How Disney’s Frozen II Used AI-Driven Tools to Revolutionize Animation Production and Visual Realism

By: GoBeyond Team

July 3, 2025

3 min read

Frozen II AI-enhanced animation scene showing realistic snow and water simulation

Quick Overview

Disney’s Frozen II integrated AI-driven tools such as “Swoop” for realistic simulation of snow, water, and ice, and “Hyperion,” a machine-learning-based real-time lighting system. AI enhanced facial animation, lip-sync, dynamic hair and clothing movement, and crowd simulation, streamlining production, improving creative control, and enabling complex scenes with high visual realism.

Disney

Company Size

~220,000 employees (The Walt Disney Company)

Revenue Range

$85B+ annual revenue (2024)

Primary Challenge

Accelerating animation production while pushing visual and emotional storytelling boundaries

Key Metrics

\- Faster production cycles\- Higher visual realism and immersion\- Enhanced creative flexibility\- Set new industry benchmarks in animation

The Problem

Traditional animation methods were time-consuming, costly, and limited in simulating complex natural phenomena and real-time lighting

The Solution

Developed and deployed in-house AI tools “Swoop” for physics-based environment simulation and “Hyperion” for ML-driven real-time rendering; integrated AI for facial expression refinement, lip-sync, and crowd animation

Results

\- Reduced rendering times enabling immediate creative feedback\- More lifelike character animation and emotional expression\- Complex crowd scenes with AI-driven simulation\- Industry-leading visual effects and storytelling quality