She was afraid of being different, until someone pointed out she looked just like Elsa.

Take a look at what's to come when Disney On Ice present Frozen.

Children all over the world have fallen head over heels with Disney’s blockbuster cartoon, Frozen.

For five-year-old Arliyah Brown, one of the animated characters is extra special.

With her bright blonde hair, pale skin and infectious smile, the Queensland youngster loves to tell people she’s the real-life Princess Elsa.

Not your ordinary princess

Mum Hailey first realised her daughter had a famous lookalike during a trip to the swimming pool.

"A little girl started pointing at Arliyah and saying ‘Mummy, that girl over there is Elsa!'" Hailey, 22, tells Kidspot. "After that, I started noticing other children commenting that Arliyah had the same hair as Elsa and saying it was cool."

Her daughter hadn’t seen the film, so Hailey sat and watched it with her.

"She loved it straight away," the mum-of-three says. "And she told me then that she was the real-life Elsa!"

Plucky Arliyah’s striking features are down to a rare genetic condition called albinism.

Baby Arliyah's features are due to a rare genetic condition called Albinism. Image: supplied

One of a thousand

Inherited through a recessive gene passed on by Hailey and her husband, Chayd, 22, the tot’s body is unable to produce the pigment melanin.

Found in skin, hair and eyes, its absence makes them very delicate, particularly in sunlight.

Arliyah is one of only around 1000 people in Australia with albinism and the diagnosis came as a shock to the first time parents.

"When Arliyah was just two days old, a nurse asked if I’d ever heard of the condition," Hailey remembers. "Chayd and I were both blonde and people had always joked that when we had a baby it would be an albino. But we’d never imagined that would be true."

As well as Arliyah’s shock of bright blonde hair, doctors noticed the light seemed to be hurting the newborn’s eyes. A specialist confirmed the diagnosis.

"We were told she was blind and that we’d need to keep her out of sunlight," Hailey says. "I just burst into tears."

Arliyah's parents were told that she would be blind. Source: supplied

Finding support

Researching online, the family found the Albinism Fellowship of Australia, which provided support and advice about the condition.

"At first I didn’t know if she was crying because she was a baby or because of her albinism," Hailey says. "I just wanted to keep her shielded from the world.

"When I did go out, I’d come home in tears because of the pointing and questions from strangers," she continues. "The support of my family and the AFA was invaluable."

When Arliyah was eight months old, she reached out for her bottle as Hailey went to feed her.

"I couldn’t believe it," Hailey says.

Arliyah's vision is beginning to strengthen. Source: supplied

Light in the darkness

While still legally blind and suffering from nystagmus, a condition linked to albinism that means her eyes don’t stop moving, the little girl’s vision began to strengthen.

"She has no depth perception and fine details, like facial expressions, are difficult for her to make out, but she’s doing well," Hailey says.

As Arliyah got older, Hailey and Chayd explained to her about her albinism.

"We’re always very open with her," Hailey says. "She’s able to explain it to other people and understands she needs to be extra careful in the sun."

Arliyah also began to notice the stares and strangers sometimes tried to stroke the youngster’s head too.

"It upset her and she told me she was sick of people always touching her hair," Hailey continues.

But then along came Elsa.

The little girl has a new found confidence. Source: supplied

The princess changed how she saw herself

"Arliyah thinks it’s cool they’ve got the same hair," Hailey says.

With the Disney princess as an icebreaker, Arliyah is blossoming.

Starting school next year, she has dreams of being a vet or a doctor when she grows up and just loves singing and dancing to her own special theme tune, Let It Go.

Despite there being a 25 per cent chance of passing albinism to any other children they have together, Hailey and Chayd haven’t let the condition stop them from growing their family.

"We’ve always wanted lots of kids and whatever happened, we knew we could deal with it," Hailey says.

Arliyah is now a proud big sister to brother Reagan, two, and baby Mackenzie, two months.

Arliyah with her baby sister, Mackenzie. Source: supplied

While Reagan doesn’t have albinism, little Mackenzie does, with mother’s instinct telling Hailey she would have the condition before she was even born.

"When she arrived, she had white hair and people were saying that it was perhaps just because she was very fair," Hailey says. "But I knew straight away. This time, we were prepared."

With their family now complete, the young couple are now offering advice and support to others who have received an albinism diagnosis.

"We’ll make sure Arliyah and Mackenzie are proud of who they are," Hailey concludes. "There’s nothing our girls can’t do."

For more information about albinism, go to www.albinismaustralia.org