Josh Gad Brings Olaf Back in New ‘Frozen’ Digital Series

Disney is going into the unknown with its latest venture: creating “new” animated shorts, with the challenges of social distancing and isolation. But the risk has paid off: Frozen animator Hyrum Osmond teamed up with Josh Gad to create a new, weekly digital series entirely from their own homes, and the end result is adorable. The two worked separately to bring us the first episode of At Home With Olaf yesterday (April 6), titled “Fun With Snow.”

The digital series follows beloved snowman Olaf and all of his adventures and shenanigans in new episodes on Youtube every week. The 50-second short “Fun With Snow” was written and voiced by Gad and shows Olaf playing with some snowballs and tossing them into the woods. It’s short, sweet and perfect for a little distraction and pick-me-up. Gad tweeted Monday that Frozen and Frozen 2 writer and director Jennifer Lee had reached out to him to suggest the idea for an Olaf digital series and that he recorded everything from home. “Hopefully [the shorts] provide a smile during these scary times,” the actor wrote.

Last month, Disney announced that Frozen 2 would be coming to Disney+ earlier than planned due to the coronavirus pandemic, a welcome surprise for families staying home to help flatten the curve. Aside from his new series with Osmond, Gad has also been pitching in to keep kids and families entertained during the pandemic. He’s been using his Twitter and Instagram to record live streams where read children’s books aloud to listeners as a bedtime story.

You can watch the animated shorts on Walt Disney Animation’s Youtube, and view yesterday’s video above.

Stream Frozen 2 on Disney+