co-directed by Jennifer Lee. The 2013 original, which spawned the smash-hit song “Let It Go,” grossed $1.2 billion.
The sisterhood portrayed between Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel), with touches of humor from Olaf the summer-loving snowman (Josh Gad), warmed hearts and earned Lee’s film (which she also wrote) an Oscar.
Lee returned to the director’s chair for Frozen 2, which surpassed the original’s box-office performance — a feat almost unheard of.
That film has made $1.5 billion, making it the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, Deadline reports. Not bad, considering Lee had recently taken a promotion that put her in charge of Disney’s entire animation studios arm, not just her own film projects.
It’s unclear if she’s on board for directing the franchise’s third film, given her slate of work, but it’s safe to say the job is likely hers if she wants it. (Frozen 3 doesn’t have a release date but was confirmed by Disney during a recent earnings call.)
Jennifer Lee now heads Walt Disney Animation Studios
Lee has been the chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2018, when she became the first woman to head the company. She followed in the footsteps of the embattled John Lasseter, who exited following accusations of unwanted touching. (Lasseter classified his behavior as “missteps,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.)
Lee was a writer and already had hits like Frozen when she took the reins at Disney Animation. On top of bringing Frozen 2 to life, she was tasked with tweaking the ending of the Wreck-It Ralph sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet and reinvigorating a studio beleaguered with controversy in the wake of Lasseter’s exit. However, Lee’s experience in the industry and multitasking in her personal life left her undaunted.
“People would ask, ‘How are you going to juggle it all?’” Lee told The Hollywood Reporter. “I finally just said, ‘Guys, I got it. I’m a mom.’”
Lee, now 51, moved to Los Angeles to join Disney’s team after completing a few minor projects for the studio. She was a divorced mother of a 7-year-old and balanced raising her daughter with managing her career. Now her daughter is college-aged, and Lee is remarried to actor Alfred Molina. Though she’s steering the entire animation ship, she’s still writing her own work — a tenet of chief creatives at Disney.
“What I love about the way Disney works is the CCOs are filmmakers,” she said. “The respect for the fact that we need to keep creating, that we are only good at our jobs if we are continuing to evolve as artists, was set from the beginning, and it is important to me.”
Women also brought the animated movies ‘Turning Red,’ ‘Encanto,’ and ‘The Prince of Egypt’ to life
Animation at Disney is starting to celebrate a broad spectrum of voices. For example, its two feature film releases in 2021 centered on female characters of color: Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto were both included in Disney’s slate for theatrical releases that year.
Female directors and other creatives working in animation are scarce but not nonexistent. For instance, Brenda Chapman co-directed DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt in 1998. Back at Disney, more recent ventures include the beloved Encanto, co-written and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith. And Turning Red, written and directed by Domee Shi, came out in 2022. (It’s technically a Pixar project, though that studio is now under the Disney umbrella.)
Neither animated movie reached the box-office levels of Frozen, primarily because gross earnings look different post-pandemic. However, the buzz about both — particularly Encanto — promises more to come.
