In the last article of the Frozen 2 series, we discussed the characters in the movie Frozen 2 and the lessons we can learn from those characters. In this article, we are going to discuss the places depicted in the movie and their resemblance to situations we encounter in life. Arendelle, the Enchanted Forest, the Dark Sea, and Ahtohallan will be the places we’ll be discussing. Let’s dive in. 

The first place you encounter in the movie is Arendelle, home of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. Arendelle is depicted as a place we all want to live in, a place of peace, joy, and laughter. It is the place where friends are united and bonded by the love that holds them together. We all have times in our lives that are good. For some it may be days gone by. For others, these are the days we wish to relish in forever. Then there are those to which these good times are still to come. Whichever boat you find yourself in, Arendelle is a place where you want to be. Arendelle is the home of Elsa, Anna, and Olaf and it is the place where the sisters grew up, where they live, and where they rule. Everything always comes back to Arendelle, the characters, the plot, the history. It all comes back around to Arendelle. In biblical terms, Arendelle can be compared to heaven. Of course, for the movie, not all characters define Arendelle as their home but most do. It is the place where they long to be. 

In our lives, heaven is the place where we long to be. Heaven is what we are hoping for, it is what we are waiting for. As 2 Peter 3:13 describes, “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” We are waiting for Christ’s return so that he can make all things new (Revelation 21:5) and restore creation to its original perfect state. This means that we too are restored to our original state (1 Corinthians 15:53). Arendelle is a place that the characters call home and a place they long to be. It is the place where they start off in the movie and the place where they end the movie, for those who call it home. Heaven is a place we long for and it is a place we hope to live forever. Creation started out in a perfect state, and a perfect state is where it will end eternally.    

The next place the characters travel to is the Enchanted Forest. A forest of mystery, magic, and the unknown. The forest is home to the Northuldra people and it is a place where the spirits roam. In this forest, the characters meet the spirits and learn some things about their past. At the edge of the forest, lies a wrecked ship. It was the ship their parents were on when they died and they discover why their parents took the journey in the first place. Anna is left alone in the forest after Elsa leaves and Olaf flurries away and Kristoff can’t find her. Olaf refers to the forest as a “place of transformation” when they go in and it certainly was a place of transformation for all of them. Sometimes in life, we go through a transformation also. It might seem scary or foolish and stepping into the unknown causes fear to rise. God’s word tells us that being transformed is necessary to live the best life we can. 

The one passage that comes to mind when talking about being transformed is Romans 12:2 which says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. Paul says not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In the sentence before, paul encourages the Romans to live our life as a sacrifice to God. Our bodies are to be a living sacrifice in that we do all for God’s glory. This is a change in mindset from the worldview of self-pleasure to selflessness. In another letter, Paul discusses the idea that we are already being transformed into the perfect image of God we were created to be. 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Our transformation begins when we put on Christ and the Spirit begins to dwell in us. When we live by the Spirit, we live a new way of living and one that will lead us away from the evil desires and on to what the Spirit desires (Galatians 5:16-17). Transformation is needed to encompass the full powers God gives to us, just as the characters needed transformation to realize their powers and abilities as well. 

The next place we will go to is the Dark Sea. Only Elsa encounters this place and it is full of imagery and meaning. The Dark Sea in the movie is the one thing that stands between Elsa and the memories of the past. It is also the same sea that killed her parents, it is a daunting, chaos monster. She tries to run across the sea and gets pushed over by the waves and is swept to shore. Then, still resilient, she goes for it again, making it through the first crashing wave and clings to a rock. She slips on the rock through and tries to make a path of ice over the second wave. The wave is too strong though and Elsa is plunged into the sea. Then she fights this magical horseat and rides it to the next destination. This horse seems to be fighting against her until she reigns it in and it ends up being her help to get her across the water to Ahtohallan. 

We face many dark seas in our lives as well. It is the giant in our way, the sin we can’t overcome, the failure we can’t move past. It’s a voice telling us that we can’t and tells us to look at our failures and dwell on them. The Dark Sea in our world is Satan. He is the enemy that stands in our way. He is the one that pushes us down and tells us we can’t or we’re not good enough. In the chaos of life, it seems that Satan is all there is and hope is lost. Darkness, sadness, and hopelessness fill our minds and we don’t know what to do. Then all of a sudden, something or someone appears that is our saving grace and pulls us out of the water and brings us to our destination. The horse in the movie can symbolize Jesus for our discussion purposes. The horse saved Elsa just like Jesus saves us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it”. The way of escape for Elsa was the horse and God is the way out for us. Psalm 46, when talking about all the terrible things that happen around us, gives an analogy of a roaring ocean. It says that “though its waters roar and foam” we will not fear because God is on our side. Though we may suffer trials, temptations, and hardships. We can be sure that God will deliver us and that our trust is in Him. 

When the horse came, Elsa realized she couldn’t do it on her own. She needed to use the gift that the spirits had given her to reach Ahtohallan. In the same way, we need to realize we can’t do it alone either. We need Jesus in our lives and the Holy Spirit to guide us in all things. When we have Jesus, then we realize that we are strong with him. Let us remember what the Lord told Paul, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” His power is made perfect in our weaknesses. 

The last place we will discuss is the thought-provoking, beautiful, and yet dangerous ice river of Ahtohallan. It is a glacier of ice that is said to hold the truths about the past and memories of the forgotten. While inside, Elsa realizes that her mother was the one calling to her from inside Ahtohallan. Elsa also realizes that she is the fifth spirit that bridges the spirit world and the natural world together. Her identity is discovered and this is proved when she sings the song “Show Yourself” and she uses the line “I am found”. This is such a crucial part in the movie as lots of questions are answered in this scene. Elsa finds who is calling her and discovers her identity and who she is. We go through the same process when we come to know Jesus. Let’s discuss this topic. 

Before we come to Jesus, we may not think we are lost. We may think everything is fine and we don’t need this Jesus character. However, there may be something within you that is pulling you towards something. You may not understand it, but there’s an emptiness and you are lost in the confusion and seek other things to find the fix. Elsa hears a call, she doesn’t want to follow it at first but she realizes that she may need to find the voice to find an answer. She doesn’t feel at home and she is confused about her place in the world. She then follows the voice, through the unknown, and comes to Ahtohallan. For us, this is where we come to God and realize that He is the one we’ve been looking for. Jesus is the answer to our problems and Jesus is the one who’s been calling us. John 6:44 tells us that God does call us. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” God draws us to him and we must answer the calling. When we realize it is God who is calling us, we have a choice. We can either believe that Jesus is the Son and the he alone saves us, or we can reject the message and thus be in the same position as before. If we choose the first, and believe in the salvation of Jesus Christ, an amazing thing happens, we receive the Holy Spirit. A beautiful passage describes this process in Ephesians 1:13-14 which says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” When we believe we are marked in him with a seal, the Holy Spirit, and this Spirit is the guarantee of our eternal reward in heaven.

 I compare this to when Elsa realizes she is the fifth spirit and she encompasses the power of the spirits and has the confidence she never had. When we encounter Jesus and we have the power of the Spirit living within us, we take on a new mindset and a new way of living. We now live by the Spirit just as Elsa lives by the spirits she can now possess. Galatians 5:22-25 describes what it is like to have the Spirit within us and to live by the Spirit. Paul says here, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” When we live without the Spirit, there is often sadness, anger, rudeness, confusion, and chaos. With the Spirit, there is love, joy, patience, kindness, peace, etc. The voice in Frozen 2 was calling Elsa for a reason, to bring her home and help her find her purpose and life. God does the same with us. He calls us to Him, to give us a purpose and give us life. God wants to bring us home and help us find what we’ve been missing all along, Him. 

With all of these places there is something to learn. Whether it’s thinking of heaven, how we are transformed, how to get through barriers in life, or coming to Jesus, there is something to take from all of these locations in the movie. We can make many comparisons with these locations but these are the ones I wanted to focus on today. With Arendelle, the Enchanted Forest, the Dark Sea, and Ahtohallan, we can learn that God is always with us, and life with Him is the only way that leads to eternal life.