Queen Elsa of Arendelle (AKA The Snow Queen) is the deuteragonist of Disney's Academy Award-winning 2013 animated feature film, Frozen and the protagonist of its 2019 sequel. She is the older sister of Princess Anna and was next in line for Arendelle's throne, until her powers over ice and snow led her to becoming the famous Snow Queen later the princess. She is voiced by Idina Menzel.
Elsa is loosely based on the title character of "The Snow Queen", a short story by Hans Christian Andersen, and to a much lesser extent, Kai from the same story. While the character from the original fairy tale was neutral, Elsa was rewritten as the deuteragonist.
Disney's Frozen "Let It Go" Sequence Performed by Idina Menzel
Elsa Sings "Let It Go"
She will join the Disney Princess line-up, along with her sister making her the 13th Disney Princess and the first queen later princess in the line-up.
Actress and singer Megan Mullally was originally cast to voice Elsa, but was replaced by Broadway actress Idina Menzel, best known for performing Elphaba from Wicked. Menzel already knew Kristen Bell, who voiced Anna, and had previously auditioned for a lead role in the 2010 Disney animated feature film Tangled. She was not cast for the part, but the casting director recorded her singing and later showed the recording to Frozen's film executives. Menzel was surprised when she was subsequently asked to audition, and she received the role after reading the script out loud.
Director Chris Buck believed that Menzel's vocals would help in the portrayal of the character, saying, "Idina has a sense of vulnerability in her voice. She plays a very strong character, but someone who lives in fear—so we needed someone who could portray both sides of the character, and Idina was just amazing."
In an interview with Menzel, she acknowledged the similarities between Elsa and Elphaba. She mentioned they were both very powerful and misunderstood individuals, and she herself could relate to the characters, having hidden her singing talent from her peers at school. "I didn't want to alienate anyone," she explained. "If everyone was singing along in the car to a Madonna song, I didn't join in because when we're younger we're afraid of sticking out or showing off, when in fact we should own those things that make us really unique."
Development
An early 3D model for the villainous Elsa.
Actress and singer Megan Mullally was originally cast to voice Elsa, but was replaced by Broadway actress Idina Menzel, best known for performing Elphaba from Wicked. Menzel already knew Kristen Bell, who voiced Anna, and had previously auditioned for a lead role in the 2010 Disney animated feature film Tangled. She was not cast for the part, but the casting director recorded her singing and later showed the recording to Frozen's film executives. Menzel was surprised when she was subsequently asked to audition, and she received the role after reading the script out loud.
Director Chris Buck believed that Menzel's vocals would help in the portrayal of the character, saying, "Idina has a sense of vulnerability in her voice. She plays a very strong character, but someone who lives in fear—so we needed someone who could portray both sides of the character, and Idina was just amazing."
In an interview with Menzel, she acknowledged the similarities between Elsa and Elphaba. She mentioned they were both very powerful and misunderstood individuals, and she herself could relate to the characters, having hidden her singing talent from her peers at school. "I didn't want to alienate anyone," she explained. "If everyone was singing along in the car to a Madonna song, I didn't join in because when we're younger we're afraid of sticking out or showing off, when in fact we should own those things that make us really unique."
Personality
An illustration from the storybook A Sister More Like Me demonstrating the contrasting personas of Elsa and Anna.
As the queen regnant of the kingdom of Arendelle, Elsa appears calm, reserved, regal and, unlike her sister, is experienced in grace, energy, and poise. Beneath this elegant appearance and despite her beauty, however, Elsa is quite complex; in truth, Elsa is troubled with her abilities — a trait that stems from a traumatic incident as a child. When she was younger, she had cared strongly for Anna and, although she was the more mature and reserved of the two sisters, Elsa was still quite playful. However, ever since her magic nearly caused her sister's death, Elsa had lived in fear and trauma for a great amount of her life, too nervous to let her powers overdevelop. As a result, she chose isolation from everyone she cared about, including Anna, out of fear that she could hurt them and kept things to herself rather than communicate or be around anyone. From said concern, Elsa is sensitive towards other people and their well-being, as Elsa always felt that she had to be far away from people as much as possible in order to keep them as safe as possible. As such, she felt that she could not truly rule a kingdom because of this flaw, although she tried her hardest to repress her abilities for the sake of the kingdom and to be a good ruler for Arendelle when her time came, thus gaining a great sense of responsibility at an early age.
Often, although Elsa demonstrates her willingness to sacrifice her own happiness for everyone else's, she herself feels irritated from the restraints that she is forced into, most evidently on her coronation day when she was to become queen, even though she was very apprehensive from the threat of her wintry powers and simply be accepted for who she is. Growing up believing that her powers were unstable caused Elsa to cut off interaction with Anna, fearing that she could not control her powerful emotions with Anna around to spur them further. Despite her moral reasoning, she came off as aloof and cold towards anyone who wished to see her. Because Anna had to have the memories of Elsa's magic removed from her memory in order to stop Elsa's curse from damaging her mind and body beyond repair, Anna did not understand why Elsa's isolation was so dire and simply believed Elsa was uncaring. However, Elsa truly loved Anna and always wished to be with her whenever Anna asked — a chance Elsa greatly regretted refusing and was left in deep despair when Anna became the only family she had left. She also believes that she thinks she does not belong in Arendelle as she sees herself only as a force of destruction, implying that Elsa has low self-esteem towards herself in an extreme case, as she constantly blames herself to be the sole cause for most of her life's misfortunes, despite others stating that she is not, to the point that she deliberately forces everyone away because she is a hazard towards them. However, during "Let It Go", Elsa reveals a liberated side to her personality. Without stress or fear of hurting others, Elsa is strong and unafraid, yet with an air of elegance still surrounding her. Armed with a sense of freedom, she is confident in her abilities and accepts them as a part of her, letting them roam free with grace and beauty, all the while no longer worried or daunted by her restraints. In the segment, which was entirely about letting go of her fears and being herself, Elsa abandons what others had wanted out of her, including her parents, so that she can be free to be herself. During this time, Elsa proves herself to be incredibly artistic and a daring young woman willing to remain far from what she was destined to be and rejects her own fate as Arendelle's queen for the choice of her own freedom. Although she has a reclusive demeanor towards people, Elsa does possess a softer side; Elsa was more than willing to share some words with Anna as a form of comfort between the two and was seen speaking with dignitaries, hinting that she is not afraid to socialize with others but is at least open to it.
She also displays a playful side to her personality several times, such as having a snowball fight with Anna in one of the promotional ads and sneakily tricking the Duke of Weselton (who was a terrible dancer) into dancing with Anna during the ball. And despite her fear, Elsa shows to truly care about her family and her kingdom as more than just a position quite selflessly, as she was evidently frightened when she realizes that she had created a winter over her kingdom when she had tried so desperately to avoid them from the peril her powers could potentially bring. But due to the influence of her magic, Elsa does not like to confront things she had caused, for she has always believed she can only create winter, not remove it. However, Elsa's strongest part of herself is her love for her sister, a trait that gives Elsa the ultimate motivation to save Anna. Although she feels responsible for the chaos that she has caused, the bond that Elsa shares with Anna is stronger than she knows, as the feeling itself is her reminder that she is not truly alone in the world when there is someone else who cares for her as well. With love, Elsa finds a stronger grip over her abilities in order to save those she cares about. From this, Elsa confronts her fears and learns how to use her powers for good instead of imbalance and, in doing so, gains the will to control them. After she conquers her fear and gains recognition from the kingdom, Elsa's personality becomes warm and playful once again, although still possessing her serene nature, as she happily attends ice-skating with Anna and the others, even helping Anna to ice skate without fear of freezing her as well as creating a snow cloud to help Olaf remain alive during summer. Interestingly enough, although she is passive compared to Anna, it is implied that she ironically enjoys more thrilling activities than her sister. Immediately after thawing Arendelle, she creates an ice rink for everyone to enjoy without hesitation. While Anna is somewhat hesitant, she skates without fear, even encouraging her to join in.
Physical Appearance
Elsa in her coronation outfit (left) and in her Snow Queen outfit (right).
Elsa is a regally and unbearably beautiful young woman with a tall, slender figure, long, platinum blonde hair, icy blue eyes, a small nose, and very pale skin with a light dusting of freckles, a trait she shares with her sister Anna, though less prominent. Her face is the mirror image of her mother, as during her coronation, she bore a striking resemblance to the Queen, albeit with a different hair color. In her pre-Snow Queen state, she wears a teal dress with a sweetheart bodice with bronze trim, black long-sleeved turtleneck blouse with red and teal crystals, magenta cape, with dark brown flats with gold outlines and teal stockings (which disappear after her transformation) underneath, and her hair woven in a French braided crown twist bun. Ever since the accident with Anna at age 8, Elsa wears white gloves to contain her powers, but at her coronation, she wears longer, cyan gloves that go with her outfit. Her eyelids have a dusting of lavender eye shadow and magenta lipstick.
In her Snow Queen state, Elsa wears her hair in a loose braid that is swept over her left shoulder. The braid is woven with snowflake incrustations, and wisps of her bangs slicked back on top of her head with a smaller piece resting down on her forehead. Her hair appears to be thick, although this may be so because she has much more hair (400,000 strands) than the average human (100,000 strands). She wears a crystal-blue, off-the-shoulder dress made out of ice with a right knee-high slit, a crystallized bodice and translucent, powder blue sleeves. Covering her feet are kitten heels made entirely from ice and, attached to the back of her bodice is a long, transparent cape of sheer ice which is decorated with large snowflakes and sweeps the floor. She also wears dark pink lipstick, and shiny, purplish-pink eye shadow.
Powers and Abilities
Elsa's snow magic.
Elsa in the process of creating her ice palace.
Elsa is most iconic being the Snow Queen, and as such, she has complete and total control over cold temperatures and the element of ice and snow (also known as cryokinesis and frigokinesis). With her abilities (that she was apparently born with), Elsa can conjure up and shape various things from snow flurries to blizzards. Most of her powers are unleashed via her hands, and controlled by her emotions. If she's happy and at peace, her powers would be under her complete control, but if she's stressed or fearful, she will lose control and cause great harm to those around her. Near the end of Frozen, it appears that she has gained more control over her powers.
Some of what her powers can do are seen throughout the film. In the beginning, she was able to turn the entire castle's ball room into a winter wonderland. She is also able to create enchanted snowmen (both large and small), ice structures such as her ice palace, deadly blizzards as mentioned above, and more. She's also been seen being able to move ice structures at will. It also appears that she can control transitional forms of snow, as she was not only able to create solid forms such as ice, but gaseous forms as well; for instance, she creates a snow cloud for Olaf at the end of the film. Interestingly, it would seem that nearly her entire being can conjure ice and snow, as seen when she flees across the fjord - the water immediately freezes the moment her foot touches the water.
Her powers are most prominently featured during "Let It Go" in which Elsa frees herself from the fear and stress she held, allowing her abilities to run wild. In the sequence she created her ice palace, a stairway for entrance, Olaf, as well as her ice gown. During the song she even points out that her powers protect her from the effects of cold. It is also shown that despite not having any formal training, she is capable of being a fierce fighter with her magic. When the Duke's thugs attack her midway through the movie, she is able to hold them both off on her own.
It's also interesting to note that in times when Elsa is truly frightened, her powers might act on their own in order to protect her. In the attack by the Duke's men, an arrow is shot at her from a crossbow. Almost instantly, a wall of ice forms as a shield to intercept the arrow before it would otherwise lodge itself in Elsa's head. So it's possible her ice powers may have a will of their own to some extent, where they respond to whatever Elsa feels. This possibility could explain why she is able to create Olaf and Marshmallow. Theoretically, in having a mind of its own, it would make sense if the ice powers split part of its sentience off into these external shells created by Elsa, each of whom represent a certain aspect of Elsa's personality. It also appears that her powers depend on which emotion she feels; if she is in sorrow, all the snow particles in the air stand still as if in a state of suspended animation, while anger creates a similar effect to fear but with an offensive direction instead of chaotic versatility.
The only way thought to conceal her powers is initially by wearing gloves on her hands, which appeared to negate her icy touch on other objects. However, it's possible this is nothing but a psychological mindset that helps to keep her anxiety and any icy outbursts under control all her life. Because it is her father, one of the few people she trusted, that claims that wearing them will stop her abilities, Elsa believes it to be true, so by wearing gloves she thinks truly stop her powers, as a result of said belief, they do. This is supported by the fact she is able to freeze through the hand shackles in Arendelle's prison cell, in her desperation to get away, proving that covering her hands does not actually stop her power, but rather, sheer force of will and belief.
It is shown that if she casts her magic on a living being directly, the victim will not only freeze to death, but slowly transform into an ice statue, and the process only hastens if they are in cold conditions. While the curse can be removed if the magic affects the mind, the heart is the most vulnerable and if this is the case, the victim can only be cured by an act of true love. While Elsa had thought she cannot undo the frosty effects she creates, it is revealed that that she is capable of removing such curses through her love for others, as it is the warmest emotion of all. One interesting thing to note is that when the animators were creating her character, and coming up with ways for her to use her abilities, they came up with a Signature Snowflake for her. This snowflake can be seen multiple times through out the film on almost everything she creates. Such instances are when she slams her foot into the ground to create the floor of her ice palace in "Let It Go", the pattern on the doors that led to the balcony of her ice palace, and it is the snowflake shown within the "O" in the in-movie logo.
Frozen
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Frozen Fever
In the animated short taking place nearly a year after the events of the original feature film, Elsa is planning Anna's nineteenth birthday. Because of the years spent in forced isolation, Elsa hopes to use the special day to rectify the sorrowful years prior and bestow upon Anna the birthday she deserves. With the help of Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, Elsa makes preparations in the castle courtyard, though she is notably nervous about the affairs, and struggles to suppress her perfectionist nature. Nevertheless, the time comes to begin the day, and the Snow Queen heads inside to wake her sister. Following a trail of string throughout the castle and city, Elsa and Anna begin their day of sisterly bonding, but throughout, Elsa constantly sneezes and sniffles to the point where it's clear that a cold has consumed the queen. Whenever she sneezes, miniature snow-babies known as Snowgies are born, and they immediately rush to the castle courtyard and cause a mess as Kristoff, Olaf and Sven struggle to suppress them.
Meanwhile, Anna picks up a bottle of cold remedy from Oaken, though it causes the queen to fall into intoxication, thus manipulating her actions. The hectic day leads to the city's clock tower, and a delirious Elsa nearly falls off the ledge until she's saved by Anna. Finally coming down from her high, a comforting Anna manages to have Elsa admit the presence of her fever, and the sisters return to the castle. Guilty over the trouble she's caused, Elsa apologizes to her sister for ruining another birthday, though the latter retorts by claiming what's most important is the health of her sister, and takes her into the castle gates, only to find Kristoff, Sven, Olaf and the Snowgies having managed to successfully keep the party intact. A celebration follows, and Elsa, still slightly intoxicated, insists on blowing the celebratory horn, which shoots out a massive snowball as a result of a sneeze, and lands in the Southern Isles on the conniving Prince Hans.
That night, Anna assists Elsa in preparing for bed, and as the short comes to an end, Anna admits that her favorite part of the day was having the opportunity to care for her big sister, whom she loves so.
Elsa's family
Anna - sister
Emma - sister
Snow White - step mother
Snow Queen - aunt
Disney Parks
Elsa posing for a photo at Disneyland Paris.
Elsa and Anna make appearances for meet and greets at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. They started making appearances shortly before their movie's release.
In California, Elsa and Anna greet guests at a location near Pinocchio's Daring Journey in Fantasyland. However, both Elsa and Anna will move from Disneyland to Disney California Adventure for meet-and-greets starting on January 7, 2015 as a part of the Frozen Fun promotion happening at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Their new meet-and-greet spot will be at "Anna and Elsa's Royal Welcome", which is inside the Disney Animation attraction at Disney California Adventure. They're also featured in a Frozen pre-parade before Mickey's Soundsational Parade.
In Disney California Adventure, Elsa makes a special appearance in Winter Dreams, the winter-themed rendition of the nighttime spectacular World of Color. During her appearance, she performs "Let It Go".
In Disneyland Paris, the two sisters appear in Disney Magic on Parade on a float also featuring Olaf. Elsa also appears in the nighttime spectacular Disney Dreams!
As of April 2014, the sisters are currently doing daily meet-and-greets in the Magic Kingdom's Princess Fairytale Hall with FastPass services available, due to their popularity. The two also appear in the Festival of Fantasy Parade. Elsa is also featured in Celebrate the Magic, where she performs "Let It Go". Also in the Magic Kingdom, beginning in November 2014, Elsa will take part in Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and host the nightly ceremony of transforming Cinderella Castle into a shimmering ice castle.
Elsa is also prominently featured as the hostess of Frozen: Summer Fun! at Disney's Hollywood Studios along with Anna and takes part in nearly every event (including the morning parade, sing-along show and nightly fireworks spectacular)
In Christmas of 2014, Elsa and Anna will begin making appearances at Hong Kong Disneyland, as well as in Tokyo Disneyland for Anna and Elsa's Frozen Fantasy.
Quotes
(Half-asleep) "Anna, go back to sleep."
(Smiling) "Go play by yourself!" (nudges Anna off the bed)
(As a child) "Ready?"
"Watch this!"
(Imitating her and Anna's snowman) "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"
(after hitting Anna in the head with her powers) "Anna!... MAMA! PAPA!"
"You're okay, Anna. I got you."
"Go away, Anna."
"Don't feel it. Don't let it show."
(As a teenager) "I'm scared! It's getting stronger!"
"No! Don't touch me! Please, I don't want to hurt you."
"Hi."
"You look beautiful."
(Laughing) "Thank you. (looking out in the crowd) So this is what a party looks like."
"What is that amazing smell?"
"Thank you. Only, I don't dance. But my sister does."
"You can't marry a man you just met."
"Anna, what do you know about true love?"
"You asked for my blessing, but my answer is no. Now, excuse me."
"No, you may not." (stammers) "And I think you should go. The party is over. Close the gates."
"Give me my glove!"
"Then leave."
"I said, ENOUGH!"
"Please, just stay away from me!"
(Repeated lines) "Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show."
(Singing) "Let the storm rage on! The cold never bothered me, anyway."
(Singing) "No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free."
"I never knew what I was capable of."
"You don't have to apologize, but you should probably go. Please."
"No, Anna, I belong here. Alone. Where I can be who I am without hurting anybody."
(Shocked) "Olaf?"
"And you're alive?"
(Amazed) "Yeah."
"No, we can't. Goodbye, Anna." (heads upstairs)
"No, I can't! I... I don't know how!"
(Frantically looks at Kristoff) "Who's this? (waves off) Wait, it doesn't matter. Just-- You have to go."
"How?! What power do you have to stop this winter? To stop me?!"
(With firm finality) "Yes... you are."
"Get it together. Control it!"
"Stay away!"
(Dismayed) "Oh, no... What have I done? (Hans enters the dungeon) Why did you bring me here?"
"But I'm a danger to Arendelle. Get Anna!"
"Don't you see? I can't."
"Please. You have to tell them to let me go!"
(To Hans) "Just take care of my sister!"
"ANNA! (gets up and touches Anna's frozen face) Oh, Anna... No, no, please..."
(Surprised) "Anna?"
"You sacrificed yourself for me?"
"'Love will thaw.' Love. Of course! Love!"
"Oh, Olaf! Hang on, little guy."
"Are you ready?"
"We are never closing them again."
"Oh, come on! (she pulls Anna to get her to skate) You can do it!!"
Trivia
In all the songs she sings in, her powers are present too. ("For the First Time in Forever") - freezing jewelry box and candle-stick; "Let It Go" - creating her ice palace and Olaf; "For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)" - accidentally freezing Anna's heart.
Unlike other Disney Princesses, she is not a princess, she's a queen. So that makes her the only Disney Princess to not be a princess.
Originally, Elsa was to be the main villain of the film (like most adaptations of The Snow Queen). But the writers felt that her song, "Let It Go", rather made her sound like a sympathetic person who was well-meaning. This ended up turning her into a heroine.
According to Jennifer Lee, Elsa was born on the Winter Solstice, meaning her birthday is around December 21 assuming the film takes place in the Northern Hemisphere.
Elsa's name (a variant of Elizabeth) is Germanic for "noble". It could also be a reference to Eliza, the heroine of another one of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, The Wild Swans.
Elsa is 21 years old by the time of her coronation, according to Jennifer Lee, the Junior Novelization, and the age difference between her and Anna is 3 years (Anna is 18 years old).
Elsa may have been inspired by classic actress and the former Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly. It should also be noted that director Alfred Hitchcock once described the cool and composed actress as a "snow-covered volcano." This comment may very well have inspired Elsa's passion, as seen in her 11 o'clock number.
Walt Disney had plans to adapt The Snow Queen in the 1940s, but after the character of the Snow Queen proved to be too hard to bring down to earth, the project was shelved. Oddly enough, during the 1950s, Disney films often used larger-than-life villainesses such as Lady Tremaine and Maleficent.
Elsa was alluded to in the Sofia the First episode "Winter's Gift" by Winter when she talks about a princess who makes ice.
Elsa is the first Disney Princess who is the deuteragonist to have a solo of her own. Jasmine, however, did have a solo that was cut from her feature film.
As the oldest sister, Elsa has one braid in her hair, while her younger sister Anna, has two.
Elsa has the same hairstyle like her mother, during her coronation.
Contrary to that, it is noted that Elsa's mother is actually a recolored and customized design of Elsa's coronation model. You can notice the similarities between Elsa and her mother from eyes, to cheeks and overall facial features (including their hairstyle) is the same. However, few differences are Queen Idun's hair color and her thinner face.
Elsa is very fond of chocolate, a trait she shares with her younger sister, Anna.
Contrary to how most adaptations (particularly the 1995 and 2012 versions) portray her, this version of the Snow Queen is not a villain, since the Snow Queen in the original fairy tale, though still the main antagonist was not intended to be evil. Also, the fairy tale involved an evil troll (implied to represent Satan) building a mirror which he will use to turn everyone evil, only to accidentally smash it in the process, and one of the shards ending up hitting Kai. The Queen was based on a woman Hans Christian Andersen personally hated for being shrewd and distant.
Elsa may have been based on Kai from the original "Snow Queen" fairy tale, who after ends up being kidnapped by the title Queen after he is unexpectedly stabbed by one of the broken shards of a magic mirror created by an evil troll which he was supposed to use to corrupt people and becoming cold and resentful, therefore prompting Gerda to try and rescue him, combined with the Snow Queen herself. In some adaptations, Kai and Gerda are actually blood-related siblings with quite a genuinely strong and close brother-sister relationship; as do Elsa and Anna.
If that is the case, Elsa is the first Disney Princess to be based on a female antagonist and a male protagonist from the source material, and the first false antagonist in the lineup.
Elsa, and the Snow Queen from the 2005 anime of the same name are the only two incarnations of the character to be portrayed as heroic characters.
The show Once Upon a Time has shown that an evil Snow Queen exists, which would mean that the Elsa in the aforementioned show acts as its version of Kai, though ironically being a queen of ice and snow.
Elsa appears to be Disney's ultimate subversion of the evil queen (and to a much lesser extent, Disney villainesses in general). While Elsa's behavior and powers would normally be possessed by villainous characters, Elsa on the other hand is extremely good-natured but misunderstood, and the only malicious traits she had appear to be her inner fears. Adding to this is the fact that she is associated with the number 13: she will be the 13th Princess, hers and Anna's ages in the prologue were 8 and 5, respectively (8+5=13), that the two were both isolated from each other for 13 years, and her film was released in 2013.
Elsa's design resembles that of Queen Jadis the White Witch, as they are both females with ice-based powers. However, unlike Jadis, Elsa is not really evil, just misguided.
Based on the lyrics of the deleted songs "Life's Too Short" and "Spring Pageant", originally, Elsa's decision to flee the kingdom was because of an ancient prophecy claiming that Arendelle could one day be destroyed by an evil queen with a literal heart of ice, and since Elsa, who can control ice and snow, who was the queen in question, did not want to associate herself with this prophecy, ends up running away on her coronation day after revealing her powers, only to end up fulfilling it instead due to her being hostile and vindictive to anyone who knows about it. Since Elsa was still a villain (albeit a misguided villain) in this draft, this would have made the movie be about sibling rivalry (and possibly redemption) instead of sibling friendship (a similar premise was used as a subplot for Brother Bear, where even though that movie was also about sibling friendship between the protagonist, who was turned into a bear, and his adoptive younger bear "brother" (his transformation was the consequence of him killing said cub's mother); said protagonist at the same time gets involved in a rivalry with his own brother as well, who wanted to kill him for "killing" his human form). This subplot was dropped after Elsa was rewritten into a heroine. Had this subplot been kept, it would've been referring to Hans.
Anna and Elsa are the 2nd Disney Princesses to have siblings, first being Ariel, not counting Cinderella, since Cinderella didn't have biological siblings.
Another early draft made Elsa the "heir" while Anna was the "spare".
Frozen writer Jennifer Lee once made a tweet jokingly suggesting that Elsa and Wreck-It Ralph would make a good couple during the 2013 D23 Expo. As a nod to that, in Disney INFINITY, if Ralph and Elsa are introduced to one another, Ralph will tell Elsa that she is "really pretty", and Elsa will reply "And you have a warm heart."
Elsa also bears some resemblance to Rosalina from the Mario series video games as both are magical female characters who primarily wear an off-the-shoulder light blue dress, and sporting blue eyes, blonde hair and pale skin. Also, while Elsa's film came out on November 22, 2013 (in a single theater), Rosalina (as a secret 5th character after clearing the 2nd extra level) appeared in Super Mario 3D World, released the exact same day.
Elsa is the second Disney Princess to have an elemental ability (Ice, Snow, Frost, Sleet, Hail), with the first being Rapunzel, who has healing abilities based on the element of Light.
In the Disney universe, Elsa and Anna artistically and thematically coincide with an aspect of nature, as did Rapunzel: Elsa (the cold moon) which stands alone and half in darkness, and Anna (the warm sun) which spreads over everyone (hence her optimism and positive outlook, enabling her to make friends easily). This can also be noted, for in the beginning of the film, Anna explains how the sky is awake when there was a bright moon, therefore she is. Even though the two are different, they complete each other, hence the film's ending of sisterly love saving the day instead of romantic love.
Since the Disney Princesses were designed to have all the Princesses unaware of each other's presence (however this is debatable given their interactions and scenes together in House of Mouse, at theWalt Disney World Resort and in the first Kingdom Hearts game), Elsa and Anna are the first and second to know of each other, however this could be since childhood. Ariel and Jasmine were seen together talking in The House of Mouse. Snow White was seen talking to Jasmine and Alice (even though she isn't a princess), along with Aurora talking with Cinderella in Kingdom Hearts. Additionally, Rapunzel has a cameo in the beginning of Frozen meaning she knows about both Elsa and Anna.
Anna and Elsa are the sixth and seventh Disney Princesses to be seen inside a holy building.
Anna and Elsa are the first two of all the Disney Princesses to be siblings and come from the same film, although Ariel has 6 older sisters (Ariel's sisters aren't included in the Disney Princess franchise).
Elsa is the second deuteragonist in 22 years to join the Disney Princess franchise, with the first being Jasmine.
Elsa is the first Disney Princess to actually become a queen, and the second heroine after Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
A queen consort (also empress consort), by contrast, is the wife of a reigning king (or emperor). A queen consort usually shares her husband’s rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant’s political and military powers unless he or a law grants them to her. A queen regnant is a queen in her own right with all the powers of a monarch, usually becoming queen by inheriting the throne on the death of the previous monarch (i.e. Elsa and Anna's parents); they have been far fewer in number than queen consorts.
Rapunzel, Anna and Elsa are the only Princesses that are playable characters in the first edition of Disney INFINITY. Coincidentally, all three also appear in Frozen (Rapunzel as a cameo for Elsa's coronation ceremony in the beginning of the film).
Elsa and Anna are the third and fourth of all the Disney Princesses to be orphans, the first two being Snow White and Cinderella, however, Elsa and her sister lost their parents in their teens as opposed to childhood. They are also the first not to have stepmothers.
Anna and Elsa are the 5th and 6th Disney Princesses to be seen as kids in their feature films, the first four being Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel and Merida.
Originally, Elsa (then a villain) was going to have dark hair prior to her transformation into the Snow Queen. Her hair was also going to be shorter and pointing upward, making her resemble Periwinkle.
The accident with Anna strongly implies Elsa's hair is platinum blonde because of her powers.
Elsa is the second Disney Princess who does not have a love interest, after Merida.
Elsa is the second Disney Princess to be rescued by her family member, the first being Merida (though one might argue that Ariel was in fact the first, for while she was rescued by Eric this was only after King Triton had rescued her from Ursula's contract by taking her place). Merida was rescued by her mother from Mor'du and Elsa was rescued by Anna from Hans. The other Princesses, except for Pocahontas, Mulan and Tiana; were rescued by either their love interest or their friends.
Elsa is the fourth Princess to run away from home, after Snow White, Ariel, and Jasmine.
Elsa is the third Disney heroine to be formally sentenced to death, after Esmeralda and Mulan.
Elsa is the fifth Princess to have her hair braided, with the first being Cinderella, the second being Pocahontas, the third being Rapunzel, and the fourth being Anna, although Cinderella, Pocahontas and Rapunzel only wear their hair braided for a brief time.
Elsa is the third Disney character to be portrayed by Idina Menzel. The first was Circe, and the second was Nancy Tremaine.
Ironically, Elsa says that you can't marry a man you just met, but Nancy, who was also portrayed by Idina Menzel like Elsa, did marry a man she just met.
Like Persephone from Classical Mythology, Elsa's absence from her home had led to the coming of winter, and her return resulting in the return of summer.
Thought in original myth, Persephone's mother Demeter didn't cause winter when her daughter was kidnapped, but summer (Greece having a warm climate tend to have hot and unbearable summers that used to ruin all plant life and cause almost or more starvation than winter). When other Europeans started translating, they changed it to winter since it made more sense given their climate.
The scene where Anna and Elsa get into an argument during Elsa's coronation party due to Anna's attempt to propose to Hans causing her to accidentally expose her ice powers to the public as a result of Anna pulling off one of her gloves and running away appears to be very analogous to the scene in the original Snow Queen fairy tale where Kai is enchanted by the Devil's mirror (with Hans as a stand-in) and becoming very jaded with Gerda resulting in him becoming more resentful with her and subsequently being found and kidnapped by the title Snow Queen. Since Elsa is also Kai, this would essentially mean that the Snow Queen kidnapped herself.
Elsa's I Want song is very unique for a Disney Princess for a general I Want song for them represents the Princess wanting a new life, or meeting new people, sometimes seeing new places. Elsa's song "Let It Go" is about her wanting to just to able to be herself and never have to worry about others (as she doesn't want to hurt them).
Elsa is one of the few Disney Princesses who has not been seen barefoot. She shares this trait with Snow White, Belle and Merida. However despite the fact she is never seen barefoot several times during the film there are direct shots of her feet. She shares this trait with Rapunzel.
During the song "Let It Go", Elsa discards the three accessories worn during her coronation that she views as restraints: her gloves (what holds her magic back), her cape (her authority over others), and her tiara (her queenly title), which is ultimately found by Marshmallow at the end of the film.
Elsa, along with Daisy Duck and Megara, is one of few Disney heroines to sport eye shadow.
It is also stated in the book A Sister More Like Me that Elsa loves geometry. This is shown when she uses her knowledge of geometry to create her ice palace.
The scene where Elsa and Anna were playing in the Great Hall, which was made into a winter wonderland with Elsa's winter magic, may also be a hint towards the ending, when after being accepted by the citizens and visitors for her magical nature, she turns the courtyard into an ice rink, even asking if they are ready, being only slightly different between the two times: "Ready?" as a child, and "Are youready?" as an adult.
The Great Hall is also where Anna learns about Elsa's winter magical nature once again, along with the citizens and the visitors. While as children it would be a happy experience, as adults it would be a terrifying experience for the citizens, visitors, Anna and more importantly for Elsa.
Elsa originally wore her hair with a braid as a child, symbolizing her carefree and innocent personality. While growing up, Elsa wears her hair in a bun, showing her confinement and isolation. When she embraces her powers again after running away, she wears her hair with a braid again.
Many fans wonder how Elsa received her ice powers, especially since her family doesn't seem to have them. While it is known she was born with them (mentioned by the king) it remains unknown how she was born with them but it could be presumed that either magical abilities run in the family and merely skipped previous generations (suggesting that it's genetic, but in earlier generations it was a recessive trait), something happened to the queen when she was pregnant with Elsa, or an event similar to Rapunzel.
According to Jennifer Lee, even though the reason for Elsa's ice magic is never explained except for a mention that she was simply born with it, it's been hinted that the source of her magic may have been caused by a 1000-year alignment between Saturn and other distant planets like Uranus, Neptune, dwarf planets like Pluto, etc.; much like how Rapunzel got her blonde hair from the Sun's light.
Originally, Elsa was planned to be the actual villain, and her song "Let It Go", while still indicating some tragic aspects, was initially done in a mocking tone to symbolize this. This concept survived long enough for a planned scene being animated where she used snow monsters to attack the heroes. However, midway through development, her alignment was changed because the production staff realized that Elsa never actually did anything villainous or evil and just wanting to be herself was far too positive to be expressed by a villain, and thus would not have fit one.
In the trailer (especially in the Japanese version), there are some scenes that did not appear in the movie that were meant to give audiences the illusion that Elsa was the villain. For example, the scene where she fires her magic from the top of the mountain at the camera does not appear in the film, in order to make it look like Elsa was cursing the kingdom, and the scene where Anna is in a monstrous blizzard yelling "That's no blizzard, that's my sister!" pointing at Elsa, who is using her magic in order to make it seem like she was trying harm Anna.
Elsa's voice actress Idina Menzel auditioned for the role of Rapunzel in Tangled. Although she did not get the part, a Disney casting director recorded her voice, and it got her the part of Elsa two years later. Kristen Bell who voices Anna, also auditioned for the role of Rapunzel.
Originally when Anna wanted to marry Hans, Elsa scolds her and says "I may not be your mother, but I am still your queen.", at which Anna responds, "You're a mean queen!" This line was removed as it would've defeated the purpose of Elsa's inner vulnerability as she was not afraid of being an unkind ruler.
While Anna's clothes remain brightly colored even into adulthood, Elsa's clothes noticeably become darker, duller, and more restraining as she gradually becomes an adult (possibly to exploit her isolation from her subjects and especially Anna), but starts wearing lighter-colored clothing after singing "Let It Go".
"Evil Elsa's" pre-Snow Queen outfit was colored like the one worn by Hans.
Elsa is the second Disney protagonist to have a sibling die (though Anna was revived by her act of true love), after Kenai, but before Hiro Hamada.
She's the fifth Disney Princess to have blue eyes but the first blue-eyed Disney Princess to not have red or reddish hair.
The other four Disney Princesses with blue eyes (Cinderella, Ariel, Merida and Anna) all have red or reddish hair. Ariel and Merida are the only true redheads while Cinderella and Anna both have strawberry-blonde hair.
Elsa has 400,000 hairs on her head, four times as much as the average human, which is usually around 100,000.
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