- Jennifer Lee, 42, who wrote and co-directed the movie based the relationship between Elsa and Anna on her ups and downs with her own elder sister, Amy
- The sisters drifted when they were growing up in Rhode Island but Amy came to become Jennifer's rock when her true love died in a swimming accident when she was 20
- Jennifer took her elder sister to the Oscars ceremony in recognition
11
View
comments
Hollywood blockbuster Frozen captured the hearts of millions around the globe with its touching story of two warring sisters who eventually reconcile and rediscover their deep love for one another.
But few people realize the movie's theme of sisterly love has been plucked from the real life of director and screenplay writer Jennifer Lee.
She based the tumultuous relationship between Snow Queen Elsa and sister Anna on the ups and downs she experienced with her own elder sibling, MailOnline can reveal today.
Scroll down for video
Sister act: Frozen writer and co-director Jennifer Lee, pictured center left, was brought close to estranged sister Amy, center right, after Jennifer's 'true love' was killed in a swimming accident when she was 20
Inspiration: Lee introduced the theme of sisterly tension and devotion between Snow Queen Elsa and Anna when she was brought on board to oversee the hit
The pair were incredibly close when they were youngsters growing up in Rhode Island, but drifted apart in their teenage years, before a terrible tragedy brought them back together when Jennifer was 20.
Jennifer's college sweetheart, which her family describe as 'the love of her life' died in a tragic swimming accident, leaving Jennifer completely devastated.
'She lost the person she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with. It was incredibly hard for her and a real tragedy,' a source close to the family told MailOnline.
The trauma of that event shook Jennifer, now 42, to the very core, but in her darkest hour Amy came through for her and became the rock she so desperately needed.
From that moment they grew incredibly close and have remained so for more than 20 years.
The parallels between Jennifer's real life experiences and the emotional journey traveled by her celebrated Disney characters are clear.
Snow Queen Elsa, who possesses the magical ability to create ice and snow accidentally injuries her sister when they are younger.
The pair grow apart and when Anna tries to reach out to Elsa when they are older the Snow Queen accidentally strikes her in the heart with her powers, freezing it.
She learns it can only be thawed by an act of true love, which comes later in the film when Anna attempts to lay down her life for her sister, but survives.
That act of love thaws her frozen heart, the pair reconcile and their relationship is stronger than ever.
Speaking about the life-changing event that reunited her with her sister in a podcast recorded earlier this year the divorced mother-of-one explained: 'I have an older sister. And she was a big inspiration for Elsa for me, because I think there was a lot of the shutting out.
Tearful: Lee, who took Amy to see the film pick up two Oscars, said: 'I had gone through something very tragic and lost someone, and it was like she looked at me as a human being, an adult, and I became real again to her'
'And like you said, it's not that contrived. It happens even if it's not for a big reason. It really does happen. And I remember a moment, too.
'We didn't become close until I was in my twenties. And it was almost like one day, and I had gone through something very tragic and lost someone, and it was like she looked at me as a human being, an adult, and I became real again to her.
'It's like I'd lost her, and then all of a sudden we kind of arrived at the same place together. And then from that moment on she was like my champion.
'She was always there for me. And it was — that scene, having to like lose each other and then rediscover each other as adults, that was a big part of my life.'
Jennifer became involved in the film - which lat week became Disney's biggest grossing animated movie of all time four months after the movie was initially commissioned.
'She was always there for me. And it was — that scene, having to like lose each other and then rediscover each other as adults, that was a big part of my life'
- Jennifer Lee
Then there were no plans to center the story on two sisters.
Originally it was going to be based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Snow Queen, which revolved around a little boy and a little girl and a fight between good and evil.
Jennifer was still wrapping up production of another film, Wreck-it Ralph at the time, but she was asked to sit in on the development of Frozen to give notes and feedback.
After showing an obvious passion for the project, she was brought in as a co-director with Chris Buck and completely rewrote the script, introducing Elsa and Anna.
That decision was hugely influenced by her sister, something Jennifer recognized in spectacular fashion when she invited 45-year-old school teacher Amy to accompany her to the Oscars as her plus one.
The pair walked the red carpet together and Amy looked on as her little sister's film won awards for Best Animat ed Feature Film and Best Original Song, Let it Go.
True love: Lee credits the death of her true love when she was at college as being the inspiration for her wanting to 'tell her own stories'. Little is known of the incident as she wants to keep it private
Proud father: Jennifer and Amy's dad, Sav Rebecchi, has even spoken of the parallels on his Facebook page
Writing about the touching moment on Facebook, their father Sav Rebecchi, 67, wrote: 'Just found out that my oldest daughter who is an English Teacher at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY will not be in class on March 3rd because... she is going to be the "Plus One" for her little sister at the Academy Awards on March 2nd.
'Jen credits her inspiration for the Elsa Character in Frozen to her sister and thought if she could have only one guest at the table... it had to be her.
'They will both be walking the Red Carpet together and just the thought of that and the road that brought them there makes it difficult to hold back the tears and... the unrelenting gushing that you all are putting up with. Thanks.'
Mr Rebecchi from Jamestown, Rhode Island, a few miles from where the girls grew up in the East Providence area, reiterated this in an interview with his local paper the Newport Daily News in February.
He said: 'It almost brought to me tears when Jenny called her sister Amy and told her there is no one else she wants to walk the red carpet with at the Academy Awards except her.'
- Jennifer and Amy's father, Sav Rebecchi
Talking about Jennifer's decision to base the story on the love of two sisters, he added: 'That is the moment the film turned into something incredible and wonderful. The film is about the love of two siblings and their willingness to make sacrifices for each other.'
Our revelation helps to explain the inspiration behind Frozen, but the catalyst for Jennifer and Amy's reconciliation is still shrouded in mystery.
Despite his profound effect on her life, the identity of Jennifer's boyfriend remains hidden and she is apparently keen to keep it that way.
It is believed the lovers met at New Hampshire University where Jennifer graduated with a degree in creative writing. Amy also attended the college.
What is completely clear is that his tragic and untimely death had a resounding and lasting affect on the life of the 20-year-old student, who went on to such incredibly success. Her Wikipedia page reads: 'After the loss of a dear person at age 20, she wanted to tell her own stories'.
Frozen is officially the most popular animated film of all time. It has grossed over a billion dollars worldwide and scooped a number of awards.
Aside from its incredible Oscars success, the movie won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, five Annie Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards.
Star: Jennifer is now based in LA but was a graphic designer beforehand. In 1999 she married and had a daughter, who is now ten. But the couple split and Jennifer then enrolled in Columbia Film School
That level of acclaim has propelled Jennifer into the limelight and made her one of the most influential women in Hollywood and the world's most celebrated female, animation film director.
But it didn't always look like Jennifer would take the film world by storm. Her parents, Mr Rebecchi and Linda Lee split up when she was still a child and she and her sister went to live with their mother in East Providence, both graduating from a local high school.
After completing her degree at the University of New Hampshire she moved to New York with Amy, as they both tried to land teaching jobs. They found work in education hard to come by and Jennifer ended up at Random House as a graphic designer, coming up with ideas for audiobooks and DVD covers.
In 1999 she married Joseph Monn and a few years later they had a daughter Agatha, who is now ten.
The couple split and Jennifer decided to try to set her career in a different direction, enrolling at Columbia University film School.
While at Columbia, Jennifer met classmate Philip Johnston, who became a key contact in the film industry and changed the course of her life.
She was still based in New York penning movie screenplays when Johnston, who was working for Disney, called her and asked her to get involved with Wreck-it Ralph, opening the door to Frozen.
0 comments:
Post a Comment