Entertainment

Do You Wanna Build A Snowman, 'Once Upon A Time'?

by Marisa LaScala

You had finally allowed "Let It Go" to recede from the permanent loop it'd been playing on in your head since last November, and then just as you thought you'd finally escaped the Frozen bubble, Once Upon a Time announces that Frozen characters will appear in the show's fourth season. But before you go and lock yourself in solitary in a wintery ice castle to escape the reminder of that earworm, you need to know if your favorite eternally optimistic, soft-shoeing snowman made the cut. Will Olaf join the cast of Once Upon a Time ?

Though anything can happen in the realms of Arendelle or Storybrooke, it looks like Olaf doesn't have a snowman's chance in summer. For starters, there have been no casting announcements for an Olaf character, even as a voice. And it's not like they're keeping the Frozen character castings a secret, either. Already, they've announced that Georgina Haig from Fringe will play Elsa, newcomer Elizabeth Lail will play Anna, Scott Michael Foster from Greek will play Kristoff, and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell will play a character whose identity remains a mystery (but isn't likely to be any sort of snowman, let alone a singing one). Olaf, sadly, is completely absent from this list.

In fact, there hasn't even been a whisper of an Olaf casting. TVLine had the scoop when the show put out a casting call, complete with character breakdowns. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were the only ones included.

Another barrier to Olaf's arrival? He requires CGI. And, let's be honest here, special effects aren't Once Upon a Time's strongest suit. He'd be an expensive addition to the series, and even if they shelled out for it, he might not look so adorable next to his live-action counterparts.

Then again, if you want to remain ever-hopeful — like Olaf would — there are a couple of possible hints he might be making a surprise appearance in Once Upon a Time. That same TVLine article reports that, when asked, showrunners Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis "laughed and offered a 'No comment' on the prospect of a CGI Olaf showing up." They also had this intriguing exchange with a reporter at Entertainment Weekly after the Season 3 finale.

Does Elsa’s appearance mean other Frozen characters are on the horizon?Horowitz: Yeah — we’d be disappointed if Elsa was the only one we saw, but we’re not quite ready yet to tell you who else we may encounter.

I want to see Olaf hanging out with the dwarfs. Horowitz: We do enjoy Olaf.

It's hardly a guarantee, but it's something to hang your hopes on, if you're looking to do that.

Still, if you're looking for some guaranteed Olaf time, you're better off waiting for the Great White Way; a Broadway adaptation of Frozen is already in the works (though an opening date has yet to be announced).

Or you can just be happy knowing that, instead of appearing on Once Upon a Time, Olaf is off doing whatever it is a snowman does in summer.

Images: Disney; Giphy