Frozen 2: Small Details You Missed In The Disney Sequel
By Blaire Erskine/Updated: Dec. 16, 2020 2:37 pm EST
Disney's Frozen premiered in November 2013, and fans across the world immediately fell in love with Princess Anna, Queen Elsa, handsome-but-goofy Kristoff, reindeer Sven, and — of course — Olaf, the warm hug-loving snowman. These characters, along with multiple brand spankin' new ones voiced by seasoned actors such as Sterling K. Brown, returned for Frozen's highly-anticipated sequel, Frozen 2.
Released on Nov. 21, 2019, Frozen 2 is every bit as delightful as the original film, which is quite an impressive feat. Even more impressive is the way the creative minds behind Frozen managed to craft a soundtrack full of powerful, sometimes gut-wrenching earworms that we'll undoubtedly be humming for years to come. However, while Frozen 2 introduced entirely new characters, plot lines, and worlds to viewers, the film also featured plenty of winks and nods to its predecessor, as well as other films on Disney's sprawling roster. If you blink, you could miss them — so we're here to lend a helping hand. Here's a list of the small details you missed in Frozen 2. Warning: There are some spoilers ahead.
Elsa and Anna build a familiar snowman or two in Frozen 2
There's no question that the first Frozen film was jam-packed with catchy songs. Of course, the first of these songs to come to mind is "Let It Go," which we've all undoubtedly heard many a toddler and drunken karaoke-goer belt at the top of their lungs. However, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the film's other earworms, such as "Love Is an Open Door," "For the First Time in Forever," or, one of our personal favorites, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"
The latter of those songs was sung by Anna (Kristen Bell) in the original Frozen film as a plea for her older sister, Elsa, to hang out and build a snowman with her, like they did when they "used to be best buddies." In the beginning of Frozen 2, audiences are treated to a glimpse of those "best buddies" before Elsa's powers began to take over her life. The film's opening scenes show little Elsa and Anna happily building tiny snowmen figurines. Look closely enough, and you'll see they've constructed a miniature Baymax from Big Hero 6, as well as an elephant (presumably from Disney's Dumbo).
In Frozen 2, Olaf sneakily breaks the fourth wall
Kristen and Bobby Lopez — the songwriting duo behind both Frozen films who won an Academy Award for "Let It Go" – did not disappoint with the Frozen 2 soundtrack. The movie is filled with hits sure to be stuck in your head for years to come, like Elsa's powerful "Into the Unknown," Kristoff's '80s power ballad "Lost in the Woods," and Anna's tearjerker song "The Next Right Thing."
One of the most fun songs in the film is "Some Things Never Change," belted by Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Elsa. Anna starts singing the upbeat, happy tune as a way to comfort Olaf, who has seemingly spiraled into a bout of existential dread while pondering the uncertainty of the future. However, Anna is able to lift his snowman spirits, and he eventually comes around to the idea of embracing what's to come while being thankful for what already is. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment during the song, the jolly snowman looks directly at the audience, breaking the fourth wall, and sings, "You all look a little bit older!" Good catch, Olaf! Apparently, some things do change.
Frozen 2 is totally in on meme culture
For many, it's hard to remember a time without memes. The internet phenomenon is so engrained in pop culture that it even has its own entry in Merriam-Webster. According to the dictionary, a meme is defined as "an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture." And, judging by a well-timed joke in Frozen 2, the film franchise is officially getting in memes.
Olaf does a lot of thinking in Frozen 2, particularly about the meaning of everything. That's pretty heavy stuff for a snowman; however, it's impossible not to smile during Olaf's song "When I Am Older," in which he reassures himself that everything will make sense when he has a few more years under his belt (spoiler alert — they won't). At the end of the song, a tornado can be seen making its way toward Olaf. However, blissfully ignorant to the danger looming behind him, Olaf smiles and says, "This is fine." If the line sounds familiar, it's likely because it was inspired by the "This Is Fine" meme, which features a dog similarly gleefully oblivious to a fire surrounding him.
Frozen 2 loves Randall Pearson as much as the rest of us
Frozen 2 welcomed a number of new characters into the franchise's ever-expanding world. If you fancy yourself a fan of NBC's hit drama This Is Us, you likely recognized the voice of one of these characters right away. Lieutenant Destin Mattias, a loyal guard of Arendelle who protected the kingdom alongside Anna and Elsa's father, is voiced by Sterling K. Brown — better known as Randall Pearson to This Is Us lovers.
According to D23, Frozen 2 director Chris Buck said the actor truly "invested in his character," revealing that "there is a lot of Brown in [Lieutenant] Mattias." However, judging by a small moment Lieutenant Mattias has with Anna upon meeting her and Elsa in the Enchanted Forest, there's a little bit of Randall Pearson in the Frozen 2 character, as well. During a short conversation with Princess Anna, Lieutenant Mattias reveals he's still grieving the loss of his own father, and he even passes down some words of wisdom that his pops used to say to him. Considering Randall Pearson often regales his children with stories of his late father, Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), could this sweet moment in Frozen 2 have been a nod to Brown's This Is Us character?
Anna and Elsa's Frozen 2 makeovers
Chances are you've likely pulled a cute dress from the rack at your favorite store, only to find that it was — gasp — a jumpsuit. While not everyone feels comfortable in glorified overalls, there's no denying that jumpsuits are definitely having a major moment. If you need proof, allow us to direct you to Fleabag's Season 2 sell-out, which we're still itching to try on. And, always on-trend, Disney has seemingly embraced jumpsuit life, as well.
In 2019's Toy Story 4, fans were excited to see Little Bo Peep donning a jumpsuit instead of her signature hoop skirt. Of course, fans were equally excited to see that Frozen 2 gave Anna and Elsa the opportunity to ditch their traditional Disney princess garb and embrace the jumpsuit life, too. "They're going on a big adventure," producer Peter Del Vecho revealed of Anna and Elsa's outfits (via the Los Angeles Times). He continued, adding, "It's going to be very physical, so [the outfit change] makes sense."
In Frozen 2, Elsa is ready to let go of "Let It Go"
No one can sing "Let It Go," the runaway hit track from the original Frozen soundtrack, as powerfully and beautifully as Broadway star Idina Menzel. Still, that hasn't stopped anyone from trying.
As The Guardian noted in 2014, "Let It Go" was the main contributing factor to the Frozen soundtrack remaining the No. 1 album in the United States for a record-breaking number of weeks, as well as a "significant reason why the film became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time." However, as much as we love the song, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. And, as seen in Frozen 2, even Elsa is ready for a break from her empowering, dangerously catchy song.
During Elsa's walk through a sequence of memories in the sequel flick, an Elsa of Frozen past appears, belting "Let It Go" at the top of her lungs. Without missing a beat, present-day Elsa winces, delivering an all-too-relatable, "Ugh!" We get it, girl.
This Frozen 2 character's coloring is a nod to other Disney favorites
As any true fan knows, Disney movies are nothing without adorable sidekicks. While the first Frozen movie had those cute sidekick shoes filled by Olaf, the lovable, huggable snowman voiced by Josh Gad, Frozen 2 decided to gift fans with yet another charming friend — Bruni, the Fire Spirit. A tiny salamander who expels fire both from his mouth and his body, Bruni is first introduced as a threat to the Enchanted Forest. However, the little lizard soon takes a liking to Elsa's icy powers, and the two become BFFs almost immediately.
While casual viewers may not pay much attention to Bruni's light blue and purple coloring, Disney fanatics will likely draw comparisons to other benevolent Disney characters with prehistoric roots. Trixie the Triceratops, from the Toy Story franchise, sports blue and purple coloring similar to Bruni's, and kids will probably notice that the little guy shares an uncanny resemblance to Doc McStuffins' Bronty. Considering Disney's love for Easter eggs, it's safe to say Bruni's blue and purple coloring was a nod to these other beloved animated characters.
Hans Christian Andersen got a shoutout in Frozen 2
Like many of Disney's princess movies, Frozen was loosely based on an actual fairytale. Written by Hans Christian Andersen and published in 1845, The Snow Queen served as inspiration for the first Frozen film, and the tale's influence — however loose the interpretation — continues throughout the sequel. Instead of two sisters, The Snow Queen focuses on two best friends, Gerda and Kay. The Snow Queen is a villainous character in Andersen's tale, meaning Elsa was originally meant to be an evil queen. Fortunately, however, the team behind Frozen took a few creative liberties.
While The Snow Queen isn't directly referenced in Frozen or Frozen 2, the sequel film does give a small shoutout to the fairy tale's author. During one of Elsa's visions of her parents, her mother, Queen Iduna, asks her father about a book he's reading. "Oh, it's from this new Danish author," King Agnarr replies. Of course, this was a subtle wink to fans of Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish author responsible for inspiring Disney's Frozen and The Little Mermaid.
Impatient fans might have missed this epic post-credits scene in Frozen 2
One of the most delightful moments in Frozen 2 comes courtesy of Olaf, as many of the Frozen franchise's funniest moments usually do. Upon stumbling across strangers while venturing through the Enchanted Forest, Olaf takes a few moments to catch the new characters up on the happenings of the first Frozen film. Not only is the scene hilarious — it also serves as a nice refresher for viewers who have gone a couple of years without revisiting the original film.
Viewers who sat through the film's end credits were treated to another run-down of events by Olaf, this time recapping all they had witnessed in Frozen 2. However, the best part about this extra treat of a scene isn't Olaf's speedy summary — it's the return of Marshmallow, the giant snow monster from the original Frozen, as well as the tiny "snowgies" from the short film Frozen Fever. If you haven't seen Frozen Fever, snowgies are the tiny, adorable products of Elsa's sneezes. These little guys are a tiny detail definitely worth sticking around for an extra ten minutes to see.