Behind the Poster: Here’s the New ‘Frozen’ Musical Poster (and Seven That Didn’t Make the Cut)

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What worked — and didn’t — for Disney’s coming Broadway show.

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By ERIK PIEPENBURG

AUGUST 4, 2017

It’s been almost four years since the animated film “Frozen” made it impossible to unhear “Let It Go.” That’s music to the ears of the Disney Theatrical Group as it readies to open a new high-profile musical adaptation of the movie on Broadway next spring.

It was a tricky assignment for Andrew Flatt, Disney Theatrical’s senior vice president for strategy, marketing and revenue. He knew the poster design couldn’t stray too far from depicting the “Frozen” — a sweetheart story of Princess Elsa and her frosty powers — that fans hold dear.He also knew he wanted a color palette that stuck with ice-cold hues of blue, white and silver.

To make sure the stage version (which begins performances in Denver this month) set itself apart from the film, Mr. Flatt said he wanted a poster to “differentiate” (goodbye, Olaf the snowman) and “elevate” (hello, Broadway ticket prices).

The final show art, from the advertising agency Serino Coyne, is an icy fantasia by Olly Moss, an artist based outside London. The poster features a giant, stylized snowflake with brushy tips that bursts across a sea of azures and indigos. Embedded in the fractal geometrics are silhouettes of a young woman reaching with a dramatically raised arm. For added wow, negative space forms two other likenesses that, as Mr. Flatt noted, people might not see right away.

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“A lot of audiences enjoy a secondary reveal,” said Mr. Moss, who is known for creating alternative posters for old movies and is making his debut as a Broadway poster designer here. “It’s almost like a magic trick.” (Do you see the other silhouettes yet?)

Mr. Flatt said that Mr. Moss’s poster got the nod because it was “elegant and confident and special, and also truly unique to ‘Frozen.’ ”

Mr. Flatt recently talked about seven other concepts he considered, drawn from a blizzard of over 100 submitted by Serino Coyne.

His comments have been edited and condensed.

The Problem: Not enough personality

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WHAT WORKED “We really loved this specific royal blue. Blue can be very cool and sometimes somber, but it felt modern. We referred to this as X-ray Elsa — it had a neon electricity that felt really alive.”

WHAT DIDN’T “We struggled here with expression. Is she joyful? Is she satisfied? What moment in the show are we representing here? Our effort to represent something more human ended up becoming kind of anonymous.”

The Problem: Too creepy

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WHAT WORKED “The use of white, and how clean that could be. And the idea of Elsa and her finger pushing through or cracking this ice is emblematic of her being outside and trying to get in.”

WHAT DIDN’T “Practically speaking, white gets dirty really fast. Also, you’re not totally sure what it is you’re looking at. Is she in distress? Is she happy? It made us slightly uncomfortable.”

The Problem: Too safe

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WHAT WORKED “It’s inspired by an iconic moment in the film, when Elsa really unleashes her power. There’s strength in its simple colors and simple shapes and smart, clean graphic lines.”

WHAT DIDN’T “It just doesn’t push the boundary far enough. This feels like the ‘Frozen’ that people would expect. There is more depth to this story than you might think.”

The Problem: Too playful

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WHAT WORKED “The only thing that worked is that it made us smile.”

WHAT DIDN’T “It reminded ourselves not to take ourselves too seriously. It’s whimsical, it’s fun, it’s playful, all of which the show is. But it’s not just those things.”

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The Problem: Too obvious

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WHAT WORKED “This incorporates significant thematic elements, including Elsa’s gloved hand. For so much of the story, she’s containing her power underneath that gloved hand.”

WHAT DIDN’T “The theme of love being able to thaw a frozen heart is a big one, but this is a little bit literal. It also feels a bit disembodied. It lacked warmth and the sense of a person.”

The Problem: Too specialized

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WHAT WORKED “This is inspired by rosemaling, a traditional Scandinavian art form of painted flowers and floral-inspired designs, typically on wood. We liked the organic connection to the origins and location of the story.”

WHAT DIDN’T “It doesn’t feel exclusively ownable by ‘Frozen.’ This could be ‘The Sound of Music’ if you took the braid away. Or maybe even ‘Hello, Dolly!,’ set in the mountains.”

The Problem: Too sci-fi

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WHAT WORKED “The aurora borealis plays a part in this story. Not only would it be appropriate for the show, but it would give us an opportunity to introduce other colors into the mix. And we have the silhouettes of two women.”

WHAT DIDN’T “The combination of the rather spacey silhouettes and the title treatment feels more sci-fi movie than Broadway musical. It also makes you work a little too hard to figure out the story.”