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Why Is Elsa Running Into the Ocean in Frozen 2?

Is Elsa Shipwrecked? 4 Theories About Her Mysterious Part in the Frozen 2 Trailer

After a very long wait, Frozen 2 finally dropped its first trailer! Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf are back in action for a second round of adventures in Arendelle — although the trailer doesn't really give away any hints as to what those adventures are, exactly. One of the most intense moments of the trailer comes when Elsa appears to run into the ocean and use her ice powers on an incoming tidal wave. We've rounded up a few theories of what that scene could point to!

1. She's Shipwrecked

As everyone will remember, the main events of the original Frozen really kick off when Elsa and Anna's parents die in a shipwreck after leaving for a short trip at sea. It is that event, in fact, that leaves Elsa as the queen long before she had planned to be ready to rule. In the new trailer, Elsa can be seen running into the ocean and using her ice powers to attempt to run straight across the water.

It would certainly be a full-circle moment if Frozen 2 saw Elsa getting shipwrecked as well. In the moments seen in the trailer, she does seem to be alone while she's approaching the ocean. Perhaps she's been separated from Anna and lost at sea, but she has one advantage her parents didn't: her magical powers that can transform the rageing waters into ice, which "never bothered her anyway."

2.She's Running From Something

Very little is known about the plot of Frozen 2. On its IMDb page, the film's logline currently reads, "Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf are going far in the forest to know the truth about an ancient mystery of their kingdom." Ancient mysteries and eerie forests? Sounds like a recipe for danger and adventure — and what's an adventure without the heroes having to flee for their lives?

There's definitely a slightly darker tone of impending danger in the trailer for Frozen 2, especially in comparison to the jovial, comedic style of the trailer for the 2013 original movie. In another shot in the trailer, Kristoff and Sven are seeing galloping away from something, alongside a herd of reindeer. Similarly, the trailer's last moments show Anna whirling around and attacking an unseen enemy (placed in the point of view of the audience) with Kristoff's sword. With more danger ahead, it seems entirely possible that Elsa is running into the ocean as one place she can go that a pursuer can't follow her.

3. She's Trying to Help Someone

Elsa, if nothing else, is always trying to do the right thing. Perhaps her run into the ocean is an act of heroism in an attempt to reach someone who needs her help. This theory would create another parallel with the original Frozen: near the end of the movie, Anna runs across the frozen lake to try to save Anna, just on the heels of Kristoff running through a blizzard to try to save Anna herself. Frozen proved there's no force too big to keep the sisters from coming to one another's aid, so if Anna or someone else she loves is in danger, it's no stretch to imagine Elsa freezing part of the ocean.

4. She's Reversing Another Spell

Because the plot of Frozen 2 is still so mysterious, no one knows who the villain will be or what their motivations will be. There are a few new characters who appear in the trailer, and at least one theory currently circulating posits that all four of the elements or all four of the seasons will somehow come into play in the new movie. If that's true, then it's possible Elsa is trying to reverse or fight against another spell when she attempts to freeze the tidal wave.

The wave could be the result of another elemental magical being having melted a Winter (in a reversal from the concept behind the original movie), or it might be the weapon of choice created by another magician. With the stakes in Frozen 2 looking bigger than ever, we can't wait for the movie to hit theatres on Nov. 22!

Image Source: Disney
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