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How You Can Visit The Locations in Frozen

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The Frozen frenzy has once again hit America with the sequel to the record-breaking first movie hitting theaters to fantastic reviews.

We head back to Arendelle six years after we last saw sisters Elsa and Anna and join them both, Kristoff and Sven on a journey of discovery (Elsa) and love (Anna). And of course the fantastic Olaf comes along to bring humor to the adventure.

But if your little ones – or even yourself – have come away wanting to visit Arendelle you cannot use the excuse it is an animated film, as the whole movie was based on real-life locations, predominantly in Norway and Iceland in Europe.

We thought we would take a look at the beautiful settings and see which ones you should visit, starting in Bergen, Norway.

Weave through the beautiful houses that are on the route through Bergen to the stunning harbour of Bryggen and you will notice they look familiar to fans of Elsa and Anna. Used as the inspiration for the kingdom of Arendelle in both Frozen movies, UNESCO’s World Heritage Site will fill you with wonder and awe as you look around the wooden Hanseatic-era buildings.

And when looking at the harbor itself it is easy to visualize yourself at any of the many events the two sisters hold by the water, the market or even the spot where Anna is saved from the water from love interest Hans.

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However this is not where the inspiration for Elsa’s coronation is located. Head out of Bergen and you will find the beautiful village of Balestrand. Although only a four hour drive, many find it takes far longer due to stopping at the beautiful settings spotted along the way.

In Balestrand you will find the appropriately named St Olaf’s Church. Although the area may not look too familiar, step inside and you will instantly be transported to the day of Elsa’s coronation due to the fact the interior was replicated for the film.

For those of you wanting to truly experience Frozen make sure you visit Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park. Located in the Arctic Circle, the northern wilderness is home for reindeer and there are plenty of authentic hotels and hostels for you to choose from.

And if you are one of the cinema goers who fell in love with the beautiful scenes in the enchanted forest you need to head further afield to the island of Iceland. Located nearly 1,500 km away from Norway, Iceland can be reached either by ferry or by taking a short flight.

Once there head out to Reynisfjara situated on the south coast and marvel at the black-sand beaches and the beautiful basalt rocks, thought to be the inspiration for the “earth giants”.

The is home to both the Svínafellsjökull glacier and Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon and is clearly the inspiration for Queen Elsa’s trip to the mystical river Ahtohallan.

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But it is not just the Frozen locations that make Norway such a beautiful place to visit. Visiting Norway in the run up to Christmas is always a magical experience, thanks to the traditions the country is seeped in.

The first week of December will see Christmas trees and city streets decorated with festive lights and decorations while ‘Little Christmas Eve’ on the 23rd of December sees Norwegian families hosting their own decorations – it is common for homes to decorate the tree and make gingerbread houses while the tradition of eating rice pudding, complete with hidden almond, is also a tradition popular in this area.

If you like a bit of snow sports make your way to Trysil, Norway’s largest ski resort. Perfect for skiers of all levels, the 45 miles of pistes also have excellent ski schools.

Oslo, the nation’s capital, is home to an inspiring winter wonderland. Full of Christmas themed concerts and an amazing Christmas market, Advent is one of the most popular times to visit Oslo.

A strange tradition amongst Norwegians is that if you kiss a moose you will receive good luck and happiness so make your way to Svartisen and meet some of the largest land-living animals, all by the foot of the Svartisen Glacier.

The remote archipelago of Svalbard will enable you to have a true Arctic adventure, with dog sledding trips available for all the family. Svalbard is also a perfect location to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights – aurora borealis – in the winter, while in the summer months visitors can expect to experience the ‘midnight sun’, a phenomenon where there is sunlight 24 hours a day.

Finally, make your way to the outskirts of the city of Bodø and find your way to the Saltstraumen Maelstrom, the strongest tidal current in the world. Book your boat trip across the awesome whirlpools and find out about the stunning mountains, scenery and the amazing natural phenomenon of the area.

Frozen The Movie

Frozen 2 Expected To Smash Box Office Records

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The long awaited release of Frozen 2 has seen families across America head to the theater to settle down and catch up with what has been happening in the lives of our beloved heroes since we last saw them six years ago.

Continuing from the celebrations at the end of Frozen, Princess Anna and Queen Elsa – alongside Kristoff and Olaf – head to an ancient forest, leaving their beloved Arendelle behind, in an attempt to find the origin for Elsa’s powers and saving their kingdom. Obviously there will be some drama along the way however the sisters’ bond shines throughout the movie.

And with Disney at the helm it looks set to be yet another record-breaking movie for the studio giants.

Disney is known for magical movies and this is reflected in the takings. 2016 saw the studio achieve its highest-grossing year, a first not just for Disney but also for all studios, with over $7 billion taken at the box office. However this record has already been smashed with more than $8 billion already accrued since January, and Frozen can only add to that.

It seems the studio can do no wrong at the moment with five ‘billion-dollar’ movies this year alone – yet another record it has achieved in 2019. These include Toy Story 4 ($1 billion), Aladdin ($1.04 billion) Captain Marvel ($1.13 billion), The Lion King ($1.34 billion) and the current highest grossing movie Avengers: Endgame ($2.76 billion).

And it seems Frozen 2 will be the sixth billion-dollar movie this year, with Fandango’s managing editor, Erik Davis commenting, “I think a lot of kids are realizing how much nostalgia they have for Frozen. It’s the first film for that generation they can be nostalgic for.”

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In 2013 Frozen was the surprise hit of the year for Disney Animation, attracting over $400 million at the domestic box office alone. It went on to earn over $1.2 billion worldwide as well as win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

Part of the success was the introduction of sisters Elsa and Anna who, along with Olaf the Snowman, took us on a journey of fear and fun and reminded us that a sibling’s love is one of the strongest loves of all. A stark contrast to other Princess movies where it is usually the good looking prince who’s love conquers all – something that was mocked mercilessly in the movie, especially by ice harvester Kristoff.

Since 2013 Disney have continued to have success with sequels including Finding Dory ($1.03 billion) so the sequel to Frozen was always guaranteed.

Opening weekend figures are estimated at between $120 – $140 million although there are some that believe Frozen 2 should earn even more thanks to the continued sale of advanced tickets.

Co-Founder and Chairman of Atom Tickets, Matthew Bakal, confirmed that tickets for the film had already sold more tickets that Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2 combined during the same time period. In his recent statement to CNBC he stated “Disney now holds the record for top three animated movie pre-sales on Atom, for Frozen 2, Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2.”

Currently Incredibles 2 holds the record for the all time highest animated movie opening in North America, taking $182.6 million in the first three days of its release, however Frozen 2 is expected to surpass this considerably.

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It is worth recognizing that this year’s The Lion King was considered a ‘live-action’ film rather than an animated feature, although one of the scenes of the movie was digitally rendered. Shawn Robbins, Chief Analyst at Boxoffice.com describes the appeal behind Frozen saying, “Disney captured lightning in a bottle with [Frozen], which is a hard precedent to live up to.”

Although this is true it is also true that Disney has made many great attempts to surpass the magic created by Frozen. And although there is a six year gap between Frozen and its sequel, Robbins confirms “it’s not like it has transitioned to a new generation. The intended generation grew up.”

With this theory in mind, it is clear to understand why the plot of Frozen 2 is more grown up than the original movie. As Davis explains, “It’s more of a coming-of-age film.”

Another factor for Frozen 2’s potential success is the fact that there were few animated films aimed at the preteen audience this year, with most animated movies often receiving attention from younger children, therefore more people will head to the theaters to see this movie.

As Davis acknowledges, “it’s just going to do fantastic business and do a lot of repeat business. There isn’t another significant family movie until you get near Christmas.”

And being released just in time for Thanksgiving gives families more time to head out to watch the movie together, providing much needed family time in an often-busy world.