I have to agree with you Brianna, Olaf has a very childish air about him, in animation choices and in character design (both artfully and thematically). The difference between him and other sidekicks is that the others felt like they belonged in the world that they were selling…not so much here.

I’ve been wrong before, but so far (at least for me) I get the feeling that Olaf may turn out to be the “not so popular” sidekicks. I dunno…I guess I worry that he might end up getting in the way of the serious parts of the film, like the Gargoyles in “Hunchback of Notre Dame”. His design is not helping either…

But I still am excited to see the film for the story and other characters, especially Elsa. I just want it to be the best it can be.

I understand what you’re trying to say, but when I say stylistic choice in this particular case, I mean the art style. Accents and nationalities are an entirely different argument that doesn’t have anything to do with what I’m saying…And most Disney characters are cartoony looking. Including the humans. Olaf just looks a lot more cartoony than most. To me, Flounder and the other characters you mentioned fit into their worlds. Olaf is very different looking. I haven’t seen the movie yet (like everyone else), just trailers and stills. This is where my judgement is coming from. The image on this page is a good example of him looking out of place. That’s all…

But none of us have seen the finished product yet so it is hard to judge whether Olaf will be the next great sidekicks like Genie, Timon or Lumiere or the not so popular ones like the Gargoyles, Philoctetes, or Rutt and Tuke. Accents and nationalities are part of the film’s stylistic choices. For example, though Mushu may have his audience, some critics may feel he may be out of place with the chinese culture feel of Mulan. Not just with the voice and attitude but maybe in animation style as well. Muchu brushing his teeth may feel out of place with some people. Or maybe a better example, Flounder. Flounder does not fit the look of the Little Mermaid entirely. He is more cartoony than Sebastian and Scuttle. But we except him because he is a likeable character. In terms of Frozen, it does make sense to make a “snowman” sidekick because of the environment they are in. Yea, he may look cartoony but Pascal didn’t exactly look like an actual chameleon either.

Okay…I meant out of place in a stylistic way. I never said anything about accents and nationalities. Also, those characters all fit into those worlds. This is literally the first time I’ve had an experience with a Disney film where I felt a character didn’t belong. I know a lot of people feel the same way I do.

Need I remind everyone that Flounder, Genie, and even Mushu had cartoony elements? And if people talk about “out of place,” Sebastian had a Jamaican accent in a Danish fairy tale, Mushu is African American in a Chinese legend, Terk sounded like a New Yorker in Africa same with Timon in Lion King etc. It is a Disney movie, they are not realistic. Fairy Tales and legends are fantasies. So I do not know why everyone is complaining about Olaf. No one complained about Maximus and Pascal. And I do not think chameleons are in Europe yet no one cared.