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I was excited to be one of the first groups to see Olaf’s Frozen Adventure! At the Disney Animation building, I screened the movie ahead of its release. Also, I had the unique opportunity to interview songwriters Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel (who wrote the incredible songs on the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure soundtrack). To explain the making of the movie, producer Roy Conli (who also produced Born In China and Big Hero 6) and directors Stevie Wermers-Skelton and Kevin Deters were also present. Today on Theresa’s Reviews, you can find my Olaf’s Frozen Adventure review and 10 fun, exclusive facts about the movie!
Olaf’s Frozen Adventure Review
In Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, you see the first Christmas that Anna and Elsa have since opening the gate. They realize that because they didn’t talk when they were younger, they’ve never had their own holiday tradition. After they ring the bell, they realize that ringing the bell is a tradition for the kingdom, but not for their family. Kristoff has a silly troll tradition, but Anna and Elsa know it won’t work for them. Christmas joy is gone, and the two girls go their separate ways.
Olaf’s Quest To Find Traditions
Olaf tries to help them by going on a search for the best traditions in Arendelle. He wants to bring back traditions in his sleigh to help Anna and Elsa choose the one they like most. On a quest for family holiday traditions, he speaks with all of the families in the kingdom.
“That Time Of Year” Clip
Check out this clip below that shows Olaf visiting the people of Arendelle. He is such a sweet character, and it’s fun seeing him become the focus of the movie.
Olaf As The Main Character
Although Olaf is a character who is usually on the sidelines of the other Frozen characters, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure makes him central to the plot. The hope he has to bring his family together is a reminder of how much people care about others during the holidays. He also has several hilarious moments when he comments on other people’s traditions. The way he delivers his lines made me laugh, and will be funny to children watching the movie too. Whether he’s talking about breaking and entering or dressing the corpse of a tree, he adds a lot of comic relief to the movie.
Knitted Scene
One of my favorite scenes in the movie was a knitted scene. The whole movie screen becomes like a knitted scarf or blanket, and it’s unlike anything I’ve seen in a movie before. Seeing the characters portrayed in this different way adds a unique visual element to the movie.
A Happy, Heartwarming Resolution
Olaf has a lot of optimism that he can solve his friends’ problems. Unfortunately, he ends up very sad and lost. Poor Olaf finds himself in trouble, and he gives up searching for a tradition. I won’t give away any spoilers, but Anna and Elsa figure out their tradition and discover that in way, they’ve always had one. In the end, there’s a nice twist that makes it have a happy and positive resolution. The movie is very uplifting for the holidays. Also, the soundtrack is filled with Christmas spirit and is going to be a big hit for the holidays.
The Costumes
I enjoyed the gorgeous new costumes you can see on Elsa and Anna. Everyone looks so cozy and warm! According to the filmmakers, the colors of the dresses are much more similar to each other than they have been in the past to represent that they are closer as sisters.
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The color palette of the dresses is closer together because the sisters are closer in this featurette #OlafsFrozenAdventure #PixarCocoEvent pic.twitter.com/J9JAWQ3YzW
— Theresa’s Reviews (@theresasreviews) November 8, 2017
My Thoughts On Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
Overall, seeing this movie is a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays with your family. If you’re a big fan of Frozen, you don’t have to wait until the release of Frozen 2 to enjoy your favorite characters. Olaf’s Frozen Adventure brings back some the best Disney characters in a heartwarming story. Watching it is a great way to appreciate being together over the holidays. I enjoyed the message that traditions don’t make the holidays, but spending time together does.
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It was so good! #OlafsFrozenAdventure #PixarCocoEvent pic.twitter.com/mw14x141cV
— Theresa’s Reviews (@theresasreviews) November 8, 2017
Interviewing The Makers Of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
One of the most interesting parts about visiting the Disney Animation building was meeting the people who helped create the movie. We learned fun facts about Easter eggs, inspiration, and ideas that weren’t included in the movie. Check out fun facts below!
10 Exclusive Fun Facts About The Making Of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
Holiday Traditions
- Many holiday traditions shown in the movie are inspired by Scandanavian traditions. For example, the goat motif of Anna’s dress is directly from a Scandanavian tradition of the Yule goat. Today in many Scandanavian homes, you can find little straw goats during the holidays.
- Another tradition you can find both in the movie and in many Scandanavian homes is ringing a bell on Christmas Eve to start the holiday festivities.
- During the research process, the filmmakers looked at how around the world, there are winter holidays and traditions. They looked at how families come together. The movie references a menorah and dreidel to embrace Frozen as an all-inclusive place that is welcoming of people of all faiths.
Songwriters Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel (who wrote the incredible songs on the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure soundtrack). Photo credit: mamalatinatips.com Easter Eggs In Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
- You can find many fun Easter eggs in the movie. In the sleigh, you can find Baymax’s fist! Nessie from The Ballad of Nessie flies off the sleigh. Vocally, Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel have little Easter egg moments within the song. Elyssa is the kitten. Kate is cat’s owner. Stevie Wermers-Skelton is candy cane child’s mom. The candy cane child is Kevin Deters’ son.
Directors Stevie Wermers-Skelton and Kevin Deters of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. Photo credit: mamalatinatips.com More Fun Facts
- Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel said that to make the music, they really tried to live in the world of Frozen as much as possible.
- One character that got cut was a little goat Mr. Jingles who would have eaten little yule bells, and would have eaten all of the traditions in the sleigh. Every time he bleated, it would have sounded like Jingle Bells. Unfortunately, the filmmakers realized they didn’t really need the goat in the storyline.
- The filmmakers would have also had a longer scene in the Oaken store. Olaf would have gone in the store and picked out a lot of items off the shelf and spent more time there. Since the movie is only 21 minutes long, it had to be cut.
- The knitted scene has a fantasy aspect where Olaf really goes into his head. It also came together because the Disney Animation team usually has ugly sweater parties. To make the scene, they had to use stop motion instead of CG animation. Each thread of each frame was hand painted. Frame by frame, each part was animated by hand.
- One direction the movie almost took was having Olaf host a Christmas show.
- Since the software for making Disney animation has improved a lot in the past few years, the light reflects much more than it it did in Frozen. Visually, the movie is impressive!
About Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
The movie will come out on November 22, 2017 exclusively in theaters for a limited time with Disney Pixar’s Coco. It is a 3D computer-animated 21-minute short featurette.
Check out the trailer for Olaf’s Frozen Adventure below!
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Disclosure: I received a free trip to Los Angeles to cover the #PixarCocoEvent, but it in no way influenced my opinion.
