The Short-Lived Sister Song

Among the songs that were deleted from Frozen, “Life’s Too Short” was one that had a version recorded with the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. The song was written during the time when Elsa was going to be the villain, but was replaced with the reprise of “For the First Time in Forever” once “Let It Go” was written. Although I enjoy listening to the song with Bell and Menzel’s voices, even when I watch that version, I can see why it wouldn’t have tied in very well with the completed film.



The song starts off with Anna and Elsa appearing to agree to make amends and form a new beginning in their relationship since Elsa’s secret is finally out. They sing the exact same lines, in that they finally understand and that life is too short for them to not be a part of each others’ lives: Anna longs to know Elsa, who, in turn, wants Anna to see who she really is. Elsa even asks Anna if she would like to stay in her palace instead of insisting that she leave. She is also seen holding hands with Anna and touching her shoulder, which is ironic, considering that in the film, Elsa constantly refuses to touch Anna or be touched herself.



However, a major turning point occurs after Elsa learns about Arendelle. The girls shift 180 degrees from how they were previously acting, and what they say and do makes them seem out of character in comparison to their personalities in the final film. Elsa and Anna have a heated argument about each other, even literally turning their backs on one another at one point. Some of the things they say and do include the following:

Anna offers the gloves to Elsa, expecting her to come back and have things be exactly the way they were before, except they would be friends now. In contrast to what she is like in the film, Anna never would have returned the gloves and expected Elsa to act as though nothing had happened. She would have encouraged Elsa to use her powers for good and helped show Arendelle that she was not a monster like they believed her to be. The gesture causes Elsa to become hostile to Anna, so she tries to kick Anna out, first by physically pushing her and then creating a new set of doors as an exit.



In contrast to what she is like in the film, Anna never would have returned the gloves and expected Elsa to act as though nothing had happened. She would have encouraged Elsa to use her powers for good and helped show Arendelle that she was not a monster like they believed her to be. The gesture causes Elsa to become hostile to Anna, so she tries to kick Anna out, first by physically pushing her and then creating a new set of doors as an exit. When Anna sees the doors, she sings, “There it is! The door you love to slam in my face!” This line also wouldn’t make sense because in the film itself, during the reprise, Anna sings that she finally understands. By this, she means that she realizes why Elsa had shut her out all those years, so she knew that Elsa did not truly love to “slam doors” in her face. For the same reason, when Anna sings, “to let you treat the people down there just as coldly as you always treated me,” it sounds out of place, as if she has no real understanding of Elsa’s past behavior, while she had claimed to have earlier in the song.



This line also wouldn’t make sense because in the film itself, during the reprise, Anna sings that she finally understands. By this, she means that she realizes why Elsa had shut her out all those years, so she knew that Elsa did not truly love to “slam doors” in her face. For the same reason, it sounds out of place, as if she has no real understanding of Elsa’s past behavior, while she had claimed to have earlier in the song. When Elsa has her turn to sing, she twice calls Anna a fool, with “You’re a fool who married a stranger!” and “to listen to a reckless fool, who only ever sees the things she wants to see.” In the film itself, even though Elsa thought Anna’s rushed engagement wasn’t a smart idea, there is no way she would have called Anna a fool. It’s clear that the last thing Elsa wanted to do was hurt Anna, including by being mean to her, and calling her a fool would have done it. Ironically, during the reprise, Elsa calls herself a fool for believing that she could be free.

As a great contrast from how happy, friendly, and open they were to each other at the beginning, the song ends with Anna and Elsa, who are now mad at each other, saying that the other person doesn’t know what life has been like for them. Anna begins to run after Elsa when the latter runs deeper into her palace and creates ice obstacles as she does, hoping to turn Anna away. After Anna finds Elsa behind a door, Elsa waves her hand, shooting ice from it, which strikes Anna in the chest.



Based on what the girls do and say when they start to fight, especially how it contradicts a few of their previous lines and what they are like in the final film, “Life’s Too Short” would have been very out of place had it been included in the film. In particular, it sounds like it was meant for the movie when Elsa was supposed to be the villain. While the version with Bell and Menzel’s voices does sound amazing, rewriting Elsa’s character and not including “Life’s Too Short” was the right way to go entirely.



request by minervadeannabond