Elsa Van Helsing

This article is about the character fromFrankenweenie. For the character fromFrozen, seeElsa.

Elsa Van Helsing

Background information

Feature films

Frankenweenie

Voice

Winona Ryder

Inspiration

Tambry
Lydia Deetz fromBeetlejuice

Character information

Full name

Elsa Van Helsing

Occupation

Student, the "Little Dutch Girl"

Home

New Holland

Likes

Victor, Persephone, singing, goth

Dislikes

Persephone taken away, her uncle lecturing her, Victor sad

Powers and abilities

Singing

Paraphernalia

Stick

Status

Active

Family information

Parent(s)

Unnamed parents

Other relatives

Mr. Burgermeister (uncle)

Pets

Persephone (dog)

Elsa Van Helsing is the tritagonist ofTim Burton's2012 stop-motionDisney filmFrankenweenie.

Description[]

Elsa Van Helsing is a 10-year-old soulful and serious classmate ofVictor Frankenstein. She lives next door to him with her tyrant uncle,Mayor Burgermeister, who forces her to be this year's "Little Dutch Girl" at the town's Dutch Day celebration. Elsa also has a beloved pet, her poodlePersephone, and truly empathizes with Victor when he loses Sparky. She is the object of Victor's affections. Her appearance looks like a female counterpart to Victor. Although she and Victor may not show it, but the two neighbors appear to harbor romantic affections towards each other.

Appearances[]

Frankenweenie[]

Elsa first seen with her uncleMr. Burgermeister while her parents are away, as she plans to go to school, which Burgermeister replies to his niece that he will be in charge for Dutch Day with no mistakes. She is later seen attending school with the other students during science class. Elsa later watches during a game of baseball with her pet poodlePersephone in the bleachers which Elsa reacts toVictor scoring a home run.

Later that night, Victor approaches Elsa who is reciting for Dutch Day singing "Praise Be New Holland" while she overhears Sparky barking and as Victor approaches her, she tells him that he must have missed his dog, trying to keep his experiments a secret just before Victor returns home. Later at the Dutch Day festival, Mr. Burgermeister is present on stage presenting his niece Elsa. forcing her to be the Little Dutch Girl for the celebration, which she doesn't want to do; however, after a bit of stage fright, she sings in front of the audience as it is shown that Mr. Burgermeister is forcing her to be the Little Dutch Girl for the celebration, which she doesn't want to do. Just as she continues performing on stage,Shelley, who has grown into a mutated turtle, causes rampage across the fair. Later, as the revived pets cause more havoc across the city, amutated rat attacks Elsa who attempts to repel him away while Persephone attempts to ward him off. Sparky takes on the mutated rat in combat to which during battle, the rat bites the screw on Sparky's left side of his head, killing the rat and saving Elsa and Persephone in progress.

With the rat killed, Elsa approaches Persephone while Sparky approaches her whichMr. Whiskers, who was mutated into a bat-like creature, grabs Elsa's poodle whileSparky and Elsa attempt to rescue Persephone. Victor attempts to rescue Elsa only to be attacked by Mr. Whiskers while Sparky, who frees himself, wrestles the mutated cat to save his owner. Victor then uses a rope to rescue Elsa and Persephone which Elsa is suddenly reunited with her uncle. With Victor rescued from the burning windmill and Sparky retrieved from the remains of the windmill, Elsa then stands next to her uncle who is seeing Victor trying to wake up Sparky which Victor's dog suddenly wakes up, happy to see his dog back to life while Persephone, Elsa's dog, happily shares an embrace with Sparky, ending the film.

Trivia[]

Elsa Van Helsing bears a strong physical resemblance to Lydia Deetz, a character fromTim Burton's1988 film,Beetlejuice. Winona Ryder, Elsa's voice actress, also played Lydia. Winona Ryder is replying her character again in the 2024 sequel film,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
- Elsa Van Helsing also bears a strong physical resemblance to animated Lydia Deetz from the animated seriesBeetlejuice (TV series). Except animated Lydia Deetz was voiced by Alyson Court for the animated series.
Elsa's surname is a reference toProfessor Abraham Van Helsing, a prominent character fromBram Stoker's 1897 horror novelDracula, who is Dracula's nemesis.
Elsa being kidnapped and terrorized by the Vampire Cat may draw parallel to Winona Ryder's portrayal of Mina Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Elsa's first name was named after the actressElsa Lanchester, the woman who starred opposite Boris Karloff inBride of Frankenstein as the titular character.
Elsa's parents are never revealed in the movie.
Victor Frankenstein is also older than her.
Elsa's hair is similar to Temari's hair fromNaruto.
This Elsa was introduced a year before theElsa fromFrozen, although it is theother Elsa that more people are familiar with, largely due to the level of success of the film and the song "Let It Go".
Her last name is the same as Ericka Van Helsing fromHotel Transylvania 3 released six years later.