As a leading studio for children’s movies, much speculation is put into what Disney portrays in its films. For the first time, with their new hit “Frozen,” they nailed it.
One of Disney’s most popular tropes is that of the princess. In two of its earlier films, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White,” the title princesses literally couldn’t do anything but wait until their princes came to save them from unconsciousness. After what feminists might call moral blunders — portraying to young girls a world in which a brave prince will fix all her problems — female leads became more common. Belle and Jasmine, for instance, insisted they were not “a prize to be won.”
Tiana and Mulan tried to prove they could hold their own in the world. Rapunzel was resourceful and even beat up Flynn with a frying pan, which as a literary symbol could be argued to represent femininity. Despite adding a dynamism to their princesses, Disney has maintained a formula for its princess movies, always presenting true love as a theme and ending with a happily-ever-after and a royal wedding.
Up to this point, the only hope for children is that they aren’t as impressionable as critics believe.
After years of head-shaking at Disney’s educational attempts, there was little more to expect from the newest film other than upbeat musical numbers and a happy ending, but instead Disney dealt aces. “Frozen” was a moral gold mine, covering concepts not just for children, but for all generations.
Before the main conflict even began, the movie undid a generation of princess mistakes, stating that rushing into marriage exhibits poor judgment. In the main theme of love, “Frozen” preaches that being desperate for love can blind a person to what it actually is. It actively denies the idea of love at first sight. Most importantly, it aimed to prove that romantic love is not the only love out there, nor is it necessarily the strongest. Finally, Disney taught viewers that life does not begin when “The One” comes into a person’s life. Family and friends are too important to drop or forget about for that special someone.
Beyond this, screenwriters made good use of the characters without romantic subplots. Although her main purpose is as a plot device, there is a lot to learn from the snow queen. Mainly, that people’s actions are not always what they seem; fear is one of the most crippling forces on the planet; emotions can’t be willed away; happiness comes from being oneself; and the weight of the world does not have to be borne alone. Also, to round it all off, the characters throw in lines to emphasize that people should be loved for who they are, that no one likes to be alone, emotionally charged decisions do not make bad people, and love and understanding are the most effective responses.
The importance of royalty was also taken out of the movie, as it focused mostly on a more relatable theme — sisters. The fact that they were princesses could almost be taken out, and appeared to be merely for convention.
With hope, this is the beginning of a new generation of understanding each other’s struggles, responding with love and not giving up, because the writers at Disney appear to have stumbled onto answers that elude most of the world.
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