Frozen was pretty much one of the most epic movies to have ever come out for kids..and who am I kidding…parents too! Frozen is one of the rare kids movies that showcases two leading ladies, Anna and Elsa without an emphasis on a love story. Anna (played by Kristen Bell) was the younger sister of Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) who was challenged with icy powers which leaves her kingdom in eternal winter. Anna and Elsa get separated and thus begin’s the tale of Anna’s journey back to the ice kingdom of Arendelle with her pals Kristoff, a rugged mountain man and his reindeer Sven and eventually their new snowman friend Olaf(voiced by Josh Gad). Frozen is a blockbuster hit, every parent and child I know has been dying for the sequel. This year with the Disney release of Coco came the featurette teaser of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. The very best way to kick off the holiday season!!!!
So what is Olaf’s Frozen Adventure about? Anna and Elsa are set to host a celebration for all of Arendelle, the very first holiday season since the gates of the kingdom have reopened. When the townspeople of Arendelle unexpectedly leave early to enjoy their individual holiday customs, Anna and Elsa realize they have no family traditions of their own because their parents died when they were young and Anna and Elsa split soon after. So, Olaf sets out to find old and new holiday traditions to help Anna and Elsa have the very best “first Christmas in forever.”
So what holiday traditions did Olaf find on his Olaf’s Frozen Adventure? Olaf went door to door to the people of Arendelle singing a new tune each and every time. We learn along with Olaf about Norwegian holiday traditions, along with the more traditional Christmas and Hanukkah traditions we are accustomed to.
Here are some fun Holiday Traditions facts:
Lefse: Traditional Norwegian flat bread that is potato based. Stories have this bread dating back to the Viking Times. Today this bread is reserved for a Holiday treat and can be used in any way you can think of
Gingerbread: The first known recipe came from Greece in 2400 BC and migrated to China and then the Middle East. At some point it made its way to Germany where Gingerbread houses originated but decorating them did not take place until the publishing of Hansel and Gretel by the Grimm Brothers. The well known German tale resulted in German settlers bringing gingerbread to America where the tradition of making these houses continues over the holidays.
Candy Canes: The Christmas candy cane originated in Germany over 250 years ago. A story says that a choirmaster in 1670 was worried about children sitting quietly through a long service so he gave them something to eat to keep them quiet and made it in a “J” shape to look like a shepherd’s crook. Sometime in the 1900s red stripes were added as well as the peppermint flavor and has remained a symbol of Christmas.
When Olaf feels like he has gathered a good list of holiday traditions for Anna and Elsa, he loads up the sled and he takes off for the castle with Sven. Somehow the sled catches on fire and Olaf is left lost in the forest. Meanwhile back at the castle, Anna and Elsa realize that Olaf has been a part of their holiday traditions since they were little. Anna and Elsa begin to sing “When we are Together” and Elsa uses her icy powers to create a frozen pond for the town and an ice Christmas tree topped with an Olaf doll inside of a snowflake crystal at the very top.
My very favorite part of this featurette is the powerful message that holiday traditions is about the memories you make with the people you love versus objects.
I think we can easily say we cannot even wait for the full length film of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure to come out in 2019 but in the meantime you can find this short on Digital and Movies Anywhere today as well as 6 classic Disney holidays shorts!
