Frozen 2 Almost Traumatized Kids With Olaf’s Brutal Death Scene

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If certain scenes from Frozen 2 had remained as originally scripted, it could have become a deeply distressing experience for many children, similar to the impact of Bambi’s mother’s death. As shared by Josh Gad, the voice actor for Olaf, an initial, much more gruesome death scene for his character in the early drafts of the script left young viewers from test screenings visibly distressed. However, this level of emotional intensity was not the desired outcome when creating the sequel to the highly successful first Frozen film.

In the initial draft of the movie, as I’ve learned from the actor’s recent memoir, “In Gad We Trust,” Olaf’s death scene was supposed to be quite chilling. Initially, Olaf was portrayed as fearful and bewildered during his demise, which unfortunately made the audience fear for him, rather than empathize with his emotional state. The filmmakers aimed to emphasize Olaf’s innocence and naivety, but it seems they inadvertently instilled a sense of dread instead.

Picture yourself stepping onto the set for Frozen 2’s filming, only to discover that your very first scene would be capturing a death sequence! And that’s apparently what happened to Idina Menzel as told by Gad.

How ‘Frozen 2’s Olaf Death Scene Changed, From Script To Screen

When an actor agrees to take part in a highly anticipated project like the sequel to “Frozen“, they usually don’t get the script or all the specifics until it’s time to begin filming. In his own words, “During the early phases of the movie,” Gad wrote, “none of us had a clue about what the story was.” It wasn’t until the first day of shooting that he not only discovered, but was also asked to portray Olaf’s death.

According to Gad:

In the studio today, Jenn gently eased me into the day’s work. Upon glancing around, the initial thing that caught my attention was “Olaf starts to disappear.” I continued reading. “Anna cries” and “Olaf looks to her for assistance.” Turning to Jenn, I questioned, “Hold on — are we…?” With moist eyes, she confirmed with a nod and said, “Yes.

Jenn and I initiated the dialogue recording session, but I found myself struggling to proceed without tears. The initial takes were particularly challenging, and I vividly recall feeling as if we were embarking on a project with a significant emotional impact.

At the conclusion of the video, as Gad described it, “not a single eye remained dry in the audience,” and during a FaceTime conversation with his wife, she struggled to differentiate between filming a follow-up to Frozen or Sophie’s Choice, considering his visibly tear-streaked face. This emotional state persisted throughout the test screenings, where Gad reported that “Olaf’s death scene was causing quite a stir among the younger viewers. They were said to be inconsolable, crying, shouting, and deeply affected by the prolonged sequence and the somber tone of the scene.

The actor was told by writer/director Jennifer Lee that Disney’s Bob Iger summed it up thusly:

Olaf is quite young. It’s not acceptable to act carelessly and harm a frightened child, as the other children around might identify with him.

The observation is remarkably insightful and just! This realization led Lee to revise the scene to convey a more optimistic tone, as Olaf looks forward to his next grand adventure while offering solace to Anna (Kristen Bell). Eventually, Olaf vanishes and reappears, courtesy of Idina Menzel’s Elsa’s magical winter powers. Gad stated that this was one of the many “aha” moments and ingenious adjustments characteristic of Jenn and the Frozen team. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the creative minds behind these movies practice what they preach – letting go and venturing into the unknown when necessary.

We’ll have to wait until 2027 to see where that takes us, when Frozen 3 is set to release.

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2025-01-16 03:01