A little over a week ago was the one year anniversary of the theatrical release of one of the most amazing movies of all time, Disney’s Frozen. In case you were unaware, I, just like millions of others around the world, am OBSESSED with all things Frozen. I sing “Let It Go” on a daily basis, dressed up like Elsa for Halloween, and basically cried the other day when I saw the Frozen-themed light show these people in Austin created this year. (Here’s a link if you want to see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX2d1LamXb0). Frozen has created something so special and one year later the mania is still off the charts! I decided to share some of the reasons I love Frozen and why I think it continues to inspire one year later.
1.
Anna is perfectly imperfect
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Let’s be honest, we all
look like crap in the morning. It’s just a fact of life. So, the moment they
showed Princess Anna wake up from what clearly must have been the world’s
greatest sleep looking like an absolute hot mess, I knew she was going to be perfectly
imperfect. When I was a kid, I used to watch Cinderella wake up from her restful
slumber looking like she just wrapped a photo shoot. This isn’t a bad thing,
but as I said before, nobody looks like that when they wake up. This scene of
Anna with unkempt hair and DROOL on her face instantly made her more relatable,
and I loved her for it.
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Another thing about Anna
that I love is her awkwardness. She runs into a hot guy and she instantly has
no idea how to behave. I know a lot of girls who that resonates with. While a
three-year old may not understand that, they will when their older and they’ll
appreciate that about Anna. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, to do what she
wants, and marches to her own drum. She’s confident and spunky, spirited and
passionate.
All of this aside,
perhaps one of my favorite things about Anna is the way she fiercely stands by
her sister, her family. Family truly is one of the most important thing in the
world. They’re the people who will always stand by you no matter what. Anna
doesn’t give up on her sister, even though she’s been shut out for years. Even after
she sees the power within her sister, she still goes after her. She sees the
best in people and she does whatever it takes to make sure her sister knows
she’s loved.
The scene at the end of
the film, sorry for those who haven’t seen it but come on it’s been a year,
where Anna sacrifices herself to save her sister is one of my favorite moments
in any Disney Princess movie I have ever seen. Anna is selfless, brave, and a
heroine for any little girl or boy to look up to.
2.
Olaf. Enough said.
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Who doesn’t love this
snowman? I mean, for real! He is the most quotable character in this movie. He
is hilarious. He makes you happy just by looking at his goofy little snowman
face. And even though he’s just a sidekick, he is such an important part of the
movie. He’s a symbol of Elsa’s love for her sister. When Elsa creates him, it’s
from the memories of her and Anna as a child. He guides Anna through the movie
when Elsa can’t. He’s caring and has the biggest heart of them all. You just
gotta love Olaf!
3.
The Men
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There is not one, but
two love interests in this movie. I must admit, when I first saw the movie I
was absolutely blinded by Hans’s perfection that I audibly gasped when he
turned on Anna in the end. I couldn’t believe that handsome prince would end up
being the VILLIAN! This is a Disney movie! However, upon watching the movie
about a hundred more times I absolutely love that they made Hans the villain.
It shows that you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Just because he looks
like a perfect prince, walks like a perfect prince, and talks like a perfect
prince doesn’t mean he is a perfect prince.
Enough about Hans, let’s
move on to the real man in this movie, Kristoff.
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Perhaps one of the funniest
Disney men ever, Kristoff is honestly just a huge dork. He “talks” to his pet
reindeer, was raised by rock trolls, and gets choked up at the sight of
beautiful ice structures. With all this aside, the reason I love Kristoff so
much is because he treats Anna as an equal and falls in love with her because
of her strength and bravery, not just her pretty face. Kristoff doesn’t treat
Anna like some weak girl, he speaks his mind regardless of her feelings and
doesn’t care if he says something she doesn’t want to here.
One of my favorite
Kristoff and Anna moments is when she lets go of the mountain she was trying to
scale and just assumes he’s going to catch her. Kristoff is totally caught
off-guard by this girl. He just sets her down and watches her walk away. He
knows she’s different, that she’s strong and smart. Kristoff respects Anna and
I think their relationship is so refreshing. It was built on something more
than just love at first sight.
4.
“Let It Go” and the whole soundtrack,
basically
This song is an anthem
for anyone who has ever been afraid to be who they truly are. It’s empowering
and just makes you feel good when you belt it at the top of your lungs. The
sequence in the movie where Elsa sings “Let It Go” is perhaps my favorite sequence
in any Disney movie I have ever seen. You see her slowly becoming more and more
comfortable as she sheds off the layers and gives in to her true self. By the
end of the song, she is strutting it in her ice palace rocking that daring blue
ice dress. Elsa is so much happier after she’s let it go and become who she
truly is after being so scared for so long. It’s just truly a beautiful scene
and I could watch it over and over again. If you’ve never seen it, you can
watch it here:
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All of the other amazing
songs the Lopezes wrote, as well as the instrumental score, make for such a wonderful
soundtrack. “Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?” has caught on like wildfire and “In
Summer” is such a catchy little song. The score is sweeping and grand. All of
these elements just helped add to the amazing story that the writers created,
which brings me to my next point.
5.
The Story
Did you know that Elsa
actually started as a villain? It wasn’t until the Lopezes wrote “Let It Go”
that the writers decided that Elsa wasn’t the villain, she was just
misunderstood and lost. That’s when the story shifted to not just be a story
about true love, but to be a story about acceptance and the power of family.
I could go on and on
about how much I love this story but I’ll try to keep it short. Disney broke so
many of their clichés with this one. First, Elsa scoffs at Anna’s admission
that she and Hans are in love…after one day. Perfect! The handsome prince ends
up being the villain. What a twist! Princess Anna’s sacrifice is the act of
true love, not a kiss from a man. This is by far one of my favorite moments in
the entire movie. Anna knows she’s close to completely freezing up, yet when
she sees her sister in trouble without hesitation she runs to save her. After
everything the two sisters have gone through, Anna still rushes to Elsa’s side
and saves her life. In that moment, Elsa is absolutely overcome with emotion.
How could Anna still care for her so much after everything she’d done? It’s such
an emotionally heavy scene.
When Anna begins to
unthaw, Elsa realizes that love is the answer to her powers. She can control
them through love. Elsa never knew this because she was always so terrified of
what she could do, terrified of hurting people. When she finally realizes she
can control her powers, that she’s capable of being herself and doesn’t have to
live in fear anymore, Elsa is able to FINALLY completely let it go.
6.
The Animation
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Not only is the story of
Frozen amazing, but visually it’s
truly a work of art. The animators spent so much time researching snow and ice
in order to make sure the film looked as believable as possible. They used
special technology to generate all of the snowflakes that were in the film,
which helped to make each snowflake unique. Elsa actually has more animated
hairs on her head than Rapunzel had! Which is why Elsa’s hair is so amazing!!
They researched traditional Norwegian dress in order to create the costumes
worn by the characters. Oh, and let us not forget that amazing “Let It Go”
sequence I mentioned earlier. I mean, wow! The winter landscapes, Olaf, Anna’s
act of true love, everything was just so beautiful to look at.
7.
Queen Elsa
First of all, she’s a
queen, not a princess. Don’t forget it. Moving on. I think the reason I love
Elsa so much is because she’s a character almost anyone can identify with. We’ve
all, at some point in our lives, been insecure about who we are. I know there
have been plenty of times where I’ve thought to myself, would people like me if
they really saw the whole me? Or maybe you have a talent that you’re afraid to
show the world. You’re afraid of what people will think. Elsa is a symbol of
hope for all those who have ever struggled with acceptance and self-doubt.
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After hurting her sister
when she was a little girl, Elsa lived in isolation and fear of her powers. She
learned to hide them, “conceal, don’t feel, don’t let it show.” When she finally
reaches her limit and cracks that strong, cold façade she’d created for herself
she immediately runs away. Once Elsa is far up in the mountains, she decides to
embrace her powers. As I said earlier, during her transformation you can see
how her body language changes, her confidence soars, and she begins to feel
comfortable in her own skin.
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It isn’t until the very
end, after Anna’s sacrifice, that she realizes she needs more than just herself
to be happy. She needs to be surrounded by love and those who love her for who
she is. Anna’s selfless act proves to Elsa that people can and will accept her
for who she is. They’ll even love her for it. I’m never happier than when I’m
being my true self and surrounded by people who love me. While I’m still scared
to share my gift of singing with people, I hope that one day I can have the
courage to get up and belt out “Let It Go” in front of a room full of people. Elsa
shows that overcoming insecurity, having the confidence to be yourself and
sharing your gifts with the world can be magical.
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So there you have it, my, albeit, exhaustive list of reasons why I love Frozen. If you took the time to read all of that I applaud you! And I hope you now go and pop Frozen into your DVD or Blu-Ray player…like, right now.
May you have the best of luck finding all of the Frozen-themed toys your child most likely put on their Christmas List!
May you have the best of luck finding all of the Frozen-themed toys your child most likely put on their Christmas List!
Happy Holidays,
Alex