Disney will remove the awful 20-minute 'Frozen' short from 'Coco' this week
Olaf's Frozen Adventure will be put on ice.
Disney has directed theaters running Coco, Pixar's latest, to remove the deeply unpopular 22-minute Frozen short that plays in front of each screening. The removal goes into effect on Dec. 8, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Mashable.
The request from Disney also asks that theaters use the newly freed-up time to hold extra screenings of Coco each day.
Pixar movies generally open with a completely unrelated short film, usually running no more than 10 minutes. Olaf changed the game somewhat, between its length and its reliance on a Disney Animation Studios hit (Pixar's shorts are generally homegrown).
The Frozen short has been especially problematic for a number of reasons. Length is the biggest issue, of course, since the actual movie doesn't start until 40 minutes after the advertised time, between trailers, ads, and Olaf. That's a lot of extra sitting around for an audience comprised primarily of kids expecting a story about music and family, set against the backdrop of Mexico's Dia de los Muertos.
Some have also accused Disney of shameless self-promotion, for swapping in what is seen as an ad for Frozen 2 -- which is out in Nov. 2019 -- where there would usually be a Pixar creation. As Mashable's Brittany Levine wrote last week, Olaf's Frozen Adventure "felt like Disney was spitting in my popcorn for 21 minutes."
Disney hasn't yet responded to a request for comment.
Entertainment editor Josh Dickey contributed reporting to this story.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
