As for whether Elsa and Anna are white … the Northuldra are modeled on the Sami, an indigenous people scattered across northern Scandinavia and northwestern Russia who have faced a great deal of discrimination, but there's a lot of disagreement about the genetic and linguistic origins of Sami to this day.
This is the land of the Sami, Norway's reindeer herding indigenous population. The filmmakers of Frozen 2 collaborated with the Sami on elements in the film that draw on their culture, including details for the Northuldra characters who Anna and Elsa meet in the enchanted forest.
Disney's animated film Frozen was inspired by Sámi culture, and for its sequel, Frozen 2, Walt Disney Animation Studios received consultation from a Sámi working group (“Verddet”) on elements within the film that are inspired by the Indigenous People's homelands.
Wait, so Anna and Elsa have indigenous ancestry now? It seems like it—they learn that their mother was a member of the Northuldra tribe, which is described as being true to the earth and guided by spirits.
And even though Kristoff's Sámi heritage is not central to the story of Frozen, it is in part the music by Frode Fjellhiem, in addition to the reindeer and gakti, that should situate the film and the character in an inarguably Sámi—not Old Norse—context.
The Northuldra tribe is inspired by the real-life Sámi natives from the north of Europe, particularly Norway, which Frozen's fictional setting is based on.
(Note: Much of Frozen 2 appears to be a reaction to the reaction the first film received for not including many people of color and for “whitewashing.” The problem with how Frozen 2 handled this is that they really couldn't up and change the race of the lead characters, so instead they just had them retroactively ...
As the lies on which the Kingdom of Arendelle is founded start to unravel, we discover that Anna and Elsa's mother, Iduna, is from the Northuldra tribe – she was the mysterious saviour who rescued their father during battle.
The Frozen movies drew inspiration from the customs and traditions of the indigenous Sami people of Northern Europe. Norway's reindeer herding Sami population has ancient traditions and a strong heritage which Disney wanted to pay homage to.
Inspired by Disney fairytales' true origins, YouTube channel Movie Munchies translated the princesses' most famous songs into their native languages. For example, Elsa and Anna from Frozen are Norwegian, Jasmine from Aladdin speaks Arabic, and Snow White is German.
He appeared in the animated features Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019), and the animated short films Frozen Fever (2015) and Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017). He is voiced primarily by Jonathan Groff. Kristoff is a Sámi iceman who lives together with his reindeer companion Sven.
Slate critic Inkoo Kang said that although Frozen II was obviously influenced by Sámi history, the Northuldra may also be interpreted as representing displaced Native Americans; Arendelle can be seen as representing the United States' colonial past, evocative of the embellished life of Pocahontas.
Anna is the youngest child in the royal family of Arendelle, whose older sister, Elsa was born with the power to create and control ice and snow. Despite this, the sisters become best friends and frequently use Elsa's abilities for their enjoyment.
“Frozen II has been interpreted as a critique of colonialism and as advocating reparation. Before Elsa and Anna were born, their grandfather King Runeard built a dam for the Northuldra tribe. Ostensibly a gift, the dam weakens the tribe's magical power.
It was after that the decision was made to fully commit to the voice calling to Elsa being that of her mother, Iduna. As Marc Smith, Frozen 2's Director of Story, notes in the documentary, the idea "unifies the movie" since it starts with a flashback featuring Iduna and Agnarr, and it brings those elements together.
Because of the kingdom's negative feelings towards the Northuldra, Iduna kept her heritage a secret for many years, though she finally told him everything shortly before their deaths. Agnarr and Iduna's oldest daughter (Elsa) was born with the power to control ice and snow.
On February 8, 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that Frozen 3 is in the works, along with Toy Story 5 and Zootopia 2. While news of a third Frozen film was a welcome one, we have yet to hear more details about the movie or see a trailer.
Elsa is never properly identified as asexual or aromantic, something that would help immensely to increase visibility and awareness. Considering Disney's record with LGBT characters (remember the underwhelming 'gay moment' in Beauty and the Beast?)
Although Elsa's disability is encoded as a magical ice power, the language the film uses to talk about her condition maps on to the experiences of people with physical, mental, and intellectual disabilities in recognizable ways.
Honeymaren, a member of the Northuldra tribe who was trapped in the Enchanted Forest by the curse, could return for Frozen 3 as Elsa's girlfriend based on the two characters' shared chemistry.
It's also worth noting that Frozen, like Disney's recent The Princess and the Frog, is set in a diegetic world with overtly Christian — indeed Catholic — elements. (Among other things, The Princess and the Frog is perhaps the only Disney fairy tale culminating in a church wedding in a specific, real-world church, St.
Arctic indigenous peoples include for example Saami in circumpolar areas of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Northwest Russia, Nenets, Khanty, Evenk and Chukchi in Russia, Aleut, Yupik and Inuit (Iñupiat) in Alaska, Inuit (Inuvialuit) in Canada and Inuit (Kalaallit) in Greenland.
Iduna originated from a Northuldra tribe in the Enchanted Forest. Upon her birth, Iduna's mother knitted her a special scarf that contained the symbols of the elemental spirits of the forest, and Iduna wore and treasured it for the rest of her life.
