10 Things You May Not Know About Elsa

1. Elsa’s Snowflake

Did you know that Elsa has her own snowflake? When the animators were dreaming up Elsa’s different abilities, they created a signature snowflake just for her. You can see this snowflake when she slams her foot into the ground to make the floor of her ice palace, as well as in the pattern on the doors of her ice palace balcony. Most noticeably, it is the snowflake inside the “o” in the word “Frozen,” as seen on the film’s title screen.

2. She’s a Math Genius!

Snowflakes incorporate a lot of geometry in their structure, and Elsa loves geometry. In the book “A Sister More Like Me,” Elsa uses her knowledge of geometry to create her ice palace, even describing her snow designs as ‘fractals,’ a very advanced geometry concept.

3. Watch the Ice

Elsa can change the color of ice to match her emotions. It’s blue when she’s happy, red when she’s frightened, purple when she’s sad, and amber when she’s angry.

4. Elsa and Ralph?

During the 2013 D23 Expo, writer Jennifer Lee offhandedly suggested that Elsa and Wreck-It Ralph would make a good couple. In Disney INFINITY, if Ralph and Elsa are introduced to one another, Ralph will tell Elsa that she’s “really pretty,” and Elsa will reply, “…and you have a warm heart.”

5. How Did Elsa Get Her Powers?

The reason that Elsa possesses the magical ability to control ice is never explained in the film. However, according to Jennifer Lee, the source of her magic may have been caused by a 1000-year alignment between Saturn and other distant planets (similar to how Rapunzel got her blonde hair from the Sun).

6. Elsa’s Signature Hair

When Elsa is in her guise as the Snow Queen, she wears her hair in a loose French braid tied with a crystal-like hairband. Her hair appears incredibly thick, and it’s no wonder since her hair is composed of 420,000 strands (four times more than an average person’s). A new animation program called Tonic was invented to assist with the task of creating Elsa’s hair.

7. An Appropriate Birthday

At the time of her coronation, Elsa was 21 years old. Fittingly, Elsa was born on the Winter Solstice and is three years older than Anna.

8. The Voice of Elsa

Before landing the role of Elsa, Idina Menzel had previously auditioned for Rapunzel in the film Tangled. Although she did not get the part, a Disney casting director recorded her voice, and it got her the part of Elsa two years later. Coincidentally, Kristen Bell, who voices Anna, also auditioned for the role of Rapunzel.

9. Let It Go Brighter

Throughout the early part of Frozen, Elsa’s clothes become noticeably darker, duller, and more restrained as she gradually becomes an adult. Fortunately, after singing “Let It Go,” her clothing gets noticeably brighter.

10. The Snow Queen

When Disney first considered making an animated version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” it was presumed that the Snow Queen would be portrayed as a villain. Early concept art and visual development depicted the character – eventually named Elsa – as a ruthless, bitter, cold-hearted tyrant with an entire army of giant snowmen as henchmen. Early designs showed Elsa with spiky black hair and a menacing smile. According to songwriter Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Elsa’s original motivation throughout the film was to freeze Anna’s heart and take over the kingdom. Elsa was initially unrelated to Anna and was going to be scorned by her fiancé on her wedding day, forcing her to freeze her own heart in order never to love again. The creative team realized the audience would have no emotional connection to Elsa, ultimately creating a dissatisfying story. All seemed lost until someone suggested recasting Elsa as Anna’s sister, and in doing so, the team found their emotional hook.