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{{Quote|I will return this scoundrel to his country.<br>We shall see what his twelve big brothers think of his behavior.|The French dignitary about Hans' punishment}} |
{{Quote|I will return this scoundrel to his country.<br>We shall see what his twelve big brothers think of his behavior.|The French dignitary about Hans' punishment}} |
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[[File:Hansjailed.jpg|thumb|250px|Hans being jailed for his crimes.]] |
[[File:Hansjailed.jpg|thumb|250px|Hans being jailed for his crimes.]] |
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Revision as of 00:20, 30 June 2014
- This article is about the character from Frozen. For the author, please see Hans Christian Andersen. For the character who appears in The Little Mermaid TV series, please see Hans Christian Andersen (character).
- “As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn't stand a chance. I knew I'd have to marry into the throne somewhere.”
- ―Hans explaining his motives to Anna
Prince Hans of the Southern Isles is the main antagonist in Disney's 2013 animated feature film Frozen. He is voiced by Broadway actor Santino Fontana.
Background
Hans is a prince from the Southern Isles, a neighboring kingdom of Arendelle. Not much is known about the prince's past (such as what he looked like when he was young), but he is the youngest of thirteen royal siblings, and was neglected because of this. Knowing he would not live to rule the throne of the Southern Isles, Hans concocted a scheme to marry into monarchy. And when Arendelle is set to have a coronation, he jumps at the opportunity. However, since the to-be queen is far too collected to woo and wed, he instead goes for her younger sister, Anna, planning to murder Queen Elsa after their marriage, thus becoming king (with Anna as his consort).
Official Disney Bio
- "Hans is a handsome royal from a neighboring kingdom who comes to Arendelle for Elsa's coronation. With 12 older brothers, Hans grew up feeling practically invisible—and Anna can relate. Hans is smart, observant and chivalrous. Unlike Elsa, Hans promises he'll never shut Anna out; he just might be the connection she's been waiting for all these years."
Personality
- “You're gorgeous.”
- ―Anna's first impression on Hans
- “The only frozen heart around here is yours.”
- ―Anna's last impression on Hans
- “He's a chameleon who adapts to any environment to make the other characters comfortable.”
- ―Animator Lino DiSalvo describing Hans' character, The Art of Frozen
Cold, conniving, calculating and cruel, Hans is a devilish prince with a hunger for admiration, power, obedience and honor. Being the youngest sibling of thirteen princes, Hans spent a portion of his life being ignored and treated unfairly, something he reveals to Anna during their first night together. This abuse likely led to Hans' villainous transformation over time. Though he appears to be noble to the fullest extent, Hans is merely a master manipulator, caring nothing for anyone other than himself. Through his charm and charisma alone, he is able to fool both Anna and Elsa as well as the entire kingdom of Arendelle and its visiting royals, providing excellent proof of his dangerous power over manipulation. Like many villains, Hans is very power-hungry, willingly visiting Arendelle to rule the kingdom by any means, revealing his only desire is to become king, willing to rid anyone necessary in any way he can for his quest for power, making him amongst Disney's most wicked villains. However, his manipulation and facade can be at times too perfect, which can be his greatest flaw, as Elsa and Kristoff do not as easily fall like Anna does for his seemingly amiable personality the first time.
He appears to be rather arrogant as well, chuckling and smirking to himself whilst revealing his dark plans to Anna, as she is freezing to death right before his eyes. It is clear Hans' goal to rule as king was likely to gain the love and admiration he never had, after being left in his brothers' shadows over the many years. Confirmation of this is seen during Hans' betrayal, where he tells Anna he'll be the hero that saves Arendelle from destruction once Elsa's slain, showing excitement for the oncoming praise. He is also very abusive, though verbally more so than physically, as he constantly torments Anna and Elsa merely through his words after his dark side is revealed. Examples of this can be seen when he and Anna are in the parlor, and the prince constantly taunts the dying princess, as well as in the fjord during the confrontation with Elsa, as Hans decides to further Elsa's eternal suffering by telling her Anna has died, wanting to add that much harm to her before his attempt to kill her.
Hans' most powerful trait is quite possibly his vast intelligence and incredible ability to lie. He's proven to be quick thinking, resourceful, and extremely diligent, being able to fool the entire kingdom without fail, even the Duke of Weselton, whom Hans holds a disliking to that only seemed to increase throughout the film. However, unlike many Disney villains, Hans constantly has to change his plot accordingly with the shifting events that takes place in the film, without letting loose his villainous nature. All of this is particularly due to Elsa and her newly revealed magical nature. Such as Elsa's deadly curse upon Anna leaving Hans with the option of taking over the kingdom without marrying the princess, as well as after Elsa's self-imposed exile after her powers were revealed, where he decides to kill her openly to seem like a hero in the eyes of Arendelle's citizens, gaining their trust and admiration for saving their kingdom.
Physical Appearance
Hans in his princely, formal wear (left); Hans in his coronation wear (center); Hans in his winter cloak (right).
Hans is handsome, slender and generally good looking. Whilst he is well built, he is not as broad-shouldered or as muscular as Kristoff. Though the two are never seen close enough together to properly compare, it is fair to say Hans would probably look relatively weak next to Kristoff, though he is definitely physically formidable as he was able to single-handedly defeat the hulking Marshmallow. He is well versed in physical combat and has tremendous sword fighting skills. It is also shown that he is skilled in using crossbows.
Like almost every character in the film he has fair skin and a light dusting of freckles across his nose. He also has auburn hair, sideburns and green "dreamy" eyes. Throughout the film he wears navy blue trousers, black boots, a magenta tie, blue shirt, indigo vest, and a light gray-and-black jacket with patterns.
During the day and night of the coronation, Hans dons a lighter version of his formal wear. It is cream jacket with a yellow undershirt and red sash, with black boots, white stockings,red and golden designs and patterns, and a matching cream ascot. This lighter coloured suit reflects Anna's warmer coloured clothing in turn.
While he is in control of the kingdom, to protect himself from the harsh winter, Hans is given a cloak resembling the castle guards' uniforms. It's a dull, gray cloak with wavy patterns and a purple interior. In Elsa's palace, however, it appeared to have more of a green shade. It also has a more villainous vibe.
Role in the film
Meeting with Royalty
Hans and Anna's first meeting at the docks.
Once the Southern Isles is given word of Queen Elsa's coronation, Hans is the royal representative that attends in honor of his kingdom. Along with the other invited royalty, Hans arrives the day of the event, though he fully intended to wed Elsa to marry into the throne, lustful only for power and obedience, knowing he wouldn't live to rule his own kingdom. However, it was soon clear that Elsa was far too reserved for anyone to become close to for reasons he didn't know at the time (out of the desire to keep them safe from her then-unstable magic), thus leading to the next victim of the prince's scheme. Hans is first seen arriving in Arendelle on his horse, Sitron, accidentally running into Princess Anna. Using grace and charm, Hans immediately woos the lovesick princess, with Anna almost immediately falling for him due to his wondrous looks and undeniable charisma. Their little flirtation is cut to a close, however, when the bells for the queen's coronation are rung. As Anna runs off, Hans realizes he's found the perfect tool for his plot to domination. Moments later, Hans attends Queen Elsa's crowning, waving to Anna as he watches alongside the other visiting royals and dignitaries. Later on that night, a ball is held in honor of the new queen, and Hans appears at the celebration party, soon finding and inviting Anna for a romantic waltz after "coincidentally" bumping into her once again.
Wooing Princess Anna/Elsa's curse
Hans and Anna "bonding".
The romantic dance eventually leads to an entire date, with the entire night of the young couple being spent bonding. During their time together, Hans learns of Anna's longing of having someone special in her life, with her sister apparently developing a dislike of being around her by suddenly shutting Anna out one day when they were kids, to which Hans openly relates to, only furthering Anna's connection with him. And with this, Hans promises to never shut Anna out, unlike Elsa, much to the princess' absolute joy. By the end of their tour throughout the kingdom, Hans works up the courage to propose, with Anna agreeing in a heartbeat. The two head back to the royal throne room, where the party is being held, to ask for Queen Elsa's blessing, to which Elsa coldly refuses, denying Anna marrying someone she just met, ending the party and ordering Hans to leave out of frustration. Heartbroken, Anna confronts her sister, but this causes the queen's powers over ice and snow (the reason she goes so far out of her way to isolate herself from the outside world) to be revealed, much to Hans' shock, along with everyone else's. The Duke of Weselton, one of the neighboring royals, immediately declares Elsa a monster, and orders his men to capture her. Elsa flees, accidentally causing an eternal winter over Arendelle while doing so, having Anna and Hans chase after her until she is out of reach. Hans asks Anna if she had known of Elsa's mysterious abilities, to which the princess denies. In order to save the land, Anna volunteers to go after Elsa, but Hans wasn't too fond of the idea, knowing if something terrible should befall Anna, his quest for domination would be abolished, as they still weren't married just yet. However, Anna insists that Hans stays behind to rule during her absence, to which the prince eventually agrees to.
Hans in Command
Hans rallying his army to journey off to Elsa's palace.
It wasn't long before Arendelle became an icy wasteland, with citizens becoming weak due to the frigid temperatures, causing mild chaos throughout the land that would surely worsen. However, through it all, Hans proved to be a worthy ruler, not taking his new-found chance at the throne mildly, and uses the power to instead win the hearts of Arendelle's citizens, gaining their trust and loyalty through his seemingly benevolent and caring ways. As Hans and the royal guards hand out cloaks and cater to the freezing citizens of Arendelle, the Duke of Weselton arrives, furious that the young prince is giving away Arendelle's tradeable goods, which is what he's most interested in, as opposed to the safety of others. Scolding Hans, the Duke then openly expresses his suspicion over Anna and Elsa, believing their conspiring together to doom them all. Hans immediately snaps and threatens to punish the Duke for treason if he doesn't silence himself, ordering the diminutive duke to refrain from questioning the princess. Just then, Anna's horse returns without the royal rider, making Hans believes Anna is in danger. With the royal guards and the Duke's men, Hans leads a rescue mission for Anna and a hunt for Elsa. Unbeknownst to the kingdom, this gives Hans the perfect chance to kill Elsa for a seemingly heroic reason, bringing him one step closer to ruling the kingdom permanently. Not only that, his "heroic deed" would be the finishing touch to winning the citizens over, knowing he'd be praised as a hero once Elsa is slain.
Attack on Elsa's Palace
Hans battles the fearsome Marshmallow.
The army arrives at Elsa's ice palace before long, and are immediately attacked by Elsa's giant snowman bodyguard, Marshmallow. Hans and his army battle the beast, though he proves to be nearly invincible. Fortunately for the prince, he is able to get a clear shot and slices Marshmallow's leg clean off, having the creature stumble into a chasm to his apparent death. With him out of the way, Hans and the others rush inside to find Anna, but she is nowhere in sight. Instead, they find Elsa merely seconds away from killing the Duke's two guards. Hans is able to stop her, freeing the two thugs. However, one of the thugs attempts to strike her with their crossbow, but Hans interferes and purposely causes the arrow to shoot upward to Elsa's massive chandelier, hoping the impact would kill her while making it seem like an accident. The chandelier comes crashing down, but it only manages to knock Elsa unconscious. Captured, Elsa is imprisoned in Arendelle's dungeon. With the winter curse getting out of hand, Hans knows he must find a way to save his kingdom, and decides to pay Elsa a visit, asking her to put an end to the winter. However, Elsa confesses she does not know how and asks to be released. Hans claims he will do what he can and returns to the Duke of Weselton and the other dignitaries in the library, who were frantically looking for a solution to freedom from the icy curse, though to no avail just yet.
A Shattered Romance
- “Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you.”
- ―Hans revealing his true nature
Hans reveals his true nature.
He decides he must go back out to find Anna, still needing her marriage in order to steal the throne, but one of the dignitaries explains that he needs to stay put, as he is all Arendelle has left. With this in mind, Hans learns it will be unnecessary to return into the blizzard, as the kingdom is practically his, as long as Anna never returns. Just then, Anna suddenly returns and desperately begs Hans for a kiss. The two are given privacy, and Anna explains that during her journey, Elsa froze her heart, and only an act of true love can save her from freezing to death. Hans smirks and rejects Anna, immediately pulling away from their failed kiss and closing the shades of the room, as well as putting out the fire in attempt to quicken her death. Confused, Anna tries to understand what's going on, but Hans simply explains his entire plot to marry her, kill Elsa, and become king of Arendelle through marriage, verbally abusing the princess by taunting her, calling her foolish and desperate for being such an easy pawn in his plans. Anna tries to stop him, but she is far too weak, and can merely plead for mercy as her death quickens. After informing her of his next move, which is to kill Elsa and bring back summer, posing as the hero who saves Arendelle from an icy destruction, the evil prince leaves Anna to die, locking the door and trapping her within to prevent others from finding her.
Death to Queen Elsa
- “All that's left now is to kill Elsa and bring back summer.”
- ―Hans
Hans readying Elsa's killing strike.
Hans then returns to the Duke and the other dignitaries, appearing to be terribly distraught. He tells them Anna was killed by Elsa, and that their marriage vows were said just before she died in his arms, thus making him king of Arendelle. Unfortunately, the lie is fully believed, and as his first order as ruler of Arendelle, Hans charges Queen Elsa with treason and sentences her to death. He and the royal guards then make way to the dungeon to carry out her execution, but by the time they arrive, they find the Snow Queen has managed to escape into the fjords through the use of her magic, much to Hans' frustration and just as a deadly blizzard begins consuming the kingdom, due to Elsa's frightened and stressed emotions. Furious, Hans decides to take matters into his own hands, and goes into the frozen fjords to confront the Snow Queen himself, with a sword at hand. Once he stumbles upon her in the blizzard, he tells Elsa escaping all the damage she's caused is futile, but the Snow Queen merely pleads for mercy, asking the prince to take care of her sister in her absence, to which Hans responds by informing Elsa of Anna's death as a result of the former's frozen heart curse, despite his "efforts" to save her, purposely blaming the Snow Queen for the tragedy. Devastated, Elsa breaks down onto her knees, her sorrow putting the blizzard to a halt, and giving Hans the perfect opportunity to make his killing strike.
Defeat and Detainment
- “The only frozen heart around here is yours.”
- ―Anna before punching him in the face
Ooh, Hans, you're in trouble.
- “I will return this scoundrel to his country.
We shall see what his twelve big brothers think of his behavior.” - ―The French dignitary about Hans' punishment
Hans being jailed for his crimes.
Before he is able to murder her, however, Anna arrives and blocks her sister from the sword, completely freezing to death just before Hans' weapon strikes her and shatters. The forceful blast caused by Anna's freezing spell brutally knocks the evil prince off his feet, causing him to fall upon the ice and become unconscious. When he awakens several moments later, he finds Arendelle thawed and peace restored. As Hans struggles to his feet, Kristoff tries to attack Hans, but Anna confronts him instead. Anna then approaches the traitor and the sight of Anna alive and well confuses Hans, prompting him to ask how she had survived the frozen heart curse. Eventually, Anna berates Hans by telling him he's the only one there with the frozen heart and turns her back at him, much to Hans' disbelief, and out of fury, the princess turns around and punches him in the face off the ship they were aboard a few seconds later. Humiliated and defeated, Hans is then imprisoned on a ship heading back to the Southern Isles and banished from Arendelle forever. According to the French dignitary, Hans is set to receive some unspecified punishment decided by his older brothers.
Disney Parks
Hans has yet to appear in person at any Disney parks, but if asked about him, Anna and Elsa mention that he is still in the Southern Isles, receiving his punishment (or more safely, an "informal chat") from his 12 brothers about his actions. When asked half–jokingly if she or her sister would ever be willing to give him another chance, Elsa has replied, in the same less–than–serious manner, with "maybe".[2]
Relationships with other characters
Anna
Hans meeting Anna for the first time.
Initially, when Anna first met Hans, she became instantly infatuated 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 despite having only 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 and loved her, when Anna returned to Arendelle to receive a true love's kiss from him in the hopes of healing Elsa's curse inflicted on her, Hans revealed he never loved her and how he only planned to marry her to become king of Arendelle and kill Elsa to ensure this. He left Anna to die 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.
Han's hidden look of bewilderment to Anna's "sandwiches" line.
It should be noted that due to her years of loneliness and desperation for love that 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 off of 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. Truly, the broken relationship with Anna was cited as an error in Hans' part, effectively creating a force that would prevent his usurpation into king from seeing the light of day and would plunge him into humiliation and defeat.
Elsa the Snow Queen
Hans confronting an angered Elsa at her palace.
Originally, it was Hans' plan to marry the soon to be queen regnant of Arendelle so he could rule the kingdom with her by his side (or more likely Elsa as Queen, but with him as the Prince Consort it would give him considerable political power), but gave up on the idea when he got word of her dislike of being close to people, unknown to them that she was doing this to keep them safe from her then-unstable winter magic at the time. He did not learn of her abilities until she and Anna got into a argument about being married to Hans after only knowing him for a day, which cause her powers to be revealed, to everyone's shock. From then on, he had to constantly change his plan to become king of Arendelle, from making the Queen seem like a monster in the eyes of the public then killing her to end her unintentional winter curse and become a hero of the people to taking advantage of the winter curse to claim the throne without marrying Anna. This also required getting into Queen Elsa's good graces by stopping her from killing the Duke of Weselton's bodyguards after they provoked her into a angered state and appearing to show mercy towards her, when it was ultimately to get her to let her guard down for a chance to land the killing blow. However, Elsa was saved from his treachery by Anna and the plot for usurpation was foiled.
His 12 older brothers
According to Hans, three of his older siblings pretended he didn't exist for two years. Though Anna felt such treatment was horrible, Hans merely replied by saying "That's what brothers do," so it's unclear if he holds a grudge or any hatred towards any of them. In the end of the film, Hans was sent back to his country to receive punishment from his brothers for his actions in Arendelle.
The Duke of Weselton
The Duke of Weselton scolding Hans.
Throughout the film, Hans and the Duke of Weselton were often at odds. They first interact after Elsa's icy curse has been put upon Arendelle, causing the Duke to panic and declare Elsa a monster, to which Hans disagrees with in an annoyed tone. Later on, after Hans takes control of Arendelle on behalf of Anna, the Duke is openly disapproving of the prince's actions, causing Hans to snap and threaten to charge the diminutive dignitary with treason, showing an annoyance of the pompous Duke. Hans, however, uses the Duke's irrational behavior and hatred towards Elsa's magic in his plot to steal the throne, telling him Princess Anna was killed by the Snow Queen, which immediately has the Duke declaring Elsa a threat to the kingdom, thus allowing Hans to further his plans to execute Elsa now that he had the support necessary.
Quotes
- " I'm so sorry, are you hurt?"
- " Prince Hans of The Southern Isles."
- " Just you?"
- " Glad I caught you."
- " I would never shut you out."
- " I love crazy!"
- " Love is an open door!"
- " That's right, she is."
- " Princess Anna has given her orders"
- "Do not question the princess. She left me in charge. I will not hesitate to protect Arendelle from treason!"
- " We're here to find Princess Anna. Be on guard, but no harm is to come to the queen."
- " Don't be the monster they fear you are!"
- "I couldn't just let them kill you."
- " I'll do what I can."
- "You said she'd never hurt you."
- "A true love's kiss."
- "Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you."
- "Oh... I already have."
- "Princess Anna is dead."
- "With a heavy heart, I charge Queen Elsa of Arendelle with treason, and sentence her to death."
- "Elsa! You can't run from this!"
- "You're sister's dead! Because of you!"
- "Anna? But she froze your heart."
Gallery
Trivia
- When put together, Hans, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven sounds like Hans Christian Andersen.[3]
- Given his last name, it's quite possible that Prince Hans may have been based on Jérôme Bonaparte – the 19th century German king of Westphalia, and youngest brother of Napoleon. The two have plenty in common.
- Elements of Hans' character are based on the Evil Mirror from the original Snow Queen. In the original fairy tale, it is said that those who looked into this mirror, the darkest aspects of their personality would come to the surface. And that if a glass shard of this mirror got into one's body, their heart would freeze as a result of their cold nature. The mirror in the story was pivotal for it had caused one of the protagonists, Kai, to become cold towards his friend Gerda (the inspiration for Anna).
- The possibility of this is supported by the observation that Hans, when interacting with other people, adapts aspects of that persons personality into his own. He's effectively mirroring them, making him seem more approachable to different types of people, making it easy to manipulate them.
- When interacting with Anna he's playful, kind, and maintains a positive attitude.
- When interacting with Elsa he's noble, generous, patient, and soft spoken.
- When interacting with the Duke of Weselton he's demanding, rude, and harsh.
- Another possibility of this is supported by the fact that in the end of the film, Anna tells Hans that his heart is the only frozen heart, due to how cold and manipulative he is, directly referencing the effects of the Evil Mirror had on the people who looked into it.
- In an interview with Jennifer Lee, Lee confirms that Hans was partially based upon the concept of the evil mirror in the original story, as the original story had a lot to do with mirrors. So, as she explains, what Hans is is a mirror which appears charming to the person, but is hollow and sociopathic.[4]
- The possibility of this is supported by the observation that Hans, when interacting with other people, adapts aspects of that persons personality into his own. He's effectively mirroring them, making him seem more approachable to different types of people, making it easy to manipulate them.
- Hans' last name is "Westerguard", according to a tweet from Jennifer Lee. In a deleted scene (featuring "Bad Elsa"), a character named "Admiral Westerguard" was mentioned, possibly being the earlier drafting of Hans.
- Since this is a deleted scene, its canonicity is questionable. However, the description of the admiral in the scene closely matches that of Hans', (Elsa mentions that he "loves her [Anna] so.") and the changing of the character's last name never occurred when the character was ultimately rewritten into Hans.
- Given Elsa's portrayal as a villain throughout most of the film's production stages prior to the final product, it is likely that Hans was either created or given his current role very late in production. In fact, Hans may actually provide the viewers a brief glimpse of the type of person Elsa would've become had her heart had stayed frozen and never thawed out by an act of true love.
- The name Hans is popularly used in such countries as Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The last of the three mentioned might be his homeland.
- Hans' voice actor, Santino Fontana, originally auditioned for the role of Kristoff, but was eventually given Hans instead once the film's story changed. Both men have similar voices, however.
- Hans has his own distinct theme that plays when he woos Anna, and it's especially noticeable when he pulls in for the kiss. After the betrayal, his theme can still be heard, albeit with a darker feel to it.
- His favorite foods are sandwiches, as mentioned in "Love is an Open Door" and during a throwaway line later.
- Hans is the seventh male Disney Villain to appear in a Disney Princess film, the first being Gaston, the second being Jafar, the third being Governor Ratcliffe, the fourth being Shan Yu, the fifth being Doctor Facilier, and the sixth being Mor'du.
- The first two listed above all want to marry the main female heroine for selfish reasons like Hans.
- All of Hans' voice recordings were completed in a matter of five days.
- According to one of the coloring books, Hans is a naval officer.
- Hans is essentially the complete opposite of many of the heroic characters in Frozen:
- Anna, for while both were shut out for many years, she actually wants to reconnect with her sister and would do anything to reconnect with her. Hans, on the other hand, only wanted to get more attention than his 12 brothers and as such would do anything to be on top, even if it means murder and forced marriage.
- Elsa, for while she shuts Anna out, she does that to protect her. Hans, on the other hand, while he would never shut Anna out, he only does that so that he would get to the throne, then he shut her in the parlor to keep Anna from escaping the cold.
- On another thought, it is interesting to note that both Hans and Elsa wear gloves the majority of the movie. Both use them to "conceal" their true selves - Elsa wears hers at the beginning to hide her powers, and Hans wears throughout the whole movie up until his big reveal at the fireplace.
- It's also interesting to note that both Hans and Elsa are associated with the unlucky number 13, but with a different twist - Elsa, being the 13th Disney Princess, remains good and caring; whereas Hans, being the 13th child in his family, turns out to be selfish and cruel.
- While Elsa was originally intended to be a villain but revealed in the actual film to be good, Hans initially appears good, but is revealed to be the villain.
- Kristoff, for while very gruff and tough on the outside, he's actually kind-hearted and selfless on the inside. Hans, on the other hand, while being kind and friendly on the outside, is actually cruel and ruthless on the inside.
- Another thing to think of is that while both are Anna's love interest, Kristoff is the only one of the 2 who really loved her, while Hans only loved power and was using her. Also, Kristoff would never hurt Anna, while Hans was willing to let Anna freeze to death.
- Hans is arrogant with his elitist view of being born into royalty and meant to rule. Originally Kristoff had a similar attitude, albeit cockiness coming from an anti-elitist worldview. Kristoff took pride in being a survivalist and having the same "rough cut" associated with peasant men.
- Olaf, for while he represents the love between Elsa and Anna, Hans represents the breaking of Elsa and Anna's bond.
- Another observation is that while Olaf is goofy and naive but is still affectionate, loving, and cares deeply for his friends, Hans, on the other hand, is classy, sophisticated and intelligent but is cold-hearted, ruthless and sadistic.
- Sven, for while he is a loyal animal Hans is a traitorous human.
- Another thing to think about is that while Sven has shown multiple times in the film that he has a strong moral character, Hans is a sociopath.
- Hans is a rather unique Disney villain in many ways. Usually, when a villain is introduced into a film, the audience gets the idea that this character is not to be trusted, although some protagonists trust them, however (i.e. Simba, because Scar is his uncle). But with Hans, not only is Anna fooled by him, but the audience as well. This makes Hans one of the sneakiest and most dangerous of all Disney villains. Villains in Disney films usually have a sinister appearance, but Hans does not fit this description at all, adding to his deception.
- Hans' duet with Anna, "Love is an Open Door," actually holds a few dark meanings on Hans' side of the song. The lines "I've been searching my whole life to find my own place" and "Love is an open door" secretly representing Hans' quest to dominate a kingdom, and doing so through false romance with Anna who is his door to power.
- There is a hint to Hans' villainy during the film, most notably during Elsa's capture. If one looks closely, it can be seen that before the guard was about to shoot Elsa, Hans glances upward to Elsa's chandelier after calming Elsa down. Afterwards, Hans runs over to the guard and re-aims the crossbow to fire at the chandelier and shoots it himself. This implies that Hans had attempted to kill Elsa by crashing the chandelier instead of merely intervening to stop the arrow.
- Hans bears a slight resemblance to Flynn Rider from Tangled. He also resembles the Stabbington Brothers from the same film.
- Hans says a similar thing as Rapunzel when he calms a horse. Rapunzel says "Easy, easy boy" to Maximus when she calms him. Hans says the same thing when Anna's horse returns without Anna.
- According to Jennifer Lee, Hans is around 23 years old.
- In a cut draft of the film, after Hans' sword was destroyed by Anna's frozen body, the prince was still going to attack Elsa, in a lasting attempt to kill her, only to be stopped by Kristoff. This would have taken away from the dramatic mourning of Anna in the scene.
- Hans' character is a major subversion of the classical Disney Prince; Hans himself notes of this during his betrayal, and uses it to his advantage.
- The moment at the end in which Kristoff attempts to confront Hans for his actions is the only time in the movie where the two male leads interact. In the novelization however, he does knock Hans out when he tries to kill Elsa again after Anna froze.
- Hans is one of the few villains who does not fight with a Disney Prince, since his climatic hero-versus-villain fight with Kristoff was cut from the final version of the film (but their fight still happens in some storybooks).
- Hans is one of the few Disney villains who does not have a sidekick.
- Hans is the third Disney villain to be a prince: Prince John from Robin Hood being the first and Mor'du from Brave being the second.
- His line "Are you sure you can trust her? I don't want you getting hurt." is ironic since he's the one who should not be trusted by Anna and he's the one who hurts Anna by fooling her and letting her freeze to death.
- Hans has more on-screen time dressed in his coronation suit than he does in his normal formal wear.
- Before Anna leaves to search for Elsa, Hans wants to go with her but Anna said he needs to take care of Arendelle. If he did come he would fulfill his evil plans by killing both sisters and make up a story so he could be the ruler of Arendelle.
- When Anna first meets Hans, she trips on a wooden bucket and crashes into him and sending the bucket flying and landing on her head. The last thing we see of Hans is him being tossed into a cage under the ship heading back to the Southern Isles so that he would be judged by his twelve brothers for his crimes, when the cage door is slammed shut a wooden bucket falls and lands on his head.
- Before the film was released, Hans was rumored to be Elsa's love interest; in the movie itself he did want to marry her and make her his consort, but he saw that she was far too collected to become his queen and so decided to go after Anna instead. He even says this himself when he is quickening Anna's curse.
- Objectively speaking, Hans is arguably one of the most sympathetic Disney villains; he was neglected by his own family for years, living in the shadow of his brothers and developing an intense psychological desire for attention and power so as to "prove" himself and validate his worth as a member of the royal family. It should also be noted that there is no indication that he would have necessarily been a bad or abusive king as far as the population at large was concerned; only his means of pursuing that goal were evil.
- Despite the above, he is also one of the most hated Disney villains in some circles, largely because he was legitimately not expected to be an antagonist, and many audiences felt "betrayed" by him much like Anna and Elsa in-story.
- Hans is strikingly similiar to King Frederik VI of Denmark; their facial structure, hair and facial hair are almost identical, and both tried to gain power by a coup d'état, but where Hans failed Frederik succeeded. It is quite possible that Hans is based on a young Frederik.
- Ironically enough, in a trailer for Frozen, he was referred to as the "Nice guy," Although, this may have been to keep his true nature hidden from viewers.
- Hans is possibly Danish, since his home the Southern Isles is probably inspired from Denmark.
- A chess set is seen in the background when Hans is explaining his scheme to Anna and extinguishing the heat sources in the room, symbolizing his exploitation of her as a "pawn" in his plans. Afterwards, a white queen piece falls when wind bursts through the window during the blizzard, symbolizing the "fall" of Elsa to fear thanks to Hans' plan.
- Hans changes his suit to a lighter version which matches Anna's after he meets her for the first time and when he successfully woos her during the evening of the coronation.
- Hans is the first villain of the Princess Franchise who has siblings mentioned in the feature film. Unlike other villains' whose siblings are mentioned in sequels, games, television series, comic strips or short stories.
- Hans is the third male villain of the Disney Princess Franchise to have their last name revealed, with Governer Ratcliffe being the first and Shan Yu being the second (though in Chinese, the individual's given name is the last name, while the family name comes first).
- Hans wears the most white out of any Disney villain.
- Hans is also the first red-headed and freckled villain in the Disney Princess Franchise.
- Hans is the second villain in the Disney Princess Franchise to wear gold, the fist being Governor John Ratcliffe.
- Hans is the third main villain in the Disney Princess Franchise to still be alive. Lady Tremaine being the first and Governor Ratcliffe being the second. He is the fourth, if you consider the sequel in which Jafar died to be non-canon.
- Universally, along with Man from Bambi, Lady Tremaine from Cinderella and Lotso from Toy Story 3, Hans is arguably one of the most hated Disney villains because of his heartless treatment towards Anna and Elsa.
- Many more are angered over what they perceive to be a "breach in Disney tradition," in which a love interest has turned out evil. Indeed, his villain song "Love is an Open Door," is tactfully disguised as a love song, further fueling this sentiment.
- Originally, as seen in a Frozen coloring book, Hans and Elsa were intended to battle. Most likely in the scene in which Hans and his army seize Elsa's ice palace or during the climax.
- According to a recent interview with Hans' voice actor, Santino Fontana, the writers actually have an idea for Hans to make a return and redeem himself if Frozen is to ever have a sequel.[5]
- Hans has the most siblings of any Disney Villain.
- He is the only one of the main six Frozen characters not be seen at the very beginning of the film.
- When Queen Elsa sees her reflection through the window, she sees it from the right panel, and can clearly see other people outside, but when Hans does the same thing, he sees it from the left panel instead, and only sees himself. It should also be noted that the word "sinister", which originally meant "the left side" in Latin, is also a synonym for "evil."
- Although Hans is a prince by birth, he is not an official Disney Prince due to the fact he was a villain.
Similarities to other Disney villains
- Hans bears many similarities with Gaston from Beauty and the Beast:
- Both are handsome but are revealed to be quite cruel and manipulative.
- Both aren't initially shown to be evil.
- Both tried to kill a person important to the Disney Princess whom they considered a monster (the Beast and Elsa).
- Both make themselves appear as a hero to others and use this to manipulate people into following them and in turn make the cursed royals appear to be monsters.
- Hans and Gaston are also the youngest Disney Villains to date. Hans is around 23, and Gaston is presumably in his early to mid-twenties.
- Both wanted to marry the heroine of their films (Belle and Anna) but primarily for selfish reasons (Gaston because he just wants a "little wife" that will obey and serve him, and Hans because he wants to conquer Arendelle).
- Anna's first impressions of Hans were also similar to those of the Bimbettes towards Gaston, but her last impression (in which she calls him cold-hearted) is very similar to that of when Belle called Gaston a monster. Ironically, Elsa's views on Hans were the opposite: She at first distrusted Hans similar to how Belle largely distrusted Gaston throughout her film, but by the end she ended up trusting Hans (due to Hans appearing merciful and understanding towards her) and being betrayed, similar to the Bimbettes' reactions if they were present at the lynch mob.
- Unlike Gaston, Hans never openly boasts his plan in public.
- Both also were changed to/from a nobleman during development (Hans, aside from initially being a protagonistic character, was originally an Admiral in the first cut but made into a prince [and a villain] in the final version, while Gaston had initially been intended to be a Marquess [French nobleman] in the original screenplay for Beauty and the Beast).
- Hans shares similarities with Scar from The Lion King:
- Both villains desire power and wish to be king via murder, manipulate those around them and those who love them.
- Both are envious of their brother(s), and selfishly wished to be praised as a wonder of a king.
- Both also manipulate one of the protagonists and/or others into thinking they were responsible for the death of a loved one (Scar leading Simba to believe that the latter was responsible for Mufasa's death, and Hans manipulates Elsa into thinking Anna was already killed by her magic).
- He also shares these similarities to Nizam in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (who in his case manipulates the entire kingdom to believe Dastan murdered King Sharaman, similar to how Hans manipulates the entire kingdom to think Elsa committed treason). Unlike Scar or Nizam, though, Hans does not kill or attempt to kill his brother(s).
- Hans also has some similarities with Mor'du from Brave:
- Both were motivated to hurt others out of pride.
- Both were princes.
- Both were envious of their brothers.
- Both had a desire for power and were determined to become king, even if it meant murdering those around them.
- Neither had a sidekick.
- Both were cruel and ruthless.
- However, Mor'du is the oldest son while Hans is the youngest child.
- Hans also shares some similarities with Lots-o'-Huggen' Bear from Pixars Toy Story 3
- Both were abusive and sadistic tords the hearos of the film.
- Both betrayed their allies to get what they wanted.
- Both were manipulative Soceopaths.
- Hans shares a similarity with Jafar from Aladdin: both want to marry a girl (Jafar wants to marry Princess Jasmine and Hans wants to marry Anna), but both want to do so solely so they can rule their kingdoms, and not because they dearly love their chosen consorts. Similar to Jafar, they also planned on killing said girl after assuming power (although unlike Jafar, Hans acted on it when he had the opportunity, and Jafar later decided to make Jasmine his queen instead, probably out of desire to have heirs). They also lie and tell the deuteragonist that the main protagonist is dead and are also trusted by various main characters.
- Hans is also similar to Captain Hook from The Pirate Fairy. They both betray the main protagonist (Anna) and titular character (Zarina respectively). They have a seemingly good relationship with them, and only reveal their true colors at the climax of the film.
- Hans also bears many similarities with several Pixar villains: Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2, Mr. Waternoose from Monsters, Inc., Charles Muntz from Up, and Lotso from Toy Story 3, in which they are friendly in their outside appearances but are actually evil and manipulative in their true nature, which surprises not only the main protagonist, but the audience as well. Also, their villainous natures are not shown in their respective toy merchandise but are spoiled in the books prior to the film's release (although Lotso's villainy is hinted at in one of the LEGO sets for the film, also made prior to the film's release).
- Hans is also similar to Lyle Tiberius Rourke from Atlantis: The Lost Empire as they have antagonized a young queen with light blonde hair (Rourke to Kida, Hans to Elsa). In addition, Rourke is also given enough traits of trustworthiness for not only the protagonists, but also to the audience to trick them into thinking they are good until late into the film. Ironically, Rourke created a queen by killing Kida's father, while Hans tried to destroy one.
- Hans is also similar to King Candy from Wreck-It Ralph. Both start off as friendly but turn out to be evil, both try and almost kill the film's deuteragonist, both also lock the deuteragonists in a dungeon (Vanellope for King Candy and Elsa for Hans). This is actually very coincidental since Alan Tudyk, King Candy's voice actor, voices the Duke, another antagonist in the film.
- Also both are involved in major plot twists that many audiences didn't see coming (King Candy was revealed to be Turbo (who was thought to be dead by many characters), Hans, whom Anna thought to be her true love, turned out to be evil and never loved her.)
- Hans is also similar to John Clayton from Tarzan. They are not revealed to be evil at first but as the film progresses their true evil motives are revealed. They also shut the main protagonist to prevent them from stopping his evil plans (Clayton locks Tarzan in the ship while Hans locks Anna in the castle). Also, both of their films are directed by Chris Buck.
- Hans not being revealed to be bad at first and being the love interest of the main protagonist who betrays her near the end can be compared to Eric from Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama.
- Hans shares a similarity with Lady Tremaine from Cinderella: both heartlessly mistreats the protagonists who are Disney Princesses that lose their respective parents (Cinderella for Lady Tremaine and Anna for Hans). However, Lady Tremaine begins abusing Cinderella at the beginning of her movie after her father died, while Hans starts mistreating Anna in the film's climax. Also, both villains' plots involve gaining higher status (Hans seeks to become king of Arendelle, while Lady Tremaine wants one of her daughters to marry a high-ranking royal, like Prince Charming), and during the final acts of the film, both villains lock up the protagonist to prevent them from interfering with their devious plan (Lady Tremaine locked Cinderella in her room to prevent her from fitting a glass slipper to marry Prince Charming, while Hans locked Anna in the parlor to prevent her from warning the castle's inhabitants of his treachery and his plan to rule Arendelle once he murder Elsa), which would later be foiled by the aid of the female lead's friend(s) (The mice, birds, and Bruno for Cinderella; Olaf for Anna).
- Hans shares a similarity with Hades from Hercules: both obviously have names that begin with h, have only gotten the female lead's good graces (Megara: Hades and Anna: Hans) in order to reveal their true intention (to take over their geographical locations and eliminate those important to the female lead: Hercules: Megara and Elsa: Anna). In the end, both sets of villains got their plans foiled. Ironically, both of their defeats involve getting punched. Both also don't end up killed, and both also desired to gain claimancy to the throne due to jealousy regarding their brother(s). Also both were not originally intended to be the real villain, Hera (who became Herc's birth mother in the final version) was originally going to be the villain of Hercules, and Elsa was originally going to be the villain of Frozen.
- Hans is also similar to Stromboli from Pinocchio, in the sense that they both didn't seem evil at first, but later revealed their true colors to them, manipulated the naive innocent protagonist for their own personal gain, and locked them up.
- Hans is also similar to Mother Gothel from Tangled, as both take advantage of a young princess by pretending to love and care for them in order to obtain something from them (Hans takes advantage of Anna's immediate infatuation with him to secure his spot as the future King of Arendelle while Mother Gothel pretended to love Rapunzel in order for the princess to trust her and not want to leave the outside world to use her hair to remain permanently young forever). Both also use the princess's lack fo self esteem to ensure their mental control over the princesses and ensure they can get what they want (Hans takes advantage of the fact that Anna sees herself as a "Just" and estrangement with Elsa and claims he would not shut her out while Mother Gothel constantly belittles Rapunzel with insults, though she claims they are just jests).
- Hans is also similar to Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective in the sense that both plan to usurp the throne to a kingdom, plot to get rid of the heirs (one of which in secret in Hans's case), and trick people into believing that they are royal consort of the heirs.
- In the scene where Hans reveals his plans to Anna, his voice briefly sounds like Syndrome from The Incredibles, when he says the line "[...] just like that!".
- Unlike other Disney human villains, whose clothes are usually black or use unnatural bright colours like red, green or purple, Hans' outfits are always white in some shape or form or have a white element, such as his white gloves, white blazer or silver winter gown.
Similarities to other villains
- He actually shares something in common with the play Richard the Third by William Shakespeare; Richard the Third and Hans both try to get to the throne as they're the youngest, with Richard killing his brother's sons and Hans admitting that he planned to marry Anna and then kill Elsa.
- Hans also shares similarities with Claudius from the play Hamlet, in which they initially appear as benevolent rulers until the revelation of their treachery, and they ultimately resort to devious methods to kill the true heirs to the throne.
- Hans is also similar to Stefan from the 2014 version of Maleficent. Both betrayed the protagonist and tricked them into falling in love with them (Anna for Hans and Maleficent for Stefan) and tried to kill the heroine in order to become king. (Elsa for Hans and Maleficen for Stefan) However, Stefan, unlike Hans, succeeded in becoming king.
- He share many similarities with Loki:
- Both were jealous of their brother(s) being king over them, and desired to kill just to gain power (unlike Loki, however, Hans doesn't try to target his brothers for murder).
- Both also ended up arrested and sentenced by their family members for their crimes, with the implication that they are to receive a costly sentence.
- He also is very similar to Miles Axlerod from Cars 2:
- Both of them are the true antagonists, but no one (not even the audience) knows until close to the film's climax.
- Both of the red herring antagonists serve as a cover-up to the real villain (the Duke of Weselton and Professor Z).
- They both attempt to kill both of the protagonists (McQueen and Mater/Anna and Elsa).
- Both of them are arrested and sent to be punished instead of being killed.
- Both of them have high ranks in a different country (Miles Axelrod is knighted and Hans is 13th in line for the throne in the Southern Isles).
References
Template:Disney Movie Villains