Creating a fictional world can often be difficult. So in order to lighten the load, most writers tend to base their fictional world on somewhere real. We can see evidence of this in works like “Beauty And The Beast”, where it was based in France.
It’s not hard to imagine that the mysterious kingdom of Arendelle, found in the “Frozen” franchise, is also based on someplace real. So now the question lies, where exactly does the kingdom takes its inspiration from? If your guess is the Norwegian city of Arendal, then you are correct.
By now you can already see the similarities between the two’s name, one being Arendelle and the other Arendal. But the similarities doesn’t stop there, as the hotspot is also located at the shoreline. Both of them are known for being a port in their own region.
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In addition, the Norwegian city used to be a popular hub for ship building, timber trade and mining, all of which we can see traces of in the Disney fictional kingdom. Architecturally, the building and castles of Arendelle were also heavily inspired by Norwegian culture with the Norway Stave Church being a major influence.
However, the look and feel of the kingdom was actually based on another Norwegian city named Bergen, which is in the more western part of Norway. Disney has even set up a tour guide to Norway in connection with “Frozen” where their website states that Bergen’s wharf, a UNESCO Heritage Site known as Bryggen, “is the specific inspiration for the setting of Arendelle.”
So with all this talk about the Kingdom of Arendelle, why not experience the setting for yourself once again in Disney’s “Frozen 2”, that is out in cinemas now. Check out the trailer for the Disney sensation here:
