During D23, Disney’s ultimate fan expo, a panel revealed some key details about Frozen 3, suggesting that one of the most popular fan theories about Elsa’s power may be officially debunked in the third Frozen movie. When the first film premiered in 2013, not even Disney could have predicted Frozen‘s meteoric success. Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairy tale “The Snow Queen,” Frozen centers on sisters Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell). Although the sisters start off as close-knit, an accident with Elsa’s ice powers prompts the girls’ parents to separate them by isolating Elsa.
Years later, after their parents go missing at sea, Elsa’s coronation nears. During the events of 2013’s Frozen, Elsa learns to embrace her true self — including the good and bad that come with her ice abilities — and the sisters reconnect. In the 2019 sequel, Frozen 2, the sisters travel to an enchanted forest in the hopes of learning more about Elsa’s powers. Although Frozen 2‘s ending reveals a lot about the sisters’ mother, Iduna (Evan Rachel Wood), and sees Elsa connecting with Frozen 2‘s magical spirits, it doesn’t really answer many questions about how Elsa inherited her powers.
Frozen 3 Tease Suggests Elsa’s Powers Are Not From Her Parents
A Popular Frozen Fan Theory Suggests Elsa Inherited The Ice Powers From Her Mother
A popular Frozen theory suggests Elsa inherited her powers from her mother’s side of the family, but, based on what’s been revealed about Frozen 3, Disney might quash the idea. In Frozen 2, Elsa hears a mysterious voice calling out to her from afar, which prompts her to journey to the Enchanted Forest. The home of the Northuldra people, the Enchanted Forest has been shrouded in a strange mist for decades, so no one from Arendelle has set foot inside the place in quite some time. Soon enough, Elsa and Anna discover that their mother, Iduna, was Northuldra.
At Ahtohallan, it’s revealed that Elsa is the missing fifth spirit, and the bridge between the human and spirit worlds.
While wandering the forest, Elsa and Anna encounter four elemental spirits — manifestations of air, water, fire, and earth — that have seemingly lost their way. For the most part, Elsa calms and tames these beings, all while continuing to follow the mysterious voice to Ahtohallan, a magical glacier that has a connection to her past. At Ahtohallan, it’s revealed that Elsa is the missing fifth spirit, and the bridge between the human and spirit worlds. Since Frozen 2‘s Northuldra people seem to leave alongside magical entities, fans posited that Elsa inherited her ice powers from her mother.
Jennifer Lee’s co-director, Chris Buck, won’t return to helm
Frozen 3
alongside her.
A co-director alongside Chris Buck on Frozen and Frozen 2, Disney’s Jennifer Lee revealed some Frozen 3 details at D23. According to Lee, the upcoming Frozen 3 will answer several burning questions, from revealing the origins of Elsa’s powers to confirming the fate of Frozen‘s antagonist, Hans (Santino Fontana). As Lee put it, one of the questions the film will reckon with is “Who gave Elsa her powers?” The phrasing implies that Elsa’s powers were bestowed upon her, likely ruling out the theory that she inherited them from Iduna.
Elsa’s Powers Not Coming From Her Parents Explains Why Anna Doesn’t Have Them
Anna’s Lack Of Powers Backs Up The Idea That Elsa Received Her Magic From Another Source
Before Frozen 2 was released, soon-to-be viewers read into the movie’s autumn-themed scenes from the trailer, positing that Anna would soon discover her own powers related to another season. However, if Elsa’s powers aren’t inherited through genetics, that would explain why Anna doesn’t show any signs of having her own magical abilities. While it’s still possible that Frozen 3‘s story could pull Anna into the elemental spirits narrative, her story would benefit from continuing to contrast to Elsa’s. That is, Anna doesn’t need magical powers to save the day.
Frozen 3 Could Still Make Elsa’s Parents Responsible For Her Powers
Elsa’s Parents Could Have Struck A Deal For Her Powers
Even though the first movie is one of the highest-grossing Disney animated films of all time, the team behind Frozen didn’t really plan the franchise’s lore, as evidenced by Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II. Hopefully, Disney has learned its lesson ahead of Frozen 3, but, given all of Frozen 2‘s plot holes, it wouldn’t be surprising if the third installment found a way to make Elsa’s parents responsible for her powers. If Elsa’s powers aren’t genetic, it’s possible her parents struck a good (or bad) bargain with some magical entity, which resulted in Elsa’s ice magic.
Frozen 3 is slated for release on November 24, 2027.
