Western Animation / Frozen Fever

Let's make this a perfect day!

You've never had a real birthday before
Except, of course, the ones you spent outside my locked door
So I'm here way too late to help you celebrate
And be your birthday date, if I may... Achoo!

—Elsa, "Making Today a Perfect Day"

Frozen Fever is the second theatrical installment of the Frozen franchise, directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, and stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. It debuted in theaters alongside Cinderella on March 13, 2015.

The story is about Anna's birthday and Elsa plans to throw her the perfect surprise party with the help of Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf. Nothing is going to stop Elsa from giving her little sister and dearest friend the time of her life — especially not some annoying little sniffles that definitely aren't an oncoming cold...

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Frozen Fever contains examples of:

• Alliterative Title: Frozen Fever
• All There in the Script: The Snowgies are not named in the short itself, only in supplemental material and merchandise.
• Animal Reaction Shot: Easy to overlook because it's also a Funny Background Event, but when Elsa's giant snowball crushes Hans at the end, the horses find it hilarious and start laughing with each other at Hans.
• Artistic License – Music: A Norwegian bukkehorn is a handheld instrument made from a ram or goat horn. The "birthday bukkehorn" that Elsa blows the snowball out of is actually a long wooden alphorn from Switzerland. Maybe her fever is still making her confused? Or perhaps the alphorn was a gift from foreign delegates?
• Asshole Victim: Nobody was rushing to feel sorry for Hans when he was sent back to the Southern Isles after he tried to murder Anna and Elsa in the movie; in the short, it's taken a step further, in that he's forced to clean horse shit, and when the giant snowball lands on him after flying all the way from Arendelle, even the horses laugh at him.
• The Atoner: Throughout this short, Elsa's desire to make Anna happy is driven in part by guilt over how much her sister suffered because of her Power Incontinence.
  Elsa: For everything you are to me, and all you've been through...
• Bedhead-itis: Elsa's braid becomes rattier as her cold makes her loopy.
• Birthday Episode: It takes place on Anna's birthday.◊ This is especially important to Elsa, who wants to make up for all those that she missed since the accident.
• Blatant Lies: With cake all over his face:
  Olaf: I'm not eating cake....
• The Cameo:
  • Oaken gets one line (where he shows off his surprisingly nice singing voice).
  • Hans gets knocked away by a giant snowball (released by Elsa's sneezing into a horn) that throws him into a cart full of horse manure.
  • Marshmallow shows up again at The Stinger.
• Continuity Nod: To many events in Frozen:
  • While choosing the ideal ice figurine to grace the top of the birthday cake, Elsa goes through a few scenes from the movie:
    • At one point, she re-creates Anna's Heroic Sacrifice, with Elsa hugging her frozen sister in despair.
    • Before that, she also creates figures showing them the way they were introduced at the ball.
    • The final design is the sisters skating at the end of the original movie.
  • Just before she sets off to wake Anna up, Elsa freezes the water in the water fountains the same way as she did in the original's finale.
  • The way Elsa wakes up Anna mirrors five-year-old Anna's attempt to wake up Elsa in Frozen.
  • Anna is still not a morning person! And this trait still has Anna confused as to what day it is when she first wakes up:

  Frozen:

  Anna: Ready for what? [Beat] Oh, it's coronation day!

  Frozen Fever:

  Elsa: Happy birthday!

  Anna: ... to you ...

  Elsa: It's your birthday!

  • When Anna voices her concern near the start that Elsa might be coming down with a cold, Elsa scoffs at the idea and makes an amusing call back to her famous song from the first movie:
    Elsa: A cold never bothered me anyway!
  • As a nod to how Kristoff and Sven smell bad, at one point in "Making Today a Perfect Day," Elsa sings about making them take a shower.
  • Anna and Elsa jump on a couch to reach a painting on the wall, like Anna did during "For the first time in forever" in the original.
  • Once again, a boat gets unbalanced and falls into the fjord.
  • Sven getting his tongue stuck on ice.
  • The Stinger again involves Marshmallow. Who is still wearing Elsa's discarded coronet.
  • In Frozen, Anna mentioned sandwiches during "Love Is an Open Door" in a way that'd make you think she really loves them; in this short, she gets a sandwich from Elsa and gasps from joy when she finds it, exclaiming "Oooh, sandwich!" again suggesting they're one of her favorite foods.
  • While trying to assemble a banner spelling out "Happy Birthday, Anna," Olaf states he never learned to read or spell in a way reminiscent of his "I don't have a skull. Or bones." line from the first movie.
  • Elsa is wearing Oaken's "cloaken" at the end, and it looks a whole lot like the sweater Oaken was wearing in his trading post.
  • At his trading post, Oaken offers Anna a sun balm "of my own invention"; here, he offers the sisters a cold medicine of the same origin.
  • Elsa and Anna ride their tandem bike around the halls and down the stairs, which Anna did on her own (although hoping to do with Elsa instead) during "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"
• Creating Life Is Unforeseen: Elsa spawns Snowgies from merely sneezing without noticing their creation, let alone that they're alive.
• Defeat Means Menial Labor: During his brief appearance, Hans has been relegated to mucking the royal stables back home for his crimes in Arendelle. Looking at his situation, he's in a harsher condition than before, with the stables alone looking dark and uninviting. As if this humiliation wasn't enough, a sick Elsa accidentally launches a giant snowball all the way to the Southern Isles, where it sends him straight into a wagon full of literal horse manure.
• Denser and Wackier: Similar to Tangled Ever After, this has about the same amount of silliness as the full movie, but compressed into a much shorter running time. Also Elsa's powers lead to slapstick instead of danger.
• Don't Ask: Kristoff says this to Marshmallow in The Stinger, regarding the Snowgies.
• Failed a Spot Check: As Elsa and Anna wander all over town, neither of them notice the Snowgies appearing every time Elsa sneezes until they get back to the courtyard.
• Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: Following his failed attempt to kill Anna and Elsa and take over Arendelle, Hans is reduced to cleaning stables.
• Fantasy World Map: Appears as part of the Travel Montage (see below). The portion depicted corresponds to the North Sea (labeled in Danish as "Nordsøen" — not Norwegian, which would be "Nordsjøen") between Norway and Denmark. The Southern Isles look like Denmark if the Jutland Peninsula didn't exist: Funen, Ærø, Tåsinge and Langeland are reproduced exactly, while Zealand and the rest of the Danish major islands are shrunken down. Their capital is at Odense — the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. Arendelle is on the southeastern coast of Norway, equivalent to the location of Arendal, except that there are fjords on the coastline which in Real Life only exist on the northwestern coast.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Anna is perceptive enough to be worried about her sister's health and steps in to save her from falling off the clock tower, while Elsa lets her hair down during the celebrations and insists that the only way to spend the day is to party around town.
• Foreshadowing: Elsa sounds a little hoarse in the opening scene at the party preparations, and is also seen wiping her nose on her sleeve at one point.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • One of the Snowgies◊ looks like a tiny Baymax.
  • When the view cuts to a map as Elsa blows a giant snowball to the Southern Isles, in the upper right are the Roman numerals "MDCCCXL". This translates to the number 1840, which gives a clue to the time when the franchise is set.
• Funny Background Event:
  • Anna taking a bite from the big sandwich she grabbed as Elsa is directing the singing children.
  • Elsa finally noticing one of the Snowgies and apparently talking to it as Anna is discovering her cake.
  • When the kids are clapping during the final part of the song in the courtyard, one child is using two Snowgies like cymbals.
  • When Kristoff reveals his poorly made banner, Sven can be seen tasting a drop of paint that drips from one of the letters.
• Gag Echo: In Frozen, Elsa sings, "The cold never bothered me anyway" while relearning to enjoy her ice powers. In Frozen Fever, she sings "A cold never bothered me anyway," this time referring to the kind of cold where you sneeze.
• Gorgeous Garment Generation: Downplayed, in that Elsa just alters her dress and Anna's instead of outright remaking them.
• Illness Blanket: A variation at the end. Anna is feeding Elsa soup after getting Elsa to acknowledge her illness in bed, where being wrapped in a blanket wouldn't be notable - so we're shown the sick Elsa is wrapped in Oaken's "cloaken" that was originally a birthday present for Anna.
• Implausible Deniability:
  • Olaf denies he's eating the cake just after he was caught taking a bite out of it. He even has cake smeared around his mouth.
    Elsa: Olaf, what are you doing?
    Olaf: [talking through a mouthful of cake] I'm not eating cake.
  • Elsa denying that she is sick despite not only sneezing, but being so delirious that she nearly falls off the clock tower.
• Irony:
  • Elsa, who is the one insisting that everything be perfect for the birthday celebrations, ends up being the one contributing the most to potentially ruin the occasion. Her Snowgies cause Kristoff some troubles, and then there is the clock tower scene.
  • Elsa sings "I'm making today a blast if it's the last thing I do," and then nearly falls off the clock tower.
  • "If someone wants to hold me back, I'd like to see them try." Nobody wants to hold Elsa back except Anna herself.
• It's the Best Whatever, Ever!: Anna uses this phrase at the end.
  Anna: Best birthday present ever.
  Elsa: Which one?
  Anna: You letting me take care of you.
• Laser-Guided Karma: A snowball sneezed out by Elsa (while blowing a bukke horn) takes off from Arendelle and lands on the first movie's villain, Hans, just as he is shoveling manure at the Southern Isles' Royal Stables. Talk about karma!
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: While Frozen's trailers hid Elsa's status as a hero, this short's trailers made it very clear that Elsa is a good person. Also, Anna is dating Kristoff while Hans is in his homeland doing menial labor, which hints at how that all went down.
• Lighter and Softer: Compared to the original film. Elsa loses control of her powers again, but the consequences are to make cute little "Snowgies" instead of harming people (due to the lack of control being caused by a cold instead of fear).
• Logo Joke: The Disney logo at the end shows a Snowgie, out of scale, jumping over the castle with a trail of pixie dust.
• Long List: Of names that Olaf has given to all of the Snowgies at the end, as he and Kristoff take them to live with Marshmallow in Elsa's ice palace.
  Olaf: (escorting the Snowgies through the doors) This way, Sludge and Slush and Slide and Ansel and Flake and Fridge and Flurry and Powder and Crystal and Squall and Patch and Sphere and William...
  Kristoff: (to a thoroughly-puzzled Marshmallow) Don't Ask.
• Malfunction Malady: Elsa's cold causes Snowgies to appear every time she sneezes.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Olaf's personal cloud Elsa created for him is what keeps him from melting, but none of the Snowgies have one that keeps them alive. Whether Elsa's magic is stronger for them or it's just not that hot during the day is anyone's guess.
• Meaningful Echo: Elsa hoists Anna and herself up at the same place where Anna did that in Frozen during "For the First Time in Forever." Then, Anna was singing about her loneliness and was alone; now, she's here with Elsa, their relationship is good and Elsa is trying to give her a perfect day.
• Mood Whiplash:
  • It's Anna's birthday, and Elsa is choosing an ice figurine for the top of the birthday cake. Wait, is that figurine depicting Anna's Heroic Sacrifice and Elsa hugging her in despair?
    • Lampshaded by:
    Elsa: I can't do that!
  • Okay, so Elsa's kinda adorable when she's exhausted. Oh no, she's gonna fall from the clock tower!
• Never Learned to Read: Played for Laughs. While trying to assemble a banner spelling out "Happy Birthday, Anna," Olaf states he never learned to read or spell in a way reminiscent of his "I don't have skull. Or bones." line from the first movie.
• Obviously Not Fine: Zigzagged. Elsa has a cold and claims she's actually fine, and while she is sneezing, it's still plausible deniability because it seems to be around springtime. However, later she becomes more obviously sick... but by then, she seems kind of "not all there", so she may actually believe she's fine.
• Odd Name Out: In The Stinger, Olaf's headcount of the Snowgies runs through quite a few of the expected snow- and cold-related names... "And William."
• Pimped-Out Dress: Elsa and Anna get new ones for this short◊. Elsa wears a green, floral-themed variation of her slinky blue dress. Anna wears an informal dress that has its own Flower Motif.
• Platonic Declaration of Love: One of the birthday surprises Elsa planned for Anna is some of the kingdom's children singing a song for her, which includes a "we love you."
• Power Incontinence: Played for Laughs. Elsa catches a cold and whenever she sneezes, the Snowgies appear. In the end, she sneezes into a horn and accidentally creates a giant snowball that travels across the sea to knock Hans into a cart full of horse manure.
• Recycled Soundtrack: The beginning of "Making Today a Perfect Day" reuses the melody of the verse of the Cut Song "Life's Too Short."
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Snowgies.
• Rule of Three: When Elsa sneezes twice as she and Anna are riding a bike down a flight of stairs, Anna comments "They come in threes!" right before Elsa sneezes a third time.
• Shout-Out:
  • At one point, Olaf says "I can fix it!"
  • The first and last cake toppers Elsa uses (Anna alone and the two of them ice skating) are nearly identical to the promotional renderings made for use on toy packaging for the original movie.
  • At the end, Hans being knocked into a cart of manure.
• Sick Episode: Elsa catches a cold, and it has all the same effects as on non-magical people, but Elsa's sneezes also creates "Snowgies" (baby snowmen).
• Significant Anagram: Played for Laughs. When the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA" sign becomes jumbled, Olaf tries to correct it and rearranges the letters in the banner so that it reads "DRY BANANA HIPPY HAT."
• Soup Is Medicine: Anna feeds the sick Elsa some soup at the end.
• Sunny Sunflower Disposition: Sunflowers become Anna's Flower Motif throughout this short — on her dress, on her hair decoration, on the cake, in the bouquet which is one of her presents — fitting her optimistic personality. Even though she's concerned for Elsa, she goes back to being sunny when Elsa agrees to get some rest.
• Tempting Fate:
  • Kristoff had a What Could Possibly Go Wrong? mentality at the start of the short. Elsa's Snowgies forced him to work hard so that nothing did go wrong when Anna finally comes for the cake.
  • "A cold never bothered me anyway..." Yes, it does.
• Trailers Always Lie: Played with. While every scene in the trailer is present in the short (even Oaken's cameo), the trailer advertises the short as an "ordinary" and fun birthday celebration. There's nothing ordinary about nearly falling off a clock tower. Anna is evidently enjoying herself less and less as she realises just how ill her sister is. Elsa's illness is also significantly downplayed in the trailer — she looks a bit giddy while she is actually becoming delirious with fever.
• Travel Montage: A brief one following the trajectory of the snowball Elsa sneezed out as it flies towards the Southern Isles.
• Visual Pun: Upon receiving a fishing pole, Anna says "You've got me reeling."
• What's Up, King Dude?: We see the traditional "open door" relation that the Arendelle royalty has with its subjects in full force, with Anna and Elsa strolling about the town with out any hint of a guard escort, and none of the townsfolk bat an eyelash (though admittedly Elsa could probably be a one-woman-army if she wanted to be).
• Wolverine Publicity: The cover of the Disney shorts Blu-Ray containing this feature displays Elsa, Anna, and Olaf more prominently than the stars of the other 11^note 12 including Disney Movie Anywhere exclusive Runaway Brain shorts included.
• Working Through the Cold: Elsa tries to throw Anna the perfect birthday despite the former having a cold.

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Achoo!