Unsettling Frozen Theory Proves That Guns Are a Thing in Arendelle
There's a good reason we don't see them.
Animated movies like Frozen are there for us to just let it go and delve into the unknown (sorry, it was asking for it), not for ruining the experience entirely with some unnecessary realism.
However, this is exactly what this fan theory is going to do. If you've ever wondered why Arendelle doesn't have guns even though its general looks allows for them, this one's for you.
According to Redditor Minute_Study_5178, it's the soldiers' uniform we need to look closely at. The thing is, Arendell's guards are usually wearing Napoleonic uniforms, but are only seen using swords and crossbows.
But why would they wear such a uniform if guns didn't exist at all? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to resort to light cloth armor and maybe a helmet?
The theory claims there's a reason: guns do exist, but Arendelle citizens are simply banned from using them, because there may have been "a French Revolution-esque revolt" that the monarchy managed to curb, later prohibiting the use of firearms.
According to the theory, it works, because the movie is set at some point in the 1800s. After the revolt, the security forces were downgraded to using more anachronistic weapons, and guns may have been left for regular army (and we don't see it in the movies).
Besides, if we're talking about a kingdom as snowy as Arendelle, you simply don't want to use firearms a lot because they tend to cause avalanches. Meanwhile, crossbows and swords are much safer in this sense; as if the magical world needs an additional threat aside from a rogue princess who decided to exile herself due to her ice powers!
Of course, another reason might be a lot more prosaic than anything else. Swords and crossbows simply feel more authentic when it comes to fairytales; firearms would only undermine the magical feeling of the Frozen universe.
Source: Reddit