I thought about making some catchy title to my post, like “You Loved Frozen, But What You Don’t Know Will Shock You And Change Your Mind Forever!” and putting it on social media and watching it go viral. And, maybe if I added a cover of “Let It Go,” I might well be on my way to fifteen seconds of internet fame, but ah, well…I can’t lie.
This will hardly be shocking.
And I probably wouldn’t be writing about it here except for that fact that another Mormon blogger wrote about it (someone much more famous than I am), and it caught the attention of the media. I think it was because she dissected the movie to show it had a gay agenda, which I thought was overreaching.
Before I begin, I understand that this may be a huge disappointment to some of my long time readers. I also admit freely that I am completely aware that watching fireworks over Cinderella’s castle on a weekly basis may have impaired my judgment, so please be patient with me and try to love me in my weakness.
Universal Themes.
Frozen is a story that deals with universal themes.
Almost every human being on this earth has sometimes felt alone–unable to share a deep pain or hurt–unable to even feel like the ones that love them most could understand.
Almost every human being has also experienced the feeling of being on the other side of the door–wanting to reach out and help someone and love someone but there is this wall between them.
Hidden Pain
Almost every girl I’ve ever know has briefly dreamed at some point in her life of meeting a great guy who would love her and sweep her off her feet.
And there are lots of girls who have been swept off their feet, only to realize when it really counted, that the great guy was just a selfish jerk.
Pet Reindeer. Every Guy’s Dream.
Almost every guy I have ever met has dreamt of having a pet reindeer. (Just kidding.)
Being misunderstood, or feeling like you are born and/or cursed with something is not a “gay” thing.
It’s something common to the lot of humanity from the beginning of time.
I have found far more “progressive gay moments” in Pirates of the Caribbean, Tangled, and others than I did in Frozen.
Hope For Fairytales.
In fact, I left Frozen thinking that there might be hope for Disney after all. I mean, it wasn’t perfect–but it was getting there.
Vampiness? Yes. Oh, my yes. Trolls? Why?, and sadly, yes. (Let’s just say the trolls weren’t my favorite part of the film.)
But, gayness ? A gay agenda? No. Not even remotely. The Lion King had more of a gay agenda than this movie.
I do remember thinking:
“Oh, my goodness. There are people who are homosexual I know who are going to completely relate to Elsa!”
And then, I thought that would be a good thing, because it would be something we could point out that gay and straight people have in common–this theme of hurt and hidden pain–and that we could have a great dialogue about it and we could actually consider building on common feelings.
Without contention for once.
But, no. That was not to be. No, now it’s just another contentious debate.
I mean, let’s consider this for a second. If gay people relate to this movie–that they have hidden pain that they are afraid to tell their family, why is that bad?
Nowhere in the movie does anyone condone eternal winter or Elsa’s “no right no wrong freedom.”
I believe that marriage is a holy rite and that particular word should not be redefined out of respect for those for whom this word is sacred and supernatural. I believe that sexual relations should be between a man and woman who are legally and lawfully bound in a marriage covenant.
But I certainly don’t want anyone to think that I feel threatened if a group of people take from this film the message that “coming out” means your family can love you unconditionally and you don’t have to run away or live in fear.
Quick Engagement A Jab At Heterosexual Marriage? I Just Didn’t See It That Way.
The author of the “Frozen has a gay agenda” post also stated that she believed Hans and Anna’s quick engagement was a jab at people who believe in heterosexual marriage.
I honestly think that the major purpose of this part of the movie was to poke fun at the idea that is so prevalent in fairy tales–and especially in Disney fairy tales–that people can spend 3 minutes together and then fall in love and get married 24 hours later. It was self-deprecatingly funny.
A lot of people are concerned about preschool girls singing “Let It Go,” and worried that they will all embrace a life of “no rules” and celebrate sexuality because of it.
They should be.
I thought the 3.2 seconds of vampiness was way out of line for a children’s movie. It also confused the plot point with the overt sexuality. The words “no right, no wrong, no rules for me / I’m free” repeated over and over again without context are not a good idea for little girls.
I understood what the animators were going for–Elsa is no longer restricted and can have a less restrictive dress. Elsa finally is empowered and the animators could not escape our pornographic culture that says a woman really can’t feel good about herself unless she is sexy.
In their defense, I doubt very seriously that some of the animators even knew how to portray a confident, powerful woman without making it all about sex. Because that is the culture we live in.
And Elsa is not the first time we’ve seen this. How many “good girls” are getting makeovers, not to attract a man, but to to feel empowered? How many moms? How many women have plastic surgery just to feel sexy, not for their husbands, but, they believe, for themselves? I think we are uncomfortable with it precisely because we are guilty of doing what we are charging Elsa with doing.
A Little Too Sexy For A Kid’s Movie
Elsa’s animators choose purity at the end of the movie. Why? Because it’s the perfect fairytale ending for everyone who lives in our pornographic society: she is loved–really loved–not for what she looks like or how “perfect” she is. Loved unconditionally. She doesn’t need the vampiness anymore because she is no longer objectified.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be considered powerful and lovely and wonderful without being sexually objectified?
Maybe we are also uncomfortable with that because it begs the question why we feel the need to get vamped up to go on a date or to land a job interview–because we don’t have enough confidence in our own worth to others without being sexualized and objectified.
But, I digress and am far too verbose! Suffice it to say, a mere costume change and letting her hair down would have added to the movie, rather than detract from it, like the sexuality did.
I believe the point of the entire movie was that you cannot just run away from those you love to live with “no right, no wrong, no rules” without causing pain and suffering in a big way. Another point lost on some people is that the “freedom” she sang about in “Let It Go” was not true freedom. In the end she just ran from one prison to another. Elsa’s “no rules” rampage put her entire country in an eternal winter and was responsible for her sister’s icy demise.
Elsa’s Ice Castle Prison
Musicals, by definition tell stories with songs. This song was only part of a story. If the song is sung in context with the story, it is not a bad message.
I think part of the reason girls are belting out this song with reckless abandon is because they deeply identify with Elsa. I think to believe it is just about the strut and the sex is to underestimate our children.
I think girls are trying to tell their parents they are tired of hiding secrets they feel they can’t share with their too busy, uninterested, plugged in parents. Are they being bullied at school? Do they have body image issues? Most parents wouldn’t know. They are just too tired. Life is crazy.
I think these girls are smart enough to realize that many of the rules in their lives are arbitrary and condescending. They crave real responsibility, and are given free time and an iPhone instead.
They want to explore and test their limits in a safe environment and they are then required to nix recess, wear safety helmets to run in the grass, and play on “extremely safe” (and consequently, not fun), playground equipment.
Are they tired of adults oversupervising and micromanaging every aspect of their playtime in order to make sure they are always safe?
Letting It Go
How many of these kids wish they were free from all the sometimes idiotic time constraints and chaos imposed on them by this culture so they could actually feel spiritual power?
Spiritual enlightenment can only happen in quiet and peace and in time–something that the adults in their lives seem to have stolen from them in their efforts to crowd their lives with activities and endless events to keep them the good girls they always have to be.
The Snow Queen Elsa
Maybe they are actually disgusted with the fact that starting at age 5 they have to watch what they eat, worry about cellulite and be concerned about attaining a state of physical perfection. And if you are reading this and think moms and dads and other adults aren’t out there pressuring their girls about this, you would be wrong.
Maybe this isn’t a gay coming out or even a “moral relativism” anthem more than a universal plea to be understood and loved and valued within the boundaries and rules of faith, not the rule of fear, which Elsa is clearly casting off in “Let It Go”.
Too bad the vampiness confused and took away from what would have been a pretty great children’s story.
Most good works of literature deal with universal themes, and as a consequence, portray evil or wickedness in some way.
The trick is to know the line and not to cross it between telling a story and being gratuitous. Sadly, in a morally relativistic society, it is hard to know where that line is.
Frozen was, however, far, far better than most, if not all, of its predecessors.
A Girl Letting A Guy Carry Her: Completely Unusual in Today’s Movies
Frozen portrayed women as smart and capable, but even better and nearly non-existent in any movies or television today, it portrayed men as smart and capable, too. Too bad all of that is being overlooked. I wish people would talk about that, too, so that Disney knows what was really great about the movie.
Kristoff Is The One Driving! Amazing That She Gave Him A Chance!
It was one of the healthiest portrayals of gender roles in any film I have seen in a while. (Admittedly, I don’t watch too many movies, though.)
Is That Kristoff Helping Anna Again? And Trying To Protect Her?
A few years ago, I would have had different things to say about the movie. I would have blasted it. But, you know, I have been to the Magic Kingdom, the heart of Disney-dom on earth. And you know what I found there?
I found wholesomeness. No alcohol. No crudity. I found kind clean, modest, kind cast members who love their jobs–who adore their jobs–even if it’s cleaning up trash.
(I also noticed that all the Anna and Elsa merchandising I saw at Walt Disney World is heavily geared toward sisterly love, not Elsa being sexy and powerful….)
People are nicer there most of the time. They remember their manners. They try to help each other. They don’t mind screaming, tired kids–they empathize and offer assistance. There is a lot of good happening there everyday, let me tell you.
I have seen little miracles there every time I go.
Did you know that Disney’s college program has an honor code very similar to BYU’s? Did you know they strictly enforce it?
I don’t know. I have seen so much good there, so it definitely colors my viewpoint. A lot.
I think it could be possible that Disney was just trying to tell a good, clean, fun story and they were trying their best with the light and knowledge they have.
Is that shocking?
Maybe.
In the end, however, our culture just doesn’t understand that slits and highly charged sexy struts are not age appropriate for little children.
And, unfortunately, that message that it was not age appropriate is being lost in the furor of an imaginary gay agenda that really, for the life of me, I cannot find in the movie. Just because gay people like the movie and see their own struggles in it doesn’t mean it was made specifically for that audience. If KKK members thought it was about them, would we be looking for a white supremacist message in the movie? Probably not. I hope not.
Sisters.
Because of the Elsa strut scene, Disney’s Frozen is not really appropriate for a general audience, in my opinion.
But Frozen is a wonderful grown up fairy tale, one that made a great date night. One that made me laugh and cry and…I have to admit…sing.
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As an update, I was writing this last night when a friend of mine gave me a heads up that the Lopez’ Oscar acceptance speech might prove that there really was a gay agenda. Here is what was flagged as possibly being an agenda by more than one person:
“Katie and Annie, this song is inspired by our love for you and the hope that you never let fear or shame keep you from celebrating the unique people that you are,” Anderson-Lopez said.
I just see that a mom wants her daughters to never be afraid or shamed to be unique.
Isn’t that the message we want our young women to have?
I think when some people read this, they assumed that Katie and Annie might be a lesbian couple instead of her daughters. At this point, if we are reading that much into this and automatically making those kinds of assumptions, we might be acting like a whole bunch of moral pygmies….just a thought.
So I just watched it today, ahead of your post. I wanted my own opinion of it before reading what you had to say. I cried twice. I don’t usually cry at movies (it might be a little bit of pregnancy hormones). I wasn’t sure why I cried exactly at first. I had to ask myself why. I first cried at the “Let It Go” song, even though I had heard it before, and didn’t love the lyrics. In the movie, I just felt connected to Elsa. I realized that there are so many times in my life where I think I am free, or I think the choice I want to make/am making will create happiness, but it really is a shallow or selfish choice, and in reality I’m all alone. It not real freedom or happiness. It’s sad. It’s misunderstood. It helped me see that just because *I* think I want something, it doesn’t mean it is the right thing. I also cried when Elsa chased Anna away. Why do we chase the people we love most away? Why do we do this? It is definitely NOT what we want. It’s so sad that I can relate (but I am thinking so do a lot of people).
This movie helped me see where selfishness (even when we think it if for good), just does not bring happiness. LOVE and the work that comes with it does.
And I didn’t see any agenda. I think I related far to personally with Elsa for there to be any type of agenda to this movie.
I agree, misty! I am having a love hate relationship with frozen… I love that the story is about to sisters with a side of romance. I hate the dress and the walk that they have elsa. I wish they would have had Elsa change her dress at the end to something less risqué. I feel like it would have portrayed her new role better. I didn’t care for the troll humor either. But I felt it a huge improvement over tangled! Also since it was a kids movie, I wish they would have given some foreshadowing to Hans’ betrayal….I was totally shocked by it and I think something like that needs some warning for kids otherwise it’s awfully disturbing???
Overall, I liked it and unlike tangled, I let my kids see it after I saw it. Olaf is amazing and the musical quality is too. I just wish it didn’t have those few elements..
All in all, it’s way better than the last few movies coming out for kids these days. And since it is so popular, maybe Disney will do it again???
Nicole, you brought up some great points I didn’t have the verbosity to cover. I felt the same way about no warning with Hans. It was really difficult for my daughter with Asperger’s. Disturbing is a good word.
As far as dresses go, I think the dress was ]quite modest (in comparison with the world and previous Disney dresses…Mother Gothel anyone?). I thought it fascinating at how the same dress at the end appeared fine, but when she strutted it felt like a completely different dress. I learned a lot from that. Modesty isn’t necessarily about the clothes we wear, but also about how we carry ourselves. The real life Elsa at Epcot in Norway is very modest. The real life dress is very tasteful, actually.
I also felt the troll humor was not only stupid, but just out of place. It didn’t seem to match the rest of the movie at all. I wish they had spent the time spent on trolls developing the storyline more. I felt like it was only half a movie. One of my favorite songs was the chant at the beginning and end. Beautiful. I hope Disney will do even better next time.
Glad you are still my friend. 🙂
Ha! Of course we are still friends!;)
I haven’t seen the movie, so a month or two? ago when the neighborhood erupted in “Let it Go,” the lyrics you mentioned really grated on me. I understood, like you, that the plot actually proves her wrong. But still. I didn’t want my children belting they could get away from right/wrong… over… and over…
So I quickly redid that line, “The right, the wrong, those rules for me… I’m free!” and my kids were on board with it. They’re used to me by now.
Unfortunately, the tweens in the neighborhood pretty much mocked my daughter for our quirkiness. Oh well. Another learning opp.
Thanks for a lovely post, my dear. I’m glad there is a sane rebuttal to what sounds like a real witch-hunt of a post. Love you!
I like the way you see this movie. I haven’t seen it and I don’t know if or when I’ll bother. But I’ve never liked when people are just so SURE that every Disney movie has all kinds of evil lurking in every corner. People seem to waste countless hours of their time searching for evil “hidden messages” and whatnot. Sheesh.
You know, I think The Hunchback of Notre Dame has one of the very worst parts of any Disney movie. When the priest guy is singing a song about his lust for Esmerelda or something. Barf. But it also has one of my favorite Disney songs- when Esmerelda sings God Help the Outcasts. I have that song and enjoy it all the time. I just don’t own the movie or bother to watch it or show it to my kids. I don’t mind supporting something good by buying a lovely song and I can avoid something I find distasteful by simply not watching, not buying, etc.
I find it interesting that some of those who are writing the most vitriolic posts about Frozen have gone to see it multiple times. If it’s so dreadful and full of hidden messages that will taint your children, why bring them to it repeatedly?
I’m glad you were able to see the common experience we all have in feeling alone and isolated. As a big “feelings” person myself my heart just broke over the build a snowman song ending but I just sat in stony silence in the theater cause I was with ppl I don’t let see all my ‘feelings’. I agree that we need to recognize more common ground! Everyone points out differences now a days. It makes me sad. As a missionary we were taught to build on common ground relationships of trust. So thanks for that. But I really don’t understand why anyone has a problem with the Oscar acceptance speech cause I don’t watch oscars anymore but I heard about that so I googled the Lopez family. The girls mentioned are their daughters. They are very little girls. They are sisters and they sang the little girl parts in the build a snowman song. I don’t see how bringing them up in the speech is bad at all considering they were most definitely watching from home together and were thrilled to see mom and dad mention them on tv! How’s that different from Ted Cruz reading ham and eggs to his kids? I think in our desperate attempt to not call evil good we are finding evil now where none was intended. I’m grateful Heavenly Father judges my intent because we’ve all gotten so high strung
We are sticking with the vintage version of Disney (Bambi, The Jungle Book, Peter Pan). I just lost interest in modern Disney after Brave and Tangled. Too much too early. My oldest is just 6 years and there is just way too much information that he doesn’t need to process yet.
My gut feeling also tells me Frozen is just another one of those decisions where I have to remember the good, better, and best principle. While it may be good for adults, I get the feeling it is not the BEST stuff for little minds.
I agree, I now call these kind of movies grown up fairytales.
You rock, Misty. I love this blog.
My husband and I took our kid to go see, “Frozen” and we were skeptical. My siblings told me it was great and we believed them enough to go see it. And we loved it. It was a fun, clever and entertaining movie. I saw nothing offensive or “secret” about the plot or any of the characters. I saw it as a fun movie for us to watch as a family. It looked to me like the story of a family, of sisters and of genuine love that siblings have for one another. Walking out of the theater, we didn’t talk about the hidden agenda or the “gay” message ’cause, you’re right, everyone feels pain, like an outcast or seriously troubled by secrets or other problems at some point in our lives. We want help and we want to be free. It is something we all have to “Let Go” of but the trick is to let go of it in a way that is healthy and right, that helps us to grow and doesn’t destroy entire towns in perpetual, bitter winter.
There were comments and dialogues about Brave and other newer movies and I thought they were rubbish. Does anyone but me think it is silly that we can’t even buy food at the grocery store without there being a secret, hidden agenda? Why can’t stories just be stories? Why can’t movies just be fun and clean and enjoyable? WHY!?
OH, I am in no way saying you are wrong because you aren’t wrong. I love your analysis of Frozen and your points about the culture we live in. I am just up late, helping my SIL with homeschool stuff and just happened to find my “sassy pants”. I love my sassy pants.
You are awesome, Misty. Keep up the good work.
Why can’t stories and fairytales “just be stories” anymore? Well, it’s not because mothers and fathers want to face a dilemma every time a new movie comes out in the theatre! It’s because there is a battle raging in this world between good and evil. And even if it can’t be proven that Disney has an “agenda,” the adversary certainly does–and media is one of his greatest tools. One can’t blame conscientious parents for having conversations about what these movies are teaching their children and how they’re shaping society! 🙂
We loved Frozen! My kids all identified with the sibling quarrels and sibling love. They don’t care at all about the “Let It Go” song. Instead they love “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and change the lyrics to whatever it is they want to do. It’s pretty cute actually. 🙂
Hi, Misty!
I was so excited when I saw that you had written the much-anticipated “Frozen” post. I read it through twice and discussed it with my husband and got all excited to write my response, which would be a point-by-point rebuttal of all (okay, only some) of your opinions. I even lost sleep over my response. (I got up to nurse my baby and then couldn’t stop my brain from spinning.) I wrote an entire page full of opinions about Frozen. I’m kind of an opinionated sassy-pants, too. 😉
And then I ran out of steam, beacuse I am experiencing a strange phenomenon concerning this movie. I have turned into a pendulum swinging back and forth between moral outrage and stupified indifference. Part of me can’t believe Mormons are so eager to embrace this movie with so many (what I perceive to be) flaws, and the other part of me thinks I’m grossly overreacting and turning my children into paranoid, unsocialized homeschoolers.
And so I am waiting, and praying, and trying to find some peace amidst my confusion. To be honest, I already have been praying about this issue. To me, it’s not just about one movie. It’s about our culture and about my children and about how to be “in the world but not of the world.” I think that’s what is really keeping me up at night. I ask myself questions about how to stand for truth and righteousness without becoming SELF-righteous.
So, I will continue pondering the universe and appreciating your added perspective on things. You made a lot of interesting points, to be sure. I enjoy reading different perspectives and opinions on current issues. And I can appreciate that your experience “living in Disney’s backyard,” and finding hope and encouragement from Disneyworld to deal with SmEe, has changed the way you view things.
I am grateful to you for helping me take the time to think more deeply about things and not just fly off the handle because the whole world doesn’t agree with me. (Although I’m getting kind of used to being an oddball! Ha!)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions! Maybe I’ll write a post of my own and include some of my brilliant rebuttals to your opions. 😉 You’re welcome to my blog anytime, by the way! I finally made it open to the public, which is a big deal because I’m kind of a private person. So stop on by sometime (but don’t get your hopes up because I’m a terrible rambler and have few pictures on my blog and very few readers!).
Have a great one!
I loved this post. I have seen this movie a million times now, my little girl loves it. I never saw the gay agenda thing either. When I look at Frozen, I see Anna who said yes to marriage after only knowing Hans for a few hours because no one paid any attention to her for most of her life. She only had this one day to be free and be around people, and someone finally pays attention to her and asks her to get married. Of course she’s going to say yes. Let me see: get married and become part of a family or stay locked up in a castle forever, hmmm, I’m going to pick the first option.
I hadn’t noticed how Anna allowed Kristoff to drive and protect her. I’m really impressed with that one, and glad it made it’s way into the show. Thanks for pointing that out.
“Let it go” oh how I love that song. As a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am a faithful member and love the church. I still have my “gothic side” and at first it was hard for me to find a balance between the two. By gothic, I don’t mean satanic or devil worship LOL, but I love reading Poe and Lovecraft, I love old cemeteries and when I’m feeling down, I write dark poetry as therapy. I may even listen to a few “dark” bands now and then. But I love the gospel and know it’s true and I live my life in accordance with the ordinances and covenants I’ve made. I have a very strong testimony of the gospel. At first, I was afraid of scaring people away because of my “dark” side but when I decided to be who I truly am, a daughter of God who loves to read Poe and paint my toe nails black; I realized no one really cared. I’ve found that balance and am very happy.
Thanks for this post, I loved it.