Sisters Before Misters : A Crit of Frozen

Disney has been criticized in the past for their extremely conservative and traditional values. Values that say woman are reliant on men for their identity and romantic love is something that one must "fall into." However, recently Disney has taken a turn for the better with the addition of a new princess film, the Academy Award nominated Frozen.

Before Frozen came out, I found one of their promotional poster ridiculous and misleading. The male and female characters were neatly paired up with a comic character in between them. Although the setting was an unusual harsh Icelandic winter, I assumed the plot had remained the same. The usual artificial romance. So, I was surprised that it wasn't. Frozen is first and foremost a tale of two sisters. Elsa and Anna tragically drift apart and eventually come to each others rescue.

Here a young lady did not need a man to save her life and I found that exciting. I wondered what others thought about this story, so I scoured the halls of Otis to find out. Josh Inpina, 20, said, "Frozen was a major step forward for Disney as far as story and characters go, in my opinion. It's the first of the princess films that doesn't focus on a romance but more on a sibling relationship. Disney decided to show that the love of family is just as powerful. It was perfect. Not only that, but they went for much more realistic characters and personalities."

Frozen's Internet Movie Database (IMDB) comment section reveals that audiences were shocked one of the main characters, Elsa, lacked a male companion. I wondered if anyone else agreed. Katrina Louie, 20, commented, "No. I think that's just what society wants. I see no problem with Elsa being single. There are women in society who are single and are doing well independently. I think if Elsa had a male companion it would weaken Frozen."

The film also presents a character that is not the usual Disney princess who falls head over heels in love instantly. Maya Jiminez, 20, had this to say, "People today get into serious commitments with people without really knowing who they are [getting into a relationship with]. They rush into marriages and relationships based on what they think is true love. I think Disney movies in a way reinforce this infatuation with love and it causes young girls to become obsessed with it. One of the major messages [of Frozen] was don't rush into relationships until you know [the other person] because they may not be the prince charming you thought they were. I think this message is so good for young people."

I felt the plot of Frozen was amazing. But there are still some people who love the older princess story lines, like Katherine Sullivan. “Although I did enjoy the film Frozen, I don't think it is so terrible to write about love in, what many believe to be, an ‘unrealistic' way. I find comfort in the prospect of randomly meeting someone who ‘completes me' and when I watch a film I want to see that fantasy sometimes. I think the real world is an irregular place where anything is possible, even true love. I have heard plenty of real stories about people falling in love fast and they claim it works out in the end. However, my belief in instant chemistry does not completely encourage me to jump into relationships at a moment's notice but I can see how it might for others. I think Frozen serves as a good PSA for women who are potentially endangering themselves in such situations. As for the "women need to be saved by men" portion, I feel lucky to say that I have never believed that. However, it's not unrealistic to believe that everyone is in need of saving sometimes which Frozen skillfully acknowledges whilst still maintaining the strength of its female characters. I agree with Jonathan that Frozen's storyline is refreshing, and I'm excited to see what Disney will do next, but I'll always have admiration for windswept romance.”

I highly recommend Frozen. It is completely fine even if you like the older princess plots like Katherine. Frozen is spectacular and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

- Jonathan -