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Thursday, January 08, 2015

Elsa

I've finally seen the movie Frozen. I know, I'm probably the last one in the world, but what can I say? I won't review the movie except to say I liked it, but I doubt I'll watch it again. What I did want to talk about was the character of Elsa, the older sister.

Online, there are articles that talk about how Elsa was originally supposed to be the villain, but that she was rewritten after the song Let It Go showed that her character couldn't be a bad guy. I'm really glad Disney made that decision, to redo the plot and find a different antagonist for the story. For me, Elsa was the most interesting part of the movie.

Anna was supposed to be the heroine, and I suppose strictly speaking, she is, but I found her uninteresting and naive. I also don't think she was a strong enough character to carry the movie. Elsa is the stronger of the two and without the foundation of their relationship, the story would have been very one dimensional.

As you might guess, I consider Elsa to be the real heroine of the movie. She had a talent that she hid away and repressed, fearful of what she might accidentally do. And at her coronation, the worst does happen. For me, the movie is about her coming to terms with who she is.

Elsa is complex with competing wishes. She wishes to be herself, but she also wishes to conceal her talent. She wishes to be part of her sister's life, but she must keep herself distant to protect Anna. Elsa has concerns about becoming queen, but she knows she must step into that role. She wants to be connected to others, but in being herself, she separates herself from the world.

I did like Anna as a supporting character. :-) And despite everything, that is how I see her--in a supporting role. I liked how she steadfastly believed in her sister and fought on despite all odds. Also, I liked how she matured over the course of the film.

If any movie cried out for a sequel, it's Frozen. I'd love to see Elsa get her happy ending and find true love because she needs it more than Anna did. It would also be interesting to watch her overcome her ingrained inclination to distance herself from others. Despite the ending of the movie, this isn't something anyone can overcome quickly, not as many years as she let fear hold sway.

Are you listening, Disney? Please do Elsa's story and don't make it a simple, easy one. This is too complex a character to do sweetness and light version of her falling in love.