‘Frozen’ heats up ‘Once Upon a Time’ ratings

Story highlights

"Once Upon a Time" returned Sunday

There's a "Frozen" storyline this season

Ratings increased 31% over last season

CNN  — 

The return of “Once Upon a Time” on Sunday night left fans “Frozen” in their seats.

The ABC series, which concerns fairy-tale characters who are transported to the real world, had its highly anticipated fourth-season premiere with a storyline that included characters from the hit animated Disney film “Frozen.” (Disney, it should be noted, owns ABC.)

Elsa comes to Storybrooke in search of her sister Anna. Kristoff also got some screen time, with the storyline picking up where the movie ended.

The casting of the “Frozen” characters had been speculated about for months before it was finally announced that “Fringe” star Georgina Haig had been cast as Elsa alongside “Greek” alum Scott Michael Foster as Kristoff and newcomer Elizabeth Lail as Anna. The network even released a teaser trailer for the “Frozen” storyline that didn’t reveal Elsa’s face.

All of the anticipation paid off in the ratings.

According to EW, the series “spiked an impressive 31 percent from last fall to mark its best ratings in nearly two years.”

The “Frozen” storyline wasn’t the only one that generated excitement during the premiere. The Sorcerer’s hat from the film “Fantasia” made an appearance during the characters Rumple and Belle’s honeymoon – possibly portending all types of magical action this season.