'Frozen' special to air on ABC next month

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- ABC says it plans to air a special called The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic on Sept. 2.

The collaboration between Lincoln Square Productions and Walt Disney Animation Studios will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the origins and evolution of the Academy Award-winning 2013 film Frozen, the network said in a news release Wednesday.

The program will also include an announcement about the future of the Frozen franchise and a preview of the upcoming Frozen-themed episode of ABC's live-action drama series Once Upon a Time.

"Viewers will get a rare look inside Walt Disney Animation Studios and unprecedented access to the creative team that brought Frozen to life," the news release said.

"Throughout the one-hour special, the audience will hear from Frozen stars Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, the directors, songwriters, producer and artists and chief creative officer John Lasseter -- the team who dreamed of making a cherished Hans Christian Andersen story into a big-screen animated musical. Viewers will take a journey to the beautiful Norwegian villages and landscapes that inspired the look of Arendelle -- the fictional kingdom -- and see images and footage from the research trips to Norway, Quebec and points beyond that helped create the film's unforgettable look and feel."