Frozen II
There’s probably a little bit of stigma attached to this movie, not because it’s problematic or anything, but because it’s a sequel to that Disney movie. You know the one. The kids wouldn’t stop singing the song, watching the film over and over, cackling every single time they watched Olaf stare at the icicle in his chest and say, “Oh look at that, I’ve been impaled.” I get it. I had enough of that film after a couple years of all that too.
That’s part of the reason why I love this movie so much, and why I wanted to write about it. It reinvigorated the Frozen fandom, not just for the kids but for the adults too. Not only is this movie full of incredible songs and a lovely relationship between two sisters, it also touts a couple of impressively deep lessons about grief and generational trauma and undoing the mistakes of generations past.
Amidst all of that, we also get to see the story of Elsa and Anna discovering more about themselves and figuring out exactly what they’re made of. Elsa has so many questions that she needs answers to, and Anna refuses to let her go alone. Anna also experiences her own unique growth and learns a lot about grief and her life going forward.
I think the thing that I love most about this movie is not that it’s about women who are strong and take charge and save the day. Every Disney princess movie from 1989 onwards pretty much fits that bill, for real. The reason this movie is unique is because it’s not about a woman falling in love and saving the day for or with her ‘prince’. It’s about two women saving the day together and for each other. Sure, there’s a little bit of romance tied in, but it’s absolutely secondary to the story of these sisters and how their legacy and their relationship is integral to the survival of not only their small fjorded town, but also the native people of the region. These sisters are also a representation of the unions of those two separate people groups, and having the story be about their journey to finding this out and accepting the duality of their heritage is such a beautiful continuation of their stories. Bring with it the message of fixing the mistakes past generations have made, and the relationship between Anna and Elsa becomes so much more than just a couple of sisters supporting each other.
As if all of that weren’t enough, there are so many fantastic messages and metaphors in the songs of these movies. Let’s start with Kristoff’s ballad, Lost in the Woods. Not only is this song a freakin’ bop (as is every song in this movie), it’s also adorable. Kristoff spends the whole song singing about how Anna is his direction and gives him purpose, and while this isn’t exactly unheard of in Disney princess movies, it still subverts tropes about women’s lives revolving around love and the men in their lives. Kristoff as a character, especially in this film, exists as a companion for Anna in every sense. Not only is he or their romance not the focus of the film, but he’s totally on board with being in the background. He understands that Anna has other things she has to worry about. Just like he says during the song, “And I’ll wait for a sign, that I’m your path, ’cause you are mine.” He’s sure that she’s it for him, and he’s willing to wait for her to do what she needs to do until then. His first line to her after she’s been gone for a whole day is, “I’m here. What do you need?” He knows that she has other things going on right now that are more important than the status of their relationship, and he’s not angry or bitter about it either. Also, side note, his entire narrative in this movie revolves around trying to propose to Anna, while she’s not really thinking about him or their relationship at all, which is another nice subversion.
Of course, we also have Elsa’s songs, Into the Unknown and Show Yourself. While they’re both incredible and Brendon Urie absolutely slays the high notes in his rendition of Into the Unknown, Show Yourself is the song I want to focus on. Musically, I think this is the superior song (though they’re both true masterpieces), but it also heralds an incredible message that I know would have resonated with me in a big way as a 24 year old, which is the age that Elsa is supposed to be in this film. This song, while the culmination of all of Elsa’s searching and questioning throughout the film, is also such a gorgeous metaphor for what it’s like to find out new things about yourself.
When I was 25, I realised that I’m bisexual, and that wasn’t something I was aware of before that (even though I really should have been… ask me about it some time, it’s a funny story). Discovering something so huge about myself at the age of 25, when I felt like I was a complete adult and should start getting my life together, it changed everything for me, and I’ve spent the last four years of my life wrapping my head around all of that. And that is what I love about this song. It’s such a gorgeous picture of how freeing and momentous it can be to learn these things. Elsa’s line right before the key change resonates so clearly with me: “I am found.” Just as the voice of her mother says in the song, it’s all about growing herself into something new (though there are debates about whether those are the right lyrics or not). She has finally been able to learn who she truly is and allow it to change her and impact her life in a big way. I won’t tell you what it is she discovers, because you should definitely watch the movie to find out, but it’s a really beautiful lesson we can all take away from the film.
Lastly, Anna’s song, The Next Right Thing, is probably one of the most profound and heartbreaking songs from an animated musical that I have ever seen or heard. I think that when I first watched this moment in cinemas, I was sobbing through the entirety. Again, I won’t tell you what this song of sorrow is in response to, but what I will say is that this is a song all about grief and depression. And as somebody who has struggled with depression for over ten years of my life now, this is one of the most inspiring songs I’ve ever heard. Anna spends the first half of this song acknowledging the absolute horror of her situation, the feeling of weight on top of her like she’s being crushed. She explains what it feels like to be going through something like that and allows herself to experience those feelings. In the process, she learns to come to terms with them. And then she asks herself, what next? And she is able to find the courage and the motivation to do what needs to be done by taking it quite literally one step at a time. This is such a needed reminder, and one that rang so true for me as I watched this scene for the first time. All you need to do is do the next right thing, don’t worry about anything after that. Just focus on that one step.
There are so many reasons this is a beautiful movie, honestly. And I know a lot of the things I’ve discussed don’t necessarily have anything to do with these characters being women. They could have done these things whether they were women or men or non-binary or anything else. But they are women, and their sisterhood and womanhood are two things that I think are so inspiring about this film. I think Disney has been doing a great job recently in representing women in so many different and rich ways, and I’m so glad they made this movie.
Please watch this movie if you haven’t seen it yet. In secret if need be, so your kids don’t get too obsessed with it and watch it till you can’t bear it anymore. Whatever you need to do. But watch it. You won’t regret it.
Frozen II is available to stream everywhere on Disney+ and Now TV in the UK. It is available to rent and buy everywhere on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
