Summary

• Elsa's original character in Frozen was written as more of a villain than a tormented, misunderstood character.
• The original opening scene involved Elsa being left at the altar, which resulted in her acquiring her icy powers.
• The decision to change Elsa's backstory and focus on sisterhood rather than romance was the right call for the story of Frozen.

One detail from the original live-action Frozen remake.

In some ways, Frozen involved a particular catalyst event to Elsa acquiring her icy powers that would've altered her backstory in a major way.

The Original Frozen Opening Saw Elsa Getting Left At The Altar

This Betrayal Was The Inciting Incident For Elsa Getting Her Powers

According to Buck, in the original opening scene of Frozen, Elsa was left at the altar during her wedding. Heartbroken and betrayed, Elsa ran out of the church and up the mountains, wishing upon a star that she would never again feel the kind of pain she felt at that moment. Her wish came true: her heart froze, preventing her from ever feeling pain again and granting her the power to manipulate snow and ice. However, there was a catch. Because her heart was frozen, she also couldn't feel love anymore — or anything else for that matter.

Elsa's Original Backstory Made Her Character Arc About Romance

Elsa's Journey Would Have Been More Similar To Other Disney Princesses'

This origin story for Elsa's powers was vastly different from the one she was ultimately given in the Frozen franchise. Since Frozen focuses more on the impact her powers have on her life, the source of Elsa's power isn't revealed until Frozen 2. Her mother, Iduna, was part of the Northuldra tribe, Arendelle's rivals. During a battle between the nations before Elsa and Anna were born, Iduna rescued the King of Arendelle's son, Agnarr, who later fell in love with Iduna and became the girls' father. As their eventual firstborn, Elsa's powers were bestowed upon her by the four elemental spirits to reward Iduna for her selfless act.

The original version of Frozen could have incorporated aspects of this origin story. However, the acquisition of Elsa's powers would have been self-inflicted as a "careful-what-you-wish-for" sort of punishment for trying to escape the agony of heartbreak rather than inherited as an occasionally burdensome gift. Elsa's character arc would've been rooted in the significance of romantic love and its consequences rather than familial conflict and her own personal obstacles. Like most Disney princess movies up to that point, Frozen would've had romantic love at its core, even if the ultimate message was that a princess doesn't need it.

Frozen and Frozen 2 are currently streaming on Disney+.

The Disney Movie Made The Right Call Giving Elsa A Different Backstory

Frozen Was Better Off As A Story About Sisterhood

It was definitely the right decision for Disney to ditch Elsa's original backstory in Frozen and restructure the movie to focus on her relationship with Anna. In fact, Anna and Elsa weren't supposed to be sisters in the original plan for Frozen. Buck reiterated that, while Elsa and Anna lived in the same village and knew each other, they were not intended to be related at first. It's difficult to imagine that in hindsight, especially given how heavily Frozen focuses on their familial dynamic. It also wouldn't make much sense for Anna to appeal to Elsa's goodness when they barely knew one another.

By scrapping Elsa's failed wedding backstory, Frozen was able to develop into a beautiful story about the importance of sisterhood and finding one's own strength. It also showed that a Disney princess doesn't need to seek out romantic love, whether she succeeds or not, in order to be a compelling character with an engaging storyline. Elsa was better off with a backstory that centered herself and her family's history in Frozen, instead of the betrayal of a lover. And the movie was still able to work that subplot into the final product by having Prince Hans turn on Anna, revealing that he was planning to use her to obtain the throne all along.