''Once Upon a Snowman'' is a 2020 American

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

produced by

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

and directed by Dan Abraham and Trent Correy. It premiered on the streaming service

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

on October 23, 2020. Taking place during the events of '' Frozen'' (2013), it follows

Olaf Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" ...

right after he was created by

Elsa Elsa may refer to: ELSA (acronym) * ELSA Technology, a manufacturer of computer hardware *English Language Skills Assessment * English Longitudinal Study of Ageing *Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects research * European Law Students' Association *E ...

, before he met

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

Kristoff Kristoff is a version of Kristopher (Scandinavian, Greek): respelling of Christopher. People * Kristoff St. John (1966-2019), American actor. * Ivan Kristoff (born 1968), aviator, rescue worker, and rope access expert * Kristoff Raczyñski (born ...

, and

Sven Sven (in Danish and Norwegian, also Svend and also in Norwegian most commonly Svein) is a Scandinavian first name which is also used in the Low Countries and German-speaking countries. The name itself is Old Norse for "young man" or "young ...

Plot

During

's song "

Let It Go "Let It Go" is a song from Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film '' Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The song was performed in its original show- ...

the snowman is brought to life. Before he can do anything however, Elsa releases her cloak which flies and knocks him down the mountain side until he crashes into a tree. Not knowing who he is, or why he is alive, Olaf decides to find an identity for himself. He comes upon Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna (where

can be heard singing "

Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People "Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People" is a 50-second song from the 2013 Disney animated film ''Frozen'', originally performed by actor and singer Jonathan Groff in his vocal role as Kristoff. Groff returned with a shorter version in the 2019 fil ...

" from the barn) and gets flattened by the front door by

who exits not noticing him and carrying a bag of carrots (which she will eventually give to Kristoff and

as payment). Olaf enters the Post and meets Oaken. Olaf asks for a nose, possibly a carrot, for his face, but Oaken explains that he sold the last batch and decides to help him out by trying a variety of other objects. One of the objects is an old fashioned view master that features images of "Summer". Olaf is immediately taken by it and wants to experience it before settling on a sausage for his nose. As Olaf happily leaves with his new nose, a pack of wolves suddenly appear and begin to chase him through the snowy tundra, during which Anna and Kristoff can be heard arguing with each other over the concept of love. Olaf passes by them, again unnoticed, which gets the wolves to suddenly shift their attention to them. Olaf continues to slide and witnesses Anna, Kristoff and Sven making a leap across the gorge while ditching their sleigh. Olaf makes it to the bottom where he spots one of the carrots that gets dropped, but it gets crushed by the sleigh. Olaf's sausage nose breaks, which saddens him. Upon seeing one of the wolves whimpering pitifully at his nose, Olaf gives it to him, believing that he needs it more than him. The wolf happily licks him before leaving. Olaf comments that it felt like a warm hug to which suddenly causes him to remember Anna and Elsa's time playing together as children. Finally realizing who he is, he comments "I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs." During the credits, Olaf is seen coming across Anna, Kristoff and Sven who will eventually give him his carrot nose.

Cast

Josh Gad Joshua Ilan Gad (born February 23, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for voicing Olaf in the ''Frozen'' franchise, playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical ''The Book of Mormon'', and playing Le Fou in the live-action adap ...

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky Thatc ...

(archive audio from the first film) **Livvy Stubenrauch as Young Anna (archive audio from the first film) *

Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honori ...

(archive audio from the first film) **

Eva Bella Eva Bella (born June 3, 2002) is an American child actress, known as the voice of young Elsa in the Disney movie '' Frozen''. Early life Eva Bella was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She has been acting since the age of seven, her first role was for a ...

as Young Elsa (archive audio from the first film) *

Jonathan Groff Jonathan Drew Groff (born March 26, 1985) is an American actor and singer . He began his career on Broadway, rising to prominence for his portrayal of Melchior Gabor in the original production of '' Spring Awakening'' (2006-2008), for which ...

(archive audio from the first film) * Chris Williams as

Oaken Oaken is a small village in Staffordshire, England. The first mention of the Oaken place-name was in 1086 when it was listed in the Domesday book as ''Ache''. Its origin appears to be from the Old English, ''ācum'' - (place of) the oaks. Oaken ...

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

Track listing

" by

#" In Summer" by

Do You Want to Build a Snowman? "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" is a song from the 2013 Disney 3D computer-animated musical feature film '' Frozen'', with music and lyrics composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. , the total sales of the digital track stands at 1, ...

Reception

Critical response

Ryan Britt of ''

Fatherly Fatherly is a digital lifestyle brand that provides news, expert advice, product recommendations and other resources for parents. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in New York City. Overview Fatherly offers articles, videos, and oth ...

'' stated that ''Once Upon a Snowman'' is a refreshing Christmas short, and said that it manages to provide more amusement than expected regarding its length. Drew Taylor of ''

Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...

'' gave the short film an A rating, stated that the short movie's humor manages to be entertaining through its narrative, acclaimed Josh Gad's portrayal as Olaf, and found the animation very attractive. Emily Ashby of ''

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

'' rated the film 5 out of 5 stars, praised the short film for depicting curiosity and self-discovery through Olaf, while complimenting the portrayal of optimism and perseverance through the short movie. W. Andrew Powell of ''

TheGATE.ca TheGATE.ca, referred to as ''The GATE'', is a Canadian online entertainment website that reports on movies, television, music, video games, leisure travel and events, with reviews, news, and interviews. Launched in November 2000, The GATE is owned ...

'' rated ''Once Upon a Snowman'' 4 out of 5 stars, found that Gad manages to provide a very well portrayal of Olaf, while complimenting the humor through the narrative, but stated that the movie could have last longer. Matt Fowler of ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

'' gave the short film a 6 out of 10 rating, complimented Gad's performance and the story, but found that the short does not bring anything substantial to the '' Frozen'' franchise.

Accolades

The short is nominated for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program at the

73rd Primetime Emmy Awards The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2020, until May 31, 2021, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The award ceremony was held live on September 19, 2021, ...

References

External links

* * * {{Walt Disney Animation Studios short films 2020 comedy films 2020 computer-animated films 2020 short films 2020s musical comedy films American animated fantasy films American animated featurettes American fantasy comedy films American musical comedy films American musical fantasy films American animated comedy films Animated musical films 2020s Disney animated short films Disney+ original films 2020s English-language films Films produced by Peter Del Vecho Films scored by Christophe Beck Films set in Scandinavia Frozen (franchise) shorts Animated films about sisters