Josh Gad is still shocked this one improvised Olaf line made it into “Frozen”
Without a doubt, Frozen is the biggest animated movie ever (there are number$ to back this up), and everyone has a different reason for loving the movie so much. Maybe it’s the strong sister-sister relationship, or Kristoff’s troll song (JK, it’s not Kristoff’s troll song), or even possible Josh Gad’s charming portrayal of snowman, Olaf.
So would you believe that one of Gad’s improvised lines as Olaf the Snowman actually made it into Frozen? Of course you would, because it’s Josh Gad, and he’s just as charming and delightful as the snowman he plays on the screen. Also, it’s true. Some four years after Olaf first made our hearts melt (in a good way), Gad is still surprised that his improvised dialogue made it into the movie – and it’s a pretty iconic line.
With the new Frozen short, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, now in theaters before Coco, it’s time to revisit Arendelle, and the origins of Olaf, of course. During a press day for Olaf’s Frozen Adventure on the Disney Lot, the creative team behind the film was asked how much improvisation was allowed during filming.
"Josh and Kristen [Bell] and Idina {idina], and even Jonathan Groff, these guys know the characters better [than we do]," co-director Stevie Wermers explained to the crowd. "Sometimes they'd make suggestions because they've been playing these characters for much longer than we've been working on [the short]."
And there’s one line from the OG Frozen that Gad remembers as not being in the original script.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNS-U6ucFtw?feature=oembed
"Improv is definitely always part of the journey and they were amazing collaborators in letting me just come up with something to say, some of which is in there," Gad explained. "Like in the original Frozen, I remember saying as a joke, 'I've been impaled,' and I was shocked when I watched the movie and they animated this and kept this in the film."
If you’re looking for some Olaf + Frozen fun right now, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is now playing in theaters.