Female Agency in Disney’s “Frozen”

On Christmas Day my husband and I went to see Disney’s “Frozen” (Released Thanksgiving 2013). Having only seen the one preview and after hearing dozens of people rant and rave about it but give no details, I really had no idea what to expect – I didn’t even realize that it was another princess movie. And I pride myself on my mad Google skills . . .

The movie was charming. And comical, and memorable, and heartwarming. Everything you would expect in a Disney movie, but with a delightful twist: the prince doesn’t do the saving.

I won’t go into the plot too much, but this review will still probably ruin the movie for you if you haven’t seen it yet. So, in full disclosure: Spoiler Alerts Ahead.

As usual, the two young girls in the film are orphans, but this time they are orphan princesses in the most beautiful castle and setting that Disney has ever dreamed up: Arendelle.

I seriously want to move there.

The elder sister, Elsa, turns everything she touches to ice, so she is separated from her younger sister, Anna (pronounced Ah-nah), for the duration of their childhood. When she comes out of hiding for her coronation as queen, things get ugly, stuff gets frozen, and Elsa banishes herself to a faraway mountain to live a life of icy isolation. [See what I did there? :)] Anna, having just reunited with her sister and fearing for the safety of the now frozen town, hurries after Elsa haphazardly with no coat, boots, or food, as younger sisters are apparently wont to do.

I think this is my one complaint with the film: Disney portrays Anna as the fun-loving and impulsive sister, but with no common sense at all. It makes almost all of the good that she does appear as an accident, as a lucky side effect, and not as her personal choice to actively affect her surroundings. She agrees to marry the first man she ever meets within hours of meeting him.

I feel like this decision by Disney removes some of the female agency from the film. Even Elsa, the queen who freezes the countryside, was “blessed” with her gift of manipulating cold; she didn’t choose it on her own or strive to accomplish the technique. In fact, she is told her entire life to hide her abilities and to practice keeping her talent under control. Since her talent is often linked to her emotions (anger brings out her skill with unmanageable power), it appears sometimes that her being an emotional female is to blame for the trouble she causes the kingdom.

While it is unfortunate that the majority of the movie plays out this way, I’m glad that the film redeems itself at the end. And there are moments when the sisters’ actions move the plot along for the better. Anna helps Kristoff fight off a pack of wolves by throwing fire off a runaway sleigh. She decides to go out on her own to track down Elsa, as opposed to leaving the job for a man to do. And at the end, it is Anna who saves herself, Elsa, and Arendelle through her love for her sister and self-sacrifice.

I think the film teaches some valuable lessons, but with some drawbacks.

On the topic of “other”: Elsa is actively alienated from her society and her family because she is different: she lives in a locked room far away from everyone. Her sister Anna loves her, even after finding out about her power, but she is the only one. It is not until Elsa learns to control her power that others accept her for who she is, which perpetuates the ideal that those who are different have to change in order to fit in with society.

On female agency: As previously discussed, the sisters don’t seem entirely in control of their own bodies and their own actions. I do think Disney has made huge strides in this area, though. Compare Anna or Elsa to Snow White or Sleeping Beauty who really DID need to be saved by true love’s kiss (i.e. a man), and you have a gosh-darn renegade of a feminist on your hands!

Overall: Agency issues aside, I really did enjoy it. It is a children’s movie after all, not something to be analyzed to death. The characters are fun, the story is quick-paced, and the music is simply wonderful.

I plan to buy and watch it again when it comes out on DVD.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

*The link to “Frozen” on Amazon is an affiliate link. If you purchase or pre-order the DVD, I will receive a small commission on the purchase. It helps me to keep publishing great content like this for readers like you. Thanks for the support!