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.
It was unexpected, Elsa and Anna are both portrayed in the animated film as two Norwegian princesses from the 1840s — it's highly unlikely that their father, the King, was not white.
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.
Heavily influenced by Norwegian nature, culture and traditions, Frozen introduced us to unforgettable characters like Queen Elsa and her sister Anna, the ice harvester Kristoff and his reindeer Sven, Olaf the snowman and a bunch of cheeky trolls.
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.
(For an interesting video about the relationship between the Sami, Norway, and the making of Frozen 2, click here.) Anna and Elsa are not white either. They are Northuldra raised Arendellian, aka Native Raised Other. Regardless of where they end up by the end of the movie, they are and always will be Native women.
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.
Physical appearance. At 21 years of age in the original film and 24 in the sequel, Elsa has a tall and slender build, blue eyes, rosy cheeks, thin pink lips, a small nose, long platinum blonde hair, and very pale skin with a light dusting of freckles (a trait she shares with her sister Anna, though less prominent).
(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 ...
Kristoff is a Sámi iceman who lives together with his reindeer companion Sven. Albeit preferring a solitary life, he helps Princess Anna of Arendelle to find her older sister Elsa in the North Mountain.
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.
Both characters have two daughters (Agnarr is the father to Elsa and Anna, while Big Bob is the father to Olga and Helga). In Frozen II, Agnarr is voiced by Alfred Molina, while Iduna is voiced by Evan Rachel Wood. The two had previously voiced the Fairy King and his daughter, Marianne, respectively, in Strange Magic.
yet, other depictions in books, merchandise, and fanarts show her as being blonde. In the case of the movie itself, her hair looks very light to the point of being white; not yellowish enough to be blonde yet not stark white enough to be white.
Queen Elsa is one of the main characters of the movie. She has a strikingly beautiful appearance, long platinum blonde hair, and a pair of ice blue-colored eyes that matches very well with her porcelain complexion. For an animated character, she is mesmerizingly pretty.
Frozen 3 is officially underway, and the work done so far has left one of the original Frozen creators "blown away". Jennifer Lee – who wrote and co-directed the first two movies – revealed in October 2023 that the creative team is already delivering astounding work for the threequel.
The movie is loosely based on the fairy tale, so Disney has the freedom to give Ariel any skin color they want. In the 1989 movie, Ariel was born in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica, which technically makes her Atlantican, not Danish.
When they showed what was finished of the film to a Story Trust group several months prior to release, many were still confused about who the voice was supposed to belong to. It was after that the decision was made to fully commit to the voice calling to Elsa being that of her mother, Iduna.
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.
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.
