Eighty per cent of the weight is on my arms,’ says Ashley, before Sven’s head is finally put in place. Even now the animal seems just too big for one performer to inhabit. Superman: Legacy reportedly finds its Lex Luthor, and it's someone who was almost the Man of Steel himself

At the other end of both man and beast Ashley’s feet have already been bound into a balletic point position. This creates the dogleg shape of Sven’s hindquarters. Meanwhile, Ashley’s forearm extensions allow him to control the reindeer’s expressions by twitching ears or fluttering eyelashes. The Frozen 3 story will continue from where Frozen 2 left off, but even that's speculative this early on. Frozen 2 is somewhat unusual in that it doesn't have an actual villain, and is instead about a journey to find out the source of Elsa's powers (and to reveal the secrets of Arendelle's past). However, it does go to lengths to repeatedly remind the audience of Frozen's villain, Prince Hans. I don’t think we could fake that,’ says Stephanie. ‘From the moment we met we really did hit it off. Samantha was cast before me and texted as soon as I was given my role. But then Sven is a very different species from the traditional two-person pantomime horse, just as Olaf is a world away from, well, anything.Jennifer Lee – who wrote and co-directed the first two movies – revealed in October 2023 that the creative team is already delivering astounding work for the threequel. "I'm so excited. I don't know what I'm doing on it yet. I might be doing nothing," she said. Barks’s performance is soaked with sadness as she speaks of the “monstrous” magic within her and the stage comes alive every time she sings. She is a far more emotionally expressive princess than in the film – an oddball stranded with her super-powers, like a lonely character from The Incredibles. The Oscar-winning power ballad Let It Go grows in strength here, saturated with emotional drama as she sheds off her old identity to embrace the magic within and take control of her destiny. Queen Anna has a lot on her plate – there are visitors in her Kingdom, a friend in need, and even the Duke of Weselton’s nephew skulking around – so when the Spirits of Nature start acting up, she knows she has to solve the problem – and fast – before things get more out of control. This is the part of the show where Michael Grandage’s production narrows its focus on Arendelle’s newly crowned queen and no one else. It is the moment everyone has been waiting for. Frozen 3 is officially underway, and the work done so far has left one of the original Frozen creators "blown away".

Fill the tube with water, activating the snow-like compound, then place the small doll inside and shake to magically reveal the character Wish is the latest Disney animated film to launch in theaters. (Image credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios) If for any reason he sees someone out of position and in the line of fire it is his job to let go of the handle and abort the scene. But all is clear.We went for a cup of coffee, that turned into prosecco and then dinner. Since then we have genuinely been like sisters and spend time together outside the show. I think that’s important because lots of people say they can feel our chemistry on stage.’ Gradually, however, it grows to become its own magical thing, with some charming inventions and a few new songs (the best of which is an audacious comic number, appearing out of nowhere to satirise the Nordic notion of hygge as naked characters conga out of a sauna). What is more surprising than the uniformly storming singing voices and the theatrical razzmatazz is the sense of a real, beating heart in the relationship between the two tortured sisters. Earlier that day I had watched Samantha and Stephanie rehearse a special performance for the Olivier Awards and the two stars seemed as close when they were out of character as they were as Elsa and Anna.