Josh Gad explains why one Olaf scene had to be changed for Frozen II. Known for his adorable song “In Summer” in 2013’s Frozen, Olaf is the jovial snowman in the Frozen movies. Gad, who has performed on Broadway, contributed his vocal talents to Olaf for the movie. He is joined by a talented Frozen voice cast including Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Ciarán Hinds. Gad is set to reprise his snowman role in Frozen 3, which is set for release in 2027.
In his memoir In Gad We Trust (via Entertainment Weekly), Gad explains how a key Olaf scene from Frozen II had to be rewritten. According to the actor, Frozen II‘s original Olaf death scene was “brutal,” and Gad himself even struggled to get through it in the recording booth. After a test screening, Gad asked director Jennifer Lee how she thought it went, and she responded that “the kids were very confused and very, very sad.” As a result, Lee went into a long process of reworking the Olaf scene. Check out the full quote from Gad below:
“Jenn and I started recording the dialogue and I couldn’t get through it without sobbing. Those first recordings were brutal, and I remember feeling that we were doing something that was going to pack a serious punch.
[I] asked Jenn how the first test screening went. Jenn is many incredible things, but a good liar is not one of them. She put on a brave face and said, ‘The adults loved it, but the kids were very confused and very, very sad.’ [I] knew we still had a long road ahead.”
What This Meant For Frozen II
Frozen II Still Had A Temporary Olaf Death
Frozen II does end up with a version of an Olaf death scene, but it is far from permanent. The powers that kept Olaf alive begin to fade away once Elsa discovers more about the truth of Ahtohallan. As a result, Olaf dies in Anna’s arms, fading into a pile of snow. After Elsa is revived and gains back powers, she brings Olaf back to life, noting that “water has memory.” So, Olaf lives on after the Frozen II ending, allowing the lovable snowman to return for the sequel.
Gad does not state what exactly the alternate death was for Olaf in Frozen II, but one can imagine it was a situation far less reversible. As is, a child could easily be upset by the Olaf death that does exist in the Disney sequel, though they might be comforted when Olaf was brought back to life. The way the death scene was played out in the theatrical version of Frozen II is palatable to viewers, and likely a good shift if the first cut was as “brutal” as Gad claims.
Our Take On Olaf’s Death (& Revival) In Frozen II
Disney Is Opting Towards Less Traumatic Death Scenes
Disney’s softening of Olaf’s death in Frozen II shows that the company is trending away from some of the more upsetting deaths in their earlier work. Movies like Bambi, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo iconically feature heartbreaking death scenes. While Elsa and Anna’s parents are both ᴅᴇᴀᴅ as per the Disney trope, nothing in the Frozen movies matches the intensity of some earlier Disney works. As Frozen 3 is developed, it will be interesting to see whether the new movie will go any further than the previous ones did.
Source: In Gad We Trust (via EW)
