Watch Kids' Reviews of
ONCE UPON A SNOWMAN

Like most Disney animated shorts, Once Upon a Snowman is fun, colorful and full of all your favorite Frozen characters. It's full of comedy, discovery, nostalgia, lots of snow and of course....magic!

In the new eight minute long Disney+ animated short Once Upon a Snowman, we get to see the previously unseen and untold origins of everyone's magical and warm-hug loving snowman, Olaf. This film offers a behind-the-scenes adventure from the moment Olaf is brought to life by Elsa as she makes her way up the Arendale mountains to build her ice fortress singing "Let it Go," and then follows Olaf as he begins to discover who and what he is. In just a small amount of time, we get a really fun, behind-the-scenes look at some of our favorite scenes of the original movie, as seen from Olaf's point of view and through his wanderings around the frozen forest of Arendale. It is really fun to see iconic scenes with some of the other characters, seen from Olaf's point of view, and finally we learn how and why he loves summer so much!

The message of this film is to always ask questions and be friendly with everyone you meet, because you never know what answers they will give you and what sort of friendship could evolve, just from saying, "Hello."

If you love the Frozen movies and the Frozen animated shorts, then you'll love Once Upon a Snowman. I give Frozen 5 out of 5 snowflakes (y'know, because it's about Olaf) and recommend it for ages 5 to18, plus adults, as well as Disney fans, will absolutely love it too. Once Upon a Snowman debuts on Disney+ on Oct 23, 2020. Don't miss it.

Reviewed by Lindalee R., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

This is just the comedic break from reality that I needed. Once Upon a Snowman is an entertaining short film about the origins of Olaf from the Frozen films that tickles the nonsensical humor in me.

From "I'm having a bit of a crisis of identity, I think" to "That's very generous, fuzzy man bear," Olaf surely has a lovable personality and we see in eight minutes how Olaf, our favorite snowman, came to exist. I love how Olaf manages to keep his spirits up even when he has no idea who he is, what his name should be or what should become his nose - a flag? paddle? carrot? The best part is at the most troublesome moment of the entire film when he yells "Use the buddy system" to the separated parts of his body while being chased by a predator.

It's people, or might I say snowmen, like Olaf from whom we should learn how to deal with adversity. Olaf just goes for things without hesitating. He doesn't sit around and wait for his problems to be solved for him. He looks at himself in the mirror and asks if he is a "Trevor." He tests out a sausage as a nose and when all of it fails, he just keeps trying until he gets the answers he needs. We may not have to worry about the same problems as Olaf, but we can learn from his behavior. There is always a solution to every problem. We just have to go out and find it. This film also dives into how Olaf may be a snowman, but is warm at heart. People may seem cold as ice on the outside, but if you get to know them like we get to know Olaf, you may realize that they are not all that they seemed. They may become a good friend, but you won't know until you look past their outer demeanor. Olaf is the kind of snowman who helps those in despair and makes new friends along the way, whether it's a human or a wolf.

I rate Once Upon a Snowman 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 6 to 12, and older. You can stream it on Disney+ now.

Reviewed by Anokhi L., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic age 18

Olaf's first steps as he comes to life and searches for his identity in the snowy mountains outside Arendelle.