An In Depth Analysis of 'Frozen'

Written by Shae Rufe

​There's always a ton of talk and controversy about this movie. A lot of fans see this as the best Disney film ever, while others disagree. Regardless the film is laden with many topical issues not so prominent in other Disney films. There have been many theories about the film that has captivated millions, and today I'm here to explore some of those themes.

My first take away from this film was, wow what horrible parents. Sure, your daughter hurt the other with her ice powers, but it was an accident. There was no reason to separate them. In fact, the act of keeping Elsa away from Anna only manages to give the poor girl anxiety and self-loathing. Elsa spent the next years of her life in fear of what she could do to someone else. On top of that anxiety you also have depression. Elsa seems more than afraid to be around anyone, how could she not be depressed. Following the death of her parents, we see the result of her grief. Yet, when Elsa allows herself to be free and not be worried or depressed amazing things happen. Like giant ice castles and living snow men.

But what about Anna? The film touches on her need to be with her sister, and how forgiving Anna seems to be. The younger of the two is very upbeat and personable about the whole thing, right? If you spend years knocking on your sister's door being ignored, wouldn't you have some residual anger? All Anna wants is to be close to Elsa, but there has to be something more. We see Anna's starved for attention more through her engagement to Hans. Here is someone she barely knows offering her affection and love like she'd never known. On top of that he's a kindred spirit in how Hans felt neglected by his siblings too. Of course, this made her easily preyed upon.

Now, I've spoken with two other people about this. A friend of mine sent me a link that explained ‘Let It Go’ as a suicide note. While my dad, who so famously ruins the things I love, thinks Frozen as a whole is an allegory for homosexuality. Both have decent points in respect to these ideas. The song so popular does indeed have a freeing and finality to it. While the whole story, well, kind of explains a lot. Elsa is shunned for being different. Her parents try their best to make her like everyone else, all while keeping her away from her impressionable sister. At the end of ‘Let It Go’, the stuffy conservative Elsa has transformed herself into a far more freed look. Her dress goes from stuffy to sexy in a matter of seconds. We're lead to believe that the song has Elsa accepting herself and ridding her life of the anxieties and depressive hold it once held.

The movie definitely shows Elsa being anxious a lot, and it shows her dealing with that unhealthy anxiety. But is it really saying Elsa might just be more different than we think? Does Anna's lack of affection growing up make her an emotionally easy target? It's all up to interpretation but a few years after the film's release, it's fascinating to know that it piqued our imagination and curiosity in ways we never expected.

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