Elsa ( Frozen)

Queen Elsa of Arendelle (also known as the Snow Queen) is the deuteragonist of Disney's 2013 animated feature film, Frozen. Born with the power of ice and snow, Elsa is the firstborn daughter of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, older sister of Princess Anna, and the contemporary ruler of Arendelle. Throughout most of her young life, Elsa feared that her powers were monstrous. She thusly isolated herself from the world as a means of protecting her family and kingdom. Elsa's anxieties would eventually trigger a curse that plunged Arendelle into an eternal winter, prompting Anna to embark on a quest to save Elsa from herself.

Elsa is loosely based on the titular character of "

The Snow Queen

", a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, and to a much lesser extent, Kai from the same story. While the character from the original fairy tale was neutral and, to some degree, villainous, Elsa was rewritten as a tragic heroine.

Development
Elsa was originally portrayed as a dramatic, theatrical villain in early drafts of the film, akin to villains of Disney's past such as Cruella De Vil in One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Ursula in The Little Mermaid, in addition to being unrelated to Anna. However, as the film's development encountered several problems, story-wise, two major changes were made; the alteration of Elsa's moral role in the story, and her relationship with Anna. Once the two became sisters, the filmmakers felt it would open new possibilities for story elements, making the process of finalizing the completion of the Disney adaptation of "The Snow Queen" all the more accessible.[1]

Elsa's original portrayal as the villain (her original intended villain role is shown in a deleted scene made early in the film's development) depicted her as being a ruthless, bitter, cold-hearted tyrant who had an entire army of giant snowmen as henchmen (who would eventually be replaced by a single giant snowman named Marshmallow). Designs for this version of Elsa included one that resembled actress Bette Midler, as well as one that was modeled after the late singer

Amy Winehouse

. These designs depicted her with spiky black or dark blue hair (and even blue-gray skin), a more angular body (as opposed to the final, heroic Elsa's curvaceous body) and a constantly malicious smile. Some concept art depicted her with a group of pet ermines who scurried up and down her body and formed themselves into a cloak for her.

Instead of being fearful and insecure about not wanting to reveal her powers, Elsa would have been very hostile and bitter toward others and simply resented everyone, especially Anna, whom she was incredibly jealous of because of the royal status she held. Songwriter Kristen Anderson-Lopez stated in a 2014 interview, that Elsa's original motivation throughout the film was to freeze Anna's heart to take over the kingdom.[1] As stated by producer Peter Del Vecho in a 2017 interview, Elsa was originally unrelated to Anna and she was originally a scorned woman who was left single by her would-be fiancee at her own wedding day and froze her own heart in order to never love again. She would have been misunderstood as "Arendelle's bane" in the original prophecy and would have redeemed herself at the last minute to save all of Arendelle from an avalanche caused by Prince Hans (the real bane of Arendelle in the prophecy).[2]

However, this did not work out very well, as it would have been difficult for her to reform if she was an outright evil villain, and after listening to the song "Let It Go", intended to be Elsa's villain song when it was written, the writers realized that her motivations of self-empowerment and wanting to be herself were too positive to be expressed by a villain and did not fit the villain role, and as a result, instead of changing the lyrics they ended up changing the plot, and therefore the character was changed from a villainous role to an anti-heroic role seen in the actual film.[1]

Voice
Actress and singer Megan Mullally was originally cast to voice Elsa,[3] but was replaced by Broadway actress Idina Menzel, best known for performing Elphaba from Wicked when the story changed. Menzel had previously auditioned for a lead role in the 2010 Disney animated feature film, Tangled. She was not cast for the part, but the casting director recorded her singing and later showed the recording to Frozen's film executives. Menzel was surprised when she was subsequently asked to audition, and she received the role after reading the script out loud.[4]

Director Chris Buck believed that Menzel's vocals would help in the portrayal of the character, saying, "Idina has a sense of vulnerability in her voice. She plays a very strong character, but someone who lives in fear—so we needed someone who could portray both sides of the character, and Idina was just amazing."

In an interview with Menzel, she acknowledged the similarities between Elsa and Elphaba. She mentioned they were both very powerful and misunderstood individuals, and she herself could relate to the characters, having hidden her singing talent from her peers at school. "I didn't want to alienate anyone," she explained. "If everyone was singing along in the car to a Madonna song, I didn't join in because when we're younger we're afraid of sticking out or showing off when in fact we should own those things that make us really unique."

Characterazion
characterization underwent several alterations. According to Menzel, she was originally scripted as a one-dimensional antagonist but was gradually revised as a more vulnerable, multifaceted figure. Menzel further described her character as "extremely complicated and misunderstood".

Director Jennifer Lee stated that Elsa is largely driven by fear throughout the film. Producers identified the scene in which Elsa sings "Let It Go" as a pivotal point in the character's development, as the scene depicts her choice to "let go" of her fear of using her powers and be herself. Character design supervisor Bill Schwab said, "Before 'Let It Go', Elsa is really buttoned up, her hair is up—everything is perfect. During the song, she gives herself permission to be who she is and everything changes — her hair is wilder, her gown is magical. She's finally free — even if she is all alone."

Lead writer Paul Briggs explained that Anna's support is what Elsa needs most when her secret is exposed. "The strength of the family bond is what makes this story so powerful because it's her sibling who's willing to look beyond her powers and stand between her and the world if that's what it takes."

Personality
Elegant, caring, reserved, warm, kind, playful, protective, no-nonsense, well-behaved, loving, gentle, perceptive, classy, merciful, sophisticated, compassionate, regal, selfless, intelligent, pragmatic, lonely, independent, artistic, down-to-earth, benevolent, motherly, introverted, emotionally sensitive, a perfectionist, peaceful, anxious, insecure (formerly), remorseful, proper

Pyshical Appearance
Slender, radiant pale skin, light freckles, rosy cheeks, pink lips, long platinum blonde hair in a French braid, purple eye shadow, blue eyes

Powers And Abilities
Snow magic Life Creation