In our last article, we opened the topic of comparing the new Disney movie Frozen 2 to biblical themes and applications. We discussed the topic of the Holy Spirit in our lives and how the idea of spirits is developed in the movie. This time around, we are going to look at each of the main characters in the movie to have an idea of how they can compare to Christian living. Let’s dive in. 

The first character we will discuss is Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. Assuming again, you have seen the movie, you know that Elsa’s biggest issue is self-confidence and identity. Elsa struggles with knowing who she is, where her powers come from, and who she is meant to be. The plot of Frozen 2 is all about Elsa discovering who she is and embracing her own identity. As Christians, we do the same things and often ask the same questions. In the movie, Elsa has ice powers and she hears a voice that keeps calling her. She feels that finding this voice will reveal information about her powers and ultimately will lead her to answers about who she is. 

Well, God calls to us also. Maybe not in an audible voice like in the movie but God calls His people in many different ways (2 Thessalonians 2:14, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Romans 11:29; 8:28, 2 Timothy 1:9). There are many examples of God literally calling to people in the Bible as well (Paul, Samuel, Moses) just to name a few. God may call us through an opportunity at work, a dream at night, a person we encounter. There are many different ways God can call us to Him and to His kingdom but there is only one way through which we can come to Him, and that is Jesus (John 6:44, 14:6). Once we find out who God is and what His plan is, things for our life start to gain a little more focus. We start to find out who we are and why we are here. We find out, when we read Scripture, that we are his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), conquerors (Romans 8:37), we are “children of God” (1 John 3:1), a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we are even made in God’s own image (Genesis 1:27). These are just some of the amazing things that we are when we accept Jesus and come to God. Elsa finds that she is a bridge, a fifth spirit between the natural world and the spiritual world. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”. Paul calls us a temple. A temple is a place where flesh and spirit meet. Our body is flesh but the Spirit within us is anything but flesh. Elsa’s world is fictional, but ours is real and it’s up to us to decide how we will live and who we will live for. 

The next character we will discuss is Elsa’s sister, Anna. Anna can be an easily relatable character and one whose development is real and true. Anna has a true servant’s heart and is always ready to help no matter the cost. She expressively tries to keep her sister Elsa safe and secure and out of danger. She only wants what’s best for everyone and love is at the heart of everything she does. Anna’s true test comes near the end of the movie when Elsa and Olaf have both passed on (temporarily) and she doesn’t know what to do next. In the movie, she realizes that the dam must break for the curse to lift on the forest and set everything free, so this is what she does. She is relentless. It is at her weakest moment when she is so lost and confused and hopeless, that she decides to stand and do “the next right thing”. How many times are we in this situation in life where we don’t know what to do and hope seems lost? 

Anna’s character teaches us many lessons about what to do in the hard times in life and where our hope should be. The Bible gives many encouraging thoughts about what to do when hard times come. I love Psalm 46:1-6 which says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging”. Anna’s world came to a crashing halt in an instant. Her sister and best friend were dead and she was lost in a forest and had no idea where to go. She could have given into the darkness and let sadness and grief pull her down, but she didn’t. She got up and did the next right thing. Psalm 46 tells us that even though our world crumbles and falls around us, God is our refuge. He is always there. “[H]e will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). 

Here are some more encouraging passages:

 Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 27:1-3 “The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me,it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;though war break out against me,even then I will be confident.”

Psalm 9:9-10 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

With these verses, and our faith in God, we can be certain that God will be with us and will deliver us. He is our hope and our salvation. The world will try to drag us down, Satan will be attacking from every side, but God is our refuge and we must trust and put our hope in Him. This does not mean bad things will never happen, but the response we have when bad things do happen should be like Anna’s, to get up and do the right thing. In other words, to get back up, put our trust in God and live the life we were called.  

The next two characters Kristoff and Sven certainly had more development in this movie and we can better understand their characters more. Obviously, the big development for Kristoff is his love for Anna as is shown in many scenes and his big song, “Lost in the Woods”. Instead of focusing on their relationship, I want to focus on the relationship between Kristoff and his trusty reindeer Sven. Kristoff and Sven are always together, always there for each other, and never turn their backs on each other. When one is down, the other lifts them up. I think this is a great representation of how the body of Christ is supposed to be in terms of encouraging one another and uplifting one another. 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to, “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”. But what does that look like? Well, Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians can give us an idea. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 it says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Paul says that when we comfort those in trouble, we comfort them with the same comfort we receive from God. It’s like a trusty ol’ blanket that just gets passed on to the next person who needs it. God comforts us and then we comfort those who need it with that same comfort. What an amazing design God laid out for His people. We can encourage one another just as Kristoff and Sven encourage each other. 

The last character we will discuss is the fan-favorite, huggable snowman, Olaf. One of Elsa’s childhood creations, Olaf is the character who lightens the mood and brings laughter and a bright side to every situation. With Olaf, love is a theme that never fades and as he is disintegrating away in Anna’s arms, he tells her that love is the one thing that never fades away and never changes. Love is a theme in the Bible too and seems to be the biggest theme. 

1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world so much that he sent Jesus so we could have eternal life. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says that faith, hope, and love exist but the greatest is love. Love is everywhere in the Bible and should be everywhere in our lives. Olaf loved and we should love. Anna kept going because of her love for her sister. Kristoff helped Anna because of his love for her. Elsa loved her sister and didn’t want her hurt and Olaf just loved everyone. Love is the force that bound everyone together in the movie and it is the same force that binds every good things together here on earth. Colossians 3:14 says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”. Love binds all things in perfect harmony. God loves us, so he sent Jesus to rescue us. We in turn, love God and accept the gift of Jesus. We then love each other and everyone else and they return love. As the movie ends in a happy scene with everyone together, so will those who believe receive an eternal happy ending together.

As we conclude, every character has characteristics we can take and apply to our lives. We can learn something from everyone. From Elsa, we can learn that knowing who we are in Christ is important. Anna’s character displays a heart of courage and strength and therefore we need to know who we depend on. Kristoff and Sven are like the church, always there and encouraging one another. Finally, Olaf is the character through which love emanates and binds everyone together. Likewise, God is love and through Jesus everyone is bound together.