Female Empowerment
editFemale empowerment is a recurring theme throughout the film, particularly with Anna and Elsa. The director, Jennifer Lee, the first female director and screenwriter in Disney animation history,[1] stated "We wanted to do really strong female characters that are really relatable and real, and what I love are characters that are messy just like us, but inspirational."[2] Dan Lin, producer of The Lego Movie, stated that Frozen gives "a fresh spin of a familiar genre, the princess genre."[3]
Elsa
editElsa has been locked away for years due to her hidden powers but the townspeople of Arendelle still accept her as queen.[4] Gina Luttrell states "In the world of Frozen, characters do not bat an eye at the idea of a women ruling them." Elsa is able to find happiness and freedom when she escapes her kingdom and flees up the mountain. When Elsa sings Let It Go she able to realize that she can finally be herself and not feel retrained from society.[4] Melissa Leon, of The Daily Beast, writes "For a Disney heroine, finding empowerment in her own feminine physicality, for herself and not the prince, is revolutionary." Elsa also portrays a new image for Disney films on the idea of marriage when she refuses to let her sister marry a man she just met.[5] Frozen provides the audience a message for both men and women that it takes time to build a relationship and it is really important to get to know the other person before getting married.[6]
Anna
editWith Anna, her journey to self-empowerment is a little different when compared to Elsa's. She is more confident than Elsa in the beginning of the film and is not afraid to stand up for herself. Anna can be viewed as a relatable character to the audience because she is clumsy, awkward, and not afraid to make the first move when it comes to men.[4] Anna is different in terms of past Disney princesses because she represents a modern day female.[7] A certian scene in the film there is a reversal of roles between Anna and Kristoff. Kristoff finds himself hanging off a cliff and it is Anna who pulls him back to the edge of safety. Together, Anna and Kristoff jumps off cliffs and fight a large snow monster, however; transportation is the only thing that Kristoff helps Anna with when searching for her sister.[5] A certain scene in the film depicts Anna's strength when she punches Hans in the face sending him flying into the water.
At the end of the movie it is not a prince who saves the day and rescues Anna or Elsa. It is Anna and Else themselves who save each other and the future of Arendelle. The love between Anna and Elsa that they share is what Frozen wants its audience to recognize as “true love”, not the love between a prince and a princess who just met.[5]
- ^ Kit, Borys (December 18, 2013). "'Frozen' Director Wants to Break a Sci-Fi Blockbuster Barrier". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
Lee, 42, is the first woman in the studio's history to act as a director on one of its animated features (she co-directed with Chris Buck).
- ^ Muir, Kate (12 December 2013). "'We wanted these princesses to kick ass'". Times, The United Kingdom.
- ^ Whitney, Alyse (25 November 2014). "How 'Frozen' Inspired a "Go, Girls" Attitude For Strong Female Animated Characters". Bustle. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ a b c Luttrell, Gina (20 January 2014). "7 Moments That Made 'Frozen' The Most Progressive Disney Movie Ever". Arts.Mic.
- ^ a b c Leon, Melissa (29 November 2013). "Disney's Sublimely Subversive 'Frozen' Isn't Your Typical Princess Movie". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Storm, Hannah (3 December 2013). "Is the New Disney Princess Movie "Frozen" Worth Seeing?". bitchmedia. Bitch Media. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Losman, Naomi (1 March 2014). "Thawing the Frozen Phenomenon". On Century Avenue. Retrieved 26 April 2015.