Josh Gad has made a nice place for himself in the history of Disney Animation through his role as the rambunctious and lovable snowman, Olaf, in the Frozen franchise. Having played the character in films and various spinoffs, the actor seems to know him and the universe he inhabits pretty well. But despite his love for Olaf and all things Frozen, fans may be surprised and disappointed to learn something about Gad.
Snow is obviously a major component of the Frozen series, as one of the biggest songs to come out of the original film is “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” But as it so happens, Josh Gad actually isn’t the best when it comes to making snowmen:
I'm not very good at that task. You would think that I would have it down, but growing up in South Florida has really not proven helpful in that endeavor.
You can’t help but marvel at the irony of Josh Gad’s comments to People. The actor voices one of the most well-known snowmen in all of pop culture, yet he’s not actually the best at constructing one. But having grown up in a warmer part of the country, his lack of skills is totally understandable.
Josh Gad may not have the snowman building prowess that Elsa has, but he’s still contributed plenty to his fictional snowman over the years. He’s helped to inform the character’s personality and hasn’t hesitated to improvise a line or two in the process. The actor has also shown fierce commitment to the job, which has recently included recording a number of his lines while in quarantine.
Gad’s most recent performance as the character was in the Disney+ short film, Once Upon a Snowman, which details Olaf’s first moments after being brought to life by Elsa. The short succeeded in giving Olaf a moment that even the Frozen films couldn’t give him, and it even prompted a perfect response from Gad’s own daughter.
As of right now, it’s unclear as to what the future holds for Olaf and the rest of his Frozen family. Josh Gad has admitted that he’s not sure if a Frozen III will happen at the moment, though he doesn’t doubt that Disney could come up with an idea at some point. The actor has also been asked about the chances of an Olaf spinoff, but he’s tucking that idea away for now since he doesn’t believe it’s been earned yet.
The future of Frozen may be unknown to the general public, but you can bet Josh Gad would be more than willing to return to his famous character if asked. And if he hasn’t gotten that call already, he can take a trip to a wintery place and work on his snowman building skills while he waits.
And while you wait, you can revisit all of the Frozen films and shorts by streaming them on Disney+.
