'Frozen' golden for Whitefish man

When Whitefish native and Flathead High School graduate Chuck Tappan shared an Academy Award for his work on Disney’s “Frozen,” he wasn’t at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Nor was he at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank or home with his young daughters watching on television.

“I was changing a flat tire on the way to the Oscar party,” he said with a laugh. “I found out ‘Frozen’ had won over the phone.”

The Look Department Leader, Tappan, 44, was one of more than 800 people who worked on the animated feature film.

“Frozen” tells the tale of Elsa, the princess of the fictional kingdom of Arendelle. She had the magical ability to create ice and snow but difficulties controlling her gift lead to self-isolation until her coronation day ends in disaster.

A scheming Duke, a goofball snowman and a man who speaks for his reindeer buddy add more friends and challenges for Elsa and her sister Anna, who tries to get the new queen back to the kingdom.

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” “Frozen” has resonated with audiences worldwide. The film premiered late last year, has already made more than $1 billion, and is poised to pass “Toy Story 3” for the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

“To see the effect of us winning, the energy in the building, that was amazing,” Tappan said. “The movie crossed the billion-dollar mark and won two Oscars in the same day. It was so amazing to be a part of it.”

“Frozen” won best animated feature film and best original song for Idina Menzel’s “Let it Go,” sung by Elsa after leaving her kingdom.

Tappan’s department, which controls the look of the film (rather than the modeler, animator and lighter, which control other visual aspects) helped create the winter wonderland that is the kingdom of Arendelle. The look consists of individual strands of hair, the sheen on skin and each snowflake scattering properly among hundreds of other things that spend much of their time in the background.

“We not only have to make a world believable,” Tappan said. “But then we have to make something happen in it that’s engaging.”

“Frozen” combines the signature Disney humor and wholesomeness with a tale of strong women. For Tappan, with two pre-adolescent daughters, he couldn’t ask for a better career.

“Oh my god, they’re so happy,” he said. “They are just getting to the age where they can appreciate what I’m doing and like it.”

Tappan alternates taking his daughters to premieres. With movies such as “Tangled” and “Frozen” on his resume, it is working out well for his girls.

He attributes much of his success to his upbringing in Whitefish. Tappan is a 1987 Flathead High School graduate and his parents, Jane and William Tappan, still live in Whitefish.

“In Montana, when you need to do something you just kind of go do it,” Tappan said. “I read about computer graphics in art school and learned it myself.”

After Flathead, he went to art school in Detroit and a roommate suggested he take his knowledge to Disney. Tappan asked for a job and was snapped up right away. Films to his credit include “Dinosaur,” “Chicken Little,” “Meet The Robinsons,” “Bolt” and “Wreck-it-Ralph.”

“Chuck has always been an artist,” his mother said. “He’s done really, really well for himself. I’m very proud of him, of course.”

The Academy Award for best animated feature was Disney’s first in the category, which began in 2001. Pixar (bought by Disney in 2006) had won seven of the awards, Dreamworks had won two and Studio Ghibli, Warner Brothers and Nickelodeon Studios each had one win. Disney Studios had been nominated several times, but “Frozen” was the one that took the gold.

The final product was the result of nearly a year of work for Tappan and the hundreds of other animators, artists, designers and actors it takes to get a film “in the can.”

He said the films he works on can take between six months and a year. “Dinosaur,” a costly 2000 flop, took more than three years to produce. Despite early setbacks, Tappan said working for Disney was something for which he was thankful every day.

“It’s a magical place to work,” he said. “Some say it would be hard to have this job, but for me it would be hard not to be here.”

While working for Disney Studios in Southern California keeps him happy, he admits he might rather live in a world more like “Frozen.”

“I wish I were there,” Tappan said of Whitefish being buried in snow. “I miss the cold and snow. It was a great place to grow up.”

Upcoming projects for Disney Studios include “Big Hero 6” and “Zootopia,” both of which promise to keep Tappan busy. But if he gets a chance to visit his parents and his old stomping grounds, the snow and ice wouldn’t be a limiting factor.

After all, the cold never bothered him anyway.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.