Which kind of "ball" was Anna expecting for the ballroom?

Question

In Frozen, Anna sings the words

Why have a ballroom with no balls?

I thought this was meant to be humorous and that it was intentional wordplay (or something like that). Anna, who is still essentially a child inside, was excpecting a ball-room, not a ballroom:

My wife disagrees; she thinks it's not an attempt at humor or wordplay etc. but rather she thinks it's a straightforward question: "Why have a 'dance-room' if we never have dances in it?"

Is there any official indication as to which kind of "ball" Anna was expecting for the ballroom?

Answer 1

I think the full lyrics of the song answer this question for us. Look at the bold lines below. Anna clearly has an expectation of what is going to be happening and none of it involves a ball pit.

Also consider, from an out-of-universe perspective, that little plastic balls had not yet been invented.

The window is open, so’s that door
I didn’t know they did that any more
Who knew we owned eight thousand salad plates?
For years I’ve roamed these empty halls
Why have a ballroom with no balls?
Finally they’re opening up the gates

There’ll be actual real live people
It’ll be totally strange
But wow, am I so ready for this change!

’Cause for the first time in forever
There’ll be music, there’ll be light
For the first time in forever
I’ll be dancing through the night

Don’t know if I’m elated or gassy
But I’m somewhere in that zone
’Cause for the first time in forever
I won’t be alone

I can’t wait to meet everyone! [gasp]
What if I meet... the one?

Tonight, imagine me gown and all
Fetchingly draped against the wall
The picture of sophisticated grace
Ooh! I suddenly see him standing there
A beautiful stranger, tall and fair
I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face.

[...]

Edited to address the concerns about the plastic ball being around in the time period Anna lived in. Yes, balls as we know them were around but made of different materials, and I doubt they would work well as pit materials (try jumping on a pile of soccer balls and let me know how that goes). I also highly doubt that the movie is supposed to set in the 1970's... but probably in 1840's as that is when the story it is based on was written.

Answer 2

There are clear indications that Anna has been to "balls" before her 'accident' convinced the King and Queen to shut the castle gates.

“Do you want to build a snowman?”

Elsa’s eyes popped open. That got her attention.

The girls were the daughters of Arendelle’s king and queen, and the best of friends. Elsa couldn’t resist Anna’s begging. The sisters ran down the hallway in their nightgowns, laughing as they hurried along. Entering the Great Hall, where all the royal balls were held, they turned to each other.

_{^{Frozen: Junior Novel}}

As such, Anna would have been well aware of what a ball was, albeit her only direct experience of them would have been as a child.

Answer 3

Trying to answer, through this question could fit better with English.SE. My take is that, depending on how you want to see it, it is a pun or not. The video is on Youtube.

No pun intended explanation:

From the Wiktionary, a ball is also a formal dance. So it may not be a pun at all: litterally "why having a ball room if we never have guests?". This fits with the theme of the song and the beginning of the movie, since Elsa and Anna have been secluded for the most part of their life, and the coronation ball will be the first time Anna meets people since a long time.

It is actually the first time in her life she will witness a ball in the ballroom. The other lyrics are all about her excitement about the incoming party.

Pun intended:

I am not sure that a pun was intended here, but if, by ballroom, Anna really meant a room full of balls, then it shows her innocence and naivety. This foreshadows the second part of the movie, where Anna is shown as a naive girl. Being isolated from the society for so long, her view on people are modeled on what she read and dreamed. That is not a surprise that she falls in love (or believe to be in love) with the first (falsely) charming prince she met. Parts of the lyrics of the song are about the possibility that she will meet "the one" during the party and how she idealize their first meeting.

I didn't look for words of god on the topic. Not sure it would exist anyway.

Answer 4

There is an intentional pun in the material. As described in an interview with the songwriters on NPR: Songwriters Behind 'Frozen' Let Go Of The Princess Mythology

GROSS: That's "For the First Time in Forever" from the soundtrack of "Frozen," which has just come out on DVD. And the songs for this animated movie were written by my guests Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

So, you know, it's a fun song. There's a line in it that is definitely I think not for children but for adults.

GROSS: And the line is, don't know if I'm elated or gassy. But I'm somewhere in that zone.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON-LOPEZ: I didn't think you were going to bring up that line. I thought you were going to say, why have a ballroom with no balls?

GROSS: Oh. You know, that never - the double entendre nature of that didn't occur to me. But, anyway, so talk about the line I did mention.

ANDERSON-LOPEZ: Sorry. Don't know if I'm elated or gassy. But I'm somewhere in that zone. Again, we were trying to say this is a Disney Princess who gets gas. This is a Disney princess who is human with a human body and we're going to spend some time with a real girl.

The interview does go on to describe that there are indeed jokes for adults in the score.

Anna is aware of the human body. She may have the basics of the male anatomy down too. In either case, the songwriters wanted to make sure the adults watching the film also had a few jokes too.