what disney characters are in frozen: main cast

what disney characters are in frozen? The 2013 Disney movie centers on sisters Anna and Elsa, with Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, and Prince Hans playing major roles. The story also features trolls, a snow monster, palace staff, and the people of Arendelle.

This guide names the important characters, explains what each one does, and separates the original movie’s cast from characters introduced in Frozen 2 and related shorts. You’ll also find a quick comparison table and notes on who is a human, animal, or magical being, so it’s easier to tell the characters apart.

what disney characters are in frozen: the main cast

The original Frozen (2013) follows two royal sisters in the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa has magical powers that let her create ice and snow, while Anna is determined to reconnect with her after Elsa’s coronation. Their choices set the central story in motion.

The main supporting characters are Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, the snowman Olaf, and Prince Hans. Each affects Anna and Elsa’s journey in a different way: Kristoff offers practical help, Sven is his loyal companion, Olaf brings Elsa’s magic to life, and Hans initially appears to be a possible ally and romantic match for Anna.

Here’s a quick guide to the characters most viewers mean when they ask about the cast of the first film:

Character	What they are	Role in the story	Best known for
Anna	Human; Arendelle princess	Seeks Elsa and tries to save their relationship and kingdom	Her optimism and determination
Elsa	Human with ice magic; Arendelle queen	Struggles to control and understand her powers	Creating ice and snow
Kristoff	Human ice harvester	Helps Anna travel through the winter landscape	His close bond with Sven
Sven	Reindeer	Kristoff’s companion and working partner	His expressive reactions and loyalty
Olaf	Magical snowman	Becomes Anna’s friend and joins the search for Elsa	His warm-hearted humor
Hans	Human; visiting prince	Offers Anna attention, then reveals his ambitions	The story’s major surprise
Grand Pabbie	Troll	Gives advice about Elsa’s magic and helps the royal family	His knowledge of magic
Marshmallow	Snow creature	Guards Elsa’s ice palace	His imposing size and icy appearance

Anna and Elsa: the sisters at the center

Anna

Anna is the younger daughter of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. She grows up in the castle but spends much of her childhood separated from Elsa. The closed doors and lack of explanation leave her lonely, yet she remains eager to connect with her sister.

After Elsa’s coronation, Anna meets Hans and accepts his marriage proposal on the same day. Elsa objects, and their argument leads Elsa’s powers to become public. When Elsa leaves Arendelle, Anna sets out to find her rather than staying safely at the palace.

Anna’s strength is not magical. She keeps going despite cold, danger, and disappointment, and she learns that love requires more than a dramatic promise. Her choices help resolve the sisters’ conflict and change how they relate to each other.

Elsa

Elsa is Anna’s older sister and becomes queen of Arendelle. Her ice powers are real magic, not simply a symbol or a trick. She can create snow, freeze objects, build structures from ice, and bring snow creatures to life.

As a child, Elsa accidentally injures Anna with her magic. Grand Pabbie helps heal Anna and advises Elsa’s parents to limit the danger by helping Elsa control her fear. Elsa then hides her powers and keeps her distance from Anna. The film shows how that secrecy increases Elsa’s anxiety rather than solving the problem.

Elsa’s famous song “Let It Go” accompanies her decision to stop hiding in the mountains. It marks an emotional turning point, but it does not mean she has solved every problem or learned how to manage her powers safely. The rest of her story involves understanding herself while accepting her responsibility to Arendelle and her sister.

Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf

Kristoff and Sven

Kristoff is an ice harvester who lives and works with Sven, a reindeer. As a child, Kristoff is seen working near the ice harvesters. He is later taken in by the trolls, who become an important part of his life. As an adult, he sells ice and travels with Sven.

Anna meets Kristoff while looking for Elsa. He knows the mountain routes and the realities of traveling in severe winter weather, so he becomes a useful guide. He can be blunt and socially awkward, but his actions show that he cares about Anna’s safety and well-being.

Sven is more than transportation. He is Kristoff’s closest companion, and the two communicate through familiar looks, gestures, and sounds. Kristoff often speaks as if Sven is answering him, giving their scenes a playful rhythm. Sven is a reindeer, not a magical creature, and the film portrays him as an animal with a strong personality.

Olaf

Olaf is a snowman Elsa creates using her magic. Anna recognizes him as a figure from the snowmen she and Elsa made together as children. He joins Anna’s journey and quickly becomes a friend to both sisters.

His best-known joke is that he loves warm hugs and dreams of experiencing summer, even though heat would melt him. The joke works because Olaf does not fully understand the danger. Elsa later gives him a personal snow cloud that helps keep him cold, allowing him to spend time in warmer conditions.

Olaf’s cheerful outlook gives the film comic relief, but he also represents the sisters’ childhood bond. His presence connects Elsa’s magic to happier memories rather than only to fear and separation.

Hans and the other important people of Arendelle

Prince Hans

Hans is a prince from the Southern Isles who visits Arendelle for Elsa’s coronation. He meets Anna at the celebration, and they quickly decide to marry. Elsa refuses to approve the engagement, partly because the couple has just met, and the disagreement pushes the story toward its crisis.

Hans first appears considerate and helpful. He stays in Arendelle when Anna leaves and takes charge of the kingdom’s affairs during her absence. Later, he reveals that his affection for Anna was part of a plan to gain power. His actions make him the film’s central human antagonist.

The reveal is a useful reminder that a character’s friendly behavior does not automatically make that person trustworthy. The film contrasts Hans’s persuasive words with Kristoff’s steady, practical care.

The Duke of Weselton

The Duke of Weselton is a visiting nobleman who cares about trade and influence. He is suspicious of Elsa after her magic becomes visible and calls her a monster. His fear and self-interest add political pressure to an already tense situation.

He is not the same character as Hans. The duke is a comic, status-conscious antagonist who pushes for action against Elsa, while Hans conceals a more personal plan. The duke’s two bodyguards also appear with him at the coronation and during the conflict.

King Agnarr and Queen Iduna

Agnarr and Iduna are Anna and Elsa’s parents. They appear in scenes from the sisters’ childhood and shape the way Elsa learns to respond to her powers. Their advice is driven by concern, but isolating Elsa also deepens the distance between the sisters.

The king and queen leave Arendelle by ship and do not return. Their absence is an important part of the sisters’ history, though the first movie does not make them main characters in the present-day action. Frozen 2 later adds more information about their past and family history.

Kai and Gerda

Kai and Gerda work in the castle. They are among the adults present as Anna and Elsa grow up, and they help maintain the household. Their roles are small, but they make the palace feel like a working home rather than an empty setting.

The Bishop and Arendelle’s people

A bishop presides over Elsa’s coronation ceremony. Other nobles, guards, and townspeople appear during the coronation, the sudden winter, and the efforts to protect the kingdom. These background characters do not have the same detailed stories as Anna or Elsa, but their reactions show how the sisters’ private conflict affects the wider community.

The trolls, Marshmallow, and other magical characters

Grand Pabbie and the troll family

Grand Pabbie is an elder troll with knowledge of magic. When Elsa accidentally hurts Anna as a child, he removes the magic from Anna’s memory while leaving her ordinary memories intact. He warns the royal family that fear can make Elsa’s powers harder to control and that the danger will grow if she cannot master them.

Bulda is a troll who takes a special interest in Kristoff. She and the other trolls treat him as family, even though he is human. When Kristoff brings Anna to them, they mistakenly assume the pair are in love and perform a comic matchmaking song.

The trolls are magical beings, but they are not all-powerful. Grand Pabbie can help with certain effects and offer guidance; he cannot simply remove Elsa’s powers or resolve the sisters’ relationship for them.

Marshmallow

Marshmallow is a large snow creature Elsa creates to protect her ice palace. He chases Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf away after they enter the palace. His size and intimidating behavior make him look like a villain, but he is carrying out a guard’s role.

Marshmallow is separate from Olaf. Olaf is a small, friendly snowman connected to Anna and Elsa’s childhood, while Marshmallow is a much larger guardian created during Elsa’s time in the mountains.

Are the Snowgies in the original Frozen?

No. The Snowgies are not part of the 2013 feature film. They appear in the short film Frozen Fever, which follows Elsa’s attempt to give Anna a birthday celebration. Elsa creates tiny snow creatures when she sneezes, and they cause trouble as they scatter through the celebration.

This distinction helps avoid a common mix-up: Olaf and Marshmallow are in the original movie, while the Snowgies come from a later short. They all relate to Elsa’s snow magic, but they have different roles and first appearances.

Who appears in Frozen 2 and the related shorts?

Frozen 2 (2019) brings Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf back for a new story. It also introduces characters connected to the Enchanted Forest and the sisters’ family history. These include Lieutenant Mattias, Queen Yelena, Honeymaren, and Ryder.

The sequel also features the elemental spirits: the wind spirit Gale, the fire spirit Bruni, and the earth spirits known as the Earth Giants. The Nokk, a water spirit that takes the shape of a horse, is another prominent magical being. These characters are in the second feature, not the original Frozen.

Short films add still more characters and moments. Frozen Fever features the Snowgies and the birthday celebration. Olaf’s Frozen Adventure follows Olaf as he searches for a holiday tradition for Anna and Elsa. These stories extend the film world, but their characters and events should not be confused with the cast of the first movie.

Film or short	Returning characters	Notable new or specific characters	What to remember
Frozen (2013)	Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf	Hans, Grand Pabbie, Bulda, Marshmallow	The original Arendelle story
Frozen Fever	Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf	Snowgies	A short centered on Anna’s birthday
Frozen 2 (2019)	The five central characters return	Bruni, Gale, the Nokk, Earth Giants, Mattias, Yelena, Honeymaren, Ryder	A sequel with new spirits and forest characters
Olaf’s Frozen Adventure	Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, Sven	Characters connected to the holiday celebration	A separate holiday short

How to tell the characters apart

Several characters can be confused because they are connected to the same magic or setting. Use these quick distinctions when identifying them:

• Anna and Elsa: Anna is the younger sister who sets out to find Elsa; Elsa is the queen with ice powers.
• Olaf and Marshmallow: Olaf is a small, friendly snowman; Marshmallow is the large guardian of Elsa’s ice palace.
• Kristoff and Hans: Kristoff is the ice harvester who helps Anna on her journey; Hans is the visiting prince who seeks power.
• Grand Pabbie and Bulda: Grand Pabbie is the elder troll who advises the royal family; Bulda is a troll who treats Kristoff like family.
• Sven and the Nokk: Sven is a reindeer in the original movie; the Nokk is a water spirit introduced in Frozen 2.
• Snowgies and Olaf: Olaf appears in the first feature; Snowgies appear in the Frozen Fever short.

Another easy way to sort the cast is by what drives each character. Anna acts to restore her relationship with Elsa. Elsa tries to understand and control her powers. Kristoff focuses on the immediate needs of the journey, while Hans and the Duke of Weselton are motivated by status and political interests. The trolls and snow creatures belong to the magical side of the story, but they each serve a distinct purpose.

Who voices the main Frozen characters?

The original movie’s English-language voice cast includes Kristen Bell as Anna and Idina Menzel as Elsa. Jonathan Groff voices Kristoff, Josh Gad voices Olaf, and Santino Fontana voices Hans. Alan Tudyk voices the Duke of Weselton, and Ciarán Hinds voices Grand Pabbie.

Voice actors give the characters their spoken performances, while animation creates their appearance and movement. This distinction matters because a character’s performer may differ between language versions. The names above refer to the original English-language release.

For a quick cast check, Anna and Elsa are the royal sisters; Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf make up the main travel companions; Hans is the visiting prince; and Grand Pabbie leads the magical advice scene with the trolls. Other figures, including the Duke, the royal parents, palace staff, townspeople, and Marshmallow, fill out the original film’s world.

The original Frozen focuses on Anna and Elsa, with Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, and Hans as its most prominent supporting characters. Trolls, Marshmallow, the royal parents, and people of Arendelle also shape the story.

For a quick character check, separate the original movie from its sequels and shorts: the Snowgies belong to Frozen Fever, while the elemental spirits appear in Frozen 2. Keep that distinction in mind when listing what disney characters are in frozen.