Perhaps the biggest lingering mystery from Disney's 2013 blockbuster Frozen involves its main character, Elsa, and the magical powers she wields. Clearly, as we have seen in the first film, magic exists in that world world, as evidenced by the friendly trolls and their knowledge of Elsa's powers. However, it's also not something often seen in regular folk, which is why the emergence of Elsa's abilities was such a big deal.
Now, the magical world of Frozen is about to get a whole lot bigger with the highly anticipated Frozen 2. A new trailer for the sequel was released this morning, teasing an expansion of the mythology. And with it, we may finally learn why Elsa's parents were so troubled when their daughter first exhibited her magical powers.
In the original Frozen, we learned that Elsa developed her powers at a young age and that, after an incident with her sister Anna, her parents freaked out and took the sisters to Grand Pabbie and the trolls. There, Anna was healed, and memories of her sister's powers were erased. At the time, it seemed like a bit of an exaggerated reaction by the parents, whose interference led Elsa to bury her magic for years -- and even come to fear it.
However, it's possible her parents' fear of magic may have been well-founded. In the new Frozen 2 trailer, a flashback sequence shows Anna and Elsa's father telling them a bedtime story about the Enchanted Forest in the North, a place we know to be at the heart of the sequel. He explains that it once was a place filled with magic, but that it was eventually cut off after something terrible happened. As he tells this story, we see the prosperous days of the magical Enchanted Forest, as well as young blond boy, who is most likely Elsa and Anna's father. The implication here is that, we he was young, he once visited that place, and saw all of its wonders ... and perils.
Given what he's witnessed of magic, and how quickly it can turn dangerous, we may understand why he was so fearful of Elsa's powers. If he saw the Enchanted Forest fall to magic, then it would make sense for him to be wary of daughter's abilities -- especially after they cause harm to young Anna.
We don't yet know the full story of the Enchanted Forest, but it does appear as if it is directly tied to Elsa. After all, the fall of this magical haven might be what led Elsa's father to push his daughter to hide her magical powers for most of her life. That is, until she learned to let it all go.
Arriving Nov. 22, Disney's Frozen 2 reunites directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and producer Peter Del Vecho with voice actors Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. Returning musical talents include Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.