Discussion is an Open Door: In Defense of Frozen

Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee’s 2013 film Frozen is far from a commercial failure; in fact, it’s probably the biggest animated movie of the decade. Who hasn’t sung along to Let It Go pretending they’re a snow queen who had just left her kingdom in exchange for sweet, newfound freedom in the icy Scandinavian mountains? This movie is iconic. Need I say more?

The hype surrounding Frozen is not without cause. Aside from the extremely catchy songs and relatable characters, it succeeds in putting out a message that is unique from all the other Disney princess-centric features that came before it; Who needs a prince when you’ve got a sister? With so many movies set on the idea of finding true love in the person of a dashing, wispy-haired, chiseled-faced Prince, it’s definitely refreshing for kids and parents alike to have found a movie that explores the dynamic of familial love.

However, there’s a lot of people who like to criticize this film. I’ve gone through a rabbit hole of Reddit threads and have watched lengthy YouTube videos that go into detail about why Frozen is a terrible movie. There were so many things said (that should’ve been better left unsaid, if you ask me), but the two prevailing criticisms that constantly pop up in these conversations is 1). Elsa is a terribly-written character, and 2). Hans sucked as a twist villain. These are the two things I’d like to focus on in this essay because they offer a really interesting discussion about what makes a character good; not in terms of their intentions, but rather, in terms of how they are written in order to provide a cohesive, character-driven plot that challenges the norm for a premise as unique as Frozen’s.

First off: Elsa.

I do not labor under the delusion that she is a character without her own faults. However, to diminish her by saying she is but merely a ‘’unique” and “unconventional” Disney princess is a grave, grave sin. First of all, she is not a princess, she is a queen. Elsa handled her powers with grace during the coronation. Although she did not quite possess that same grace when Anna and Hans declared their engagement, she cannot be blamed for it. Many will call her a coward for retreating into the mountains instead of facing the consequences of her actions, but I am here to make the case that it was more courageous of her to do so. She was made to feel like a monster all her life, that the power she possessed would bring nothing but destruction and that it was something to be ashamed of; so, to now be strong enough to escape the place where she felt like she did not belong is, to put it simply, quite an impressive feat.

Like I said, Elsa is not a perfect character. I do not agree with her shunning Anna away, nor do I condone her leaving Arendelle to suffer a winter she caused in the first place. Elsa did some questionable things, and that will never change. But you would be mistaken to believe that a villain is all that she amounts to. Elsa was just a person who was caught in a predicament she did not ask for. She did things that most of us would have deemed rational had we been in the same position as her. Elsa was scared. But in her fear, she managed to “let it go” and leave everything behind, even if in our eyes, it was an insanely stupid thing to do.

Up next, we have Hans.

Ah, Hans. What are we to do with the scheming, cunning traitor that is Hans? Let me be clear. I am not here to defend Hans. I am here to elaborate on why I think he works.

Hans is a terrible person, we all know that. He tricks Anna into falling in love with him, he hunts Elsa down in her ice mansion, and he attempts to stab, no, kill her with a sword in order to ‘‘avenge” Anna’s death, of which he so kindly took part in. In short, Hans does not have any redeemable qualities. I do not think that sending him back to his brothers as punishment for two attempted murders was enough. After all, who would have thought that dear, sweet Prince Hans would be capable of such bloodshed just to secure for himself a throne?

Hans was not a villain during the first half of the movie. He was just this prince who made his way to Arendelle, coincidentally bumping into Princess Anna. However, with all my reservations about Hans, I was and still am a fervent believer that him running into Anna was not indeed planned. However, I digress. I do not believe that him being a twist villain did not work with the story.

He was the quintessential prince charming who came running in to save Anna from her evil snow queen of a sister. He took care of Arendelle, distributing blankets and warm meals when Elsa ran away. Hans did not merely leave the work to Elsa’s subordinates; he was a kind, gentle leader who took charge, looked out for the people, and ensured their safety. Not only that, but he loved Anna. However, just like every other twist villain in the world ever, at some point in the story, he had to show his true colors and be like ‘’sike I’m actually a baddie and I only wanted to marry you because I don’t have a kingdom of my own back home”.

Nevertheless, I concede.

Hans works as a twist villain because he succeeds in both portraying a satirized, archetypal knight-in-shining-armor while at the same time, (unknowingly) using his characteristics against himself to inflict inevitable self-sabotage. My man had it coming. We just had the fortunate viewing experience of watching his character go through the opposite of a redemption arc in the poorly-veiled guise of a twist villain.

I don’t know about you, but that was some good stuff.

So I have to admit, Frozen is truly a delightful little gem of a Disney film. .

Plot-wise, there are a lot of things that make it unforgettable. However, the characters of Elsa and Hans truly stand out in the mix. They flip tropes on its head and although imperfectly, do it with such pizazz that one can’t help but sit back, relax, and just enjoy the movie.