A magical queen uses her powers 
to coat her kingdom in ice and snow
 in “Frozen,” but creating the wintery backdrop to the fantasy tale required the Disney team to build new technology. In order to realistically depict the way that characters sink into snow while walking, or the manner in which the wind whips up drifts of white powder, Disney crafted a digital tool set that it christened, with a
trace of alpine wit, Matterhorn.

In this sequence, the Snow Queen learns the fate of her sister, a revelation that sets loose a great gust of snow and releases scores of tiny snowflakes. The effect on Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter during story artist John Ripa’s pitch was galvanic. “John led everyone in a standing ovation,” producer Peter Del Vecho told TheWrap. “I’ve never seen him do that before.