Where To Watch
Cartoon Cryonics: The Art of Freezing Characters Solid
You could say they're iced out!
There are tons of animation tropes that surpass genres, studios, and subject matter - a classic trope is cryonics. In real life, cryonics is the practice of freezing dead bodies for future use or resurrection. It is not scientifically endorsed as valid or useful - which makes it perfect for cartoons. In cartoon world - cryonics is when a character is frozen solid, either just frozen themselves or in a literal block of ice. The character always survives this, even if things look dicey for a moment. Many cartoons use cryonics as a plot point because it forces the other characters to act quickly to save the frozen character. Sometimes the character is frozen due to natural elements and sometimes there are magical or technological forces at work to freeze them solid.
Try not to get too chilly reading through this icy list of frozen cartoon characters!
Tom
In 1964's Snowbody Loves Me, it's the dead of winter and Tom and Jerry take turns locking each other out of a nice, warm cheese shop. Jerry accidentally locks Tom out and he freezes solid, except for his tail which he uses to drag himself back inside.
Jerry
In the same short, Tom locks Jerry outside buried in the snow. Eventually, Tom's guilty conscience forces him to go outside and save Jerry, who is frozen solid. It is implied that Jerry might not make it, but a spoonful of Schnapps gets him dancing around in no time!
Aquaman
Even an action show like Super Friends uses cryonics! Supervillain and nemesis of Aquaman, Sculpin, uses a freeze ray to freeze the Earth's waters...and Aquaman too! Superman uses his heat vision to melt the ice and free Aquaman.
Scooby-Doo and Shaggy
In the Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? episode "That's Snow Ghost", Mystery Inc. is on vacation at a ski resort and end up investigating a Snow Ghost that is haunting the resort. While being chased by the Snow Ghost, Scooby and Shaggy drive their snowmobile through a pond with thin ice, briefly fall in, and freeze themselves solid. The rest of the gang help by chiseling them out.
Scooby-Doo
You must be saying to yourself "Surely Scooby doesn't get frozen solid again?" Wrong. He does. This time in The Scooby-Doo Show episode "A Scary Night With a Snow Beast Fright", the gang is once again at a haunted ski resort. While escaping a Snow Beast, Scooby climbs to the top of a large totem pole where he is covered in snow and frozen solid. Scooby gets out of this through the power of love - a kiss from a female husky helps melt the ice.
Scooby-Doo
"Again?!" Yes, again! Scooby is a pup-sicle at this point! In the Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo episode "Snow Job Too Small", Scooby is frozen solid once again. Scooby, Scrappy, and Shaggy are tasked with helping a boy named Wilbur travel to receive his Uncle Cosgrove's inheritance, but they're being chased by the Abominable Snowman on the way there. Scooby skis into the side of the mountain and freezes into a block of ice - luckily there is a chalet at the top of the mountain and he is able to warm up once again.
Mystery Inc.
At least this time Scooby-Doo wasn't frozen alone! The whole Mystery Inc. gang was frozen into a block of ice together. In the A Pup Named Scooby-Doo episode "Snow Place Like Home" the gang are once again trying to go skiing when an Ice Demon chases them and freezes the gang together with his ice powers. This time, however, Scooby's tail remains unfrozen, so he uses it as a spring to jump and break the block of ice apart.
Alexander, Melody, and Valerie from "Josie and the Pussycats"
In "Chili Today, Hot Tamale", Josie and the gang are trying to prevent the evil Scorpion from using his weather machine to take over the world. The gang separates and three of them are caught by Scorpion's minions. Scorpion then uses his weather machine and freezes Alexander, Melody, and Valentine solid. Alexandra accidentally frees them by opening the machine, which makes their frozen figures fall over and the ice breaks off of them.
The Smurfs
In the TV movie, Smurfquest, the Smurfs have to go on a journey to find the purest sources of the four primal elements to restore the Long Life Stone, which is the magical stone that basically grants Smurfs eternal life. They go to the Arctic Circle where they encounter Jack Frost, who freezes all the Smurfs into a giant block together. Funnily enough, the person who accidentally saves them is Gargamel, who stumbles and causes a large block of ice to fall and break the Smurfs out of their frozen prison.
One of "The Two Curious Puppies"
In the 1941 Merrie Melodies short, Snowtime for Comedy, one of the two curious puppies falls halfway into a frozen pond, causing his lower half to be encapsulated in ice. He spends the rest of the cartoon trying to get out of the ice and barely makes it out before the credits roll.
Yosemite Sam
Even tough guys like Yosemite Sam aren't immune from being frozen solid! In the 1957 Looney Tunes short, Piker's Peak, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam compete to be the first to reach the top of the mountain. Yosemite Sam intentionally causes an avalanche (to get rid of Bugs) and is buried in the snow and frozen solid. Luckily, a Saint Bernard pulls him out so he can thaw and continue mountaineering.
Daffy Duck
1964's The Iceman Ducketh was the last Looney Tunes short starring both Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. Daffy is hunting Bugs and tries to burn down the tree Bugs is hiding in, causing the snow in the tree to melt and then refreeze on Daffy.
Daffy Duck
Also in The Iceman Ducketh, almost immediately after he thaws, Daffy chases Bugs down a hill. Bugs grabs a bucket of water from the frozen pond and pours it into Daffy - freezing him in a wave of sorts.
