Disney's animators have returned to Arendelle for their second short film featuring the
characters from their smash-hit Frozen!
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here, and today I'll be revealing some cool secrets
about Olaf's Frozen Adventure as well as hidden details and Disney easter eggs you may have
missed in the new animated mini-movie!
I'm also running a Disney Funko Pop giveaway on this video.
To enter, make sure you're a subscriber and leave a comment below about this short film
or any of the Frozen movies.
When it came to depicting Christmas celebrations in Olaf's Frozen Adventure, the filmmakers
looked to Scandinavian culture, especially Norway, for inspiration, just like they did
with Frozen.
And that's why you'll find tons of goats dotted around throughout the film, for example, on
wrapping paper, as festive ornaments, and even on Anna's dress.
You see, in Nordic countries, the Yule goat is a Christmas tradition that goes back many,
many centuries and, though its meaning has changed over time, it's still popular there
today as a Christmas ornament.
As well as all those pictures of goats in the movie, originally there was also going
to be a goat character called Mr Jingles, who got his name because he swallowed a bell,
which meant he made jingling noises all the time.
Mr Jingles would have been part of Olaf's journey around Arendelle and was going to
eat all the items Olaf collected in his sleigh.
However, in the end, the directors decided to drop Mr Jingles from the final film as
he was taking too much focus off Sven and Olaf.
Hidden among the many gifts that Olaf gathers on his travels is a sweet little easter egg
to Disney's short film The Ballad of Nessie, which was made by the same people who directed
Olaf's Frozen Adventure!
Many thanks to all the eagle-eyed people who pointed Nessie out to me on my video for the
film's trailer!
The scene where Olaf gulps down an entire fruitcake is a shout-out to another short
film made by the directors of Olaf's Frozen Adventure.
In the Disney holiday specials Prep & Landing, which are about a high-tech team of elves,
there are several jokes about fruitcake, so the filmmakers decided to continue that tradition
in Olaf's new short film.
Another festive tradition that Olaf discovers during his adventure is the feast of Saint
Lucia, which in a number of Nordic countries is celebrated on 13th December, and includes
a girl typically wearing a white gown and red sash together with a wreath of candles
on her head.
As well as being a fun moment, the scene where Olaf gets a candy cane actually includes a
couple of cool Disney easter eggs.
When Olaf replaces his carrot nose with the candy cane and cries out, "Sugar Rush!", it's
a call-back to the scene in the original Frozen movie where Olaf got his first carrot nose
from Anna.
"We make candy canes together."
"Oooh!
He he he!"
"Sugar rush!"
"Oh darn!"
"Wooh!"
"I'm sorry, I, I was just ..." "Head rush!"
On top of that, the scene is also a clever shout-out to Disney's Wreck-It Ralph film
where Ralph enters a go-kart-racing candy-filled game called Sugar Rush which features a Candy
Cane Forest.
Wreck-It-Ralph 2 is Disney's next animated movie, so it's nice to see it get a nod here.
There's also a touch of adult humour in this scene as Olaf's spinning eyes remind me of
the way characters in movies like Pinocchio and The Good Dinosaur react when they get
rather different rushes.
As the star of the short film, Olaf gets some fun new looks with a variety of festive accessories
including a bowtie made from ice which mirrors the design of Elsa's signature snowflake and
highlights the strong connection between Elsa and her favourite little snowman.
If you look carefully at Elsa and Anna's dresses in this film, you'll notice lots of small
but important details that are full of meaning.
For example, the animators deliberately chose similar colours for the sisters' clothes to
emphasise just how close they've become and to reflect the fact that the sisters team
up in this film in contrast to Frozen where they had to spend so much time apart.
Elsa's gown is bluey-grey and has a jewelled bodice which includes a design based on her
snowflake.
The animators spent a lot of time making sure the snowflake and diamond-shaped gems on the
dress reflected light in a realistic way so they'd look clear and sparkly.
But after all their hard work, the gems looked so sparkly that they were actually a bit distracting,
so they had to dial back the shine a bit!
Also, if you look at the fur that tops Elsa's gown, scattered within it you'll see little
frosted holiday berries, which are a reminder of Elsa's icy powers; and you can also see
them as accessories in both Elsa and Anna's hair, again emphasising the closeness of the
Frozen sisters.
As for Elsa's snowflake, that also features on her cape in a pattern that foreshadows
the beautiful ice tree she makes in the film.
As for Anna's clothes, the dusty blue-violet colour of her new outfit complements the dusty
blue-grey colour of her sister's gown.
And little aspects of Anna's costume also point to the fact that she and Kristoff are
now together, for example, take a look at the sashes they wear in the film.
If you listen closely to the film's score, for instance, when Elsa and Anna remember
their childhood, you'll hear the return of some familiar themes from Arendelle, however,
composer Christophe Beck has given those musical themes a new twist, adding a warm and cosy
feel so that they fit the new holiday setting.
As for the new songs by Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel, you won't just hear them sung
in the film, you'll also hear their music woven into the score.
For example, the opening track kicks off with a little bit of "When We're Together" and
that melody is used throughout the film, the idea being that when you finally hear the
characters sing the song towards the end, it already feels comforting and familiar,
like any good holiday song!
Now, what was your favourite moment in Olaf's Frozen Adventure?
And what do you want to see happen in the Frozen sequel?
Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe for your chance to win
a Disney Funko Pop.
And if you enjoyed this, hit that like button, turn on your notifications to get my upcoming
videos, and tap the screen to watch more of my Disney and Pixar animation videos, including
Coco's easter eggs.
Thanks for watching and see ya next time.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!