The House of Mouse has a gargantuan reputation in the animation world for many reasons, but among the many things Disney does well, its Easter egg details are legendary. The studio has long since hidden Mickeys and cameos for other characters in various films, and Frozen is no exception. The 2013 movie centers around two sisters: Elsa and Anna. The former is plagued by ice powers she can't control, resulting in isolation and abandonment of her close bond with her younger sister.
Unlike many Disney princess movies, Frozen is far less about relationships with princes and far more about the bonds of sisterhood. There's a lot hiding among the snowflakes though. From hidden symbolism to some delightful cameos, here are some Frozen Easter eggs that we just can't let go of.
- 1
Olaf's Ice Is Shaped Like Him
There are plenty of fun details to uncover during Olaf's cheerfully catchy song, “In Summer.” One of the subtler details comes when Olaf lounges on a sandy beach under an umbrella - if one looks closely, they'll notice that the ice cubes in his drink look like him. They even do their own little dance when Olaf shakes the glass. Given that Olaf is a snowman, it's a pretty appropriate detail.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 2
Baymax Appears When Young And Elsa Make Snow Characters
- Photo:
In Frozen 2, viewers get another wholesome flashback of Anna and Elsa playing in the snow together as children. This time, they’re making snow figures that serve as stand-ins for dolls. Unsurprisingly, Anna is more interested in romantic plots for their figures, while Elsa wants the female heroine to save the day and not get bogged down by romance.
Though they don’t use him in their snowy storyline, fans may spot that Elsa has created a small and easily missed figure of Baymax from Big Hero 6, another Disney animated film.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 3
Tiny Trolls Appear Inside And Outside Of Oaken's Trading Post
Some places are guarded by gargoyles, and some are patrolled by… trolls? The door of Wandering Oaken's Trading Post is flanked by a pair of troll statues. Additionally, troll iconography can also be found inside the establishment, in the form of carved troll walking sticks and wooden troll figures on Oaken's desk. There's also a bear statue on the desk that looks suspiciously similar to the bears from Brave.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 4
Hans And Elsa Wear Gloves When Hiding Their True Selves
We learn early on in the movie that Elsa dons gloves to hide her true self (in other words, her powers), but she's not the only one. Though Hans seems like a pretty normal guy at first (albeit a little too eager to get married to a princess), there's one clue that implies that he's hiding something: his gloves.
It's not immediately apparent that his excitement to marry Anna is underhanded. It seems natural that a prince would want to marry a princess, especially since they (seemingly) get along so well. However, Hans eventually reveals to Anna that he was lying to her all along, trying to win her affection so he could gain control of Arendelle. While he explains the details of his plan in a gloating fashion, he takes off his gloves - showing that just like Elsa, he was hiding while wearing them, and this is his true self.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 5
Rapunzel And Flynn Have A Cameo During The Coronation
As far as cameos go, this one is rather subtle. When Elsa commands the guards to open the gate, Anna continues her song, “For the First Time in Forever.” While the crowd of people makes its way into the castle, sharp-eyed fans can catch that Flynn and Rapunzel from Tangled are among the first people to make their way through the gates.
They don't speak, and Rapunzel's face is only shown for a fraction of a second, but she's wearing her classic purple dress and walking alongside Flynn. If Pascal were hanging out on her shoulder, it would be a bit more noticeable, but no chameleons are allowed at the coronation, apparently.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 6
Only Elsa Can Touch Frozen Anna
Hans's sword is no match for Anna when she's frozen solid. When Anna jumps in front of the blade to save Elsa, it smashes the weapon into bits. So, frozen Anna is essentially impenetrable - except when Elsa is hugging her. While anything else that touches Anna turns to broken ice, Elsa is the only one who can touch her and bring her back to life, through the power of her love for her sister.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 7
The Candy Anna Eats Is From 'Wreck-It Ralph'
After years of isolation, Anna is pumped to have the Arendelle gates opened, but she's just as excited about the amazing spread of food that comes along with it. When she sings “For the First Time in Forever,” she dances around the castle dreaming of love. Anna dances with paintings and even dons a curtain before daydreaming of meeting a prince during the ball while she eats chocolate. Of course, she has to enact the scene by eating real chocolate, which looks just like some seen in the Sugar Rush land in Wreck-It Ralph.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 8
Elsa's Hair Tie Is A Tiny Snowflake
When it comes to Elsa's affinity for ice, she's not exactly subtle about it - at least, not after she decides to “Let It Go.” She has snowflakes adorning her trademark braid, which is even closed by a small snowflake hair tie. The small detail matches her glittering blue dress that has its own set of snowflakes on the bottom.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 9
Grand Pabbie Foreshadows Elsa Saving Arendale
When Elsa and her parents enlist the trolls' help in saving Anna, their predictions foreshadow more than just Anna's fate of having her heart frozen years later. Grand Pabbie warns the parents that Elsa's power will only grow, creating magic pictures in the darkness as he speaks. The vision shows Elsa creating a big snowflake in the sky, which is a subtle hint to the ending.
At the end of the film, Elsa undoes her icy magic all throughout Arendelle before she sweeps it up into one giant snowflake in the sky - just like the vision. Grand Pabbie definitely knew more than he was letting on.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 10
Anna's Hair Streak Disappears Once She Unfreezes
Anna gets the white streak in her hair at a young age, when Elsa accidentally lobs an ice blast at her head. Though the trolls are able to save her, Anna bears the mark of that danger for years. From her point of view, Anna even believes that she was born with the streak, given that the trolls erased her memory of Elsa's magic.
However, near the end of the film, when Anna unfreezes, due to her own act of true love in saving her sister, the streak disappears. It’s unclear why that would erase the damage done by the hair when it couldn't be erased the first time. It may have to do with the difference between the way she's healed each time, suggesting that love may be more powerful than troll magic.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 11
Olaf's Dance Is A Nod To 'Mary Poppins'
It might make more sense for Olaf to dance with penguins rather than seagulls, given the wintry setting he lives in. However, the guy is hell-bent on experiencing summer - the season that would kill him. Still, when he picks up a cane and a checkered hat to dance with a seagull, fans can connect the dots that it's a homage to Bert's memorable dance with four animated penguins in Mary Poppins.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 12
A Knocked-Over Chess Piece Hints At Elsa's Defeat
Some metaphors in Disney movies are sneaky, while others are a bit more on-the-carrot-nose. After Hans betrays Anna, Olaf comes to save her - but not before Elsa's blizzard knocks down the queen, foreshadowing the fall of Queen Elsa. It's a pretty apt metaphor given that Anna was a pawn in Hans's quest to become king, which is represented by the king winning the game.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 13
Elsa Creates The Same Snowflake Pattern Throughout The Movie
Each snowflake in nature is meant to be one-of-a-kind, but Elsa is pretty consistent with her icy designs. When she creates snow and ice, the pattern always stays the same. That's not the only place this particular design shows up. It's very similar to the pattern on the door of Elsa's castle bedroom.
The consistent shape of the snowflake is most obvious when she creates her snow palace with a massive, 3D version of the shape adorning the floor and the door, as well as when she saves Arendelle.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 14
Mickey Chills In Oaken's Trading Post
Oaken's Trading Post has a fair amount of junk lining the shelves of the establishment, so it would be easy to miss even a fairly prominent figure amidst all of the clutter. Disney famously hides images of Mickey in its plethora of movies and TV shows, but this one is pretty impressive.
A tiny Mickey figure is chilling on the left end of the third shelf down when Anna finds the store's barren winter section. He's turned to the side and leaning against a box, so he's hard to spot, but he's there. This isn't the only hidden Mickey in the film: there's a slightly more noticeable one hanging out in the upper corner of a bookshelf in the castle.
Can't stop thinking about it? - 15
Olaf Parodies A Sunscreen Ad
Just like any media, ads often seem a bit out of place when times change. A great example is Coppertone sunscreen's infamous line of ads featuring a young girl with her bathing suit bottom being pulled down by a dog; though it might not fly in a major ad these days, the widely-recognizable image is often parodied in other settings.
While Frozen’s target audience at the time of its release was likely too young to catch it, adults may have clocked Olaf's nod to Coppertone in his song, “In Summer.” The daydreaming snowman creates a green-haired snowwoman making the same bashful expression as the Coppertone girl, while a seagull pulls down her bathing suit.
Can't stop thinking about it?
