Disney, an entertainment studio known universally for the effect and influence it has on children, continues to produce tv shows and movies to reflect a changing society. Frozen, a film released in 2013 and now coming out with a sequel in 2019, is the first film to break the stereotypical stigma of what a princess/queen has to be. Frozen, shows the audience a Disney princess/queen, that only relies on herself.
Elsa and her sister Anna are the new Disney Princesses who are controlling the kingdom by themselves. Their parents have passed away, and now they are dealing with Elsa transitioning into becoming the Queen, of the Kingdom of Arendelle. The only thing that gets in the way of this process being normal is Elsa’s powers. Elsa can freeze, and produce snow and ice, but struggles to control and hide her powers. In order to be queen, she believes that she needs to put on this act of being normal, and not different. When she mistakenly uses her power, she ends up revealing it to the Kingdom of Arendelle, and runs away. The movie goes on to show Elsa being a strong independent woman, and how she accepts her power, realizing that she does not need to be this typical Queen.
In contrast, Anna falls for the typical prince who sweeps the princess of her feet, and is blinded by the status he has, and his “love” for her. Anna ends up getting hurt by the prince, and finds out that he was just using her to get to their kingdom. Anna gets frozen and the only one who can save her is her sister Elsa, and that is what she does. It ends with Anna and Elsa realizing how strong they are together, and how important their bond is and that it can not be affected.
Disney Princesses are constantly shown waiting for their Prince charming to come and save them, and how accepting they are to follow them blindly without even getting to know them. This stigma influences young children of society to think that this fairytale is attainable, and is the only way to be truly happy. Anna does this until she gets hurt, and realizes that all that matters is that whoever she ends up with treats her right and that she was wrong for being so close-minded. Elsa also shows how she does not need someone by her side to rule a kingdom, and how she can be truly happy by relying on herself and being true to who she is, without worrying about what anyone will think.
Frozen, breaks the typical Disney princess example that society is so accustomed to, and portrays the message on how a princess/queen can be powerful on their own. It is a movie that provides children to look up to a character that is designed for this modern society. Society today is becoming more aware of how important a woman’s role is, and how strong and independent woman can be. On a larger scale, this film was not only created for being another character for little girls to like and buy merchandise for, but for creating a film the implements this important value of self-worth and recognizing your own strength in young children. It’s a beautiful artistic film that is intended to make you smile, but at the same time accomplishes much more by providing society with a positive figure for young children to learn from and personify.
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