Hans vs. Kristoff: Two Different Love Interests

Among the reasons why I love Frozen so much, another one is the fact that Anna finds herself in a love triangle with two completely different men. Hans is a prince, born of royalty like her, while Kristoff is a poor ice harvester, definitely among common citizens with no special title.

When I say “different” to describe the two men, it’s not solely because of their social classes. Their differences range from how they appear and act based on their personalities, and those differences are especially shown when they interact with Anna. Although they both perform some of the same gestures, there are still differences in them, including when they lift her into the air and catch her as she falls.

But once you watch the movie again, after you know that Hans is the villain, you can understand how he and Kristoff differ so much in terms of being love interests for Anna. And no, I’m not simply saying something along the lines of “Hans is wrong because he’s bad, while Kristoff is right because he is good.” It’s based on so much more than that.

Because he pretends to be a charismatic and noble prince, something that he truly is not, Hans is meant to represent the false, superficial, and artificial aspects of love. On the other hand, while Kristoff initially acts grumpy and hostile, he opens up as he falls for Anna. He represents the honest, true, and realistic aspects of love, and it’s all based on how he grows to care for Anna and becomes determined to keep her safe.

Prince Hans: Flawless, Yet Artificial

When Anna first meets Hans, their meeting goes very awkwardly because of how they fall on top of each other while the boat tips and is positioned upright. Not to mention that Anna babbles nervously the whole time. Yet it’s played out to be adorable and romantic at the same time, like a typical “love at first sight” meeting. It’s almost like she figuratively and literally falls for him, so to speak.

But why does she fall for him? Because he is very handsome, polite, and undeniably charming. In terms of his looks, he is very thin, neatly dressed, and has combed, auburn hair. He looks and acts just like a prince from a fairy tale. He is the kind of guy that girls would swoon over and dream about, and he probably gets girls falling to his feet all the time. But his looks are part of him representing the artificial; they are part of his act. Even in this brief amount of time, Hans manages to succeed in wooing and manipulating Anna with his looks, manners, and choice of words, the latter including when he asks “Just you?” He says this to appear interested so that she will be interested in him right then and there. His looks especially are what reel her in and make her notice him for the first time.

So then after their first meeting, not only is Anna always drawn towards Hans because of his looks, but his actions and choices of his words are artificial regarding what he does to make her believe that he loves her. He is shown to be a very flirty person, always smooth, suave, and sophisticated, even when he “catches” Anna. In that moment, it’s a perfect flirting tactic, and a useful part in his plan to win her over. Not to mention afterwards, he smoothly places his glass down and raises his eyebrows before leading her into a waltz. Of course, not only he is being so smooth and not showing concern for the fact that Anna almost fell, but it seems too much of a coincidence that he was in the right place at exactly the right time.

One thing that I find very interesting is that, during all the time they spend together, Anna acts very awkward and somewhat dorky around Hans, yet unless you want to count their first meeting, there is never a moment when Hans acts genuinely awkward around Anna. This is probably because Hans knows every pick-up line and action in how to act around people and how to make girls fall for him. He is like a preprogrammed machine, because he says and does things so perfectly around her, like he’s overly confident in himself and knows how to avoid making mistakes. He’s so perfect, which actually seems a little too suspicious. In all, Hans just seems to be keeping Anna in place, which is probably what she wanted a man, someone who was so sophisticated and could help her “fix” her awkwardness.

At the same time, everything Hans says and does is done, in subtle ways, by force (including during their duet, when he twirls her, then pulls her closer to him). Because he sees Anna as his ticket to gaining control of Arendelle, he wants Anna to fall for him so that his plan will succeed. His acts all clearly say “I want you to like me, so I’ll make you like me.” Whatever he does, whether it is flirting with Anna, dancing with her, or even standing up for her, he makes sure to act perfect to keep her on his side. He doesn’t do any of it for her, he does it all for himself, even when it comes to “Love Is An Open Door.”

Not only are Hans’s true motives hidden during the song, but he forces himself on to Anna by creating an artificial image of himself. He continues to appear to be too good to be true by basically mirroring his true self to make Anna believe that they are so alike in many ways, so that it means that they are truly meant to be. Singing the romantic duet, along with flirting with the girl, taking her out on a magical night, and delivering every pick-up line and action, are all part of Hans’s definition of love. But again, from his looks to his actions, everything about Hans is artificial, and that’s just why Anna falls for him. She concludes that he loves her entirely when he proposes to her, and so she says yes.

However, the major flaw in Anna’s relationship with Hans is that their supposed “love” for each other was so rushed. There were acting on a crazy romantic whim and didn’t really get to know each other at all. There wasn’t much development after that because they spend more time apart from each other after Hans’s proposal. So when they are finally reunited, Anna learns the harsh truth that her “true love” never loved her at all.

Kristoff Bjorgman: Flawed, Yet Genuine

Because Anna believes that Hans is her true love when she goes to find Elsa, she is not looking for someone else to love when she first meets Kristoff. Upon their first meeting, it also goes awkwardly because she doesn’t know what to do or say when he approaches her. She is kind of disgusted by his snow-covered appearance, along with his cross attitude and rude manners, particularly when he gets up in her face and not-so-subtly orders her to move because she is in front of the carrots. And like Hans, shortly after meeting her, Kristoff also says to Anna, “It’s just you.”

However, the difference in what happens with Kristoff is that it is more real, more genuine. Kristoff and Anna’s first meeting isn’t romantic, but it’s more realistically awkward. It’s more relatable, not only because we’ve all met a rude person, but because it shows that not all meetings with your true love start out in a romantic way. They can literally happen anywhere and in any way. And Kristoff saying “just you” to Anna is just part of his brutal honesty. He’s just being himself as he says this, while when Hans says it, he does so in a way that sounds more rehearsed.

As for when Kristoff catches her, it’s again the opposite. Kristoff catches Anna for her, not for himself. He doesn’t expect anything from her, he just catches her because she asks him to do it. And unlike Hans, who didn’t even show the slightest amount of concern that Anna might have fallen, Kristoff does briefly look worried because Anna may fall and hurt herself if he doesn’t catch her. This moment shows that Anna is already starting to affect him, with the proof being the gaze he gives her afterwards. It’s a lead-in to his later desire to keep her safe because, again unlike Hans, he genuinely cares for Anna and would do anything to make sure she is safe and happy.

Moving on, remember that Kristoff grew up without much human contact. While he has learned about love from the trolls, he never experienced it himself. While Kristoff is handsome, his appearance includes a broad, stocky body, an unruly, untidy blonde mane, and messy, scruffy clothing. He is no love expert, and because of his looks and attitude, he is probably the kind of man from whom most girls will run away. But his appearance plays no part in when he falls for Anna and she for him. His own definition of love is care, including being concerned for the well-being and safety of others, along with sacrificing his needs for the other person. He demonstrates this perfectly when he rushes Anna back to Arendelle, including giving her his hat in a last ditch effort to keep her warm. And even when another storm appears in Arendelle, he knows that she could be fine, but he literally risks his life to rush back through the frozen fjord to see whether or not Anna is truly safe. This is stark contrast from earlier, because he said he didn’t care if she died on her own.

What is also so terrific about Kristoff’s actions is that they are the best way to show that you love someone. While he doesn’t know exactly what to do, he just goes with how and what he feels. He doesn’t try to make Anna fall for him, he just wants what is best for her. He wants her to be safe and happy. He acts spontaneously, but he’s doing what he believes is right and what he thinks can help. In all, Kristoff does this while just being himself. Everything he does for Anna is on instinct and straight from the heart. It’s what makes him much more genuine compared to Hans. Kristoff didn’t even need a romantic duet for his idea of love; in fact, in “Fixer Upper,” not only does he not even sing at all, but his family is the one that forces him towards Anna. And while Hans acts picture perfect in his song, the trolls instead show Anna the flaws that Kristoff has. They are showing her that, even though Kristoff isn’t perfect, he is the real deal. No one is perfect, and even our flaws make us who we are.

And while Hans always acts smooth and confident around Anna, Kristoff actually becomes awkward when he starts to fall for Anna. Like Anna was with Hans, Kristoff feels nervous and unsure of himself because he doesn’t really know what to do. But again, Kristoff is just being himself. He acts on instinct, from the heart, so it’s more genuine. More so, even when he acts this way after saying he’d like to kiss Anna, he actually asks her first, showing that he respects her, is considerate of her feelings, and doesn’t want to force her into doing something. Remember that Anna initially wanted someone who could help her “fix” her awkwardness. But rather than getting “fixed up” by Kristoff, she becomes more awkward, and they just become awkward together. Since they’re very alike in this way, perhaps it’s meant to show that Kristoff is the better way to go. ;)

The fact Kristoff begins to show his true self when he falls for Anna is the reason why she begins to fall for him. Having been a little frightened of him when they first met, as he opens up and warms to her, she sees him in a different light. Rather than falling for him on the outside, she looks past his exterior and falls for the inside of him. And unlike how Hans and Anna’s relationship started and quickly grew into one of “love,” the kind of relationship Kristoff and Anna have, from starting off as a friendships to blossoming into one of love, especially for who they are on the outside, is the best way to fall in love with anybody.

Same Gestures, Different Performances

So I already mentioned the differences in the same actions and words that Kristoff and Hans do/say while with Anna. But here are some additional moments:

Hans

When they sing “Love Is An Open Door,” Hans comes up behind Anna and lifts her up by her waist. Notice that he doesn’t face her as he does this. In fact, the way he holds and lifts her appears as if he is treating her like a delicate trophy or object, rather than a person. And since he doesn’t love her, he probably doesn’t want to get too comfortable with her.

And since he doesn’t love her, he probably doesn’t want to get too comfortable with her. After Anna begs Hans to kiss her, he seems like he wants to get what she wants over with, so he hurriedly picks her up. He then rushes over to the couch, and even settles her down somewhat roughly. This shows that he is not truly concerned about her and her well-being.

He then rushes over to the couch, and even settles her down somewhat roughly. This shows that he is not truly concerned about her and her well-being. When he’s about to kiss her…duh, Hans just stops seconds away from touching Anna’s lips! Before he does, he caresses Anna’s cheek for a second and holds her chin by his fingers. He seemingly holds her with this sense of power and control, like he owns her and she’s an object. He doesn’t hold her with tenderness, even before he reveals his true nature.

Kristoff

When Kristoff expresses his delight with his new sled, while facing Anna, he happily grabs her around her waist, lifts her up, and twirls her several times.

When he returns her to the castle, Kristoff carries Anna to the gates, then gently lowers her on her feet when they open and the servants arrive for her.

As he leans in to kiss her, Kristoff shows tenderness to Anna as he caresses her cheek, and a smile creeps up on both of their faces as they have a gentle and loving hug.

Conclusion

In summary, Frozen puts Anna in a love triangle between two different men. You have Hans, who is handsome, polite, noble, and charming, and you have Kristoff, who is grumpy, scruffy, and rude. Hans seems to be completely perfect and flawless in everything, not to mention he knows every pick-up line and action in order to woo a girl. But everything Hans says and does is artificial. He turns out to not at all be who Anna thought he was.

Now Kristoff does have noticeable flaws and is not a perfect prince charming in the least. But he begins to change and reveal his true self over time when with Anna. While he hardly knows anything about love, he just follows his instincts. Even though he has flaws, they are just part of who he is. He is the real deal, even if he’s not perfect at all.

So given all that I have just said, is it really hard to choose who is better for Anna? :)