Snow Queen

"Once a year she rises. For one season she reigns."

2002 3h 0m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 79

AdventureFamilyFantasyScience FictionTV Movie

Synopsis

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Since a bitter winter storm stole the life of Gerda's mother, she and her father have sadly continued to run the remote hotel they call home. Lonely and isolated, Gerda's only joy is Kai, the handsome bellboy. A mysterious guest with an icy stare arrives at the hotel one night, wrapped in fur and diamonds. By daybreak, the "Snow Queen" has vanished with Kai! Gerda embarks on a journey of morphing seasons, fantastical creatures, and long-frozen mysteries in a desperate quest to find her stolen love.

“Once a year she rises. For one season she reigns.”

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Cast

Bridget Fonda
Snow Queen
Jeremy Guilbaut
Kai
Chelsea Hobbs
Gerda
Robert Wisden
Wolfgang
Wanda Cannon
Minna
Meghan Black
Robber Girl
Jennifer Clement
Spring Witch
Kira Clavell
Summer Princess

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Wu
Writers: Simon Moore, Hans Christian Andersen
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 180 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Wu, shot by Gregory Middleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lawrence Shragge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yelena Lanskaya shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bridget Fonda and Jeremy Guilbaut and Chelsea Hobbs carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Once a year she rises. For one season she reigns.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0210294 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Wu directs. Gregory Middleton behind the camera. Lawrence Shragge scores. Yelena Lanskaya cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 180 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Directed by David Wu, shot by Gregory Middleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lawrence Shragge. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Yelena Lanskaya shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bridget Fonda and Jeremy Guilbaut and Chelsea Hobbs carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Once a year she rises. For one season she reigns.".
8IMDB entry: tt0210294 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gregory Middleton
Original score: Lawrence Shragge
Editing: Yelena Lanskaya
Production design: Clyde Klotz
Stunt coordinator: Dan Shea
Runtime: 180 min · 3h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Snow Queen (2002)

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David Wu

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-04-03
★ 6/10
Uneven Hallmark fantasy notable as Bridget Fonda’s last film In the late 1800s the daughter (Chelsea Hobbs) of a hotel owner in a town in the Great Northwest becomes enamored with the bellboy, Kai (Jeremy Guilbaut). When an icy-but-beautiful woman known as the Snow Queen (Bridget Fonda) whisks him away, Gerda (Hobbs) seeks to find him & free him after she amazingly enters the parallel realm of the Snow Queen. But, first, she has to struggle through Spring, Summer and Autumn and the challenges thereof. "Snow Queen" (2002) is a Hallmark production that runs 12 minutes shy of 3 hours and was based on the original fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, which was first published in two parts in 1844-1845. Elements from another folktale about the four seasons were mixed into the brew. This is an Americanized version of the fairy tale with the events taking place somewhere out West in the USA or Canada, both of which are (North) America. The film was shot in British Columbia and takes place there or anywhere in the Great Northwest in the late 1800s (or early 1900s). It definitely doesn’t take place in Denmark since (1) there are snowcapped mountains in the background and (2) everyone speaks English. I suppose someone could argue that it takes place in either Norway or Sweden, but that doesn't resolve the English-speaking issue (unless you simply imagine the characters speaking a Scandinavian language). The long movie’s worth catching just to see Bridget in her last role before marrying notable composer Danny Elfman and starting a family. Hobbs doesn’t personally trip my trigger, but she’s a’right. Guilbaut is bland, but serviceable. The movie comes alive whenever Fonda is present. Most of the first half is rooted in reality and is quite good for a TV production, but the mid-section focuses on Gerda’s misadventures journeying through Spring, Summer and Autumn while Kai is captive in the Snow Queen’s stronghold on top of a mountain guarded by a talking polar bear. The entire middle of the picture cuts back-and-forth between these two stories with a few sequences in reality thrown in for good measure, the latter involving the father at the hotel (Robert Wisden) and his cook, Minna (Wanda Cannon). In Gerda’s quest the characters come-and-go like a rollercoaster ride. It’s reminiscent of the Neverland sequences in “Hook” (1991). If you like fairy tales like “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012) or episodic fantasies like “The Odyssey” (1997), “Ulysses” (1954) and “The Lords of the Rings” trilogy (2001-2003) give this a look; just remember it was made on a TV budget and there’s not a lot of swashbuckling, as with those other productions. The film runs 2 hour, 48 minutes and was shot entirely in British Columbia (Cranbrook, Fort Steele & Vancouver). GRADE: C+/B-