As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
- Although they are quite joyful, the scenes during the flashback are also this in hindsight, since we know this may be one of the last such evenings the family will know (even more so if you subscribe to the theory that this was the same evening where Elsa accidentally hurt Anna, since Anna whispers into Elsa's ear that they should build a snowman later).
- While "Into the Unknown" is a powerful song about rejecting and then accepting the Call to Adventure, there's a pair of lyrics just before the bridge where Elsa is standing by the fjord that she ran across in the first movie (setting off the eternal winter in the first place); "What do you want? 'Cause you've been keeping me awake. Are you here to distract me so I make a big mistake...or are you someone out there, who's a little bit like me? Who knows deep down...I'm not where I'm meant to be." We've seen signs of Elsa's restlessness before the Voice begins calling her (especially during her solo in "Some Things Never Change"). And it's clear that (after thirteen years of self-imposed isolation, self-hatred and even exile) Elsa isn't happy. She's been in denial the whole time because of what that implies. After a short time of reconnecting with the only family member she has left, interacting with the world she's been shut away from and using her powers for good...Elsa still doesn't feel like she belongs in Arendelle.
- Although Lost in the Woods is a rather funny Affectionate Parody of rock ballad music videos, there is something sad in the way Kristoff keeps seeing images of Anna who disappears once he gets closer or tries to hold her.
- Some of the lyrics hit pretty close to home too, if you've ever been in position to suspect that someone you're still in love with is just not that into you anymore.But is this what it feels like to be growing apart?How did I become the one who's always chasing your heart?
- Some of the lyrics hit pretty close to home too, if you've ever been in position to suspect that someone you're still in love with is just not that into you anymore.
- Finding out what Agnarr and Iduna were doing when they took that boat trip. In retrospect Agnarr's last words to Elsa before he leaves in the first, "You'll be fine." become more heartbreaking. He was actually pretty confident that once he returned, he'd be able to solve Elsa's problems, but that was not to be.
- Anna and Elsa seeing the water memory of Agnarr and Iduna in their final moments, embracing each other as they prepare for the waves to consume them. Worse is that it leads Elsa to break down and blame herself for her parents’ death since they set out to search for answers regarding her powers.Anna: Hey, hey, what are you doing?
Elsa: [sobbing] This is all my fault! They were looking for answers about me!
Anna: You're not responsible for their choices, Elsa.
Elsa: No, just their deaths!- Their last words make it even sadder.Iduna: Athohallen has to be the source of her magic!
Agnarr: We keep going for Elsa.
Iduna: The waves are too high!
Agnarr: (at the same time as Iduna) Iduna!
Iduna: (at the same time as Agnarr) Agnarr!
(A crashing wave)
- Their last words make it even sadder.
- Anna begging Elsa for them to go to Ahtohallan together, barely holding back tears as she explains she is not trying to restrict Elsa from whatever she's supposed to do, just avoid losing her again and reminded her off their mother's song "Go too far and you'll be drowned". Elsa pushes Anna and Olaf away for the same reason, being too scared to lose them. In short, Anna and Elsa are ultimately trying to protect each other. It really hammers in how hard love can be, especially when you consider they both have valid points,note and this scene is taking place right after they saw how and why their parents died.
- Elsa pushing Anna and Olaf away (even if it was with the intent of keeping them safe from any further danger) is sad on many levels. She does this by tricking them into a hug, turning a loving moment into a betrayal, and once again shutting Anna out despite what she promised her, sending her and Olaf away on a boat of ice. The separation is so abrupt that Olaf gets angry for the first time in his life, although it mainly takes the form of him regretting that she did not even say goodbye. It gets worse when you realize that this is the last time either of them saw Elsa before her Disney Death, meaning the last memory Anna would have of her sister would be her pushing her away again, while Olaf went on to die after having been seemingly rejected by his creator.
- Also, Olaf's scared little gasp when Anna says to Elsa, "I just don't want you dying."
- The revelation that Agnarr’s father King Runeard was not the benevolent, peaceful ruler he appeared as in the prologue, and that it was his greed and hatred that caused the mist to surround the Enchanted Forest and set the film’s events into motion. The revelation also crosses into Nightmare Fuel when it’s revealed that he tried to secretly starve and subjugate the Northuldra, and even murdered their leader when the latter objected to this.
- The moment of the reveal is especially upsetting from Elsa’s perspective, as she is able to witness her grandfather's true colors through the memories generated by Ahtohallan. A man that she, her family and her entire kingdom all admired and looked up to was in truth a cruel and power-hungry individual.
- This moment retroactively brings up a moment of Fridge Horror from the original film, as one can only wonder if Agnarr’s less-than-stellar handling of Elsa’s powers in her childhood was subconsciously influenced by his own father’s mistrust and dislike of magic, even on a milder scale.
- Tying into this, bear in mind that despite growing up together and falling in love with him, Iduna didn't reveal herself to Agnarr as a Northuldran and his savior, until they grew older, ready for marriage, and made him keep it a secret even to their future kids, scared out of her wits while doing so.
- There's also no way of knowing which is more tragic: that Agnarr lived and died without ever knowing the truth or that he was better off blissful that his own father treacherously started this whole mess.
- The deaths of Olaf and Elsa.Olaf: (resigned) Anna... I'm sorry. You're gonna have to do this next part on your own. Ok?
- Even if you know it's just a Disney Death, his moment with Anna cradling him and her telling him she loves him is gut-wrenching.
Olaf: Hey... I just thought of one thing that's permanent...
Anna: What's that?
Olaf: Love.- A minor detail in that scene: The way Anna cradles Olaf and assures him "I've got you" parallels eight-year-old Elsa saying those same words as she cradled the injured Anna near the beginning of the first film.
- For that matter, Elsa being frozen alive just as Anna was in the first movie, with her last word before turning solid being a cry for her sister.
- Olaf, upon realizing he's fading, can sense what happened to Elsa. He softly tells Anna, "I don't think Elsa's okay."
- Both of which lead to Anna's Despair Event Horizon and "The Next Right Thing", one of the most heartbreaking songs in the history of Disney. The last few lines of the song are really what push it to the edge.
Anna: And with the dawn, what comes then?
When it's clear that EVERYTHING WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN?!
Then I'll make the choice
To hear that voice
And do the next right thing.- Anna is shown to have kept Olaf's twig-arms, coal buttons and carrot nose in her bag. While this is revealed once he is back to life, one can only imagine her thoughts while she was collecting the remains of her friend.
- Just seeing Anna so... broken. Anna! A thirteen-year broken relationship, a possibly endless winter, and a frozen heart didn't stop this girl, and she did most of it with nothing but optimism. But after she loses the three people she loves most - two to death and one whose whereabouts she has no idea of - she can't take it anymore. She does pick herself up eventually, if only to keep going to save the enchanted forest (which may have been the only reason she felt the need to keep going), but even then she sounds like she's on the verge of breaking down all over again the entire time. All in all, merely seeing a character who essentially defines the meaning of determination, optimism, and love finally beaten down like that is heartwrenching.
- Even worse is the fact that the person who brought her out of her Heroic BSoD in the first film (saving her life in the process) just died in her arms.
- Matthias learning of Agnarr's death in his absence. He was Agnarr's personal guard, and implied to be a good friend besides, and yet he could do nothing for Agnarr. What could he be thinking other than "if I was there, could I have saved him?"
- Becomes even sadder if you've read the tie-in book Dangerous Secrets, in which we learn that due to King Runeard being an Abusive Parent, Matthias was basically a Parental Substitute to the young Agnarr. So from his perspective, Matthias has not only outlived his friend- he's outlived his surrogate son.
- There's also his reaction to Elsa's death and the truth about King Runeard's betrayal. The reason why he was stuck in the forest, and couldn't help Agnarr, was because of his king's cruelty. That's gotta hurt.
- Another sad moment for Matthias. When he finds out that his sweetheart Halima Hudson never married anyone else in the thirty-four years he spent imprisoned in the Enchanted Forest, he openly laments that knowing this doesn't make him feel better. Also doubles as heartwarming, but still...
- While Iduna managed to escape the Enchanted Forest and find the love of her life and have children that would restore the balance, you have to realize all she sacrificed and have to endure after she left the forest. She is separated from her friends and family, who she would never see again, having to adjust to a culture that is very different than her own and she has to hide her heritage in fear of prejudice.
- The simple fact that Elsa and Anna are no longer living together anymore. After thirteen years of limited contact, they got only three years of finally being together. note
