Tear Jerker / Frozen (2013)

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

Frozen is one emotionally grueling and heartbreaking film. Its many tragic moments and sequences earn it a place as one of Disney's saddest and most moving.

ALL spoilers on this page are UNMARKED. This will give away what happens in the film.

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The Disney film

• Elsa's story in general. She and Anna used to be really close until she almost accidentally killed Anna. As if that wasn't traumatic enough, when the trolls try to warn her about using caution with her powers, the head troll accompanies the warning "Fear will be your enemy" with a vision of people attacking her future self. Her parents then attempt to protect her from such a fate by isolating her and teaching her to conceal her powers. All of this ends up making her afraid of her own magic, which she previously enjoyed. When her powers are eventually revealed, she flees her kingdom in utter fear and shame.
  • Pabbie alters Anna's memories so that she doesn't remember her sister is magical, in the form of a Laser-Guided Amnesia. Not only is it sad to know that Anna's memory was altered with her knowledge, Elsa also seems saddened she'll forget about her magic, Anna no longer having the same key memories of their time together as she does.
  • In "For the First Time In Forever", Anna is enthusiastic, whereas Elsa is gloomy. She's clearly dreading this day. This really hits home when she sings her "conceal, don't feel" mantra as a counterpoint to Anna.
  • The fact that Elsa spent years believing that she could very easily kill people if she even touched them, even her parents. She leaves her kingdom when her power is revealed, telling her people not to come near her. She makes a new home for herself, and Anna comes to get her, Elsa tells her to leave so she'll be safe. Sadly, she still ends up hurting her sister and the kingdom.
  • Even during the story's happy ending, Elsa STILL looks a bit nervous displaying her powers to the public, suggesting that it will take a while before she becomes fully comfortable using her powers in front of people.
  • Word of God says she suffers from anxiety and depression. Even with the happy ending, without psychiatry and medication, she's not out of the woods yet, which puts even more of a sad note to this nervousness.
• Anna's story too. Even though she didn't grow up with a deep-seated fear of herself, as her sister did, she still grew up alone.
  • It's established that she spent her childhood locked inside the castle too, also not making friends, and rejected constantly by her sister/best buddy with no idea why. If her anguished question later - "What did I ever do to you?!" - is any indicator, she believes Elsa just started hating her one day, and despite all her attempts, she could never find out why or try to make up for it.
  • Throughout her childhood, she turns to the pictures on the walls for company. It's implied that when her parents aren't taking care of royal matters, they're spending time with Elsa, trying to help her learn to conceal her powers. Anna, on the other hand, is left completely alone, not even knowing the secret the rest of her family knew.
  • And then when she does find out, it's in the worst way possible, and you can see and hear her hurt when Hans asks her if she knew. Now she has to figure out how to handle a kingdom-wide crisis of a nature she never could have anticipated.
• "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?"
  • To protect Elsa from potential Burn the Witch! mobs, Agnarr and Iduna try to teach her to suppress her powers. They close all the windows and doors, shut off the castle from others, and keep the sisters in separate rooms, whereas they had previously shared one. Little sister Anna, who is kept in the dark about what's going on and doesn't know why her big sister is suddenly acting so differently, keeps singing to Elsa to come out and play from behind a closed bedroom door for years. It's shown that Anna sang for Elsa to come out and play with her when they were little kids, all the way up until she hits her mid-teens. The third time she slides by the door, when they're both older, Anna glances sadly at it and walks away.
  • When Anna is brushed off for the first time, she frowns and sings pitifully, "Okay, bye."
  • This is immediately followed by Elsa looking at something out of her window, with a little half-smile, before she jumps back in horror as ice forms on the windowsill.
  • Elsa drawing back and saying, "No, don't touch me! Please... I don't want to hurt you..." when her parents reach out to comfort her.
  • The death of the King and Queen. Anna continues a third verse, this time in a minor tone, as she comes back from the wake, walks up to the door to Elsa's bedroom for the umpteenth time... and sits down at the door, the last lyrics wilting into tears. Elsa, who can remember the real reason for all this, can hear her right on the other side of the door but cannot bear to answer her. Elsa's room is covered in frost, emanating from her spot. Remembering that her power can be affected by her emotions, you can see how poor Elsa has been affected by all this.
    Anna: We only have each other. It's just you and me. What are we gonna do?
  • Even worse, it's heavily implied Elsa doesn't go to their parents' funeral because she's dealing with her Emotional Powers, and there's a very conspicuous empty space next to Anna. Imagine not only not being able to comfort your little sister after a funeral for your own parents, but not even being able to go.
  • Anna returns from the wake alone. She has to attend her parents' funeral without Elsa, and face all the citizens in mourning without her only remaining family, and as the only member of the royal family facing the public. The only remaining member of her once-close family won't even answer her when Anna says people have been asking about her and lets her know she's there for her. She's fifteen years old.
  • Elsa is clearly terrified about them leaving, but they promise they'll be back in a couple of weeks. Now, thanks to the weather and through no fault of her own, Elsa lost the only people she felt remotely safe with and could trust with her secret. She has no one left but Anna, and doesn't want to hurt her again.
  • The sheer level of hopelessness in Anna's voice during the first lines she sings after her parents die. A complete opposite of the energetic, enthusiastic young Anna, even from the very start.
    Elsa? Please,
    I know you're in there...
    People are asking where you've been.
    They say "have courage", and I'm trying to. I'm right out here for you.
    Just let me in...
    ** If you listen carefully, you can hear a sob as Elsa puts her head down at the end.
  • The suspended chain at the end. The entire song's meter is geared up for Elsa's response to be "yes, I do," but instead the vocals just cut off, before we see Elsa crying on the other side of the door - of course, she wanted to say that too.
  • "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" in general is a very sad song for both the sisters. For Anna, representing as it does her hurt and sadness at Elsa (from her point of view) freezing her out and ignoring her. And for Elsa, every time Anna knocks on Elsa's door, she innocently and unwittingly asks the same question she used to ask to see Elsa's magic on the same night that Elsa accidentally injured her. Every innocent invitation to build a snowman is a fresh reminder for Elsa that she almost killed the sister she loves deeply with the magic powers she fears intensely.
  • The Unshaved Mouse sums up perfectly just why that final part of the song is such a tear jerker.
    "The final, world-weary, “Do you want to build a snowman?” is utterly devastating not because of what’s being said but what’s left unsaid: "I know you don’t. I just have to ask one more time. Because after this…I give up."
• Anna talking to Elsa at the party:
  Anna: I wish it could be like this all the time.
  Elsa: Me, too... but it can't.
  Anna: Why not?
  Elsa: It just can't!
  Anna: ...Excuse me for a minute. (walks away feeling despondent)
  • If you look closely, Elsa looks just as upset by this exchange as Anna, watching after her sister sadly.
  • Especially how Elsa goes from smiling fondly at first when answering her sister to a look of anguish when saying "it can't".
• It's heavily implied that a good part of the reason why Anna wants to marry Hans so quickly is that she's afraid that she might not get another chance anytime soon, and maybe not even at all due to the isolation she's gone through for years. Hence the title "Love Is an Open Door"; all her life, Anna has looked at a closed door.
• Dammit, the whole song becomes a tearjerker when watching the movie again. You KNOW the twist, you KNOW Hans is playing Anna, and you KNOW he's going to betray her and leave her to die. To see Hans expressing his love so passionately and KNOW it's a lie... better have a big box of tissues nearby.
• Some of Anna's lines in "For The First Time In Forever" (easily missed due to it being a mostly upbeat and happy song) drive this point home once you catch them.
  For the first time in forever, I could be noticed by someone!
  And I know it's totally crazy/To think I'd find romance/But for the first time in forever/At least I've got a chance!
  A chance to change my lonely world/A chance to find true love!
  I know it all ends tomorrow/So it has to be today!
• Anna asks for Elsa's blessing for her and Hans' marriage, but she says no because Anna doesn't know Hans long enough. Anna then protests that it is true love.
  Elsa: Anna, what do you know about true love?
  Anna: More than you. All you know is how to shut people out.
  Elsa: (visually hurt but still firm) You asked for my blessing, but my answer is no.
  • When Elsa walks away, she announces, "The party's over. Close the gates." Then this exchange happens:
    Anna: Elsa, please, I can't live like this anymore!
    Elsa: (obviously in grief) ...Then leave.
    (Anna is misty-eyed)
    Anna: What did I ever DO TO YOU?!
    Elsa: Enough, Anna...
    Anna: (on the verge of tears) No, why?! Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the world out? What are you so AFRAID OF?!
  • It's striking in this scene how much Anna wants Elsa back in her life, when she instantly wants Hans to move in with her and her sister. She wants someone new in her life, but doesn't for a moment want to move away, and feels she's been given a Sadistic Choice by Elsa when, as she sees it, she's being told to choose between either being there for sister or having other relationships.
  • The really sad bit of this dialogue is that it's One Dialogue, Two Conversations. Elsa's afraid of letting people close and actually does care for Anna, but Anna doesn't know that and hears: "Go on then. If you want to live outside my rules, go with your boyfriend. Get out, betray me. I don't care if I have no sister, I'm fed up with you."
  • After Elsa has fled Arendelle, Anna repeatedly blames herself for what happened. Despite not ever knowing of her sister's powers before, she has walked on eggshells so much over the years that when Elsa can no longer keep her secret, Anna takes all the fault onto herself:
    Anna: It's my fault. I pushed her, so I'm the one who should go after her.
• "Let It Go." The start is all about fear and loneliness. Indeed, some of the most triumphant lines in the latter sections of the song betray a subtle yet deep-seated bitterness.
  • At "Don't let them in..." it's clear that Elsa is emulating her father, telling her never to reveal her ice powers, and the lines of that section are a sad Call-Back to "Do you Want to Build a Snowman?" and Elsa's part of "For the First Time in Forever". It really shows how deeply her suppression has affected her, believing that such behavior was "being the good girl [she] always had to be", and how happy she is to let her abilities go.
  • Elsa unconsciously creates Olaf, the embodiment of her happy childhood memories with Anna, during the song, which is mostly about how she's never going back and that the past is in the past. Just think about it. Olaf was created out of her memories of the happy times with Anna and longing for the good times they had. Marshmallow was created out of her desire to be alone and to keep Anna safe from herself. And her ice palace? That was created not only out of her desire for isolation, but her desire to be someplace she belongs, someplace where she can't hurt people and still be herself...and yet it isn't- she doesn't realize it, but she's still unintentionally hurting people, even from her ice palace.
  • "The cold never bothered me anyway." Sassy dismissive quip? Or sour-grapes denial that the empty coldness of her own life, be it living a lie in Arendelle or all alone with her powers in a "kingdom of isolation", doesn't pain her each and every day?
  • It's actually more depressing if you cut the percussion and listen to the song get performed a cappella. It really drives home how lonely Elsa is up there on the North Mountain.
  • The line "I am one with the wind and sky" makes one wonder what it was like for Elsa inside the castle, having to restrict herself from releasing her powers.
  • Elsa looks angry when she sings "Don't let them in, don't let them see" and practically glares at her crown when she hurls it away and proclaims she's "never going back, the past is in the past!" It's triumphant in the moment, but highlights how much of a cage she found her previous role.
• After Olaf's song about how much he's going to love summer, Kristoff states, "Someone's gotta tell him", and it takes on a much more somber tone. The song itself is funny but at the same time sad. It seems like such a Tragic Dream.
• The look on Elsa's face when she tells Anna to go home without her. Elsa cares for her little sister more than anything, but she's far too afraid of her own powers to let herself be close to her again.
• Elsa being informed that she accidentally created an Endless Winter everywhere, and her thinking that no one can be safe from her magic and that she can never truly be free.
  • Elsa's part of the reprise of "For The First Time In Forever", which contrasts with Anna's utmost confidence in her:
    Anna: For the first time in forever,
    Elsa: Oh, I'm such a fool! I can't be free!
    Anna: You don't have to be afraid...
    Elsa: No escape from the storm inside of me!
    Anna: We can work this out together,
    Elsa: I can't control the curse!
    Anna: We'll reverse the storm you made!!
    Elsa: Anna please, you'll only make it WORSE!
    Anna: Don't panic...
    Elsa: There's so much fear!
    Anna: We can make the sun shine bright!!!
    Elsa: You're not safe here!
    Anna: We can face this thing together!
    Elsa: No...
    Anna: We can change this winter weather!
    Elsa: I-I-I-I-I...
    Anna: And everything will be —
    Anna/Elsa: All riiiiiiiiight...!!!/I CAN'T!!! (She blasts Anna in the heart)
  • At the end of the song, Elsa turns around and sees Anna doubled over and visibly in pain. She jumps back and looks terrified.
  • As she sings "There's so much fear", Elsa looks at her (somewhat distorted) reflection in the ice, like she is wondering if the Duke was right about her being a monster.
  • Also, that Elsa is right when she says Anna will only make it worse. Anna is genuinely only trying to help, but her news has basically caused Elsa to have a panic attack and, as most people will tell you, telling someone who's having a panic attack not to panic is not helpful in any way.
  • Just look at Anna's expression after Elsa accidentally freezes her heart. It's downright accusatory. For the first time in forever (no pun intended), even if, apparently, for a very short amount of time, she's actively blaming her sister for what happened.
  • Made worse when you realize why: Anna doesn't know that it was an accident. The audience does because we get to see a shot of Elsa's surprise, but Anna's busy struggling to stay upright after being blasted and isn't looking. From her perspective, it appears as if Elsa straight-up shot her in the heart on purpose.
  • Or at very least, she's upset with Elsa for striking her with her ice, considering it clearly hurt! But a moment later, we get yet another tearjerker of the opposite spectrum - "I'm not leaving without you, Elsa!" Despite what just happened, Anna would never dream of leaving her sister behind.
  • In fact, the music that plays when Anna's heart is frozen is a melodic reprise of the opening song "Frozen Heart". Fittingly, Anna now has a frozen heart.
• Anna's reaction when Hans betrays her and explains his plan. She can't believe what's going on, and when she does, can't believe what she's hearing.
  • "Oh, Anna... if only there was someone out there who loved you."
    Anna: (shocked) What...?! You said you did!
  • In a way, the above reveal can be a Tear Jerker in a tears-of-rage-inducing way. Up until that time, there was almost no hint that Hans was the bad guy, and many hints that he could have been a good guy. In fact, there were far more hints that the Duke of Weselton could be the main villain.
  • Even more distressing, look at Anna's reaction to being asked about Hans when Olaf saves her, "I was wrong about him. It wasn't true love... I don't even know what love is." She is still blaming herself and not Hans for what has happened. The full extent of the impact Hans' betrayal has left on Anna can be seen here. He has managed to humiliate Anna and caused her to feel ashamed of herself for how willing she was to believe he loved her. At the same time, Elsa is so emotionally distant that she feels unloved by her, too. You seriously just want to give poor Anna a hug.
  • Anna then nearly freezing to death, completely alone.
  • This also provides more depressing undertones for "Love is an Open Door". Not only was Anna afraid she might not get another chance, she was just as isolated as Elsa in her life, so she doesn't know any better. It's easy to forget given how much she just wanted to play with her sister growing up.
  • This:
    Hans (before the reveal): You said she wouldn't hurt you.
    Anna: I was wrong.
  • All this shutting out and yet Anna still cared for Elsa, though she is now implying that she has lost faith in her sister after thinking she has deliberately hurt her, both physically and emotionally with her magic. Or at very least, she's admitting her blind love for her sister caused her to overlook her sister's potential to harm her. And a moment later, she has a similar yet far worse realization about Hans.
• Kristoff shouting, "SVEN!" when the reindeer falls into the icy fjord. His best friend for years looks like he won't make it (especially when Sven tossed Kristoff away from drowning) and it takes a few seconds before Sven reappears. This brief moment is enough to make anyone cry.
• Kristoff, much like Anna and Elsa, was an orphan who doesn't like other people very much. He falls in love with Anna but is forced to leave her with Hans, thinking his feelings are unrequited, and then comes back and sees her turn to ice in front of his eyes. Poor guy...
• When Anna is frozen solid. Everything goes silent. No Background Music, all the snow suspended in midair ... nothing but Elsa sobbing. It's so still that her crying echoes across to the castle balcony. She does get better, however...
  • This adds another level of sadness to "Let It Go", when Elsa says they'll never see her cry. And notice how on the totally frozen body of Anna there are thin deposits of fine ice around her eyes. It's possible Anna's crying as well.
  • Just as Anna and Kristoff are about to reach each other, Anna sees Hans about to kill Elsa out of the corner of her eye, and with a last look at Kristoff, turns around and runs to save her sister. Once Kristoff catches up to them and takes in what just happened to Anna, he stops short and looks heartbroken. When she thaws a few moments later, Sven has to nudge him to show him what's happening, because he's staring numbly into space, oblivious to everything.
  • For most television broadcasts on Freeform or Disney Channel, it goes right to a commercial break right after everyone sees Anna frozen. So while the ads play, the people watching the movie are too sad to even pay attention to said ads. And for very good reason.
  • Olaf being sad. Up until now, Olaf had always been happy and cheerful. Now, he's completely devastated. It's a defining moment for him because not only does it show that he's capable of feeling upset, but he truly loved Anna.
    Olaf: (sounding like he's about to cry) Anna?
• Olaf melting as summer is restored. Luckily, Elsa fixes that.
• Elsa finding out that she's triggered an 'eternal winter' over her kingdom, and then thinking she's killed her own sister leaves her completely shattered. She's lived with the guilt of almost killing her sister since they were children, and was probably reminded of it every time she saw the white streak in Anna's hair. Thinking Anna is dead because of her isn't just horrible, it's her greatest fear coming true.
• The whole nature of Agnarr's relationship with Elsa is heartbreaking. You can tell that the King loves his daughter dearly, and just wants to protect her. Both try to heed the advice of Grand Pabbie the Troll (who says "Fear will be your enemy"), but they both fail so utterly and that failure is the kicker — no matter how hard they tried, the King shutting Elsa off from everyone just made her issues worse. Elsa just keeps getting more and more afraid of her powers as they grew stronger, and ultimately continued to force herself in solitude after her father's death. The fact that neither can figure out how to fix her problems no matter how hard they tried (creating a huge conflict) makes you really feel for them.
  • When Elsa worries her powers are growing stronger, the way he rushes over to her, to hold her close and reassure her that it'll all be alright in spite of the risk to his own person just drips of a concerned and conflicted parent. Given how alien the problem is (a daughter being born with unexplained ice powers) to everyone, they're at a loss as how to deal with it and protect Elsa, especially given how the troll's vision clearly makes him scared for Elsa's safety.
  • The situation from Pabbie's perspective. It's shown that these trolls are deeply empathetic creatures (they aren't referred as "the love experts" for nothing), so seeing so much suffering caused by not only a misinterpretation of his warning, but everything he stands for...
  • Even worse - the "fear" that will be Elsa's enemy is believed by Elsa and the King and Queen to be the fear from other people about what Elsa is. That's wrong - it's her fear... the royals took it the wrong way.
• Grand Pabbie's voice shaking slightly as he tells Anna that her heart has been frozen by Elsa and unless she cures such, she will freeze to solid ice forever. Even Anna's sudden shivering adds up to it.
• Kristoff's face clearly shows his heart sinking when Grand Pabbie the Troll tells him that he can't heal Anna.
• The look on Elsa's face at the party when she reveals her powers to Anna and everyone there. She shows nothing but complete horror and fear of what she has just done. Keep in mind one of the reasons Elsa has acted so cooly toward Anna and most other people is because she was so afraid of exposing her abilities and being shunned because of them. It is now hammered and Elsa just stares at everyone before suddenly rushing out of the room.
• After accidentally and unconsciously freezing Anna's heart, Elsa tells her and Kristoff to go away; Anna, of course, is not leaving without her doing something over the Endless Winter and keeps trying to convince her sister to work it out together. Elsa's reply:
  Elsa: How!? What power do you have to stop this winter!? To stop me!?
  • Elsa remarking in the "For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)" about how she "can't control the curse". To think that Elsa went from adoring her powers and using them to have fun with her sister to hating them to the point that she feels cursed is quite depressing. When she sings, "There's so much fear!", she looks at her reflection in a nearby wall. It's as if she's starting to think that the Duke was right about her being a monster.
  • When Anna is singing the reprise at the top of the stairs (specifically "You don't have to live in fear"), Elsa's gets a pained expression on her face. She looks as if she wants to listen Anna and wants to go with her, but she's just too afraid of bringing harm to Arendelle.
• When Olaf realises that Elsa doesn't recognise him and says sadly, "You... built me. Do you remember that?"
  • That's the moment Olaf realises that his entire life was nothing more than a passing thought to Elsa. He meets his God, but she doesn't remember creating him.
  • You can read that scene as a positive tearjerker on Elsa's side. She's amazed to see Olaf alive, as she had no idea that she could create life with her powers. The way she looks down at her hands and smiles as she realizes that she can create as well as destroy is actually a very happy moment.
• The story's conflict stems from good, kind, noble people whose well-intended actions meet with terrible consequences or are unappreciated (the King and Queen, Elsa) because they are dealing with threats they don't know how to properly deal with. Malicious, malevolent people like Hans and the Duke of Weaseltown can operate with ill intent but still for the most part come off as though they're doing the right thing. Depressing, isn't it?
• When, as children, Elsa accidentally hits Anna, the way she screams, "Anna!" is distressing. She was doing a Futile Hand Reach but an ice blast came out of her hand and struck Anna. Then she runs up to her and starts crying over her, which foreshadows Elsa crying over Anna being frozen solid. Elsa screams, "Mama! Papa!" in distress.
  Elsa: You're okay, Anna. I've got you.
  • Although we know that Anna gets better thanks to the promotional material of her as an adult, that doesn't prevent one from believing that it could have been even worse. The music, Anna's motionlessness, and Elsa hugging her is similar to a scene of someone hugging a deceased loved one. Anna may have possibly died and her parents are quickly taking her to the trolls to revive her before it's too late.
  • It's a great source of panic for anyone who has a sibling they love dearly and would be devastated if anything bad happened to them.
  • The way the ballroom is suddenly covered in ice spikes, emanating from Elsa, also adds to the sadness of the scene, reflecting her emotional state. Additionally, it's the first time we see the darker aspects of Elsa's powers; a huge case of Mood Whiplash when compared to a few moments ago, when Elsa was shooting out fluffy snow and harmless ice.
  • Seeing the then-inert Olaf being destroyed by the spikes. Rule of Symbolism is in full effect here.
• When Elsa flees the castle. Once she's outside, she accidentally freezes a fountain in front of her people. You can tell it stings when she sees a woman clutch her baby closer in fright, especially since the woman in question had just asked Elsa if she's alright.
  • If you look closely, when the woman asks if she's alright, you can see Elsa shake her head "no."
  • According to subtitles, she even whispers a Little "No".
• Right before the reprise of "For the First Time In Forever" Anna reminds Elsa how close they were as children and says they can be that way again. Elsa has a flashback to when she accidentally struck Anna (which Anna doesn't remember due to the trolls' erasure of her memories). She answers, "No. We can't." then turns away and tells Anna to leave.
  Anna: Elsa, wait!
  Elsa: I'm just trying to protect you.
  Anna: You don't have to protect me, I'm not afraid!
• The fact that Anna doesn't realize why Elsa suddenly cut all ties from her and grows up thinking Elsa no longer wants anything to do with her after having been so close up until that point. This is especially shown during their conversation at Elsa's coronation: Anna is placed very close to her sister only to move away slightly self-consciously, telling the servant who put her there she's "not sure" she's supposed to be there. She seems taken aback that Elsa would initiate a conversation between them. The ensuing conversation is rather awkward and stilted on both sides.
• Elsa's part in "For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)", where she claims she's fine with her self-imposed exile because she's finally herself. That has the happiest tone of all of Elsa's lines. Just realizing she's happy being completely and totally alone, away from her only family member and the life she knew.
  • Before that, Anna has her opening verse of the reprise as she pleads Elsa to stop avoiding her and shutting her out of her life:
    Please, don't shut me out again!
    Please, don't slam the door!
    You don't have to keep your distance anymore...
• After that little moment of happiness, a big Mood Whiplash: the look in Elsa's face while getting away from Anna and telling her to stay away from her because she's dangerous.
  Elsa: Just stay away and you'll be safe from me.
• "Anna. Please go back home. Your life awaits." Elsa's expression is simply heartbreaking. Not to mention, Elsa is basically saying, "Go back to Arendelle, be queen instead of me, and marry Hans just like you wanted to" - and that's not what Anna wants. She wants her sister back.
• When they are closing all the windows and doors, you see the girls' room. Anna and Elsa used to share a room and in the overhead shot, all of the stuff on Elsa's side of the room vanishes. Then, when Anna wants to play with Elsa, she runs to her room, only for Elsa to look away sadly and shut the door on her without a single word. This leaves Anna saddened and standing still in shock, wondering what she did wrong. (Imagine "When She Loved Me" if it could be made even more depressing).
• When Elsa wakes up in a cell after getting knocked out by the chandelier. From her horrified look and "My God, What Have I Done?" when she sees outside the window to her sadly tugging on the chains holding her back.
  • When Hans tells her to stop the winter.
    Elsa: (sadly) Don't you see? I can't...
  • And it gets sadder. When Elsa demands to know why he brought her here, Hans says he couldn't let them kill her. Elsa's response to this? "But I'm a danger to Arendelle."
• Adding to that, Elsa's reaction when Hans informs her that Anna is dead, because of her, she could only fall to her knees in absolute despair over what she believed she had done. Then Hans takes that opportunity to attempt to kill her while she was at her weakest. Elsa does not act, meaning she is either too overcome with grief to notice the attempt on her life behind her, or she does notice but simply doesn't care anymore even though she has more than enough power to defend herself, feeling she lost reason to continue living and/or even thinking she deserves to be killed for what she supposedly did to Anna.
• At the beginning, Grand Pabbie the troll tells Elsa (who, remember, is about eight years old at this point) and her parents, "Fear will be your greatest enemy," and thinks, oh, hell, it's a great idea to accompany this with a conjured image of Elsa being attacked by an angry mob. The poor girl is terrified, and buries her face in her father's chest. This spurs the King and Queen to isolate Elsa from others, for fear that the vision comes true, creating an entirely new set of problems.
• When Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf reach Elsa's ice castle, Anna noticeably hesitates to knock on the door, and when she does and it opens, she says, "It opened. That's a first." For a split second, one remembers how for thirteen years she's been knocking on Elsa's door, only to have it always stay closed, shutting her out...
• During the coronation, Elsa wears her hair like her late mother.
• Elsa fighting the Duke's men, or rather, before. When they spot her, she runs away and pleads with them, "Leave me alone!" Keep in mind up until now, Elsa had never intentionally used her powers for the purpose of doing harm to others. It's obvious she does not want to fight, but they don't leave her any choice.
• Manipulative Bastard that he is, Hans. It's been confirmed by Word of God that he indeed grew up without love, despite having 12 older brothers. All of whom must have either ignored or bullied him. His actions are still inexcusable, but taking his glaringly relatable backstory into account, you can't help but feel sorry for the guy anyway. It's even worse if you've read A Frozen Heart, which has its own Tear Jerker page.
• When the King and Queen are preparing to set sail on their fateful voyage, Anna runs into their arms and gives them a big hug. Elsa, on the other hand, merely bows before them, afraid to even hold her own parents. This is also the last time she ever sees them alive, meaning she was never able to give them a farewell embrace.
• The way Sven brays forlornly at the castle gates after Kristoff left Anna is rather sad, especially coming from a character who is otherwise mainly comic relief.
• Pointed out by a Tumblr user: When Kristoff is yelling at the trolls that Anna is already engaged to another man during their romantic sales-pitch song to Anna regarding Kristoff. Kristoff is embarrassed by his family to be sure, but he doesn't say that he doesn't love Anna or doesn't want to marry her, only that he can't be with her because of her prior engagement. He looks and sounds sad, frustrated, and almost desperate when he says it. He fell for Anna hard and fast, and in his eyes, it was doomed from the word "go".
• From Anna's perspective: she catches a lot of flak for her quick engagement to Hans from Elsa, Kristoff and the audience, but the action isn't totally without reason. She doesn't believe she'll have another chance and will be doomed to live a secluded, emotionally unfulfilling life forever if she doesn't take the opportunity. She's (sorrowfully) accepted that Elsa doesn't want to reconnect with her, but tries one last time to get her sister's approval at all via a blessing over a relationship with the first and only person who made Anna feel like she mattered. It's immediately shot down. We the audience know it's a bad idea and Elsa is right, but Anna doesn't. She's just taken two emotional blows in one day and her desperate attempt to be happy and loved and have the best of both worlds is lost.
• Somehow, the stage play added yet another, particularly vicious tearjerker to Elsa’s troubles. As Hans and the citizens of Arendelle are approaching her ice castle, Elsa is frantically wracking her brain to come up with a way to undo the eternal winter. What pushes it past tear-inducing into heartbreaking is her praying to the soul of her dead father and wondering if perhaps the winter would end if she DIED. Yes, that’s right. Elsa was willing to let her people KILL HER if that would save Arendelle and Anna. As if the poor girl didn’t have enough pain to endure already.

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