Thoughts on "Frozen"

At this point, I'd have to say my favorite movie this year is Frozen.  Gravity affected me more while I was watching it, but Frozen is the movie I'm still thinking about weeks later.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, for the beautiful animation and the well-written songs performed by mostly broadway types, plus the terrific Kristen Bell.  But more than anything else, I recommend it for the messages it sends.  In a media landscape where the amoral is celebrated more and more, it's refreshing to see a movie speak some important truths.

***Spoiler Alert***

Don't go any further if you haven't seen the movie.

Thought # 1 - I love how Anna falls head over heels in love with Hans, and they truly seem to be compatible and perfect for each other.  And their early scenes and especially their duet gives not one hint that they're not actually right for each other.  It's a depiction of early romantic love that rings true - that feeling that everything is perfect and it always will be and I just know we'll be happy forever and anyone who says differently just doesn't understand how big my feeling are.

Only, they're not meant to be together.  I actually was a little confused in the theater when Anna met Kristoff.  Because she already had her guy - why are they now setting up a second romantic interest?

I think what's great about this is that it shows what so often happens.  People fall in love and think they're 'soul-mates', and ignore the warnings of others, or ignore obvious signs or don't take the time to see if those signs manifest to begin with.  I'm so happy that a Disney film has a heroine that is mistaken in the same way that most people are at some point in their lives, and I think it's positive to reflect that reality on the screen, where it can stand as a cautionary tale.

Thought # 2 - The main message of the film, to me, is that love is about self-sacrifice.  And between this and The Hunger Games, I think it's inspiring to see heroines who are more concerned about other people than about their own romantic self-interest.

Thought # 3 - I missed this in the theater, but caught it on the soundtrack.  On the song 'Fixer Upper', the trolls are singing to Anna about how Kristoff is a bit of a fixer-upper, but basically a good guy.  And while you might get the impression that they're saying she can fix his flaws, the real message is that people change for the better when they're in a loving environment:

"We’re not saying you can change him, ‘cuz people don’t really change
We’re only saying that love’s a force that’s powerful and strange
People make bad choices if they’re mad, or scared, or stressed
Throw a little love their way (throw a little love their way) and you’ll bring out their best
True love brings out their best! "

Thought # 4 - I've read several reviews of the film, and some have pointed out that there is no true villain.  I completely disagree.  Elsa is the villain.  She creates a monster ( on purpose ) that very nearly kills Anna and Kristoff.   And if not for Anna finally breaking though to her, I think you're looking at someone who would grow more icy and withdrawn with time until in her solitude, she truly would become evil.  The very best villains are the ones who believe they are doing good, and Elsa thinks she is protecting her sister and the world by staying away.  But you can see how her isolation has led to anger and hurt that over time would create a bitter, twisted creature.  We're shown only the beginning of that transformation, and it's interrupted by Anna's self-sacrificial love.

There you have it - my favorite movie of the year - chock-full of real wisdom that goes against the conventional wisdom that we so often get in movies.