Frozen 2 allowed fans to reconnect with Anna and Elsa, as well as the Kingdom of Arendelle, but it also introduced viewers to another location and a whole new set of characters in it. Northuldra started first as part of the mystery of Ahtohallan in Iduna’s (Evan Rachel Wood) bedtime song for her children, but soon revealed itself to be a real place full of wonderful people.
Among them were the siblings Ryder and Honeymaren, voiced by Jason Ritter and Rachel Matthews respectively, who thrived in the enchanted forest and yet longed to see the world outside of it once the curse was lifted. Without the inclusion of the Northuldrans, as well as the lively performances from the actors, Frozen 2 wouldn’t have had nearly the same impact that it did.
While promoting the upcoming home release of Frozen 2 at a press event, Ritter and Matthews chatted with Screen Rant about Honeymaren and Ryder. They shared the stories of their casting, speculated on what their characters might do next, and explained why they think special features are such an important enhancement to the viewing experience.
What made you want to be part of Frozen 2, and what did you have to do to get the role?
Rachel Matthews: Do you want to start?
Jason Ritter: Yeah, sure. I think we both grew up loving Disney movies and Disney musicals, and so when I got the email about auditioning for it, I was super excited. Because it’s also such a huge scale. Everybody knows Frozen, everybody knows the songs. Then I got immediately terrified and scared when I saw that I had to sing.
I’d never sung in an audition before. I love singing; I sing all the time in private, in my car. So, I went in and did a monologue and a little nervous song, and they told me to come back in a month after going to a vocal coach for a little while. And I did that, and I came in with a different song. And then here I am.
Rachel Matthews: I had a little bit of a different experience. I had never done [sic] voiceober. Here I am, talking about voiceover and I can’t even speak.
Jason Ritter: I’ve never done voiceober ever. I don’t know what voiceober is.
Rachel Matthews: I’d never done voiceover before, and I never had a voiceover audition. It’s kind of a long story, but long story short: my team ended up getting Jamie on the phone, the casting director, in regards to another client and found out she was casting Frozen 2. Thankfully thought of me and one other person, sent out stuff over. She said yes to me, and I got an audition that following week.
And I’m a massive fan of the first one, so I was beside myself. But in no way, shape or form thought that like this would be something I can actually book. I saw that I had to do a David Mamet monologue and then sing a song. Yes, I was like, “Alright, Disney. You’re not messing around.”
Jason Ritter: Lots of swears.
Rachel Matthews: I was like, okay. And I went to NYU Tisch for musical theater, so I was like, “Okay, this is in my wheelhouse. I’ve prepared for this.” So, I just went in and did the best I can do with the training I’ve had, and Jamie told me in the room, I’d be coming back for a Director-Producer session in like a month or a month and a half. And I could have just died right there, I was so happy even just to get that news.
And then, yeah, the rest is kind of history. I didn’t receive the phone call until about two months after that session.
Nerve-wracking.
Rachel Matthews: It wasn’t, because I’d let it go. Like, I was excited.
Jason Ritter: You’d what? You’d let it what?
Rachel Matthews: Oh, now it’s your turn to make the puns. I did, I let it go.
Into the unknown.
Jason Ritter: Exactly.
Rachel Matthews: We could do this for days.
Because it just wasn’t… I was just so proud of how I felt in the room, and getting to meet my heroes, and I left being like, “Okay, I feel good about that.” I did what I needed to do. Then the phone call was just the cherry on top.
Moving from history to the future, what do you guys think that Honeymaren and Ryder are doing now that they are free from the curse?
Jason Ritter: They’re exploring outside of those woods. I think Ryder is like, “How can I not see another tree for a year? Where’s the least amount of trees?”
Rachel Matthews: Probably talking to reindeers that have been outside, and getting their information. Like, what was life like for you?
Jason Ritter: Getting advice about interacting with other humans? Reindeers are so very insightful, actually.
Rachel Matthews: Honeymaren is probably learning a lot from Elsa and is so curious about her powers. I’m sure Elsa is discovering more about herself and this new life that she now has with our people, and I think they’re probably all teaching each other things.
I love that, and I like to imagine more scenes of Honeymaren and Elsa. That was a great little friendship there, just like Ryder and Kristoff. Now, is there any one thing that you hope to see or that you hope fans get to see on the special features in the home release?
Jason Ritter: I’m more excited about what I get see. I love the special features, especially for movies that I love. I love seeing behind the scenes stuff, because you see the movie so many times and then you get to see another angle of the set. I mean, I know that won’t happen on this because it’s animated, but you get to see the process and get to see outtakes.
Rachel Matthews: It just makes you appreciate what you’re watching so much more.
Jason Ritter: Yeah, and to know that to know how much work goes into it that never gets seen. It’s such a painful thing as a filmmaker to have to cut something out, just because it’s too long or doesn’t move the story enough. So, I also love seeing deleted scenes and being like, “That could have stayed in.”
Rachel Matthews: “No, that deserved to stay out.”
Jason Ritter: Or trying to understand, “Yeah, I think that’s a beautiful song [but] I understand why they cut it.” Getting to know the process of it, and it’s a way to learn too about all that storytelling stuff.
Disney’s Frozen 2 arrives on Digital on February 11, and is out on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 25.
