Happily Ever After in "Frozen"

 


In "Frozen" (the first film), the main protagonist Anna seeks to save her city of Arendelle from a brutal winter by reconnecting with her sister Elsa, the one responsible for causing this winter. Anna and Elsa have had a fragmented relationship for most of their lives, and this led to their eventual separation. In the beginning of the film, their relationship is never classified as love, rather as familial relation that allows Anna access to the Elsa's prestigious life. The actual "true love", as we see, is between Anna and Hans, where the two get engaged very quickly after meeting. 

Later on, Anna meets Kristoff, who helps Anna travel to the mountains to talk to her sister. After a clash between sisters, Elsa accidentally freezes Anna's heart, an injury which can only be cured by an act of true love. Anna, still believing that Hans truly loves her, requests a kiss from him to cure her, only to discover that Hans never loved her at all, rather used her as a path to the throne. It is also revealed at that point that it is Kristoff who is actually in love with Anna. 

In a fight between Hans and Elsa, Anna jumps between an attack and is frozen solid. Elsa, horrified, hugs Anna's frozen figure and mourns, which is considered an act of true love, saving Anna's life.

The end of the movie is a little hectic, with multiple relationships changing status and a lot of definitions of "love" to juggle. Disney's take on happily ever after before "Frozen" has been very focused on romantic love, but here we see that familial love reigns powerful. Because of the explicit statement of an "act of true love" as the only way for Anna to be cured, and the fact that that act was performed by her sister, I argue that despite the number of percieved romantic relationships Anna ends up in, the true happily ever after derives from her cured relationship with her sister.

Comments

  1. Katy TurnerApril 1, 2021 at 5:23 PM

    I actually interpreted the ending of Frozen quite differently as I believe the act of Anna choosing to die to protect her sister rather than running to Kristoff and saving herself, was the act of true love that saved her. So it was actually Anna herself learning the true meaning of love, and how as Olaf puts it "some people are worth melting for," (being willing to put someones life about your own), that saved her.I agree with you on Anna's happily ever after coming from there repaired relationship with her sister and finally having a family again.

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  2. Lisa AndresApril 4, 2021 at 10:50 AM

    It's interesting Edison, that you identify Anna as the main protagonist of the film....why do you see Anna as the central character, rather than Elsa, who is arguably the more popular, visible character. (And maybe more divisive....)

    Also--be careful of too much plot summary! There's a lot of summary of Frozen here, and not a lot of analysis/your opinion. What did *you* think of the film overall?

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  3. Derek DeliberatesApril 5, 2021 at 1:11 AM

    Hi Edison! You made an interesting point about how the focus of Frozen shifts from the traditional focus on romantic love to one about friendship. I agree— it's a refreshing contrast from previous films where the "happily ever after" was so predicated on a man's love. However, this brings up more questions about what love means in the Frozen realm. Many people believe that Elsa should be framed as a LGBTQ+ character because she is a nontraditional princess that has never explicitly shown interest in men; do you think making Elsa into a LGBTQ+ character would be a positive form of representation, or do you think it would distract from the franchise's focus on friendship rather than romantic love?

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