Frozen took audiences by storm. (Get it? There's an ice storm thing in the movie! No? Just me?) It took the typical Disney-Princess story and turned it on its head. Instead of having a prince stroll along to save the princess from danger, the princess relied on her strong bond with her sister so that they could save each other with the power of their mutual love. (Get lost, Hans.) Not only did the sisterly story win us over, but the sisters themselves were intriguing and endearing.
Anna was the lovable sister that had oodles of energy. I think most of us found it easier to sympathize with her, but no one can deny that Elsa's character had an allure we couldn't ignore. Stuck with what she considers to be terrible ice powers, Elsa has to learn to accept herself, her gifts, and her sister without being hampered by the constricting chains of fear. Who can't get behind a character like that? Plus, she has ice super powers, which basically makes her a super hero. That makes her doubly likable.
However, the more I re-watch the movie (and I re-watch Frozen way more than I should), the more I realize how insanely powerful Elsa's abilities are. In fact, I would even say that they are overpowered. Have you ever taken a close look at exactly what Elsa can do? She can definitely do more than just fiddle with ice, let me tell you that. Read on if you want to learn about the crazy-strong things Elsa can do.
25 The Ultimate Weather Forecaster
When Elsa flees her castle in dismay at having her powers discovered, she leaves behind a massive storm in her wake. Snows cover the land and ice reigns supreme over the nearby lake. This is partially what causes Anna to run after Elsa.
The weather changed so drastically that the town of Arendelle desperately needs Elsa to change the weather again. But think about that for a second. Elsa dramatically altered the weather for an entire region without even meaning to. That's more than simple control over ice.
24 A Degree In Ice Architecture
One of the best portions of the song "Let It Go" was when Elsa erects a giant ice castle at the summit of the mountain she is going to call her home. She stamps her foot emphatically on the snow, and then raises her arms.
With that simple motion, she raised an architecturally sound palace with what looks like little to no effort. Did Elsa have a thorough understanding about architecture before she made this icy paradise? Or is an innate understanding of structural integrity a part of her powers?
23 How Can Her Ice Pass Through A Person?
Ice, as far as I know, is a solid. It is the form that water takes once it has been cooled to at least thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (or zero degrees Celsius). If I were to throw a chunk of ice at a person, it would probably hit the surface of their body and then drop to the floor. Elsa has magic ice though.
Her ice can penetrate through a person's skin and reach their heart.
At what point does that stop being ice and becomes straight-up magic? Does Elsa control the very concept of "cold?"
22 Anti-Freeze
Initially, when we first met Elsa and became introduced to her powers, it seemed as if she could only produce ice. As the film progressed, she was able to produce inclement weather and snowfall too. Not only can Elsa make these sorts of things appear, she can make them disappear as well.
Does that mean that she can make any kind of ice go away? Elsa's so powerful, she has reverse ice powers. As seen at the end of the movie, she unfreezes the lakes and dispels the winter storm that was plaguing Arendelle.
21 Ain't No Summer Hot Enough
Despite clearly being in her element during the cold months of winter, Elsa can also use her ice abilities during the heat of summer. It does not matter whether the temperature outside is reaching summer highs.
As shown in the movie Frozen itself and in the Frozen short film that came later called Frozen Fever, nothing stops Elsa from whipping out some ice and snow. Ice magic is apparently a perennial sort of ability that ignores the conventions of the seasons.
20 Stairway To Snow Heaven
As with the ice castle that Elsa constructed from nothing atop her mountain, the stairs that Elsa made to cross the chasm to the mountain were made from scratch as well.
I'm seriously beginning to think that Elsa must have taken some structural engineering classes back when she was in school. How else could she have known how to build such an elegant and impractical set of stairs? Plus, I'm sure extra architectural considerations had to be understood when her building material was ice.
19 Dressmaking For Pros
The whole time that Elsa was belting out "Let It Go," I was in awe of the song and the magic of the moment. Elsa's sudden change in wardrobe was what distracted me from the uplifting vibe.
I can maybe swallow the fact that Elsa's ice powers gave her the ability to make an ice castle. But how is it that ice powers can give Elsa a whole new dress? Fabrics for shimmering gowns should be flexible and flowing. Do those qualities sound like the kind of words you would use to describe ice?
18 An Ice-Kinetic
Elsa's ability to create ice is not enough for such an overpowered Disney princess (or is she a queen?) like her. She can also move the ice at will. Ice sprouts from places that she wishes, and then she can shift its position with a motion from her hand.
That means she has some form of telekinesis that centers around ice.
This is demonstrated during her fights with the guards in her ice castle. She creates an ice barrier and then pushes it towards one of the guards.
17 Want To See A Magic Trick?
When Elsa arrived at her secluded mountain spot after running away from Arendelle, she was wearing a regal gown with leggings, slippers, gloves, and a cloak. She tossed away her cloak and her gloves during her song, but I want to know what happened to her leggings.
She still had them on when she gave herself a brand new, ice-blue dress. They just disappeared. Does that mean that one of Elsa's powers is to banish items of clothing to a realm of nonexistence?
16 Biblical Abilities
After Anna pushes her to the breaking point, Elsa gives in to an outburst of frustration during her coronation party. It is this outburst that causes Elsa to reveal her ice powers. She runs away from onlookers in horror, but she finds her path to escape blocked by the lake. So what does she do?
She simply walks on water.
Her light footsteps create ice patches in the shape of beautiful snowflakes which allow her to cross the lake's surface. Still, she was able to walk on water. That's pretty nifty.
15 Accidental KO
From the beginnings of Elsa and Anna's childhood, it's clear that Elsa had only ever used her powers for playing with her little sister. During that unfortunate nighttime play session when Elsa struck Anna in the forehead with her ice powers, Elsa learned to fear her powers.
But I think she learned to fear them with good reason. Think about it. She knocked her sister unconscious without even meaning to. With the smallest of ice blows, Elsa displayed how much power she had at her disposal.
14 It's Alive! It's Alive!
Perhaps the most frightening of Elsa's abilities is her ability to give inanimate ice objects life. Elsa unintentionally gave sentience to Olaf, the comedic and lovable snowman she randomly created while singing "Let It Go." But she intentionally gave sentience to the large snow creature that guarded her castle.
In the Frozen short film, "Frozen Fever," Elsa would sneeze and create teeny tiny snowmen that were alive. Isn't that ability spooky?! Elsa is like a god.
13 How Does She Create Ice?
With a simple wave of her hand or wiggle of her fingers, Elsa can create ice from out of thin air. Of all the aspects of her power, this is one of the ones that makes her overpowered. Whether she is turning the oxygen in the air into frozen water or not, she is nevertheless pulling ice from out of the air.
This ability means she will always have ice at her disposal.
She doesn't need to be near water in order to use her ice. All she has to do is whoosh, and there will be ice. (You guys know what I mean when I say whoosh, right? I think that was the best verb I could come up with.)
12 Only Grow Stronger With Time
Elsa's parents took her to see wise rock trolls after Elsa accidentally hurt Anna. The oldest of these trolls, Grand Pabbie Troll, gave Elsa words of caution. He also warned her parents that her powers would grow stronger with time.
That means that the older Elsa gets, the more powerful she will become.
How is that for overpowered. As she ages, she will get stronger and stronger. That's the reverse of what we typically see with a person aging. And toddler Elsa was pretty strong already.
11 I Don't Need No Stinking Stylist
You might argue with me that this next ability in no way makes Elsa overpowered, but just hear me out. Elsa has this magical ability to perfectly style her hair by merely running a hand through it. Do you now how impossible that is?! No mortal human could do that. This proves that Elsa has more than just ice powers. She is truly an all-around super-powered person.
If I tried to perfectly style my hair by running my hand through my dusty brown locks, I would be impeded by knots for one thing, and I would also end up with a weirdly parted mess.
10 Silky Smooth Surfaces
The quality of Elsa's ice speaks to her mastery of her ice powers. As seen in her epic castle and that first set of stairs she made, she has complete control over how her ice is shaped.
She can make the smoothest of surfaces with the thinnest of designs.
And nothing she makes ever seems to melt. (Well, except for Olaf when he was by the fire that one time, but that wasn't really Elsa's fault.) The floors of her castle are so polished, Anna's reflection on it can be seen perfectly.
9 That's Not A Glass Slipper
Elsa's garments are not the only items that get an upgrade when she sings "Let It Go." her footwear also gets kicked up a notch. Formerly, she wore plain black slippers, drab and flat. Afterwards, Elsa made herself a pair of ice-blue heels. So, yeah, now she's an expert shoemaker.
I honestly don't know whether these shoes are made of some kind of blue-dyed leather or if they're made of ice. If they're made of ice, I reckon they must be pretty uncomfortable and not all easy to get around in.
8 Basic Instincts
Elsa's abilities are so versatile, and her instinctive usage of them is one of their biggest strengths. They are clearly connected to her emotions, so when she is upset or angry, her powers are more easily observed.
However, when her life was in extreme danger, the rapidity of Elsa's powers was incredible. When a guard shot a crossbow at her, she instinctively lifted up an ice shield that almost barely caught the arrow in time. It showcased how great her defensive capabilities are.
7 The Frozen Within
Elsa may not have wanted to turn Anna into an ice person, but that's exactly what she did. You would think that someone who has been given ice powers would be able to freeze another person within ice. It makes sense that ice powers could be used to encase someone in a block of ice.
But Elsa is so overpowered that she is able to freeze people from the inside out. Instead of surrounding Anna with ice, she planted a shard of ice within Anna that froze her entire body.
6 Those Interior Decorating Skills
The ice castle and the ice stairs were impressive. But come on, you can't expect me to refrain from mentioning that ice chandelier. Obviously made from solid ice planes, it sprouted from the ceiling like a blossoming flower, stretching itself out until it reached gargantuan proportions.
Again, where did Elsa learn how to build something like that? Did Elsa know the minutiae of chandelier-making before she became queen? Is chandelier-making an elective course that children in Arendelle can take?