☃️❄️🌵🪴 Isabela and Elsa altering their dresses using their powers during their big musical numbers. 🪴🌵❄️☃️
Three of a Kind
Since Frozen II came out, I have been eager to do an analysis to compare and contrast Elsa’s three dress transformations, and here it is at last. You can read more about some potential meanings of the colors of Elsa’s main dresses in both feature films here, and read about her and Anna’s main clothes from the original film in my analysis “Colors of the Clothes”.
Different Dresses
In Frozen, Elsa makes her first dress transformation near the end of her song “Let It Go”. She turns her coronation gown into an ice-made, crystal blue, off-the-shoulder dress with a right knee-high slit, a bodice covered in blue ice crystals, and long, translucent, powder blue sleeves. Attached to the back of her bodice is a long, transparent, pale blue cape decorated with large snowflakes. Elsa’s transformation also causes her tights to disappear, leaving her legs bare, and changes her dark brown flats to ice blue kitten heels.
In Frozen Fever, when Elsa transforms her ice dress into her party dress, its general design remains the same, being off-the-shoulder with a bodice, a right knee-high slit, and an attached transparent cape. But because Elsa uses her magic to freeze pink flowers on different parts of her outfit, the chlorophyll from the stems turns her kitten heels and dress emerald green, the latter of which has light green translucent short sleeves and a bodice covered in teal ice crystals patterned to resemble leaves. The pink flowers decorate Elsa’s sleeves, bodice top, and her now-emerald green cape, which also contains flower and leaf designs.
In Frozen II, Elsa undergoes her final dress transformation towards the end of her song “Show Yourself”. Her pale blue dress becomes a white off-the-shoulder dress with a right knee-high slit and white long sleeves, which have the symbol of the four elements at each shoulder. The color of her leggings change from pale blue to light grayish-blue. Running along Elsa’s chest and down to her waist are different-colored, diamond-shaped ice crystals that represent the four natural elements of fire, water, air, and earth. Her transparent cape fades to blue at the bottom and is split in two parts, as if to showcase her status as the fifth spirit. During her transformation, Elsa also goes from being barefoot to wearing white, open-toe ballet flats.
From Covering up to Coming out of the Blue
When the film introduces her as a child, Elsa is happy, playful, and carefree, and the bright blue nightgown she wears symbolizes these positive emotions. But following her separation from Anna over the next ten years, Elsa’s clothes become darker and duller in color (primarily blue with purple thrown in), and cover the entirety of her body. The dark colors/shades of her outfits and her body being completely covered highlight Elsa’s confinement and isolation from Anna (and the entire outside world), the suppression and concealment of her powers from outsiders (which is also emphasized by the gloves she always wears), and her own emotions of depression, anxiety, fear, and other negative ones that result from her feeling burdened by her struggles to control her magic.
On the day of her coronation, Elsa’s clothing conceals her entire body, from her cape color covering almost her whole neck all the way down to her feet being covered by tights and shoes. Like the clothes we briefly see her wear during “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”, Elsa’s coronation outfit hiding the entirety of her body represents her concealing her powers from her people. Besides her powers, Elsa is also concealing her real self on this day. As an introvert, she does not like being in the spotlight and sometimes feels shy around people. She is worried, nervous, anxious, and terrified about being the center of attention and can only think about the worst that could happen. When she talks to Anna and tricks her into dancing with the Duke, Elsa shows how warm, playful, and mischievous she can be. But she does it briefly and with restriction, then she becomes closed in again to avoid taking a risk on having her powers be exposed.
However, when she runs away to the North Mountain and sings “Let It Go”, Elsa reveals a liberated side to her personality. Without being hindered by stress, responsibilities, or the fear of hurting others, Elsa gains much more confidence in her abilities and accepts them as a part of her once again. Since her secret has finally become an open book to Arendelle, Elsa shows no worries or cares about what people will think of her. She also finally rejects her father’s rules about concealing them so she can be free to be who she really is. She creates a brand new dress over her coronation one as a symbolic way of rejecting her past and fate as the queen of Arendelle. Elsa gives her dress and it’s attached cape a bright blue color, one that is almost identical to her childhood nightgown. Elsa’s desire to be free of her past restrictions and no longer repress her powers or anything else about herself is also shown when she makes her tights disappear and has her legs be completely bare.
In contrast to her coronation dress and casual outfits from her childhood and adolescence, Elsa’s ice dress is sparkly, lighter and brighter in shade and color, and looser and more comfortable in fitting. While blue is sometimes believed to be the color that best associates with depression and sadness (as in saying that a person feels “sad and ‘blue’”), I think these meanings best fit the dark blue colors of Elsa’s clothes that she wears during her 13 years of isolation. Blue can also be linked to peace, quiet, reservation, and confidence. The paler the blue color, the more freedom one feels. All of these traits are displayed in Elsa during the song, so it is perfectly reflected by her ice dress being a crystal shade of blue. In nature, crystal blue is often associated with water, particularly ice and occasionally snow. Since Elsa has ice/snow magic, this shade of blue has another reason to be an appropriate color for her dress.
The Big Blue/Green
Now in terms of Elsa’s dress in Frozen Fever, its green color is meant to represent spring, a season of renewal, rebirth, and growth. It is also the time of year when the weather is warm, allowing flowers to bloom. On Anna’s 19th birthday, nearly one year after the main events of Frozen, Elsa works to make up for lost time with Anna by giving the latter a big surprise party. That and the two of them spending the day together is how Elsa celebrates their new beginning as sisters and friends. So she makes herself a brand new dress of a whole new color in order to be properly clothed for such an event. Furthermore, since flowers bloom in springtime, the addition of Elsa freezing the flowers on her dress (as I explained in “Dressed to Party”) make for a perfect decoration choice.
Besides the fact that Elsa makes her ice and spring dresses herself, as described above, and largely because Elsa creates the spring dress over the ice one, they are also similar in their basic designs, especially with crystalized bodices and attached transparent capes. Simultaneously, they also have some notable differences (other than their colors), such as the ice dress’s cape being decorated with snowflakes, while the spring dress's cape is decorated with the pink flowers. But one other difference that stands out to me is the sleeve length of each dress, with the sleeves of the spring dress being shorter than those of the ice dress. The more I thought about it, the more I believe that their lengths are meant to represent how Elsa feels about herself and her powers. Elsa created her ice dress at a time when she was feeling much more happy, confident, and free...but she wasn’t feeling ENTIRELY happy, confident, and free. At that time, she was finally just BEGINNING to accept herself and her magic. Due to the haunting memory of harming Anna in their childhood, Elsa still saw herself as a freak of nature. She was still burdened by inner turmoil, poor self-esteem, self-loathing, and other insecurities regarding her magic. She wanted to be loved and accepted, not feared or hated. And of course, Elsa wanted more than anything to reconnect with Anna. But she still thought that her powers would never allow society to accept her. She still thought that they only made a danger to the world. And so Elsa was convinced that it was best if she lived in total isolation to protect her kingdom and Anna.
With all this in mind, I think that the long sleeves of Elsa’s ice dress represent how Elsa felt that she still had to run away, hide, and live alone, away from people. It wasn’t what she really wanted to do, but thought that it was the best decision overall. Although she yearned for acceptance and to mend her relationship with Anna, Elsa believed that none of that was ever going to happen. However, after she removes the eternal winter on Arendelle and returns as the kingdom’s reigning monarch, Elsa and Anna show their people that there are good things that the former can do with her magic. Due to her sister’s love and encouragement, and the acceptance she has started gained from the Arendellians, Elsa finally starts to become more confident about herself. Therefore, her original playful, fun-loving, carefree personality, long dormant since her childhood, makes a return.
By the time of Frozen Fever, things are going much better for Elsa. She and Anna have rekindled their bond, and their friends, family, and people have come to respect, trust, and love their queen, magic and all. The love and acceptance she has received over the last year has no doubt helped Elsa to start becoming more confident, relaxed, and comfortable with herself and her magic. As a result, her original personality has not only remained but strengthened, allowing her to gain much more control over her powers than she ever had in her life. However, despite the newfound happiness and confidence she had started to gain by the end of Frozen, I didn’t think it meant that Elsa would be able to instantly move forward into the future with all new confidence and never look back at her past with shame and guilt. On the contrary, as shown in Frozen Fever, she continues to feel guilt over the past. She aims to make up for it by going to great lengths to give Anna a memorable birthday, wanting her sister to be content at all times. In doing so, Elsa shows her perfectionist ways by wanting even the slightest detail to be perfect, and frets if even the smallest thing isn’t matching her ideal vision of perfection.
So I think the sleeves of Elsa’s party dress being shorter than those of her ice dress represent her powers no longer being a secret from the world, and that her people have accepted them. Having her secret no longer BE a secret, and having been finally accepted by society, has made Elsa feel more genuinely happy and free than ever before. Yes, she still has feelings of guilt over the past, and she shows guilt in the present time when she apologizes to Anna, thinking that her illness has ruined the latter’s birthday. But it’s only expected that she would have some of those old feelings after just one year of extraordinary changes and progress. With Anna remaining by her side, the optimism and encouragement Elsa would get from her sister would help her continue to grow into her confidence about herself and her abilities.
Blue Woman, White Dress
Frozen II follows in the footsteps of the original Frozen by having moments that mirror scenes from its predecessor, and one of them is that both films feature Elsa singing a song during which her clothes undergo a magical transformation and she gets a brand new dress. But I want to point out that Elsa’s dress transformations in Frozen and Frozen II are distinctly different in one key way: Elsa HERSELF transforms her dress in the first film, but she does not do it in the second film. As I said in “Free Spirit”, Elsa transforms her ice dress with her own magic. It is based on her own conscious effort AND her own conscious choices of running away, exiling herself, and living in complete isolation.
While Elsa does show joy and an ability to let go of her fears, as I said above, these feelings are only temporary. Based on the events that unfold later, she does not continue feeling the positive emotions she displays in “Let It Go”. The fact remains that Elsa is still haunted by the pain of the past. She still obviously wants to know why she is so different from everyone else by having these powers. When she decides to live in her ice palace on the mountain, Elsa is still hiding and living in fear. She thinks the world will only ever see her as a monster. Because she is still burdened by her insecurities and feels that running away is her ONLY solution, Elsa does not find TRUE or COMPLETE happiness, freedom, confidence, or peace.
In Frozen II, during “Show Yourself”, the transformation of Elsa’s dress happens by the magic of Ahtohallan rather than by the magic of her own hands. It is done without any conscious effort on her part. Similar to what she did during “Let It Go”, Elsa makes a choice about her future, but what differs this time is that it is one she HONESTLY believes for herself. She’s finally ready to face her future without being hindered by the past. Her transformation happens so effortlessly because it reflects the elation and joy she is feeling inside from having just come upon all of the answers she has been seeking. Elsa finally learns that the spirits of nature bestowed her with her powers to reward Iduna for rescuing Agnarr the day the battle between the Northuldra and Arendeliians took place. She is a gift of her mother’s heroic deed and a chosen one who is meant to undo the wrongs of the past. Elsa has discovered the purpose of her existence and destiny as the fifth spirit, all of which she has embraced.
So unlike when she underwent the transformation of her dress in the first movie, Elsa now has permanent feelings of joy and elation. Because she has finally found all the answers for which she has yearned all her life, she no longer has to hide, run away, or repress herself. Because she finally knows her true place in the world, she no longer feels any stress, restrictions, or worries about herself and what people will think of her. Knowing now what her true calling is and why she is magical, Elsa has at last gained complete, permanent confidence in herself and her powers. NOW she is truly and completely happy, free, confident, and at peace.
As I said in this analysis, the colors of Elsa’s main dresses in both feature films, from crystal blue to pale blue to pure white, are meant to be like how ice turns from blue to white or colorless as it goes from being under compression and pressure to having so much less pressure. While I described above the positive definitions of blue and how they fit Elsa when she creates her ice dress, her reaction upon learning what she has done to Arendelle reinforce how her dress’s color can be like blue ice, and thus have negative associations. When she journeys to the forest in the second film, Elsa’s blue dress is a paler and far lighter shade, reflecting how she has become less stressed, pressured, and more confident since her people have accepted her magic. Yet she is still wearing blue because she stills feels discontent with her role as the queen and wonders why she is magical. But when Elsa undergoes her transformation into her fifth spirit dress, it is colored pure white. White is known for being a color with psychological meanings of wholeness and completion, along with the new and beginning. The fact that Elsa has found out everything she has wanted to know about herself makes her feel whole and complete, especially now that she has been given a whole new beginning with her true purpose as the fifth spirit. Therefore, the color of her dress being white is entirely appropriate.
Conclusion
Elsa goes on quite a journey throughout the Frozen franchise, and her three dress transformations show that perfectly. In Frozen, after she accidentally harms Anna, Elsa starts out as a guilt-ridden person living by confinements and restrictions while simultaneously being unable to accept her special gift. But it is thanks to Anna’s love and optimism that she slowly starts to gain confidence and freedom over her three-year reign as queen. By the end of Frozen II, Elsa has found out everything she ever wanted to know and started assuming her true identity, so she feels better about herself than she ever has before.
I said in my analysis “Two Songs, One Woman” that “Let It Go” and “Show Yourself” act as the two halves of one whole circle, with the circle being Elsa’s relations with her magic and her journey of earning her freedom and accepting herself. What began with “Let It Go” has ended with “Show Yourself”, culminating with Elsa discovering everything she has wanted to know and realizing who and what she really is.
Elsa’s story is now complete, and I couldn’t be happier to see my favorite Frozen character grow and change as she learned to accept herself and her special gift. 😁😄😊❤️
To close this analysis, I want to give a shoutout to one of my fellow Frozen fans and Tumblr buddies @foreverfrozensolid for coming up with the title! 😁😁😁
Elsa’s main wardrobe in Frozen II.
Companion piece to this set of Elsa’s main dresses from all three preceding films.
I read a couple of your theories/analyses and was wondering what you thought of this: when ice is under pressure, it turns a pure shade of blue. The less pressure the lighter it gets. In F1 and 2, Elsa’s dresses get less blue and more white... parallel? When Elsa is stressed aka pressure (F1) her outfit is blue. Then, in the beginning of F2, when she is much happier but stressed from the voice, her outfit is light blue. Then, when she is happy and free her outfit is white. What do you think?
Wow, I never even thought about this concept since I didn’t know ice can actually turn blue, but I think you’re absolutely right! Thanks for sharing! 😉
According to Wikipedia, blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, which gives the ice a blue appearance. Small amounts of normal ice appear white because of air bubbles inside them and because small quantities of water appear to be colorless.
So taking this information in mind, the majority of Elsa’s original blue dress is indeed a very bright shade that is colored similarly to the blue iceberg in the screenshot image below. I agree that her dress is this color because, even though she initially feels happy again and free to be her true self for the first time in her life, Elsa is still consumed with fear, depression, stress, anxiety, and self-loathing since she wants to be accepted and loved, and not feared, by society. But she believes that that will never happen, so it’s why she runs away from Arendelle. And then when she learns what she has done to Arendelle, Elsa becomes stressed and panicky again, which is another way that the color of her dress fits her well.
By the end of the film, after she has ended the winter and restored summer, Elsa is still wearing this dress. Her people have started to accept her even for her powers when they see the good things she can do with them. With knowing that love is the key to controlling her magic and having gained acceptance from her people, Elsa is finally beginning to become comfortable with herself, but not completely.
Three years into her reign, Elsa and her powers have become very much loved and accepted by the Arendellians, which has helped her gain more confidence about herself and control of her magic. This may be one of the reasons why she is no longer wearing her original blue dress. When Elsa and her family travel to the Enchanted Forest, she wears a light blue jacket with a pale blue dress adorned with a sky blue belt. However, when she discards her jacket, cape, and boots to cross the Dark Sea, the actual dress is shown for the first time in the film. Its appearance is much paler and lighter than said items, and than the first blue dress. The color of this dress is much like the light blue color of ice in the second screenshot image below, which indicates, as you said, it being under less pressure.
Since Elsa has become more accepting of herself by the time of Frozen II, but still feels dissatisfied with her place, is still wondering why she has powers, and is searching for the mysterious voice, I definitely agree that this dress being a lighter shade of blue reflects those feelings.
Then finally, when Elsa reaches Ahtohallan and discovers the source of the voice, her dress turns pure white when she steps into the centerpiece representing the fifth spirit between the diamonds representing the four elemental spirits, which makes her realize that she is the fifth spirit.
At this moment, Elsa finally discovers all of the answers she has wanted to know her entire life: who she really is, what her true calling in life is, and why she has these ice powers. She no longer feels any stress, restrictions, or worries about herself or about what people think of her. At last, Elsa is completely confident with her new, true identity and wholeheartedly accepts and embraces her powers.
Elsa is NOW finally at peace. She is finally complete. She is finally free. She is finally happy. And the white color of this new dress reflects all of THESE feelings.
So over the course of the two films, much like her hairstyles, and the colors of ice as you mentioned, Elsa’s main dresses reflect her progression in moving from the stressful confines, restrictions, and pressures of her current, default role as the queen of Arendelle towards her ultimate freedom and discovery of her destiny as the fifth spirit and Snow Queen.
Thank you so much for your question! The subtleties, parallels, and symbolic representations portrayed in these movies absolutely astonish me, and you’ve opened my eyes to something new to learn! 😁😄
“You look different.” “Is it really you?” ↳ Anna’s responses upon seeing Elsa in her new dresses for the first time.
All three of Elsa’s magical dress transformations.
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ Elsa’s dress transformations during “Show Yourself” and “Let It Go”. ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
I’m so loving their new dresses, especially Elsa’s! Blue is my favorite color, and both girls are wearing shades of blue that I really like. 😄
❄️ Just one more month until Olaf’s Frozen Adventure hits theaters in front of Coco! ❄️
Anna in all five of her main dresses. Unlike Elsa, I haven’t decided which of Anna’s dresses is my favorite. It’s more of a tie between her coronation dress and birthday dress...but now I think it’s her holiday dress, since I LOVE blue! 😄
Which of her dresses do YOU like best? Please leave a comment on this to let me know!
Elsa in all four of her main dresses. I think her new dress from Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is my new favorite! 😄
Which of her dresses do you like best? Please leave a comment on this to let me know!
Dressed to Party
In Frozen Fever, we see Elsa create new dresses for herself and Anna. I have a hunch that some fans and viewers are confused about the flowers on the dresses and how they got there, since Elsa cannot make flowers from her ice powers. But I have managed to figure it out.
If you look closely in this scene, you can see two vases of two different flowers on the dresser behind the girls. When Elsa waves her hand to create her new dress, watch carefully, and you will see sparkles of magic moving some of the pink flowers from the vase and onto her dress, which turns green. She does the same thing when she replaces the large and small snowflakes in her hair with flowers.
And then she enhances Anna’s new dress by freezing some of the sunflowers on to it, along with one to her hair ribbon.
So contrary to possible belief, Elsa does not use her magic to create the flowers on the dresses. Rather, she releases some magic from her hand, moves the flowers around, and uses ice to freeze the flowers on to her and Anna’s dresses.
Now when it comes to Elsa’s dress turning green, that’s a bit harder to explain. It seems that blue is the only color she could make, since blue is often illustrated as the color of water, and ice is frozen water. During the movie, it seemed that the ice color was completely involuntary and based strictly on how she felt. Although I thought it was possible that by the events of the short, Elsa has gained so much better control over her emotions (and therefore her powers), so maybe she can change colors at will.
And maybe Elsa can do a lot of other things with her magic that she never did or knew she could do before. 😄