On November 27, 2013, the animated film “Frozen” was released in United States movie theaters. With screenplay by Jennifer Lee, the fifty-third Disney animated feature film was inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, “The Snow Queen.” The film tells the tale of the fearless Princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) who journeys alongside her loyal pet reindeer, a tough iceman and a naive snowman to find her princess sister Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel). Film critics and audiences immediately fell in love with “Frozen,” making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time. It earned Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Let It Go”) as well as a Golden Globe and three Grammys. It was also groundbreaking by providing young girls – and boys – with strong female role models.
“Frozen” is a Disney Princess tale that departs from the usual patriarchal trappings of fairy tale stories. Unlike the impossible beauty standards and lack of female agency that many Disney Princesses face, Anna and Elsa experience much more freedom and power. Both princesses have control over their narratives and do not wait for princes to save them. Anna takes it upon herself to find her sister, who has abandoned their kingdom when her magical powers to create and control ice are discovered. And although Anna falls head over heels in love with a prince in the beginning of the story, she voices regret over the rash decision by the film’s conclusion.
Another way that “Frozen” rejects the usual princess story trope is represented in the most famous song from the film, “Let It Go.” Performed by Menzel, the lyrics are about embracing your power and rejecting the pressures of the “good girl complex” that tells women that they have to be the perfect daughter, sister and, in Elsa’s case, princess. (It’s time to see what I can do/To Test the limits and break through/No right, no wrong, no rules for me/I’m free!) The young girls who continue to sing along to this catchy song are learning that it is okay make mistakes, own your strength and be yourself.
In 2016, Disney’s “Moana” continued the legacy of “Frozen” with an even more unapologetically feminist protagonist. Reflecting the more empowered role of women in society, Disney films have come a long way since Snow White’s “Someday My Prince Will Come.”