Anna

"I know it is totally crazy to dream I'd find romance..."

- Anna during "For the First Time in Forever"

Princess Anna of Arendelle (pronounced Ah-nah) is the main protagonist in Disney's Academy Award-winning 2013 animated feature film Frozen. She is the younger sister of the powerful Snow Queen Elsa and embarks on a perilous journey to save her kingdom from an eternal winter. She is voiced by Kristen Bell.

She will the Disney Princess line-up, along with her sister, making her the 12th Disney Princess.

Anna is loosely based on Gerda from The Snow Queen, a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

Official Disney bio

 * Anna is more daring than graceful and, at times, can act before she thinks. But she's also the most optimistic and caring person you'll ever meet. She longs to reconnect with her sister Elsa, as they were close during their childhood. When Elsa accidentally unleashes a magical secret that locks the kingdom of Arendelle in an eternal winter, Anna embarks on a dangerous adventure to make things right. Armed with only her fearlessness, a never-give-up attitude and her faith in others, Anna is determined to save both her kingdom and her family.

Development
In the earliest stages of the film's production, Anna's role was vastly different than that of the final project. Instead of being a princess, Anna was a peasant with no relation to Elsa whatsoever. In the original storyline, Anna was a peasant, cursed with a frozen heart, who left her village on an adventure to find the villainous and mysterious Snow Queen, for help.

The filmmakers struggled to find the movie's heart through this version, finding it difficult to have a believable and engaging relationship between the two female leads when they truly have nothing to do with one another. However, one of the crew members suggested the two be made siblings, and things changed from there. Anna was made a princess, as well as Elsa, who, in turn, went from a villain to a misunderstood heroine.

With these changes, the characters and story was viewed in a more relatable light, as Anna's main goal was to now win the acceptance and love of her older sister; something her voice actress, Kristen Bell, personally related to.

Notably, as seen in early animation footage, Anna wasn't always as daring and fearless as she is in the film. In the early test animation for the Marshmallow chase scene, Anna was seen reluctant the cliff dive with Kristoff, only doing so at the fear of Marshmallow's attacked. However, in the film, this isn't the case, and the princess is seen with immense excitement, engulfing herself in the thrill of the moment.

Voice
Anna's voice actress, Kristen Bell, served as one of the prime inspirations for the character. The filmmakers, as well as Bell, wanted a heroine different from the trademark princesses of Cinderella and Belle; one who was clumsy, socially awkward, and constantly spoke before she thought. Anna's supervising animator, Becky Breese, noted she took much of Anna's animated movement from Bell's facial expressions and rhythm when she recorded the lines.

Personality
"A character who is willing to stand beside you and stand up for what’s right. Her sister was born with a condition that’s shaped a world where Anna doesn’t belong."

- Paul Briggs

Unlike her older sister Elsa, Anna is very eccentric, optimistic, energetic, awkward, and far from elegant. She usually acts before she speaks and can be rather impulsive, but holds a lot of innocence to her, nonetheless. She is free-spirited, bent on spending her life outside the castle gates after years of being enclosed within them for the safety of the kingdom due to Elsa's ice powers. Anna is also a pure and hopeless romantic, dreaming of romance the moment the gates are finally opened for Elsa's coronation ceremony. There can also be a little naivety to her, as she believes in marrying someone immediately if the heart tells you so, despite knowing them for merely a day. And though naïve occasionally, Anna is far from weak and is shown to be quite skilled in self-defense, as seen when she and Kristoff survived being attacked by the wolves as well as when she punched Hans off the ship after the climatic scene in the fjords.

Even though she greatly values romance, it is clear that Anna's most valued treasure is her relationship with her sister. Since childhood, Anna has been attached to Elsa and always leaped at the opportunity to spend time with her. As the years passed and the sisters grew apart, the heartbroken Anna continued to try time and time again for some quality time with the one she loved most, but due to Elsa's powerful magic, it was deemed too dangerous until, through Anna's loving efforts, Elsa learned to control her icy powers, allowing her to end their "imprisonment" within the castle walls and finally share the quality time they have been longing for years upon years.

Throughout most of the film, Anna was also the only character to have faith that Elsa was no monster. The Duke of Weselton was notably against her because of that very theory and Kristoff feared her, as did the other citizens for that they were oblivious to who Elsa truly was. Even so, despite their separation, Anna knew that her sister was far from vile and put it in her hands to bring her home, not only for the sake of the kingdom, but in hopes of rekindling their formerly-close bond. This is an example of Anna's purely optimistic side and powerful sense of hope, as well as her love for her sister. Another example of this can be seen rather powerfully during her moments with Hans in the library, when Hans announces his plans to kill Elsa, with Anna responding with little to no real strength due to her frozen heart unintentionally caused by her sister, "You're no match for Elsa", giving one of the biggest examples of her optimism, loyalty and true love for her sister, despite all the pain that she had been through because of the relationship alone.

As mentioned above, one of Anna's most striking traits is her eccentric and whimsical personality. She is notably goofy and highly-active, constantly shown running throughout the castle, bouncing and flipping over furniture and speaking to the paintings on the walls, though the last habit is due to having no one to communicate with in the castle with Elsa forcibly being locked away in her room. Also, because of her impulsive attitude, she has the tendency to get herself into quite a lot of trouble, such as the moment she provoked Marshmallow, a creature twice her size, without thinking of the consequences.

Anna may also be seen as tricky or aggressive, as seen when she provoked Marshmallow. When Marshmallow threw Olaf, Anna was angered by this and tried to throw a snowball in revenge, but Kristoff, knowing it was a bad idea, kept Anna from throwing the snowball, telling her to let the giant snow monster be. Anna told him she was calm and seemingly softened, but the moment Kristoff turned his back, she threw the snowball at the giant snow monster anyway.

Despite her optimism, Anna has also struggled with some self-confidence, as she often looked down upon herself and viewed herself as nothing more than ordinary throughout most of the film, especially compared to the radiance of her sister. It was to the point where she felt she had no one in the world who truly loved her, with Elsa seeming to want nothing to do with her. This would also explain why she was so quick to romance, as her song "For the First Time in Forever" would explain that she's looking for someone to act as her companion, no longer wanting to live a life alone. She also quotes lines such as "It's just me" and "No, I'm completely ordinary", which also indicates her low outlook on herself. In a deleted song called "More Than Just The Spare", Anna sings about her self-worth, which is low in the beginning of the song, but gradually gets bigger.

In the end, despite her numerous flaws, Anna is an extremely sweet, selfless and loving character. Numerous times throughout the film, she puts the safety and well being of others before her own, showing great loyalty and admiration for her friends and family, which is most notably seen with Elsa. Some examples of this can be seen when she purchased the items and food that Kristoff couldn't afford at Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna, prevented Kristoff from spoiling Olaf's dreams of living in the summer and most significantly and importantly during the climax where she saves Elsa from death at the hands of Hans, despite knowing that she would inevitably lose her life in the process. In terms of personality, all these factors and more make Anna one of the most diverse Disney characters of all time.

Physical appearance
Anna is a beautiful young woman with a slender figure and a fair complexion. She has glittering blue eyes, rosy cheeks, thin lips, long strawberry-blonde hair tied into two pigtail braids, bangs on the right side of her forehead and a dusting of freckles (a trait that she shares with her sister Elsa, even though Elsa appears to have less freckles than Anna does). When she wears sleeveless dresses, it is shown that she has some freckles on her shoulders as well as on her face. Her face is slightly rounder than Elsa's, but still just as pretty. She also had a platinum blonde streak that matches Elsa's hair color on the right side of her hair, due to an accident in which she was struck by Elsa's magic when she and Elsa were little kids, which disappeared towards the end of the film.

All of her outfits have Rosemaling due to the fact that the movie's setting is in Norway.

Her winter outfit is a traditional Norwegian clothing called "Bunad", and her design consists of a medium-length, dark blue skirt (consisting of a lavender round-cut lining with points, with each rose and periwinkle print similar to a rose around the skirt on each point, and each periwinkle bush-like print on each of its round edge) with a black bodice with gold lacings and green, red, yellow and purple rose prints on it, a light blue long-sleeved blouse, and black heeled leather boots with gold linings and magenta soles. She also wears a magenta bonnet with purple lining, lavender fluff, and matching white print on the back, a pair of blue mittens with navy blue palms, and a detachable magenta cape with a matching cap, purple linings, and small Byzantium tassels on the edge of the cap with a silver brooch consisting of a pair of hearts with gray prints attached to her cape. On occasion, she wears a pair of crystal clear ice skates.

In her coronation dress, she wears a black sweetheart bodice with off-the-shoulder dark green sleeves and rose, teal, blue and purple prints on it, and has greenish-gold lacing, a black satin-laced necklace with a bronze pendant of Arendelle's symbol, an olive drab skirt with sashes (consisting of asparagus centers with pink, crimson, dark olive green, olive drab, and blue prints on it between cream sides), both cream petticoat and bloomers, white stockings, a pair of black ballet shoes, her hair is in a bun, and a part of her hair is braided and used as a headband, a green comb-shaped barrette with a couple satin ribbons (green and green-yellow) attached to the back of her hair, and dark pink lipstick. She also wears a teal cape with a cyan bow as a clasp for the cape, sapphire oval-cut hem with azure line, blue dots on each cut, and small sapphire dots all around the cape.

When she is accidentally cursed by Elsa, her hair turns white, almost silvery-looking. After she is thawed, her hair returns to its original state with the platinum blonde streak no more, thanks to Elsa.

In her casual wear form, her hair is once again in braided pigtails without her streak, and she sports a timber wolf wrist-length blouse with light blue vertical linings, a pinafore dress consisting of both a light gray bodice with green linings, vertical gray hairlines, and a couple four green buttons vertically on each of her chest with black hairline laces attached, a dark gray skirt with a light gray lining, crimson, green and lavender flower prints all around on it, and lavender, green and olive drab bush-like prints between each flower prints. She also dons a white petticoat, a pair of matching heeled leather boots with gold linings and brown soles, the same color and shape amount of brooch, and, on occasion, the same color amount of ice skates.

The Beginning
At a young age, Anna and Elsa enjoyed the life of princesses, spending most of their time using Elsa's powers over ice and snow to create winter wonderlands for their enjoyment whenever they pleased. One night, young Anna walked over to Elsa's bed and begged to play as she was too wide awake to sleep. Elsa playfully brushed her sister off until it was suggested they build a snowman, to which Elsa delightfully agrees. The sisters head into the castle's throne room and create a winter field of snow, enjoying their time with plenty of merriment until Elsa accidentally strikes Anna with her magic, rendering her unconscious. Horrified, Elsa calls for their parents, the king and queen, who rush onto the scene. The king looks through the royal library, and is able to find a map to a valley inhabited by magical trolls capable of saving Anna. Anna, Elsa, the king and queen head over to the valley, and Pabbie, the king of the trolls, informs them that Anna can be healed, though they're lucky she wasn't hit in the heart, for it can be fatal. Pabbie then informs the royal family that, while Elsa's magic is beautiful, should she not learn to control it and let fear consume her, horrible things will occur. The king assures that they'll help Elsa learn to conceal her powers until she can gain control of them, and before they depart, Pabbie wipes Anna's memories of Elsa's abilities, believing it's best if she completely forgot the mystical moments they shared, though rearranging the memories to make it seem as if no magic was involved.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
To further ensure their safety, Anna and Elsa were forced to be separated, and both were kept within the castle walls to keep from endangering the other citizens. Years went by, and with it, the friendship Anna and Elsa once shared. Throughout the years, Anna spent most of her days running throughout the castle walls playfully and spending practically all of her time alone or with her parents. Even so, she constantly made attempts to reconnect with Elsa, but was shut out each and every time. The constant denial drove Anna to believe her sister despised her, leading her to eventually cease trying to rekindle their bond, leaving her parents as all she had. One day, however, while out on the sea for vacation, the king and queen were killed in a powerful storm, as their ship sinks after being struck by monstrous waves. The terrible news devastated Anna, and the young princess tried to reunite with her sister, who was now the only family she had left, once again, needing her love and comfort to get through the tragedy. However, as always, Elsa remained in her room, even during the monarchs' funerals, leaving both of the royal sisters to mourn the loss of their loving parents and move on from the tragedy alone.

Coronation Day
"This is so nice! I wish it could be like this all the time."

- Anna to Elsa

Three years later, Elsa had finally reached the age where she was eligible to be crowned Queen of Arendelle. The entire kingdom is abuzz in preparation, completely joyous for their soon-to-be queen. Visiting royalty from all walks of life also attend, with kingdom such as the Southern Isles and Weselton sending representatives in honor of their countries. Within the castle, Anna truly couldn't have been more excited, witnessing the windows and doors open for the first time in years, servants and valets preparing the castle for the nightly ball, and the castle gates opening for the very first time since Anna and Elsa's childhood. Not only that, the young princess expresses her hopes to finally find a companion, bidding farewell to her lonely life. That longing for a companion soon becomes longing for romance, the princess believing, though rather impossible to think someone would actually care for her romantically, she now has a chance at least with the newfound freedom. In her quarters, Princess Elsa was rather nervous of the Coronation Ball, fearing her powers would be exposed. She holds in her fears and orders the gates to be opened. The second they are, Anna rushes out and explores her kingdom, roaming about the streets and catching glimpse of all the visitors, when suddenly, she bumps into a horse owned by the handsome Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.

Though angered at first by the clumsiness of the stranger, Anna soon settles down upon catching glimpse of the prince's sharp looks, immediately becoming smitten. After introducing himself, Anna and Hans become acquainted, and apparently hit it off right then and there, only to be interrupted by the coronation bells announcing that Princess Elsa's crowning is to take place, thus forcing Anna to rush off, bidding farewell to Hans shyly as she does. At the church, Anna stands by her sister's side during the crowning, noticing Hans' presence in the crowd, and giving a cute wave, confirming their new friendship. And after the crowning has commenced and Elsa is now officially queen of Arendelle, a ball in her honor is held that night.

At the ball, Anna and Elsa stand side by side near the thrones, watching over the warm crowd. With Elsa leading the way, the sisters exchange their first conversation in what appears to be quite some time. Flustered, at first, Anna's interaction with her sister brings quite the delightful feeling to the princess, and seeing Elsa so happy instead of serious and preserved boosts Anna's confidence, prompting her to continue on with the conversation before they're interrupted by their steward Kai, who introduces the snide Duke of Weselton, who offers Elsa her first dance as queen. Elsa politely declines the offer but instead playfully volunteers Anna, much to the Duke's delight, nonetheless, and the two head off into a comical dance scene. In during which, seeing Anna innocently flustered by the Duke's over-the-top dancing skills, Elsa couldn't hold back a chuckle, causing Anna to feel just as whimsical about the entire matter, for seeing Elsa in such a state hasn't been a sight for years. Afterwards, Anna returns by Elsa's side, commenting on how well things have been going through the day, and expresses her wishes to have things the way they were that night all the time. Unfortunately, all at once, Elsa's smile fades away and she reluctantly denies Anna's wishes, though fails to explain why so.

Blind Love
"I've never met someone who thinks so much like me!"

- Anna and Hans

Saddened, Anna walks off, on the verge of tears, just when she bumps into Hans once again who offers a waltz. Anna agrees and the romantic dance soon leads to a date around the city. Anna and Hans spend the evening bonding and getting to know one another, finding out they have a lot in common from interests to sibling relationships. Overjoyed to have someone whom she can finally open up to and connect with, Anna falls in love with Hans, finally believing she'll no longer live the painful life of a loner. Apparently, Hans feels the same way and returns the blossoming affections. The two become so close that, by the end of their date, Hans proposes, which Anna immediately agrees to. The couple head back to the ballroom to ask for Elsa's blessing. Elsa immediately refuses to grant her blessing on such a marriage, telling Anna that she can't marry someone she just met. Anna says that you can if it's true love, to which Elsa asks what she knows about it. Anna loses her temper and replies that she knows more than her, adding that all Elsa knows is shutting people out. Feeling hurt and seeing things becoming emotionally out of hand, Elsa orders the party to end and the gates to be closed (her first orders as queen regnant), which Anna immediately causes a heartbroken uproar over, not wanting to spend her life trapped, alone and within the castle again after all those years.

Elsa's Powers Revealed
The confrontation between the sisters becomes larger and larger until, out of blind anger, Elsa accidentally shoots massive ice spikes from her hand, nearly striking the guests, including Anna, and thus, revealing her powers to the kingdom. Horrified by what she's done and the reaction it received, Elsa flees the ballroom. Despite her confusion, Anna follows behind in an attempt to stop her; Hans and the Duke of Weselton doing the same. However, Elsa manages to escape the castle grounds and retreats into the fjords, accidentally placing a curse upon the kingdom as she does; trapping it in an eternal winter. As snow flurries fill the sky, the Duke of Weselton goes into panic, exclaiming Elsa must be stopped, and orders his men to go after her, only to be halted by Anna, who volunteers to go after Elsa, herself, claiming her sister is no monster and the chaos was entirely accidental. Hans tries to stop her from heading into the storm, believing it's too dangerous, but Anna reassures him of Elsa's harmlessness and leaves the prince in charge of the kingdom in her absence, which he honorably accepts.

With that, Anna makes her leave on her horse, aimlessly traveling through the winter woods through the course of an entire day, losing her horse and ruining her clothes in the process. Soon enough, though, as luck would have it, Anna stumbles upon a humble establishment owned by the equally humble Oaken, who fortunately happens to have one winter outfit in stock.

Kristoff
Just as she's about to purchase her new outfit, a rugged mountain man named Kristoff arrived, coming from the North Mountain. According to Kristoff, some magical phenomenon occurred up on the mountains, giving the hint to Elsa's location. With this information, Anna knew Kristoff could help guide her to her destination, but after insulting Oaken, the mountain man is kicked out of the shop, unable to purchase the goods and carrots he was hoping for. Anna, however, decides to pay for Kristoff's items, hoping he'd agree to take her to the mountains once the generous deed was realized. After receiving his mountain equipment and carrots for his reindeer, and best friend, Sven, Kristoff eventually agrees, and the trio heads out into the night in search for the Snow Queen.

Along the way, Kristoff inquires Elsa's reasoning for covering the land in eternal winter, and Anna explains the situation with Hans. This causes Kristoff to call the princess out, finding it ridiculous that she became engaged to someone she met that day, doubting Hans is her actual true love. Before their conversation continues, however, the trio are attacked by savage wolves. Fortunately, they're able to escape the pack, but the only bit of cargo to make it out of the chaos was Sven's carrots, as Kristoff's sled, and most of everything in it, was destroyed. Feeling guilty, Anna offers him a new sled, as well as all of the other items that were destroyed, and begins heading off alone, understanding that the mountain man likely doesn't want any part of the adventure from that point. Sven's able to convince Kristoff to continue forward, knowing that if Anna dies in the conditions, he won't get his promised new sled. The ice harvester reluctantly agrees, heading off by Anna's side yet again.

Meet Olaf
The next morning, Anna, Kristoff and Sven come to a point where they're able to view Arendelle from a distance, and see that the curse has truly taken affect, completely freezing the once beautiful kingdom. Kristoff has his doubts on Elsa reversing the curse, but Anna remains positive, having all the faith in her sister one could possibly hold. And with that, they continue on, coming across a forest beautifully covered in snow and ice, surprising Anna with its gorgeousness. There, they suddenly come across an enchanted snowman, which immediately sends Anna into panic, though she simmers down once realizing he's harmless. On top of that, the snowman is actually Olaf, a snowman built by Anna and Elsa as children. He explains that Elsa brought him to life, and since they're searching for her, he knows her whereabouts. The little snowman also mentioned his fascination for summer, and because of his dream to experience it, he doesn't hesitate to lead the team to Elsa's ice palace.

Frozen Heart
Olaf leads the rest of the way to Elsa's palace, and they arrive before long. Like Kristoff, Anna is stunned by the marvel that is the ice palace, and that awe reaction remains when Elsa, in a newly made ice gown, arrives upon hearing Anna's entry. Elsa is initially shown to be quite happy to see her sister again, but her fears of harming her again soon overcomes her, and she orders her to leave for her own safety. Anna assures Elsa that there's no reason to be afraid, but Elsa refuses to listen, wanting her sister to return home to Arendelle, where she'll live her life freely just as she's always wanted. Anna refuses again, telling Elsa about the accidental curse and that she needs to fix it. Shocked and disappointed in herself, Elsa panics, losing control over her powers again, and although Anna tries to calm her down, it's no use, and the powerful Snow Queen accidentally strikes Anna yet again, though this time, in the heart. With neither of the sisters noticing the danger, Anna continues with her persistence, despite Kristoff advising they should leave, fearing for their safety. Elsa orders her sister to leave once more, but upon hearing another refusal, she creates a bodyguard to get her going. The snow monster, named Marshmallow by Olaf, chases the friends out and away from the palace, warning them not to come back. After reaching safety, Kristoff notices Anna's hair turning completely white, and realizes it's from when Elsa struck her in the heart.

The Cure
Thankfully, Kristoff believes he has a solution, and leads the gang to the Valley of the Living Rock, where the trolls reside. During the trip there, the two grow closer, with Kristoff showing great worry and care for the princess, unknowingly falling in love with her, whilst Anna gets to see a much softer side of the mountain man, growing equally close, though unknowingly harvesting feelings as well. Upon their arrival, Kristoff's adopted mother Bulda immediately assumes Anna is Kristoff's girlfriend, but when the two deny any romance, Bulda and the trolls try to convince them otherwise, telling them they're meant for each other. They arrange an entire wedding, but before it's complete, Anna nearly faints and loses balance as the curse increases in power, but Kristoff catches her and informs the trolls she's freezing cold. Pabbie returns after sensing strange magic in the land, and sadly tells the friends that Anna is in grave danger upon discovering just what that magic is. Unless she's part of an act of true love, she'll freeze to death, and although he's powerful, the old troll is unable to restore her health. Bulda believes the act of true love would be "a true love's kiss," having the friends head back to Arendelle for Anna to receive a kiss from Hans.

Return to Arendelle/The Tyranny of Hans
"I was wrong about him. It wasn't true love."

- Anna to Olaf about Hans

Meanwhile, back at Elsa's palace, Hans and a group of soldiers arrive, believing Anna is somewhere within the icy walls in Elsa's clutches. They manage to successfully storm in and capture the Snow Queen, but obviously fail to find the princess. Even so, the team takes Elsa back to Arendelle and imprisons her by orders of Hans, just before Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf arrive in the kingdom, greeted by the servants who've been desperately searching for the princess. Though he's greatly saddened to leave her side, Kristoff leaves the kingdom with Sven after Anna's taken into care. She reunites with Hans in the castle library, and quickly informs him of all that happened, telling him she needs an act of true love to thaw her frozen heart, which would be true love's kiss. Just when it looks like Anna is gonna be saved, however, Hans refuses to kiss the princess, and reveals that he has been using her all this time to become king of Arendelle. It turns out that Hans has planned on wooing and marrying Anna, becoming next in line for the throne, and once that is complete, he will murder Elsa to be immediately crowned king with Anna as his consort. And now that Anna is already dying due to Elsa's actions, and the latter being deemed a heartless monster by the citizens of Arendelle, none of that is necessary, and the kingdom is practically his for the taking. Anna tries to stop him, but is far too weak, and Hans informs the princess all that is left is to kill Elsa and bring back summer, posing as the hero that saved Arendelle from destruction. With these words, Hans locks the princess inside the library to die, leaving her confused, embarrassed and helpless as her freezing heart begins overtaking her body, with her dying process quickening by the minute.

Meanwhile, in the dining hall, Hans inform the dignitaries of Anna's supposed death, and blames Elsa for the murderous crime. Shocked by Elsa's alleged actions, the Duke of Weselton declares that the kingdom is truly in great danger at that point, feeling Elsa stooping to the level of killing her own sister clarifies the intense danger she poses. Hans also claims he and Anna married just before she died in his arms, thus making him king of Arendelle, and as his first order as ruler, he charges Queen Elsa with high treason and sentences her to death.

Anna's Awakening/Finding Kristoff
In the dungeon, Elsa manages to escape her prison, but her fearful emotions causes an icy curse to overtake the castle, dropping the temperatures even lower, thus causing Anna to die much faster. Just then, Olaf arrives and immediately begins aiding to Anna the moment he spots her in her still ill conditions. The snowman successfully lights a fire at the fireplace, despite Anna fearing he'll melt, to which Olaf explains he doesn't care about his own life as long as Anna is safe. Olaf then asks what happened with Hans, having her reveal his treachery. Nevertheless, Olaf decides to merely come up with another act to save the princess, but feeling defeated, Anna claims she doesn't know what love is any longer. Olaf rectifies her problem by teaching her that love—real love—is putting someone else's need before yours, using Kristoff as her example, as he has ignored his true feelings for Anna's happiness, believing Hans was her true love as well. Anna then learns that Kristoff is the one she needs to share true love's kiss with, and she and Olaf rush out to find him just as the icy curse in the castle reaches full power, eventually forming into a deadly blizzard. From the outskirts of Arendelle, Kristoff and Sven are able to witness this blizzard occurring, and rush back to rescue Anna, fearing she's in danger. Back at the castle, Anna and Olaf manage to escape and head into the fjords to find Kristoff, though Olaf is blown away by the powerful winds, leaving Anna to fend for herself.

Kristoff and Sven rush through the raging blizzard, as well, and are soon also separated, but Kristoff keeps going, eventually hearing Anna's cries for help, and following it to save her. Not too far from them, Elsa is in the mix of trying to escape Arendelle to return to her ice palace. However, Hans soon arrives and confronts her, needing her dead to put an end to the winter, though maintaining his benevolent appearance to successfully manipulate the queen.

An Act of True Love
Hans tells the Snow Queen that escaping all of the damage she had caused is futile. Elsa implores Hans to take care of her beloved little sister in her absence. At the mention of Anna, Hans reveals that Anna returned from the mountains weak and cold, saying that the queen froze her heart, and despite his efforts to save her, it was too late. He accuses Elsa of killing her own sister. The news causes Elsa to break down in shock and heartbreak, and the monstrous storm comes to a halt. This finally clears the way for Anna and Kristoff, and they rush toward each other. But at that moment, Anna hears a sword being drawn a short distance away. In horror, she realizes Hans is preparing to kill Elsa. Anna must choose to save herself or her sister, which is only seconds away. After one last look at Kristoff, she rushes towards Elsa and Hans, destroying her own chance of surviving in order to save her elder sister. Just before Hans delivers the death blow on the Queen, Anna jumps in between them, with a hand outstretched to stop him. She freezes solid completely, with the ice of her fingers shattering his sword.

The impact knocks the prince onto the ground, unconscious. Just as Anna's dying breath is lost, Elsa notices what has happened. She breaks down in sorrow and wraps her arms around her younger sister's frozen body. Kristoff, Olaf and Sven arrive shortly at the scene and mourn the loss of the princess with Elsa, along with the dignitaries and guards, who witness the powerful scene from the castle balcony. But soon thereafter, Anna thaws from her frozen state, beginning around her heart, as Anna's willingly ultimate sacrifice for Elsa has constituted an act of true sisterly love.

The Great Thaw
"We are never closing them again."

- Elsa to Anna about the castle's gates

Elsa is relieved and overly joyous that Anna is alive and well, surprised that Anna has sacrificed herself for her. With Olaf explaining that an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart, Elsa realizes that love is the key to controlling her powers and finally lifts the icy curse from Arendelle. As Hans struggles to his feet, Kristoff tries to attack Hans, but Anna confronts him instead for his betrayal by berating him for his frozen heart and punching him in the face, so hard that Hans falls off the ship they were standing on, into the water below. Anna and Elsa share another hug again, rekindling their sisterly bond. As the sisters hug, Anna looks lovingly towards Kristoff, showing that she reciprocated his love.

Once again, Arendelle is restored to peace. Elsa is once again accepted as queen, with everyone finally understanding that she is no monster, but a creator of beautiful magic. After Hans and the Duke of Weselton are deported (Hans sent back to his kingdom to face his brothers for his crimes, and the Duke of Weselton having his trade with Arendelle cut off), Olaf and Sven enjoy summer together, and Anna buys Kristoff his promised new sled. Upon informing him that Elsa had named him "Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer", he attempts to decline both the sled and the title, too modest to accept, but Anna points out that this is a direct order from the queen. When she asks what his thoughts on the sled are, Kristoff picks up Anna and twirls her around in his arms, exclaiming he loves it, and that he could kiss her. He immediately puts her down, and stammers awkwardly that he'd like to, among several sentences of nonsense, leaving him embarrassingly flustered before Anna kisses his cheek, saying to Kristoff "We may." Kristoff smiles and kisses her on the lips, officially beginning their romance at last.

Later on, to celebrate the joyous day, Elsa turns the castle courtyard into an ice rink with the entire kingdom joining in on the festivities. The queen vows never to close the gates again, much to Anna's joy. She presents Anna with new ice skates, and our heroines then begin skating with all of their friends, finally sharing the fun they used to have at long last.

It's a Small World: The Animated Series
Along with Elsa, Anna makes a small cameo in the animated mini-series in the episode "Little Birds, Frost and Pine", happily building Olaf with her sister in the woods.

Frozen Fever
Anna has been confirmed to appear in the upcoming animated short. In this story, Elsa and Kristoff work together to throw a celebration in honor of the princess' birthday.

Once Upon a Time
Anna appears in the fourth season of Once Upon a Time alongside Elsa and Kristoff. She will be in 9 episodes and is portrayed by Elizabeth Lail.

Two years after the events of the movie, Anna is engaged to Kristoff. In honor of the momentous occasion, Elsa grants Anna both a beautiful new necklace and a gown originally owned by their deceased mother. As Anna tries on the dress, Elsa discovers their mother's diary. Within the text, it is revealed King Agdar and Queen Idun left Arendelle because of Elsa. While Elsa believes it's because they feared her and saw her as a monster, Anna believes otherwise. To prove the true reason, Anna takes Elsa to Grand Pabbie. Pabbie is unable to uncover the exact reason the king and queen left, but reveals where they were heading; a land known as Mist Haven. While Elsa still worries, Anna reassures positivity and suggest they travel to Mist Haven to find out the truth for themselves. Reluctant about the idea, Elsa denies, claiming she doesn't want to abandon her kingdom and fears Hans and his brothers will strike should they leave Arendelle. Unable to convince her sister to tag along and grant permission, Anna secretly boards a ship and travels to Mist Haven, herself, in hopes of finding the truth to their parents' mysterious journey.

After arriving in the Enchanted Forest (Mist Haven), Anna seeks out a young shepherd by the name of David, an old friend of Kristoff's, as a means for nightly shelter. After agreeing, however, David is confronted by his sorceress of a landlord, Bo Peep, who's requesting her monthly payment. With money scarce, David and his mother, Ruth, have no choice but to deny, resulting in a proposition. Bo Peep gives the family one day to hand over the payment, or they must pay with their farm, as well as their lives. However, a spirited Anna decides to take David under her wings to teach him in the art of self-defense via sword fighting. Though the training is apparently futile, David's courage comes to pass upon learning Bo Peep branded Anna as her own, as further punishment for the lack of payment. Furious, David fights off Bo Peep and her men, stealing her magic staff and rushing to Anna's rescue. It's revealed she's alive and well, fortunately, and a proud princess congratulates her new friend on his success. Before she departs, Anna asks Ruth if she knows of other inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest with magical abilities, hoping they could assist her on her journey. Ruth sends Anna to the infamously powerful sorcerer, Rumplestiltskin, but heads a word of caution as she does. Nevertheless, Anna's journey continues, and her search for the Dark One begins.

Printed media
Anna makes numerous appearances in various books, novels, and comics. Some stories are mere adaptations of the film, whilst other such as A New Reindeer Friend, Olaf and Sven On Thin Ice, and A Sister More Like Me takes place after the events of the movie, mostly reflecting on the princess' adventures following Elsa's return to power.

Anna &amp; Elsa series
This series of stories follows the adventures of Anna and Elsa after the events of the film. Most of the tales focus on the sisters rebuilding the bond they've once shared, including Memory and Magic, where an eager young troll claims to have the power to restore the memories of Anna that Pabbie erased after the childhood incident. However, a reluctant Elsa doesn't take kindly to the idea, and prefers to focus on making new memories.

Other stories, like All Hail the Queen, centers Anna's bubbly enthusiasm and excitement over the newfound parliament of never closing the castle gates again, allowing her freedom to roam and interact with the colorful citizens of Arendelle.

Phantoms of Arendelle
To distract Elsa from a gala being planned in her honor, Anna fills her schedule with fun bonding activities. But what starts as a distraction turns into an adventure when they find a secret door leading to passageways within the castle walls—and the door locks behind them, trapping them inside! Then, as they explore the narrow passages and sealed-off rooms, looking for an exit, spooky things start to happen. Echoing laughter, mysterious patches of cold air, odd arrangements of clothes and furniture. Together, the sisters decide to unravel the mystery of the hidden area.

Disney INFINITY
Anna appears as a playable character in Disney INFINITY. She was released with her sister Elsa as part of the Frozen Toy Box pack with two painting Power Discs. In the 3DS version of Disney INFINITY, she has a power called Girl Power, which gives bonus powers to all female characters, and she is a Jump type character.

Quests featuring Anna as a playable character include the following: Her exclusive adventure, however, is "Anna's Chilling Challenge", and has her also competing in a timed event to gather collectibles. The board is a compressed, 2-D space where the collectibles are falling from the sky, resulting in Anna scrambling to catch them.
 * Frozen Hunt - Anna must find and step on four buttons hidden around Arendelle, to build a snowman.
 * Frozen Adventure - Experience an interactive adventure from various scenes of Disney's Frozen movie.
 * Anna's Quest - Arendelle has frozen solid! To free the kingdom from the spell, Anna must travel to Elsa's palace and receive the Snow Queen, return her to the throne to do so.
 * Let it Go! - It’s the anniversary of Queen Elsa's coronation, but she’s missing and Weselton thugs are causing a ruckus. It's up to Anna to stop them.
 * Olaf’s Race - Zoom around a racetrack featuring everybody’s favorite snowman, Olaf.

Frozen: Olaf's Quest
Taking place after the film, Olaf decides to go on a journey alongside Sven to find some gifts for Anna in Frozen: Olaf's Quest, specifically magenta flowers. The princess herself appears in a few shots of the opening prologue sequence of the game, as well as the ending, where Olaf has managed to complete his quest, bestowing an entire bouquet of flowers.

Frozen: Free Fall
Anna, both as a young child and an adult, appears in the puzzle game Frozen: Free Fall as one of the companion characters on certain levels alongside Elsa, Kristoff, Hans, Pabbie and, most recently, Olaf and Sven. Her special item is a torch.

Disney Parks
Anna and Elsa began meet and greets at Disneyland as well as Disneyland Paris in the winter; they have been making appearances ahead of their movie's release to theaters. As of now, the sisters are currently doing daily meet-and-greet sessions in the Magic Kingdom's Princess Fairytale Hall. And due to their popularity, FastPass services are available. The princess also appear in Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, in the same park, with Anna wearing her green coronation gown.

In California, Anna and Elsa are featured in a new winter themed area of Fantasyland. Also, both princesses are now featured in Disneyland Paris' Disney Magic on Parade, on a float also featuring Olaf.

Recently, in early 2014, Anna also began making meet-and-greet appearances aboard the Disney Dream cruise ship.

Also, on October 22, 2013, Anna and Elsa began early meet-and-greet sessions at Disney's Hollywood Studios (complete with a mountainous backdrop), though this was only temporary as their current location wasn't completed then.

Anna also makes a few appearances in the Disney California Adventure spectacular, World of Color alongside Olaf, Sven and Kristoff, and later alongside Elsa. In Disneyland Paris, Anna plays a major role in the holiday themed version of Disney Dreams! serving as the co-host with Olaf.

Anna also makes an appearance in the Frozen segment in Celebrate the Magic at the Magic Kingdom.

During the summer of 2014, Anna serves as the hostess of Frozen Summer Fun, alongside Elsa. She's heavily featured in the daily events, including the sing-along stage show, among others, and serves as a "Mistress of Ceremonies"; often kicking off the events before other characters and cast members arrive to further the entertainment.

On August 19, 2014, it was announced that Elsa & Anna's Boutique (replacing Studio Disney 365) will open mid-September in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort. The location will include products inspired by Anna, Elsa, and Olaf.

In Christmas of 2014, Elsa and Anna will begin making appearances at Hong Kong Disneyland, as well as in Tokyo Disneyland for Anna and Elsa's Frozen Fantasy.

Elsa
Since the two were young, Elsa and Anna have always been the best of friends and sisterly loved each other dearly. The two enjoyed playing together, and Anna loved it when Elsa used her snowy/frosty magic to create a winter wonderland. However, after Elsa accidentally hit Anna with her cryokinesis and almost killed her, Elsa has been too scared to go near Anna, out of fear her increasingly strong abilities could harm her again. While Elsa's desire to stay away from Anna was out of her love for her, Anna felt distanced from her and constantly tried to reconnect with Elsa without understanding or knowing about Elsa's cryokinetic abilities, as her memories of Elsa's frosty magic were erased after the troll king revived her.

During the coronation party, the two seemed to temporarily reconnect as they enjoyed themselves, and Anna suggested things could go back to how things used to be. Unfortunately, Elsa remembered how she hurt Anna, and decided things could never be the same. When Elsa's powers were revealed to the kingdom after the two got into an argument about Anna's engagement to Hans (despite having only known him for the day) and she ran away, feeling responsible for what had just transpired, Anna was the one to volunteer to get her back, saying "She's my sister. She would never hurt me." When she got to Elsa's palace, she tried to have Elsa come back home to fix the eternal winter she cast on the kingdom, but couldn't persuade her, as Elsa felt the kingdom would be safe away from her and because she felt she couldn't fix what she had done.

Nonetheless, her intense and genuine sisterly love for her older sister prevailed and proved to be the thing Anna held most dear to her, shown best when she stepped in front of Elsa to protect her from Hans' killing strike, sacrificing her own life in the process. This demonstrates just how deep Anna's love for Elsa is and that no matter what happens, their sisterly bond is the most important thing to her. This act of true love is also ultimately what saves Anna from Elsa's curse, as Olaf informs that Anna's actions were an act of true love, and this allows Elsa to finally get rid of the storm, returning to her rightful place as queen and restoring her bond with Anna.

Elsa and Anna truly care and love each other, and while Elsa was too scared of hurting Anna to get close to her, and Anna was at times somewhat pushy and insistent on helping Elsa (which could at times make things worse), and both are complete opposites, the two will always love each other and do anything for the sake of the other's happiness.

The storybook A Sister More Like Me showed a side of Anna and Elsa's sisterly relationship. Both sisters once longed to have siblings that shared more common interests with one another. As Elsa was regal, elegant and poised, Anna was spontaneous and full of life. Because of the isolation, however, they didn't realize their desires to have siblings just like them weren't what they truly desired. Once things were patched up and Arendelle's peace was restored, the book shows that Anna and Elsa were more than happy loving one another for who they are, Anna admiring Elsa's power and intelligent, and Elsa admiring Anna's tendency to always listen to her heart and ways of showing her strong and close love for those close to her.

Kristoff
Initially, Kristoff only accompanied Anna on her trip to retrieve her older sister because Anna paid him with the pickaxe, rope and bag of carrots he wanted but couldn't himself afford, as Trader Oaken increased their price. He found Anna's quick engagement to Hans ludicrous, and questioned her judgement. He was also annoyed when he lost his sled due to having to accompany Anna on her journey to find Elsa, and only continued to accompany her after Sven convinced him. However, as the two spent time together and he began to see more of her fiery and sweet character, he became smitten with her, and it seemed reciprocated, but both continued to deny and ignore this because of Anna's previous engagement to Hans.

This became apparent throughout their journey, and more apparent as Kristoff was tending to her while her health was deteriorating due to Elsa's curse, and they reached the troll cave, where the trolls teased the two about their relationship. When Kristoff managed to return Anna to the castle, he was clearly still worried about her health and heartbroken over having lost Anna to Hans. Unfortunately, he is too dense to realize his feelings until Sven helps him. Suddenly, as the storm worsens around the castle, Kristoff realizes Anna is in trouble, and tries to help, but Anna instead goes to save Elsa. He is shown mourning over Anna's death, and overjoyed when he saw that she was revived due to her act of true sisterly love for Elsa.

When Hans was waking up after being knocked unconscious by his killing blow being reflected by Anna's frozen body, Kristoff was angry enough over Hans' treachery to attempt to clobber him. However, Anna stopped him so she could confront and punch Hans instead. After Elsa stopped the storm, Anna gave Kristoff a new sled to replace the old one, and he was so happy, he said he could kiss her. It is then shown that Kristoff is the shy one in their relationship, as he becomes awkward about what he says, and it is Anna who instigates the kiss. After Hans and the Duke of Weselton are deported, Olaf and Sven enjoy summer together, and Anna buys Kristoff his promised new sled. Upon informing him that Elsa had named him "Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer" he attempts to decline both the sled and the title, too modest to accept, but Anna points out that this is a direct order from the queen. When she asks what his thoughts on the sled are, Kristoff picks up Anna and twirls her around in his arms, exclaiming he loves it, and that he could kiss her. He immediately puts her down, and stammers awkwardly that he'd like to, among several sentences of nonsense, leaving him embarrassingly flustered before Anna kisses his cheek, saying to Kristoff "We may." Kristoff smiles and kisses her, beginning their relationship at last. The two finally share a true love's first kiss, and enjoy skating with all of their good friends.

Kristoff and Anna are each other's one true love/sweetheart, and it is shown that they have a very strong romantic relationship blooming between them. It is very likely for the two to be married in the future.

Olaf
Olaf was based on a snowman Anna and Elsa created when they were young and Elsa appears to have created him as a reminder of her happy childhood memories. When Anna first meets Olaf, she is initially creeped out by the talking snowman, but then quickly realizes he is the same Olaf from her childhood, and becomes good friends with him. This is shown, as she supports Olaf's dreams of summer and insists Kristoff to not ruin it for him, and when she was angered with Marshmallow throwing him and was willing to confront Marshmallow over the matter.

Olaf returned her friendship as he tried to stall Marshmallow, so Anna and Kristoff could escape, and again demonstrated when he told Anna to run from Kristoff when he brought them to his family of "rocks" (who were actually the trolls disguised as rocks), and Olaf thought Kristoff was crazy, telling Anna "Because I love you, Anna, I insist you run." He was even willing to melt to death in order to create a fire to warm up Anna to slow the freezing curse placed on her by Elsa, while comforting her over Hans' betrayal. He was also the one to teach Anna what love was after she felt disillusioned due to Hans' treachery, and was the one to inform everyone how it was Anna's act of true love that saved her from dying.

Overall, Anna and Olaf share a very strong friendship which is made stronger by the fact that they both care for Elsa, and Olaf is a symbol of Anna and Elsa's strong sisterly bond.

Sven
Sven is Kristoff's best friend/pet reindeer, and he seems just as loyal and friendly to Anna as he is to Kristoff. Sven helped Anna to rescue Kristoff when he was about to fall off the cliff when they escaped the wolves, and she had also bought the carrots that Kristoff had intended to buy for him when at Oaken's store. When Kristoff dropped Anna off at the castle to be saved by her "true love" Hans, Sven appeared torn between with Anna and leaving with Kristoff, and even attempted to force him to go back to her.

Pabbie
Though Pabbie is far from the most recurring figure in Anna's life, he's been extremely prominent for many years, going all the way back to her childhood. Pabbie's responsible for saving the princess' life not once, but twice. Those instances were the night he healed the princess' injury due to Elsa's powers, and again during Anna's adulthood, where he revealed the remedy that would thaw her infamous frozen heart. Though their interactions were brief, Pabbie seems to pose as a grandfatherly figure to Anna, with both moments he's on-screen showing a sense of pure care and love, as if she was his own family. This could also tie-in to the fact that the wise, old troll is the adoptive grandfather of Kristoff.

Hans
Initially, when Anna first met Hans, she became instantly strongly romantically attracted with his good looks and charm. As the two became more acquainted with each other and their lonely pasts, the two soon shared a romantic duet which ended with Hans proposing to Anna, which she gladly accepted in a heartbeat despite having known him for a day. While Anna was away, she proclaimed that Hans would be in charge during her and Elsa's absence. While it seemed during Anna's absence that he truly cared for and loved her, when Anna returned to Arendelle to receive a true love's kiss from him in the hopes of healing Elsa's frosty curse inflicted on her, Hans revealed he had never loved her in the first place and how he only planned to marry her to become king of Arendelle and kill Elsa to ensure this.

He left Anna to literally freeze to death as he went to kill Elsa, and any feelings Anna had for him disappeared. She managed to interfere with his plans and save Elsa by using her frozen body as a shield to block his killing blow, and got her revenge on Hans by punching him off the ship they were on. It should be noted that due to her years of loneliness and desperation for love, Anna's "love" for Hans was nothing more than a small crush based on his outward appearance and her belief that she would not have another chance to find someone else, while her feelings for Kristoff were genuine and based on real love. Even Hans has stated how she was so desperate for love that she was willing to marry him. It is also apparent that there is no (longer any) affection between the two sides, as Anna hates Hans for the monster he truly is, and Hans never truly cared for Anna at all, but was instead using her infatuation for him to get Arendelle's throne and was willing to let her die to further his own fiendish schemes.

Marshmallow
When Anna refused to leave without her, Elsa created the giant snow monster Marshmallow, and he threw Anna, Kristoff and Olaf out of her palace, telling them to go away. He threw Olaf, which angered Anna into saying "It is not nice to throw people!" While getting ready to throw the snowball at Marshmallow, Kristoff stopped her, telling her to leave the snowman alone, but gave Kristoff the impression that she was calm. Anna then threw the snowball at the giant snow monster anyway. Angered by this, Marshmallow chased after them, though Anna was able to launch a pine tree into Marshmallow's face. While Anna and Kristoff were descending down the cliff, Marshmallow started to pull them back up, and shouted at them to not come back. Anna, out of fear, replied that they wouldn't, and then cuts the rope so that she and Kristoff could get away from the snow monster.

Marshmallow was important for being another one of Elsa's snow creations that represented an aspect of her relationship with Anna. While Olaf represented their need to be together, Marshmallow represented Elsa's desire for separation in the interests of Anna's safety. However, Marshmallow also represented the fact that regardless of Elsa's intent, she ultimately ended up hurting Anna anyway, both physically and emotionally.

The Duke of Weselton
The Duke of Weselton was polite to Anna as with her sister, and even danced with her (after Elsa told him her sister dances) and asked her if she know why the castle gates were shut, but she said she did not know. When Elsa's powers were revealed, he was briefly hostile towards her, asking if she has magic like her sister, but Anna and Hans reassure him that she is ordinary. Anna and Hans argue with the Duke that Elsa was not a monster, but the Duke refuses to believe them. When Anna says she will go to get Elsa, the Duke quickly agrees, showing that by this point, he was not too concerned with Anna's safety. When Hans was giving out necessities to Arendelle's citizens, the Duke showed that he did not trust Anna, believing that she and Elsa were conspiring to doom them all. But in the end, the Duke showed that he had began to care for Anna a little, as he showed grief when Hans lied to him and the other dignitaries that Anna had been "killed" by Elsa, where the Duke was the first to say that there was no doubt that Elsa was a monster.

Songs

 * Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
 * For the First Time in Forever
 * Love is an Open Door
 * For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)

Critical reviews
Collider.com writer Matt Goldberg referred to Anna as a character who "can go from cute to melancholy to odd to defiant and never miss a beat". Emma Koonse of Christian Post described her and Elsa as the "most lovable and charismatic characters yet", while Tony Hicks of San Jose Mercury News wrote that both Anna and Elsa were depicted as devoted from the start, and "[Anna's] confusion and Elsa's anguish as she shuts herself away from the world — and her sister — is palatable." Deepanjana Pal from First Post commented that Anna "is very much a child who needs to grow up and she does in the course of the film." The Wall Street Journal suggested that the character become more endearing for being "exactly the free spirit she seems to be". Noah Lee of The Coast News was impressed by the heroine duo Anna and Elsa, and said, "I never lost interest in the drastic measures Anna took or the tribulations Elsa faced." Travis Bean, a reviewer of Community Newspaper Group put emphasis on the lessons that kids could perceive from the film, saying, "Children can also root for Anna to race through the forest and break through Elsa's icy walls and prove that love conquers all fears." Linda Barnard, Toronto Star film critic, described the sisters as "engaging female characters", particularly praised Anna for her funny and iron-willed characteristics. Sabina Ibarra from Geek Exchange commended that the directors had crafted two very real girls "who come into their own and also come together in this amazing tale."

Kristen Bell was lauded for her performance as Anna in the film. Michelle Im, writing for the Eye of the Tiger referred to the character as "bubbly and spirited", and commented, "Not only was [Bell] able to nail those vibratos and belting notes in her songs, it was actually her singing them." The Coast News review of the film wrote that Bell "earns top marks" for instilling a spirited sensibility in the clumsy but well-meaning Anna. Cinenerd, a film critic for Blogcritics, commended the actress' singing ability, stating that she and Menzel "sing their hearts out, with two showstoppers in Let it Go and For the First Time in Forever". Colin Covert of Colorado Springs' The Gazette considered Bell's performance as a "flawless delivery". Matt Goldberg extolled the relationship between Anna and her elder sister Elsa, writing, "There's so much to love about Frozen, but at the top of the list is the emphasis on [Anna] and Elsa's relationship. Anna still has an infatuation with the charming Hans and romantic chemistry with the flustered Kristoff, but her greatest love is for her sister. [Elsa] is mostly scared and guilt-ridden. She's an incredibly sympathetic character, and it's a fresh spin on depicting estrangement between siblings. Anna has so much life and enthusiasm, and we want to see her share it with Elsa." Magdalena Lachowicz of The Heights referred to this sisterly bond as "what truly makes the film and the moral that comes with it", commenting, "the plot is set up to lead the viewer into thinking that it needs to be true love's kiss—something which Anna then goes to seek. This journey sends her on a difficult adventure in which she learns about both sacrifice and love." Debbie Lynn Elias of Culver City Observer commented, "Female driven with confidence and positivity, Elsa and Anna are like two sides of a coin, both strong, albeit one through power and confidence and the other through clumsy sticktuitiveness and love," while Stephen Holden from The New York Times appreciated that instead of a romantic attachment, it was a sisterly love and devotion that drove the story, which departed greatly from traditional Disney formula. Noah Lee described Anna and Elsa's relationship as "genuine", saying, "watching those themes of family and love versus isolation and fear touched my heart in more ways than one."

However, the character was not without criticisms. Michelle Im from the Eye of the Tiger referred to Anna's falling immediately in love with a prince as the only personal development in her character, and found it "disappointing" in comparison with Elsa's emotionally evolving personality. Anna Smith of The Guardian disliked that both Anna and Elsa were drawn with slender figures and large eyes as is typical of Disney princesses.

Accolades
Both Anna and Elsa were nominated for Best Animated Female by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, with only Anna winning the award. Frozen also won Women Film Critics Circle award in the same category.

Trivia

 * At one point, Anna was going to be named Greta, loosely after Gerda, the original heroine of The Snow Queen.
 * She may also be based on the Summer Witch, whom according to some adaptations of The Snow Queen, is the title Queen's sister.
 * Anna was born on the Summer Solstice, suggesting she was born between June 20 and June 22.
 * Anna's name means "full of grace." Ironically, Anna is more bubbly and daring than graceful.
 * Anna, being the younger sister, has two braids in her hair; while Elsa, the oldest, has one.
 * Anna is the third Disney Princess seen snoring, with Mulan being the first, and Tiana being the second.
 * Anna tends to touch her hair whenever she gets nervous. She is the second Princess to touch her hair like this, because Mulan wrings it when she is frustrated until it is too short to do so.
 * Anna currently has the most visible freckles out of any Disney Princess. She has a visibly large amount of freckles clustered on her face as well as on her shoulders when she is wearing sleeveless dresses.
 * Anna is the 12th member in the official line-up, and is the third freckled and third computer-animated Princess, after Rapunzel and Merida.
 * She was the third to have her movie released in Disney Digital 3-D.
 * Anna is also the second Disney Princess to wake up messily, with Mulan being the first.
 * Anna and Elsa are the third and fourth Disney Princesses to have their movie rated PG, after Rapunzel from Tangled, and Merida from Brave.
 * Anna is the second Disney Princess to waltz with the villain (though she enjoyed it), with the first being Pocahontas. However, she is the first and only to do so in her feature film, since Pocahontas only did so in her direct-to-video sequel.
 * Anna is the fourth Disney Princess to have blue eyes (the first three being Cinderella, Ariel and Merida). Her sister Elsa also has blue eyes.
 * Anna and Elsa are the first set of Disney Princesses to have their parents' funeral shown on-screen.
 * Anna is the third Disney Princess to have any siblings (the first is Ariel, and the second is Merida), and the first to only have one. She will also be the second Disney Princess to be the youngest sibling, with Ariel being the first. Anna will also be the first ever Disney Princess to have a fellow Disney Princess as a sister.
 * Anna is the fifth Disney Princess to be seen in childhood, with the first five being Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel and Merida. Then again, she could tie with Elsa.
 * Anna is the third Disney Princess to wear boots. The others are Pocahontas and Belle.
 * Anna is the second Disney Princess with strawberry-blonde hair and to have pigtail braids, with the first being Cinderella for both. However, Cinderella only wore her braids very briefly, while Anna wore hers for a majority of the film.
 * Anna is the fourth Princess to have a green dress. The first was Belle, the second was Mulan, and the third was Tiana.
 * Anna is shown to be an animal lover, as she talks to the geese and goslings, greets Hans' horse Sitron, and also talks to Sven.
 * Anna is the second Disney Princess, after Rapunzel, to have a hair color change. However, Rapunzel's changed back to her original brown hair color, while Anna's was due to Elsa's ice curse.
 * Anna's name is pronounced as "Ah-na", as she is Norwegian.
 * Since the Disney Princesses were designed to have all the Princesses unaware of each other's presence, Elsa and Anna are the first and second of all the Disney Princesses to know of each other (second and third if one counts Rapunzel's cameo in the beginning of Frozen). This is especially so, as they are sisters.
 * Rapunzel, Anna and Elsa are currently the only Princesses that are playable characters in Disney INFINITY.
 * Coincidentally, all three appear in the same film (the first as a cameo near the beginning as one of the attendees to the last's coronation).
 * Anna is the first Disney Princess to formerly have a villain as a love interest (Hans in this case).
 * Also, Anna is so far the only Disney Princess to share a duet with the villain instead of a prince.
 * Anna and Elsa are the third and fourth Disney Princesses to be orphans, with the first two being Snow White and Cinderella. However, Anna and Elsa lost their parents in their teens instead of childhood unlike Snow White and Cinderella. They are also the first to not have stepmothers.
 * Anna and Elsa are the second and third Disney Princesses seen ice skating, with Belle being the first.
 * Anna and Elsa are the fifth and sixth Disney Princesses to be seen as kids in their feature films, with the first four being Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel and Merida.
 * Anna is also the second Disney Princess that does not have a love song and a duet with her love interest, with the first being Mulan.
 * Anna is the second Disney Princess to almost be attacked by wolves, after Belle.
 * Anna is the second Princess to have two love interests, with the first being Pocahontas. However, Pocahontas' love interests were both good guys, while Anna's first love interest (Hans) is the main villain.
 * She is shown to be ticklish at the beginning of her film as a child, as shown when she and Elsa slide down the snow, which Anna giggles yelling "Tickle bumps!"
 * Anna is mostly seen wearing green and magenta, while Elsa wears blue. Green and magenta represent spring and summer as well as her cheerful and optimistic personality.
 * Although Anna has strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes, due to lighting effects, her irises can sometimes be seen with a light green tinge, and her hair sometimes appears red.
 * Anna sings the most out of all the characters of Frozen.
 * Anna is the first Disney Princess to actually die and come back to life. Snow White and Aurora do not count since their curses did not take their lives, but merely made them fall asleep. She is also the second heroine to do so, after Megara from Hercules.
 * Anna is the second Disney heroine to turn to crystal, after Kida.
 * Anna is the first and only Princess to be revived with sibling affection and not a love kiss.
 * She uses Kristoff's lute as a weapon when she hit the wolf accidentally. She is the fourth Disney Princess to have a unique weapon, after Mulan with her sword, Rapunzel with her frying pan, and Merida with her bow and arrow.
 * While Anna is a princess who had two love interests, it can be noted that her love for Hans was more out of desperation and a naïve infatuation, and her only true love was Kristoff all along.
 * The two parts of Anna's body that Elsa accidentally hurt with her ice powers, her head and her heart, mirror the two parts of Kai's body that were hit by the broken shards of the Devil's mirror in the original Snow Queen fairy tale: the eye, distorting the way he see things, and the heart, making him resentful to others. Ironically, Elsa takes on Kai's role in the film.
 * Anna has the most voice actors of any Disney Princess as a child in one film, having about four in total: Livvy Stubenrauch as a 5-year old speaking, Katie Lopez as a 5-year old singing, and Agatha Lee Monn as a 9-year old singing.
 * Anna is the third Disney Princess whom the villain wants to marry. The first is Belle followed by Jasmine.
 * Although Elsa is based on Kai, Anna receives ice skates from Elsa, mirroring how Kai also received ice skates from the Snow Queen.
 * It is unknown as to how Anna paid for the items she bought from Trader Oaken, since it is unlikely that she had carried money with her. However, it is possible that she sold off her green dress to pay for the items she bought, which is supported by the fact that her ballroom dress hasn't been seen since. She may have also sold her greenish-gold pendant that has Arendelle's symbol, which is actually expensive because it is a jewelry worn by a princess.
 * When in warm weather, Anna wears outfits which look similar to her winter outfit, but with green coloring.
 * Anna's winter outfit shares uncanny similarities with Elsa's coronation gown, perhaps symbolically marking how she has gained maturity:
 * Detachable magenta cape.
 * Adorned bodice with a V-shaped waistline (black on Anna, and teal on Elsa).
 * Bluish gloves/mittens (that they eventually took off).
 * Tight fitting sleeves (black on Elsa, and light blue on Anna).
 * Anna would be the second Disney Princess to be depicted harmed as a child. The first was Ariel (in a flashback of The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, 5-year old Ariel is seen sitting on her father's lap with a bandage wrapped round her hand).
 * Anna would be the first Disney Princess to sing her childhood musical number ("Do You Want to Build a Snowman?") in two different ages, the second to lead a musical number as a child, after Rapunzel, and the third to sing as a child, after Rapunzel and Merida.
 * Anna would be the second Disney Princess to get examined, with the first being Mulan. In Anna's case, she gets examined by the trolls to see if she's worthy of Kristoff; in Mulan's case, the matchmaker checks on her body to see if she is useful for marriage.
 * Kristen Bell improvised the line "Wait, what?" that Anna says at her first meeting with Hans.

Similarities to other Disney characters

 * Anna and Tinker Bell share a number of similarities.
 * Both have blue eyes.
 * Both are shown wearing green.
 * Both have sisters who have ice-based powers (Elsa and Periwinkle). Coincidentally, both sisters have pale skin, very fair hair, blue eyes and are seen primarily in light blue outfits.
 * Both have demonstrated adventurous spirits, stubborn streaks and fiery tempers. Both also don't like being told what they can and can't do.
 * Both have loyal sidekicks (Olaf for Anna, and Blaze for Tinker Bell).
 * Both had made tremendous sacrifices to save those they cared about (Anna gave her life to save her sister from being killed by Hans, while Tinker Bell first sacrificed her wings to save all of Pixie Hollow in Secret of the Wings, then later her life in Peter Pan to save Peter from Hook's bomb).
 * In each instance, both had their sacrifice miraculously reversed through a connection to someone they cared about.
 * Anna also has several strong similarities to Rapunzel from Tangled:
 * Both have dreams of being outside their home. Anna, as depicted in "For the First Time in Forever", sings about what she has never went through before and finding true love. Rapunzel wished to see the floating lanterns, and, after learning of her identity, wished to be free, which eventually happened.
 * Both Princesses are 18 years old, as Anna is 18 according to Jennifer Lee,  and the fact that Anna is 3 years younger than her sister Elsa.
 * Both were locked up indoors: Anna in a castle due to the gates being closed because her parents wanted to keep her sister Elsa and her icy powers hidden. Rapunzel in a tower.
 * During the "For the First Time in Forever" sequence, when Anna dresses herself with a curtain, she hits her face just like how Rapunzel hit herself with a frying pan.
 * Both have their hair color changed (Anna's hair turns white, Rapunzel's hair turns brunette). However, Rapunzel's hair had changed to its natural color, while Anna's changed into a different color.
 * They also have very similar facial features.
 * Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna, auditioned for the role of Rapunzel.
 * Anna is similar to Mulan, as both are clumsy, outspoken and awkward, but know how to defend themselves. They are also fearless and love their family, and both repeat something to themselves about three times: Mulan's "Get off the roof," and Anna's "Cold, cold, cold."
 * Anna is similar to Giselle from Enchanted, as they both had fallen in love with the prince, and after a disaster, have to spend time with someone else, and find out at the end that their true love is actually not the prince, but the person whom they spent more time with. Both heroines also have a duet with the prince, and want to marry a day after meeting each other. However, Anna can be seen as different from Giselle since her love for Hans can be argued as not being true love, and she was desperate to not be alone in the castle anymore.
 * Anna is similar to Fix-It Felix, Jr., since they both traveled with someone to find a sibling figure and prevent a catastrophe in their land (Felix traveled with Calhoun to find Ralph and stop the Cy-Bug invasion in Litwak's arcade, while Anna traveled with Kristoff to find Elsa and stop the eternal winter in Arendelle). Also, they both fall in love with the person they traveled with.
 * Anna is similar to Wreck-It Ralph, since both of them sacrificed themselves to save the film's deuteragonist, and both almost died while doing so (Ralph saved Vanellope from being unplugged in Sugar Rush, while Anna saved Elsa from being killed by Hans). Both of their sacrifices also put an end to a certain catastrophe in their land (the Cy-Bug invasion in Litwak's arcade for Ralph, and the eternal winter in Arendelle for Anna).
 * Both of their films feature villainous characters voiced by Alan Tudyk.
 * Anna has a few similarities to Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
 * Both of their films are based on fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen.
 * Both are fun-loving, cheerful and brave.
 * Both want to marry a prince they just met. Coincidentally, both also fell in love largely due to perceived isolation regarding their relatives (in Ariel's case, that her father was unwilling to even consider that humanity wasn't that bad, and in Anna's case, due to Elsa shutting her out of her life). However, Anna does not end up with Hans, unlike Ariel, perhaps since Ariel had to go through trials sent by Ursula to prove her love for Eric, while Anna did not.
 * Both become victims of magic gone wrong, though Anna's ice thawed, and Ariel's fin was turned back into legs by Triton.
 * Anna's dress is very similar to the one Ariel wears when she goes on a date with Prince Eric.
 * On a minor note, both their names begin with the letter A.
 * Both of them also have older sisters.
 * Both of them also have a silly yet loyal sidekick (Olaf for Anna, and Scuttle for Ariel).
 * Anna has some similarities to Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
 * Both are beautiful, loving, kind and strong-willed.
 * Both have a handsome enemy who wants to marry them for selfish reasons and don't really love the girl at all. As a possible reference, because Anna is actually attracted to this enemy, she almost quotes the Bimbettes who are actually interested in Belle's enemy. While they say, "she's crazy" followed by "he's gorgeous", Anna says "I'm awkward" followed by "you're gorgeous." Unlike Belle, however, Anna does initially fall for Hans.
 * When someone close to them is exposed (Beast and Elsa) by themselves with unintended results, they both plead that he/she is not a monster, despite the crowds' fears of him/her.
 * Both are attacked by wolves.
 * Both are befriended by talking magical creatures (the enchanted objects, Olaf)
 * Both are locked up by the villain, but are rescued by their magical friend.
 * Albeit unintentionally, both nearly got their close loved ones killed due to the main villain's machinations.
 * Belle nearly got Beast and his enchanted servants killed as a result of her exposing the Beast's existence to the villagers when trying to save her father after Gaston riled up the already congregated mob's emotions.
 * Anna, along with causing Elsa's powers to be exposed to the public, during her search for Elsa, unknowingly placed her in grave danger to Hans due to her relationship with him.
 * Coincidentally, like the Beast, Anna sacrifices herself and is restored by love, and is resurrected in a similar manner.
 * Anna seems to have many similarities to Merida from Brave.
 * Both have a fearless personality.
 * Both set out to make a mistake right (Merida turned her mother into a bear, and Anna accidentally pushed her sister, which caused her to freeze the summer).
 * Both have blue eyes.
 * Neither are weak, and they both know how to defend themselves.
 * Both had desire to not be locked up in their castle/palace, and enjoyed being outside.
 * Both had some growing up to do in their respective films.
 * They both have biological siblings.
 * Both survived from being attacked by monsters (Mor'du for Merida, and Marshmallow for Anna).
 * Both can be impulsive and aggressive at times.
 * Both used a weapon in their film (Merida used her bow and arrows multiple times, and her sword to save her mother Queen Elinor from her father King Fergus, and Anna used a lute to help fight off the wolves, and used Kristoff's knife to cut the rope they were tied to in order to escape Marshmallow).
 * Both of them wore capes.
 * Both owned a horse (Angus for Merida, and an unnamed Fjord horse for Anna).
 * Anna is similar to Tarzan since both of them trusted the main antagonist, and both are locked to prevent them from stopping his evil plans (Clayton locked Tarzan in the ship while Hans locked Anna in the castle). In addition to this, Anna and Tarzan are both also freed from their confinements by their sidekicks (Terk and Tantor freed Tarzan, and Olaf freed Anna).
 * Interestingly, Frozen and Tarzan were both directed by Chris Buck.
 * Anna is slightly similar to Kenai from Brother Bear. Both are headstrong and didn't obey their siblings' orders, both of their films take place in a snowy place, and both of their films show the importantance of relationships (brotherhood for Brother Bear, and sisterhood for Frozen). But unlike Kenai, Anna is not very stubborn.
 * Anna is also similar to Nita from Brother Bear 2. Both of them are engaged to a man they didn't know very well (Atka for Nita and Hans for Anna). They traveled with someone to fulfill something (Nita goes with Kenai to burn the amulet and break their bond, while Anna goes with Kristoff to find Elsa and bring back summer). Also, both of their former fiancés turn out to be the main antagonists of their respective films.
 * Anna also has a few similarities to Pinocchio.
 * Both are cheerful, friendly, naïve, and clumsy.
 * Both have loyal sidekicks (Jiminy for Pinocchio, Olaf for Anna).
 * Both know a powerful mystic (The Blue Fairy for Pinocchio, Pabbie for Anna).
 * Both were heard singing songs with the villain. Pinocchio sang "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee" with Honest John, while Anna sang "Love is an Open Door" with Hans.
 * Both their naivety led to trusting a villain who didn't appear evil at first, but later revealed their true natures to them and locked them up (Stromboli for Pinocchio, Hans for Anna).
 * Both had to deal with a monster whose name began with the letter M (Monstro for Pinocchio, Marshmallow for Anna).
 * Both sacrificed themselves to save a beloved family member, and died in the process.
 * Both were miraculously resurrected because of their sacrifice of love.
 * As a child, she looks similar to the Four Sisters from Tangled.
 * She also looks similar to Penny from The Rescuers as a 5-year old.
 * According to Frozen: The Essential Guide:
 * DID YOU KNOW? One of Anna's favorite desserts is crumbcake -- a thin waffle-like cookie shaped like an ice-cream cone and stuffed with sweet fillings. Yum!