Elsa and Anna from Frozen
Elsa (left) and Anna (right)
Two sisters with similar features but vastly different skin undertones: one is cool and the other one is warm. Both have blue eyes yet Elsa’s eyes are cool blue and Anna’s are warm turquoise. Two sisters who are (most probably) the same Image Archetype but are vastly different Colour Types. Can this happen in real life? Definitely (link)!
Animation studios such as Disney, Pixar and Studio Ghibli are experts in colour theory, the Munsell colour system (the three dimensions of colour) and colour (dis)harmony. The studios use colour psychology and colour (dis)harmony in story telling. Colours are often used to inform the viewer about characters’ personalities as well as character’ development.
Let’s have a look at Frozen (2013), the very popular animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The story is about two sisters, two princesses Elsa and Anna. In terms of Colour Types, Elsa is either a Cool/True Winter or a Bright/Clear Winter and Anna is either a Warm/True Autumn or a Warm/True Spring.
At the beginning of Frozen, right before and after the coronation, Elsa wears Deep/Dark Winter colours. Those are a bit too deep and heavy for her Colour Type. She needs more brightness in chroma and less darkness in value. This heaviness in colour drags down her natural beauty, her energy, her true potential and her authentic self. And that is precisely what the film creators were aiming for. In the story, Elsa feels stressed, depressed and to some degree imprisoned by the heavy secret she tries to hide from the world. She comes across as cold, distant and serious while carrying lots of sadness in her heart. The moment she starts singing “Let it go”, she lets go of her Deep/Dark Winter clothes and wears a bright, icy and sparkly dress that is in perfect balance with her natural beauty and her natural colouring. We suddenly see her strength, her authentic self and her beauty come to life. The moment she wears HER colours, she lites up. /This is the same effect with any person on the planet and an effect my clients experience in front of the mirror during the colour analysis session./ After her transformation, Elsa looks happy, energised, independent, powerful, brilliant, self-sufficient and free.
How about Elsa’s younger sister Anna? Anna is most probably a Warm/True Autumn or a Warm/True Spring. Warm/True colour palettes evoke friendliness and trust. Such characters are often chatty, sociable, witty, friendly and bubbly. So is the personality of Anna. In contrast to Anna, her sister Elsa is quite the opposite. She is more introverted, slightly reserved, mature, dignified, secretive … simply the ice queen. That is why the creators chose a cool colour palette to represent Elsa and a warm colour palette to represent Anna.
Look at the sisters in the photos. While the geometry of their features is nearly identical, you can clearly see the difference in their colouring. If they go shopping together for makeup for instance, Elsa will choose a pink based foundation, pink blush, deep & bright blue-based fuchsia lipstick, sparkly pink & deep purple eye shadow duo and a black eye liner. Anna, on the other hand, will choose a foundation that is warm and peachy. Her blush will be warm coral red, her lipgloss will be warm peach and her eye liner is warm brown. Anna has lower value contrast than Elsa which is also reflected in the way the creators did their makeup. There is greater contrast between the darkest and the lightest value on Elsa’s face and lover difference in value on Anna's face and it it in perfect harmony with both of their Colour Types.
Swap the colour of their hair, and it will be off with regards to their skin tones and eyes. Swap the colour of their lips and the overall image is out of balance. Swap the colours of their clothes and suddenly neither will look as authentic as before.
Have you noticed the power of colour theory in animated movies? Do you like articles about animated characters? What Colour Type do you believe Princess Kaguya from Studio Ghibli could be? What other animated character shall I analyse next? Please leave your comments below.
(All Images are from Google Images and are “labelled for reuse”.)