"Frozen" has become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, beating "Toy Story 3" and "Lion King". And of course, it won two Academy Awards including Best Animated Feature Film. With everyone singing "Let It Go," it is pretty obvious that "Frozen" is a much-loved animated film but what exactly made it so popular? Here are 6 reasons why it topped the list of animated films.

1. The Songs 

When firefighters are saving the life of a little girl by singing "Let It Go," you know the song is more than just a chart topper. With Idina Menzel's amazing Broadway vocals, the song just seems to be appropriate in any situation from people going through breakups to kids who just dropped their ice cream. Of course, other songs in the "Frozen" soundtrack are equally impressive such as "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" and "In Summer." (Olaf is the most adorable snowman in the world. Fact.) There hasn't been a musical animated feature film for a while and "Frozen" came at just the right time. 

2. An Evil Prince Charming or A Real Life Villain?

Finally, a prince that is not so charming all the time! Disney films are known to be a fantasy love story of the prince and the princess living "happily ever after," but not this time. The prince is not the hero that saves the day, but the villain who tries to take over a country. Like many girls, Anna falls in love with a seemingly charming prince, Hans, and thinks she has finally met the one when he turns out to be a jerk. One of the best things about Hans is the character he secretly plays - the mirror. When facing different characters, Hans changes his personality and tone to reflect the other character. When he's with Elsa, he acts like a timid hero. When he's with Anna, he acts like he's a sociable funny person like her. When he sees himself in the mirror, he finally reveals his true self. It is interesting to see a dynamic, yet real, character in Disney for the first time. 

3. Witty Sidekick - Olaf

I mean, who doesn't love Olaf? He's cute, he's charming, and he loves Anna like Elsa does ("Some people are worth melting for"). And like a wise observer, he tries to save Anna and tells her how "true love is putting someone else before yourself." Olaf adds a bit of humor here and there to the story, so even though the story itself deals with betrayal and death, Olaf lightens the tone and makes the movie suitable for kids too.

4. Strong Female Protagonists

Who run the world? Girls. Throughout the film, Elsa and Anna have both been strong female protagonists as opposed to the traditional princess character. Of course since "Brave" and "Tangled," Disney princesses have become stronger and stronger but the fact that two female characters lead the feature film is still groundbreaking. When Elsa becomes queen of Arendelle and rules the kingdom, we know Disney has taken another step to portraying strong, independent female characters on-screen. She is the second non-evil Disney Queen who has powers, after Rapunzel. 

5. Possible Gay Family

It is still unclear whether or not this is true but in a scene in "Frozen" when Anna and Kristoff are at Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna, the big guy who is the owner of the store might be gay. As he shows Kristoff the sauna, he says "Hello, family!" The guy in the sauna can be interpreted as the owner's husband or that it was a separate family that were using the sauna. But either way, "Frozen" might be the first animated film to portray a gay couple.

6. The Pre-show "Get a Horse!"

Before "Frozen" stars, we see a Disney short film called "Get a Horse" which features both the black and white old-school version of Mickey and a more modern version of Mickey in 3D. Isn't that amazing? It makes audiences feel just a bit nostalgic about how far Disney has come, especially right before they're about to watch one of the most groundbreaking Disney films of all time. 

Reach Staff Reporter Michelle Man here.