Josh Gad on 'Olaf Presents': Revisiting moments from Disney classic movies was a joy

Actor Josh Gad says returning as Olaf for ''Olaf Presents'' was an absolute joy as the latest series allowed him to revisit his favourite Disney movies.

Gad, 40, reprises his singing snowman character from the ''Frozen'' films for the six-episode show, which made its debut on the streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar last week.

''Olaf Presents'' is a series of shorts starring Olaf as he recreates moments from Disney Animation classics like ''The Little Mermaid'', ''Moana'', ''The Lion King'', ''Aladdin'' and ''Tangled''.

The American actor said he grabbed the opportunity to do the show as he remembered watching ''The Little Mermaid'' and other Disney classics in theatres in the 1990s. ''I was at that perfect age during the second golden age of Disney Animation. I remember seeing 'The Little Mermaid' in the theatre and being, like, what is this? Why? It feels like a Broadway show on screen.

''It was like the first time I can remember applauding in a theatre after the songs were done. So, getting to go back and specifically revisit those films was a dream come true,'' Gad said during a recent global press conference, also attended virtually by PTI.

Veteran Disney animator Hyrum Osmond has directed the series, while Jennifer Newfield is attached as producer.

What Gad liked about ''Olaf Presents'' was that it gave Olaf a chance to grow as a character.

''None of these characters, in particular Olaf, stays stagnant. There's an element of growth and development. In the first 'Frozen', he's a newborn. He's innocent and has so many questions.

''And then in 'Frozen 2', he's sort of an adolescent, and he starts to go through this existential kind of crisis. And I think in each, there's this subtle growth happening in him that I think is important to keeping him interesting and dynamic, so that it never feels like you're just seeing him do the same thing again and again,'' he added.

The actor said he was able to find ''new wrinkles'' in Olaf, who approaches everything with a glass-half-full mentality.

''But on top of that, juxtaposing it with the joy of getting to sort of send up, if you will, some of my favourite films. That was the real privilege, fun and thrill for me,'' he added.

The season one of ''Olaf Presents'' is a Walt Disney Animation Studios production.

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