Sven: Choosing a Friend over Food

You know what I love most about this part?

It’s not solely because Sven gives the carrot back to Olaf after we thought he would eat it, but the meaning behind why he does give it back.

Remember that Sven LOVES carrots. They are his favorite food, and he’s loved them since he was a fawn. And like most animals, Sven can get very greedy whenever he spots even just one carrot.

And so when Olaf is given a carrot for his nose, Sven doesn’t hesitate to try and take a bite out of it whenever he can…but he fails each time, and it’s one of my favorite running gags in the movie. ;)

So then when Olaf sneezes it off his face and it lands right in Sven’s mouth, he doesn’t hesitate to suck it up, and even gives Olaf a sly smile. Now that he succeeded in snagging the carrot, we think he’s going to be greedy and chomp it up like he always does with carrots.

But instead he puts it right back on Olaf’s face where it belongs.

The reason why I love this moment is because it shows how selfless Sven is and can be. Earlier in the film, it could be speculated that Sven was only interested in Olaf because of his nose. And when he finally got the carrot, since it is his favorite food, you definitely wouldn’t expect him to give it up after he had attempted and failed before.

But since Sven does return it, it shows that he clearly does like Olaf and values his friendship. Maybe he was just after the carrot at the beginning, but in the end, the two are best buds. :)