Frozen became instant hits with cosplayers and kids playing dress-up and helped to further develop the characters with nuanced visual cues. From Elsa's slinky ice-gown and side braid to Anna's Nordic-inspired woolens and pigtails, the clothing the two wore helped to define them as much as their actions did in the Disney animation.
Two artists, Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay and Brittney Lee, designed and perfected the two heroines' wardrobes, spending two years perfecting the sisters' ensembles for Frozen 2. For some of the outfits, Sastrawinata-Lemay and Lee developed more than a hundred variations before they perfected the perfect look for the adventurous and heroic sisters. Thanks to advances in computer animation and the newfound ability to add minute details to the costumes, the artists drip-fed hints about the changes the sisters had undergone during the three years between Frozen and Frozen 2.
Originally, the artists designed Anna's travel ensemble for Elsa, but they felt that the style didn't match the elegance that Elsa exhibited in the first film, and wanted her confidence to visibly have grown even further. Instead, they redesigned the Norwegian-inspired outfit for Anna, using the cape, higher hemline, and highly-detailed boots to demonstrate how much the princess had matured in Frozen 2. By giving Anna the ensemble originally designed for Elsa, the designers were able to inject some of the stature that Anna had lacked in Frozen, and the technology that the animators had access to allowed for tiny detailing, including crocuses on the buttons and detailed stitching on Anna's cape, travel dress, and boots. They also left her hair loose, which immediately aged the character who had always previously worn braids in Frozen. This, coupled with rich, jewel-tone fabrics, was evocative of the gorgeous coronation gown that Elsa wore in Frozen. In this way, Queen Anna looked regal even before she needed to, with Sastrawinata-Lemay and Lee overtly explaining the real reason why Anna stole Elsa's outfit in Frozen 2.
Meanwhile, Elsa's travel ensemble in Frozen 2 was also redesigned with leggings beneath her ice-blue gown, giving her flexibility and maneuverability as she tackled the great outdoors and finally understood herself. Her wardrobe in Frozen 2 embraced the Elsa who learned to accept her powers in Frozen - no longer reflecting the stiff formality of Arendelle's palace by using light and glittering fabrics with smooth lines. In this way, her Frozen 2 travel dress inspires and influences Elsa's beautiful ice-spirit ensemble, losing the cloak and shoes and adding a stunning, illusionary neckline. The transition from ice-blue to glittering white gave Elsa's evolution a beautiful and individual style, making the redesign a huge success.
Thanks to new CGI animation technology, Sastarawinata-Lemay and Lee also created a realistic movement for these animated fabrics, including new levels of intricate detailing and depth. However, it was the subtle storytelling that the two artists infused within the costumes that hinted at the growth the two young women had experienced off-screen. The stunning costuming for Frozen 2 - whilst animated - contributes as much to the storytelling as any live-action film's costumes do, and the artists knew exactly what they were doing when they let Anna steal her powerful sister Elsa's gown.