After revelations about being part of the fifth spirit in Frozen 2, there are theories flying around that Anna should have powers in Frozen 3, but that would be a big mistake. The second installment to the franchise added a lot of lore surrounding Elsa and her ice powers. While Disney hasn’t announced a third movie, it’s unlikely that the studio will pass up on the film given the phenomenal success of the franchise thus far. If a third film comes to fruition then maintaining the original cast is critical to its prosperity. No one else could play the sweet and determined Anna as Kristen Bell can. Idina Menzel’s powerful voice perfectly captures Elsa’s spirit. As well, the whole series would be remiss if Josh Gad didn’t return to play the hilarious Olaf.
Frozen 2 ends with Anna becoming Arendelle’s queen after Elsa backs down from the throne to live out her life as the fifth spirit. In Elsa’s third year of her reign, she hears a mysterious voice. She, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven follow the voice into an enchanted forest where they discover the Northuldra. Eventually, Elsa breaks off from the group as they further explore the history of Arendelle, their family, the Northuldra, the dam, and the sacrifice her mother made that gave Elsa her powers. She sends this information to Anna before she becomes frozen. Anna determines that the only way to restore peace in the land is to destroy the dam. She lures the Jötunn to the dam and they demolish it. Unfortunately, its destruction results in a flood headed straight for Arendelle. Elsa is able to save the day by redirecting the stream. Elsa tells Queen Anna that they both are the bridge between people and nature.
Considering the fact that the sisters are supposed to be a balance between people and nature, giving Anna powers would make that statement completely useless. Elsa’s magic plays a huge role when it comes to informing her character. Suddenly granting her sister powers over the elements would not only be far-fetched but also an insult to Elsa’s character arc. In their relationship, Elsa is supposed to represent magic and nature while Anna is representative of humanity and resiliency. Giving Anna elemental powers would only upset the balance created by the Northuldra. As well, the possibility is unrealistic. Elsa wrestled with her ice abilities since birth, proving that in the Frozen universe someone isn’t just granted powers. While it’s true that Frozen’s fifth spirit twist should mean more for Anna, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she needs magic to compete with her sister.
Anna’s character arc gets somewhat lost in both of the Frozen movies and some believe that could be fixed by giving her powers. However, what both movies have shown is that Anna is able to save the day perfectly fine without them. She’s the one responsible for making sure that the dam is destroyed in Frozen 2. She’s the one that ventures out into the wilderness alone to find her sister in the first film. It’s clear that the Disney princess isn’t lacking in ability, bravery, and determination. The addition of the dual-fifth-spirit plot is confusing and it does give way to several plotholes; especially considering that Elsa still only has one power. That being said, giving Anna some type of magic won’t fix any of that.
The popularity behind this theory is completely understandable. Who wouldn’t want to see the clumsy Anna gain some fire powers. As well it does open up possibilities for tension between the two sisters and even more information to be added to the already rich lore of the franchise. However, giving Anna powers in Frozen 3 won’t fix the plotholes left behind from Frozen 2. As well, the idea isn’t necessarily plausible, given what’s known about the canon. Too, giving Anna fire powers would seriously mar the reasoning behind the shared fifth spirit plot, upset the balance between humanity and nature, and be somewhat of an insult to Elsa’s struggles.
