Olaf from Frozen: Who He Is, Who Voices Him and His Story

Olaf is a living snowman built by Elsa, and he is one of the central comic and emotional characters of the Frozen saga. Josh Gad voices the role in every production, and the credits write it as "Olaf (voice)" or "Olaf (Voice)" depending on the title. Gad is billed fourth in Frozen (2013) and Frozen Fever, third in Frozen II, and first in both Olaf's Frozen Adventure and Once Upon a Snowman.

Is he a snowman? Yes, one that Elsa made with her ice magic, who came to life with a personality of his own. Is he a guy or a girl? The plot summaries for Frozen and its shorts refer to the character as he, and Josh Gad provides the voice.

The whole saga suits a family evening. Frozen (2013) and Frozen II are rated PG in the US, while Frozen Fever, Olaf's Frozen Adventure and Once Upon a Snowman are all rated G. If you are new to the series, the frozen movies in order list shows where each title fits, and the frozen characters index covers the rest of the ensemble.

The snowman also headlines two shorts. Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017), directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton and Kevin Deters, played in US theaters before Coco on November 22, 2017. Once Upon a Snowman (2020), directed by Dan Abraham and Trent Correy, arrived on Disney Plus on October 23, 2020.

The snowman's closest bonds are with Anna and Elsa, the sisters who made him and look after him, and with Kristoff and Sven, who travel with him in the main films. Elsa is his creator, and the opening of Once Upon a Snowman places his first moments right after she builds her ice palace. Anna is the friend he meets, together with Kristoff, in the first film, and the 2017 holiday short shows how much he means to both sisters.

Kristoff and Sven are his traveling companions. In Frozen Fever they join him in the secret party preparations, and in the holiday short he borrows Kristoff's sleigh and Sven to go looking for traditions. Oaken, who runs the trading post and sauna, appears in the shorts as a friendly stop along the route. Marshmallow, the snow monster Elsa creates in the first film, and the tiny Snowgies from Frozen Fever are fellow snow creatures at the ice palace, and he ends up talking to them in the Frozen II post credit scene.

Does he get a girlfriend? None of the five productions gives him a romantic partner. The saga's romance belongs to Anna and Kristoff, and his most important relationships are family style friendships.

In my opinion, the best moments for this character are the ones where the comedy gives way to something tender, and the three I return to most are all about belonging. My first pick is the end of Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017). He sits by a tree convinced he has failed, then learns that Anna has been slipping cards and dolls of him under Elsa's door for years. It is a small reveal, and I think it is the best argument in the saga that he is family rather than a mascot.

My second pick is the fading scene in Frozen II. It lets a loss land on a character audiences came to for laughs, and it could be argued that it is the bravest choice in the sequel. Parents of younger children may want to watch it together, since the film is rated PG in the US.

My third pick is the nose sequence in Once Upon a Snowman, where he tries on a new nose and then gives it to a wolf who needs it more. Perhaps it is the tiniest of the three, but it explains him in a few minutes: he is curious, generous and happiest when he is useful to someone.

That being said, there is a case for the Frozen II post credit scene as the funniest, with the snowman retelling the whole film to Marshmallow, the snow giant and the Snowgies. If you want the full run of his stories, where to watch Frozen lists which services carry each title, and all five are on Disney Plus in the US.