By Character Diva
I have been excited about Disney’s Frozen ever since listening to Idina Menzel’s version of “Let it Go” on Youtube. And I will admit I kinda cheated and ready the children’s book first (thank you, Target), so I already know the basic storyline… it’s based loosely (and in my opinion VERY loosely) on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen”. In the words of the cast member at Pixie Hollow who summed it up – Princess Anna (pronounced On-uh not Ann-uh) is “a lovely girl, kinda clumsy, with braids and a folk dress” and her sister, Elsa, “is kinda cold.”
And seeing as my pen name is Character Diva, and I’m kinda obsessed with meeting them, you can imagine how excited I was when I found out Anna and Elsa were arriving at Disneyland in November. That’s right folks: Disney’s newest leading ladies have moved to Fantasyland!! Anna and Elsa have taken up residence at Disneyland, in a snow covered hideaway near the Village Haus Restaurant and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. The location is tucked away, but not easy to miss, particularly with the snow covered roof and Olaf the Snowman spying on you from on top.
Anna and Elsa make daily appearances, and the line does move fairly quickly. Disney Diva Tip: It does wrap around buildings however, and the path can be a little windy as you weave your way through the ropes, so if possible, try not to take strollers through. My son was asleep however, and we were able to make it through fine with him in his stroller, you just need to watch for corners and steer carefully. While in line, you are given a laminated picture of a snowflake from a cast member. You hand this card to another cast member as you prepare to go inside and greet the latest Disney royalty. Disney Diva Tip: While you’re in line, this is a good time to pull out any autograph books you have and set them to the right page, as well as make sure you have your pen (you DO NOT want to be scrambling for a pen the second you get there because it fell at the bottom of your diaper bag… Not that I know from experience or anything.), and also make sure that your camera is ready to go, your lens cap is removed, and you can maximize the most of your short meet and greet.
From there, it is fairly simple- you stand next to a table of pastries and wait for the cast member to tell you it’s your turn to stand with Anna and Elsa. From there, you can visit with the royal duo for a couple of minutes, as well as get autographs or take any pictures with the duo that you may like. Disney Diva Tip: There is also a photopass photographer, and they are happy to take pictures for you as well.
Anna and Elsa are scheduled to be at the location until at least January 6th, though I would assume they will most likely stay for some time after. (Rapunzel was there for almost three years before she moved locations). Disney Diva Tip: As with any character greeting, it is always important to get their early, or ask a cast member how long they will be staying. This was our constant problem when greeting characters on our last trip… it seemed someone was always hurrying off to catch a parade or change locations, and while I do not envy Sulley (just standing next to him was making me feel warm), characters do not remain in the same spot for long… and they need to eat lunch and take breaks too. That being said, Anna and Elsa are indoors, and are what is known as “face characters” because you can see their “faces”, so they do not take as many breaks as some of the other characters. The cast members will cut off the line when necessary, so if you are worried about missing them (or any other character), make sure you talk to a cast member about when to be there to guarantee your royal meet and greet.
Finally, if you can’t get enough of Frozen, particularly after meeting Anna and Elsa, the “It’s a Small World Toy Shoppe”, and other locations around the park have merchandise with a Frozen theme. There are also movie banners in Downtown Disney, and beginning in late November, you will be able to watch Frozen at the movie theater in Downtown Disney. Also, beginning November 12-January 6th, the holiday season will officially start in Disneyland, and I have been told that the “World of Color” light and water show in California Adventure will be taking on a Frozen theme.
And for those of you who are planning on visiting Disney World, I’ve read that Anna and Elsa will be appearing at the Norwegian Pavilion in Epcot until January 6th as well.
But whichever park you plan on going to, make sure to grab your autograph books, pens, camera, sd cards, and extra batteries and stop on by to say hello to Anna and Elsa!!
