Arendelle castle



Arendelle castle is home to the kingdom's royal family. The castle is staffed by servants, such as Kai and Gerda, and guarded by the Arendelle castle guards.

History
After Elsa injured Anna with her powers, King Agnarr decided that the castle gates were to be closed and that the staff were to be reduced in order to keep Elsa's magic hidden from everyone. The castle remained isolated from the rest of the kingdom for thirteen years; however, three years after King Agnarr and Queen Iduna perished at sea, the castle was opened up for one day to accommodate Elsa's coronation. Though Elsa intended to return the castle to its isolated state, her order went unfulfilled after she fled the kingdom and plunged it into winter.

During Elsa's winter, Hans had the castle opened so that the citizens of Arendelle could obtain food and shelter. As weather conditions worsened, ice began to permeate the castle, blocking some of its hallways. But ultimately, Elsa attained control over her powers and reversed the effects of her winter upon the castle; she decided to keep the castle gates open thereafter. Following summer's return, the castle was adorned with icy features, including decorative pillars and a snowflake on the spire.

When the dam in the Enchanted Forest was destroyed, the castle was at risk of being inundated and destroyed by the ensuing flood of water. Elsa managed to reach Arendelle in time to block the waters with a large barrier of ice, saving the castle and the rest of Arendelle.

Description


The castle is located between an inlet of the sea and a series of cliffs. Beyond its borders, connected by a bridge, is the village where Arendelle's citizens reside. Access to the castle is provided by two sets of gates that are opened and closed by the royal guards.

The castle consists of multiple structures enclosed by walls, and each wall has towers spaced along its length. The wall and towers at the front of the castle are decorated with a series of crests, including Arendelle's official crest. Navigation throughout the castle is provided through at least two sets of staircases, one of which is a spiral staircase.

Attic
The attic is where Elsa and Anna's trunks containing their childhood belongings are stored.

Audience chamber
The audience chamber is where the reigning monarch meets with the citizens to hear and help solve their problems.

Bedrooms
Prior to their deaths, Agnarr and Iduna had a shared bedroom. For the first few years of their lives, Elsa and Anna also had a shared bedroom; however, following the accident with her powers, Elsa was moved to a separate living space.

Chapel
The chapel is where the coronations of prospective monarchs take place. While the majority of the castle's features are housed within one large structure, the chapel is a separate building.

Council chamber


The council chamber contains a long table with a series of chairs and is reserved for meetings. Hans met with the Duke of Weselton and dignitaries in the council chamber to deliver news of Anna's death in order to secure control over Arendelle for himself.

Courtyard
Immediately past the gates is a vast courtyard. It is a mostly open space aside from two fountains designed around a crocus motif. The courtyard is where Elsa's powers were exposed to the kingdom's citizens. Later, the courtyard was transformed into an ice rink through Elsa's magic. It also served as the venue for the start of the holidays and, later, Anna's nineteenth birthday.

Dungeon
The dungeon is a holding area for prisoners. It is where Elsa was held captive after being brought from the North Mountain; however, the dungeon suffered damage when Elsa escaped from it.

Great Hall
The Great Hall is a large room that doubles as a throne room and a ballroom. It is where Elsa hurt Anna with her magic and revealed her powers after striving to conceal them for thirteen years.

In preparation for the Christmas celebrations, the Great Hall was adorned with decorations and tables laden with confectionaries.

Library
The library is a space containing books, including one about the trolls. It has a painting of Agnarr's coronation, to which Elsa looked to calm her nerves prior to her own coronation.

Lighthouses


There are two lighthouses that stand on both sides of an entryway to Arendelle via sea. Both lighthouses are connected to the castle by walls.

Portrait room
The portrait room contains a wide array of paintings. Anna spent time in this room during her younger years, to the extent that she spoke to the pictures on the walls.

Secret passageways
Within the castle walls is a network of passageways that can be accessed through hidden entrances throughout the castle grounds. Though their full extent is not known, the passages are used for storage and contain full-functioning rooms in between corridors.

The most notable is the Earth Giant's Passage, which can be entered from the ice room  and leads outside of the castle grounds and exits behind the waterfall on a small ledge above Arendelle. Somewhere in the middle of the passage is a giant room with a body of water and a boat, which served as a tumulus.

Secret room
The castle has a secret room which can be accessed from the library by interacting with a horse statue. It contains books with important or otherwise sensitive information, as well as various other miscellaneous items. Notable documents stored in it are plans for King Runeard's dam, plans of the castle and it's secret passageways and books related to Elsa's magic.

It's interior is not decorated at all except for the ceiling, which shows a map of the night sky with northern lights. The shelves for storing the books are carved directly into the walls of the room.

Stables
The castle has a set of stables for horses. They are also used to house Sven.

Trivia

 * The castle was originally meant to only incorporate certain motifs from stave churches, but John Lasseter encouraged artists to "go all the way" and holistically celebrate their unique qualities.