If you’ve heard anything about the new Disney Pixar film Coco, it’s that it makes everyone cry and has an obnoxious 20-minute long Frozen short before it starts. So loud was the backlash against this short that Disney has announced it will be pulling the short from future screenings starting December 8th.
The short, entitled Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, is a holiday-themed short in which Ana and Elsa discover that they have no holiday traditions of their own, given that their parents are dead and they spent their childhood apart. Olaf goes to find all the traditions in the kingdom in order to find one for the sister and save the holiday. The short has several new songs and was likely meant to get people excited for Frozen 2.
However, the backlash was swift. Critics and audience members alike took to social media to complain about the obnoxious short, which was not heavily advertised as being part of the movie. Many felt that it took too much time, or that is was too gimmicky compared to the sincere tone of Coco. There were even rumors that in Mexico, the response was so negative that theaters were cutting the short out all together.
The company decided to try and quell people by announcing they would no longer show the short in theaters after December 8th. No word on whether or not it will removed from recently premiered or soon-to-premiere international releases. While it might be too little too late, the short has not affected Coco‘s box office earnings in the least, earning $40.7 million in its first weekend domestically, and continuing to top the rankings.
It is interesting to note that Frozen Fever was the first Frozen short to play before a Disney film. It didn’t receive the same level of hate, likely because it was playing before 2015’s live-action Cinderella and it was heavily advertised as a way to enticing families to see the lackluster film.
