The information is divided into five sections[1] (A Family Affair, Coronation, Wilderness, Ice Palace, and Return to Arendelle) which include concept art, storyboards, and finished art, alongside interviews by artists, writers, and other developers, thereby "giving the reader a full-scope of the efforts it took to create the finished film."[2]
Development
Although The Art of... books have been written since at least the early 1990s, The Entertainment Nut explained, "Since 2008, Chronicle [Books] has picked up the torch on publishing [The] Art Of [...] books for Disney's animated features".[1]
Charles Solomon said the following on the books conception:
Frozen was originally slated for 2014, but when another film ran into trouble, the Frozen artists were asked if they could complete their film a year earlier than they had planned. As I mentioned in the acknowledgements, Chris Buck, Mike Giaimo and John Lasseter are artists I’ve written about many times over the years. I know, like, and respect them. When they said they were involved in the film, I knew it would worth writing about. And working with Emily Haynes at Chronicle Books and Leigh Anna MacFadden at Disney Publishing has always been enjoyable. So when they all asked, I said yes. However, I would have liked a bit more time to study the artwork—I often felt like I was skateboarding through the Louvre.
— Charles Solomon, in an interview with Animated Views[3]
Critical reception
AWN deemed the "umpty-umpth The Art of... coffee-table art book about the making of a modern animated cinematic feature masterpiece" as "insightful...visual treat" full of "splendid art", adding that "Frozen has a subtle frankness and originality to it – and The Art of Frozen emphasizes what that is".[4] The Entertainment Nut wrote that the book "offers some rather intriguing insights into the production" and is "another great entry in behind-the-scenes material".[1] Indiwire commented "Solomon concentrates far more on the story, writing, and artistic presentation of the film than most books in this genre do — making it a must-have."[5] MediaMikes gave it 4 out of 5 stars, writing "Even though this may not be the best “Art of” book of the year, if you enjoyed the film then I would say that it is worth checking out still just keep expectation lower."[6] One Movie our Reviews said the book goes beyond the film's artwork, and "tells a lot about the whole production process and the collaboration needed to bring a film of this level together."[7] Rotoscopers described the book as "probably most anticipated piece of merchandise among animation fans" prior to the film's release.[8] LaughingPLace wrote "This coffee table book is worth every penny...and is a great wealth of knowledge."[9] Vahn Gharakhani of MoviePilot said "This beautiful book is not only my visual companion; it’s an inspiration to my future as a filmmaker. "[10] The Austin Chronicle described the book as "Disney's newest classic, taken back to its enchanting designs."[11]
