My Undying Love for Disney's Frozen

While I am now in my 20s, an age at which many would consider "grown up" or sophisticated, I am still an avid Disney and animated movie lover. Whenever a new animated movie comes out, I'm the first in line to see it. While I am a huge fan of the "classic" Disney and other animated movies, I also have a different love for the newer animated movies, such as Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 1 & 2, Tangled, Brave, Wreck-it Ralph, etc. All of that love for animated movies was completely outdone once I saw Frozen. I instantly fell in love, have seen it over 10 times, and know all of the lyrics to all of the songs, as well as much of the dialogue. To say I enjoy this movie is a huge understatement. 

Frozen movie poster

There are so many reasons I love this movie; the animation, the story, the voice actors, the songs, the love story, the comedy, how relatable it is, etc. My favorite parts of this movie would have to be both Anna and Elsa's characters in their own respects, the songs, and how it pokes fun at previous Disney movies in a very subtle, yet respectful way.

Princess Anna and Queen Elsa

This movie is so perfect, because it combines everything that is in a typical Disney movie (dead parents, headstrong teenage royal hero/heroine without the typical rules of someone their age, beautifully composed and performed songs, a personified non-human comical sidekick(s), and a love story that is resolved with a kiss at the end of the movie) but it also has several factors that aren't usually included in Disney movies, such as a huge plot twist, a lack of a true villain for the majority of the movie, blurred lines of good and evil, unpredictability, and a few comical pokes at previous Disney movies. Disney really created a wonderful movie that will be loved by all ages for generations to come and will no doubt be received in the same way the "classic" Disney movies have been and continue to be.

The first thing I love about this movie would be Anna's character. She is so relatable, awkward, and funny that you can't help but love her. As I was watching this with my roommates, we couldn't help but assign Anna as my roommate, which ended up being proven throughout the movie to be an accurate comparison. Anna is beautiful, confident, silly, and kind, yet also clumsy, naive, and desperate for human interaction and love, due to essentially being abandoned by her older sister at a very young age and being confined to the castle, without real human interaction, aside from with her parents, their butler, and their maid. Anna is not like the typical, "cookie cutter" Disney princess (strong, confident, graceful), yet she does have many of the same traits as her fellow Disney princesses (beautiful, young, somewhat rebellious, will do anything for love, searching for something to fill a void in her life, etc.). She fits in very well with the other Disney princesses, yet she stands apart for being awkward and quirky, which makes you love her even more. Where Belle and Jasmine are so confident and graceful around the Beast and Aladdin, Anna is clumsy and silly around Hans, but it makes you think of her as more realistic and relatable. The way that Kristoff teases and questions Anna for becoming engaged to Hans after having known him for only one day just shows her naivety and unfailing belief in true love, which she later admits she knows nothing about. Anna is such a fun character that you can't help but fall in love with and root for throughout the entire movie.

Princess Anna

On the other hand, there is Elsa, who is almost like the polar opposite of her sister Anna. While Anna is silly, confident, clumsy, open, loving, and desperate for human affection, Elsa is withdrawn, shy, graceful, serious, and has very little confidence. All of these can be attributed to Elsa's childhood, which was even more difficult than Anna's. Both girls lost their parents, but Elsa also lost all human interaction and was in a constant state of fear for her entire life. She had to deal every day with her guilt for harming Anna with her powers, attempting to unsuccessfully control her powers, struggling to come to grips with who she will always be, having no human interaction, and constantly having Anna make attempts to interact with her only to have to turn her down without an explanation in order to protect her younger sister. As displayed during "Let It Go", Elsa has been essentially bottled up her entire life. Even up on a mountainside, completely alone, Elsa worries what the people back in Arendale will think of her. Elsa is constantly living in a state of fear, due to her lack of understanding and control of her powers.

   

 (Left) Princess Elsa cowering from the effects of her powers.    (Right) Queen Elsa attempting to control her powers during her coronation.

I have watched the scene for "Let It Go" probably 50 times. (As I am writing this blog I have already watched it at least 3 times.) It is without a doubt my favorite part of the entire movie. It is the best transformation I have ever seen of a character, whether animated or live-action. Idina Menzel is FABULOUS as the voice of Elsa, which makes Elsa even more amazing and lovable, since she has a gorgeous voice to match her gorgeous appearance.

Idina Menzel in the studio voice recording for Queen Elsa.

The animators who worked on Elsa did an amazing job of showing the emotional transformations Elsa goes through in a physical way, as well as displaying the physical transformations she also goes through.

   

(Left) The beginning of Queen Elsa's transformation.    (Right) "Let It Go" Video.

Elsa is without a doubt, my favorite animated character ever. Up until now, I had always wanted to be Princess Ariel. Now I would kill to be Queen Elsa.

Queen Elsa

Elsa is, in my opinion, the most beautiful of all of the Disney heroines. She is given gorgeous, long blonde hair, which compliments her icy powers well, but she is beautiful both before and after her transformation. Before her "Let It Go", Elsa is beautiful in a reserved, classic way as she maintains to "be the good girl she always has to be". Once Elsa goes through her physical transformation during "Let It Go" she is absolutely stunning. The way her hair falls in a messy braid and the gorgeous icy dress Elsa creates transform her into a breathtaking vision in white and blue. Honestly, I am seriously considering being Queen Elsa for Halloween, because I love how amazing she looks. The costume she adorns in her ice palace completely mirrors her icy powers and her decision to "let it go".

Queen Elsa

Another reason why I love Elsa so much is her complete emotional and mental transformations. Elsa spends her entire life being scared, bottled up, and alone. Once her powers are finally revealed, she finally gets to let loose and be herself. It is both physically and verbally displayed that Elsa finally feels free and happy for the first time in so many years.

   

(Left) Queen Elsa first beginning to explore her powers.   (Right) Queen Elsa "letting go".

You can visibly see in Elsa's face that she is happier than she has ever been as she plays around with her powers and creates her icy palace and attire. Although she is still troubled and worried about hurting people, as shown when Anna comes to find her.

      

(Left) Queen Elsa trying to make Princess Anna leave.    (Right) "For the First Time In Forever (Reprise)" Video.

The hardest part for Elsa is that she is constantly trying to protect everyone, while also having no control over her own powers. She is terrified of people getting hurt, yet she has no way of stopping herself from hurting them, which causes her to go through intense internal turmoil on a daily basis. Even when she runs away and creates her icy palace of solitude, Elsa realizes no matter where she goes or what she does, she can't control her powers, which refuse to stop affecting the lives of everyone she loves. 

   

(Left) Queen Elsa alone in her prison cell.    (Right) Queen Elsa with Prince Hans in her prison cell.

Queen Elsa

I love that Elsa was originally designed to be the villain of this movie, but then she was rewritten to be a misunderstood heroine, not unlike Elphaba from Wicked (another misunderstood witch played by Idina... I'm sensing a pattern here). While it is pretty apparent that Elsa never means anyone harm and should be considered good, the song "Let It Go" defines Elsa's character and displays not only her hurt and her fear, but also showcases the fun, carefree side of her that Elsa has been dying to let loose her whole life. Elsa is a complicated, complex character that I love to watch and listen to. Idina Menzel has done it again :)

Another great part about this movie is Olaf. Honestly, I could just leave it at that and everyone would understand exactly what I meant, but I think I'll elaborate at least a little. 

   

(Left) The many faces of Olaf.     (Right) Olaf excitedly spotting a flower in the snow.

Frozen poster featuring Olaf.

Honestly, I think it is impossible to look at Olaf without smiling. He just has that effect on you that you can't help but smile, laugh, and feel warmth in your heart. Olaf provides that great comedic relief this movie needs and manages to make every scene he is in something you can smile at. Two of my favorite lines from this movie come from Olaf, "Some people are worth melting for" and "Man I'm out of shape." The first quote makes me melt and the second makes me laugh every time, which is exactly what you're hoping for and exactly what you get out of Olaf. He is the perfect personified, non-human companion for this movie. He is a beacon of unconditional love, optimism, humor, and loyal friendship.

   

(Left) "I don't have a skull... Or bones." ~ Olaf.    (Right) "Some people are worth melting for." ~ Olaf.

   

(Left) "It's like a little baby unicorn!" ~ Olaf.     (Right) "My own personal flurry!" ~ Olaf.

   

(Left) Olaf dancing during "Fixer Upper".     (Right) Olaf during "In Summer".

"Man I'm out of shape." ~ Olaf

This movie also gives children a great message about family and love. As opposed to many other Disney movies, where the princess or heroine is chasing a prince or changing her life for a man she loves, Anna is trying to find and help her sister, Elsa. Even at the end of the movie, when Anna has the choice between running to the man she loves to save herself or running to save her sister, she chooses family over love. You assume up until that point that the "act of true love that will thaw a frozen heart" is true love's kiss, but instead it is Anna displaying her love for her sister Elsa through sacrificing herself to save her older sister. Instead of the main focus of the movie being love in the romantic sense, this movie focuses more on love in the familial sense, which is a nice change of pace.

So in short, I love everything about this movie and 100% recommend that everyone should watch it. I can't wait to watch this movie with my kids and grandkids in the future. This will definitely be a classic Disney movie that will be loved for generations to come.