The Inspirational True Story Of Elsa's Shift From Villain To Hero In 'Frozen'

As you may or not know, Disney’s record-breaking animated feature ‘Frozen’ was– like many Disney classics– based on a fairy tale, in this case Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Snow Queen,’ with Elsa serving as the title villain. But somehow, along the way, things shifed for the better.

In the original draft, Elsa used her icy powers to terrorize her village (presumably still called Arendale). But then Pixar’s John Lasseter and other members of Disney’s Story Trust began having doubts. It was previously revealed that Idina Menzel’s bravura vocal performance of ‘Let It Go’ helped plant the seeds for the character’s reform.

Now Lasseter has revealed an even more intimate contribution to the change in Elsa position in the movie. The creators decided to change her motivation from pure evil to a struggle “to accept an aspect of herself she cannot ignore and cannot change.” Lasseter drew inspiration from his 10-year-old son Sam, who was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes and his experiences. Elsa’s ice abilities aren’t powers. They’re an affliction and her reaction to that — depression and withdrawal– were inspired by Sam’s struggle. Elsa injured her younger sister Anna once and is terrified of harming her or anyone else again.

As if the movie wasn’t already popular and touching enough, this added real-life human touch simply deepens that sentiment.

Going back to ‘Let It Go,’ Lasseter also suggested the big climax of that song, where Elsa lets down her hair and displays a never before seen confidence, culminating with her strutting out on the balcony before slamming the door behind her. (Oh you know you want to see it again:)