After watching a compilation of all the Arendelle cutscenes in KH3 and being disappointed by all the missed opportunities, I’ve decided to come up with a plot concept that’s an adaptation of the movie but now could fit better into the universe of Kingdom Hearts too. The plot synopsis focuses on two of the most prevalent themes in the movie: fear and sisterhood.
What if Arendelle had been a sleeping world? Everything staying in an eternal winter like the world itself is in a snow globe.
“Fear will be your enemy.”
It all starts out rather the same with Sora seeing Elsa, having cracked under all the pressure, running away on the waters while it freezes with each footfall. However it seems Nightmares are spawning as well while the new queen is running away. After dealing with them and catching up to Elsa, he tries to talk her asking her why she is so stricken but she tells him to stay away, that it’s better for everyone to be away from her. Sora tries to argue but loses sight of Elsa when a strong flurry suddenly blows, her footprints now covered by the snow.
With no other lead, Sora goes to Arendelle where he arrives just in time to come hear Princess Anna announcing she’ll go out to find her sister. Nightmares are running free due to Elsa's fears but also because of the fears of the people of Arendelle. The Duke of Wesselton, in all his prejudice, claims the Nightmares are the work of Queen Elsa sent out to terrorise them, and declares her to be evil. All, but Anna and Sora who know better, agree and don't volunteer to help. Sora comes over to Anna, saying he doesn't think Elsa is evil at all, not after having seen how sad she looked before. He offers to help Anna to which she happily accepts. But the both of them, one being an islander and the other being a princess kept confined within the castle walls, have a pretty hard time navigating through the thick snow. That is until they’re eventually accompanied by Kristoff.
During their travels through the barren landscapes in search for Elsa’s palace, Anna shares to Sora of how her sister shut her out even if it apparently was to protect her, and how she felt about all of that. Sora relates, saying his best friend Riku had to do the same thing when Sora was desperately searching for him, but then he talks courage into Anna saying they will find Elsa just like he found Riku in the end.
From here on most of the events of the movie play out where everybody is trying to make Elsa stop the winter. But she can’t. Everything is spiralling out of control, the snow blows harder, and the Nightmares keep on spawning. On the frozen sea darkness comes together in a big mass that takes the shape of ginormous wolf made of ice, formed from the shared fear that winter will never stop: Sköll
The great warg lets out a chilling howl and leaps to the sky, trying to swallow up the winter sun and thus trapping the world in ice-cold darkness. Sora, his Dream Eaters, and Elsa, who has realised she cannot run from this, band together to stop the beast. But though the queen tries to stand her ground and protect her kingdom, the blizzard only grows stronger, her despondency at the situation feeding Sköll’s power. But Sora pulls through and severely weakens the wolf. The great warg sets its predatory gaze upon the Snow Queen, the key to stop it. And it flies down with its maw wide open. The Snow Queen stands there, frozen in fear as the vision the troll chieftain had shown her when she was just a child flashes before her eyes as the Nightmare closes in on her. Fear would destroy her. But Anna, having chosen to save Elsa rather than get the kiss from Kristoff which could’ve saved her from the freezing curse, shields her before she is frozen solid. Its icy teeth shatter upon touching her aloft hand, and from Anna’s body a powerful burst of light dispels, destroying the Nightmare.
“An act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.”
Elsa snaps back to reality and draws a shuddered breath as she sees her sister is now a frozen statue. She clutches her, letting everything out while she’s weeping over the loss of her dear sister who truly loved her. Her tears thaw Anna’s heart and Elsa realises that she’ll always stand strong and never be alone with her sister’s support. Her fear won’t control her heart anymore, she can let it go. The winter ends and Arendelle thaws to a bright world again. Just before the great snowflake in the sky breaks apart, a keyhole appears in the middle of it for Sora to unlock. The end.
- The concept of a frozen heart is applied to both Elsa and Anna. Anna in a literal sense like in the movie but Elsa is frozen to inaction because of her isolation, her inability to express, her fear of hurting and her fear of her powers.
- Anna being a Princess of Heart actually now comes into play, that the light she had for Elsa was pure and powerful enough to destroy the seemingly unstoppable Nightmare.
- As previously mentioned Sköll is now the accumulated Nightmare from the shared fear winter will never end. Hans is fully scrapped in this version as he ultimately is a rather poor villain.
- Whether Olaf will play an important role is undecided but I did try to include most of the important characters.
