In the Fall 2014 issue of Disney twenty-three, now shipping to D23 Gold Members, D23 sat down with Once Upon a Time creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz to discuss their very cool plan to incorporate Frozen into the new season. But there’s much more happening in Storybrooke this fall! Here’s our D23 Member “web extra” previewing what’s to come for Snow, Charming, Hook, Regina, Emma, and the rest of the characters when the ABC hit returns September 28. Plus, get ready for a reveal that will have you reeling!
So, looking back to the end of last season, can you explain what exactly happened when the Wicked Witch disintegrated, turned into dust, got into the box with the emerald pendant, and opened the portal?
Adam: She died. She turned into some kind of dust and disappeared because of her magical nature. What happened was, the pendant—which had her magic in it—was triggered at the moment of her death and opened the portal. That wasn’t Zelena in smoke form coming out—it was the magic that we had seen that was absorbed into the pendant Glinda gave her. The pendant became the source of Zelena’s power. Regina removed it and put it into her vault. And at the moment of her death, that triggered the portal opening.
Eddy: Of course, “death” is a relative term.
Emma has finally opened—to her family and to Hook—how do you see their relationships evolving?
Eddy: One of the big themes that tied Never Land and the Wicked Witch together is that happy endings aren’t what we think they are. They are something you have to fight for every day. Now it seems like Emma has found her home and she’s happy where she is. Rumple is married to Belle and that seems to be his happy ending. Snow and Charming have a child and they now share one heart. The question is, what happens next? For us, it’s continuing to evolve the characters—especially with Regina. We left her in a really tough spot. People immediately thought she would go “crazy evil.” For us, that’s what’s interesting—now that we’ve done 66 episodes, how does Regina react? We know how she would have reacted in season one. How does she react in season four? We want to honor that and deepen the characters and create some fun mystery along the way.
Do you think it will be difficult for Hook to see a “little Prince Neal” running around as a constant reminder of Neal and Emma’s relationship?
Adam: I think Hook ultimately recognizes Neal for the hero that he was. And because of that, hearing the name and seeing him carried on in a new generation—he sees that as a good thing.
Eddy: He’s far too confident to be worried about other people.
For a while, David and Mary Margaret were arguing about whether to stay in Storybrooke or go back to the Enchanted Forest. Will that arise again?
**To find out what Eddy and Adam had to say—plus which other characters will be making surprising arrivals in Storybrooke, more on Elizabeth Mitchell’s mysterious character, and a Disney “icon” that will be showing up, log in to D23.com and read the full article. If you’re not already a member, join for free today.**