Fixing Frozen 3's questions at 2024's D23 Expo
On August 9–11, 2024 at D23, Frozen co-director Jennifer Lee revealed questions that may or may not be answered in Frozen 3:
- Who gave Elsa her powers?
- Why doesn't Anna have powers?
- Was there a 5th Spirit before?
- What kind of Queen will Anna be?
- Will Kristoff be a King?
- Do they want kids?
- Where are Kristoff's parents?
- How did Kristoff meet Sven?
- How can Sven be so old and still so virile?
- Why is Olaf alive?
- What about Marshmallow and the snowgies?
- Is it "Hoo Hoo" or it is "Yoo Hoo?"
- Why are Elsa's powers still growing?
- Why are there castle ruins throughout Athohallen?
- Where do the nature spirits come from?
- Do we need to beware the frozen heart?
- Who is the Frozen Heart?
- What happened to Hans?
One word: disappointing. These questions are like tossing dung at a wall and hoping one of them will stick. They are either incredibly redundant (e.g. Olaf alive, Elsa's powers growing), unnecessary (e.g. Kristoff meeting Sven, the origin of Elsa's powers, castle ruins, the spirits origin) or obvious throwaway questions (e.g. Yoo Hoo, Sven's virility).
And why are the only questions about Elsa all about her powers? Does Lee genuinely believe people only like Elsa because she has ice powers? Seriously look at the questions about Anna and Kristoff--these questions ask about their lifestyles. Do they want kids? What kind of rulers will they be? Meanwhile Elsa gets two questions and they're all about her POWERS.
And why are there no questions concerning the relationship between Anna and Elsa? I thought their sisterly bond was what Frozen was all about. Not Elsa's magic. Not convoluted mythology. Not Kristoff and Anna being rulers and starting a nuclear family. These questions are seriously missing a HUGE part of why Frozen became a hit.
So I've decided to formulate a different set of questions, or rather a more through set of questions, which build upon Lee's questions, and hopefully better address the characters and themes of Frozen and Frozen 2:
Characters
The personalities, the journeys they undergo, the choices they make, the consequences they endure, and the relationship they have with each other are vital to creating memorable characters that resonate with audiences. Frozen set the groundwork, Frozen 2 destroyed it, now its up to Frozen 3 to build it back.
Elsa
- Is Elsa happy in Athohallen?
- Does she miss being queen?
- Does she miss living in Arendale with Anna?
- What is her role as Fifth Spirit?
- What does Elsa do in Athohallen?
- Does she want a partner?
- Does she want kids?
- Does Elsa still have social anxiety or any other mental health issues she struggles with? How does this effect her new lifestyle?
- What does Elsa think of Kristoff and his relationship with Anna?
- Does Elsa think Kristoff will make a good king?
- Has Elsa forgiven Hans?
- Is Elsa the frozen heart?
Anna
- Is Anna happy being queen?
- Does she miss being princess?
- Does she miss living with Elsa?
- What does she think of Elsa abdicating the throne to live in Athohallen?
- Is Anna ever worried about Elsa living in a glacier that tried to kill her?
- What is her role as queen?
- Does Anna feel she can be as good as a queen as Elsa?
- Does she think Kristoff will make a good husband?
- What does she think of Kristoff being king?
- Does she want kids?
- Has Anna forgiven Hans?
- What does Anna think of her parents, specifically in how they treated Elsa and her as children?
- What does she think of the trolls as her in-laws?
Kristoff
- What does Kristoff think of being king?
- How is Kristoff adjusting to his radically different lifestyle?
- Does Kristoff miss being a ice harvester?
- What do the people think of a commoner like Kristoff marrying the queen?
- Does Kristoff still love ice?
- What about Kristoff's misanthropy? Did that magically go away when he dated Anna?
- Does Kristoff think he will make a good husband?
- What does he think of Elsa's abdication?
- What happened to his parents and why is he an orphan?
- Does he want kids?
Hans
- Will Hans return to the franchise?
- Will Hans be redeemed?
- Does he want revenge?
- Does he still want the throne?
- Will he ever find a place of his own?
- What does Hans think of Anna as queen?
- What does Hans think of Elsa's abdication?
- What about his parents and twelve older brothers?
- Did he have a abusive or neglectful childhood?
- Is Hans still shoveling horse manure as his punishment?
- Is Hans the frozen heart?
Olaf
- How does Olaf feel about being the only sentient snowman of his kind?
- Does Olaf wish he was human?
- How do other people treat him?
- Does Olaf see Elsa as his mother and Anna as his aunt?
- Will Olaf reach adulthood?
- Can Olaf physically grow?
- Does he miss living with Elsa?
- How does he feel knowing that if Elsa dies he will die as well?
- Will Olaf ever stop being a insufferable edgelord? (lol)
Themes
Old and new themes to explore....
Sisterhood. How does living separately effect Anna and Elsa's relationship? How does Elsa cope without Anna's constant presence and unwavering support? How does Anna cope without Elsa's compassion and wisdom? Will living separately cause the divide between them to deepen?
Fear and isolation. Is Elsa afraid of being alone? Is Elsa afraid of her powers spiraling out of control again? Is Anna afraid of failing to live up to expectations as queen? Does she feel lonely without Elsa always by her side? Is being queen a lonely endeavor? Is Elsa afraid of Athohallen (it literally froze and held her hostage when she got too curious, lol)?
The duty/role of a ruler. Now that Anna is queen, how does that effect the people? What do they think of Elsa's abdication? What do they think of Anna being queen? What do they think of Kristoff being their king? What are the qualities of a good ruler? What sort of constitutional duties are there to perform?
Self-discovery and transformation. How will Elsa and Anna discover new things about themselves or about each other? Will the journey they undergo change them for the better or the worst? Will Elsa's role as fifth spirit drive her further from her humanity? Will Anna's role as queen isolate her from her sister and her people or drive her closer to both?
Redemption and forgiveness. In Frozen, Elsa redeemed herself when she thawed Arendale. The people, who she had nearly accidently killed, forgave her and happily ice skated with her at the end. If Hans is redeemed in Frozen 3 then the theme can continue anew. Redemption is all about transformation. Can someone flawed change for the better? Or are some people's crimes so evil that they are irredeemable? Can we forgive those who wronged us even if they aren't sorry?
Norse mythology. Fate, rebirth, knowledge, sacrifice are a few of the central themes of Norse mythology. The Æsir (e.g. Odin, Frigg, Thor, Loki, Balder, Hod, Heimdall and Tyr) and Vanir (e.g. Njord, Freyr, and Freyja), the Nine Realms, Yggsdrasil. How can they be weaved convincingly into Frozen 3, when 1) it takes place in 18th century Norway and 2) the first film was largely based on a fairytale and classic disney references? Will they ever acknowledge how Christianity replaced paganism? (probably not since this is Disney).
Conclusion
What do you think? Feel free to add some questions. Please be respectful.
There was certainly room to ask more *important* questions.
Perhaps they thought giving away the *real* themes of III and IV would be too much to a spoiler?
