crystallizedandwinged

[crystallizedandwinged]

Desperately trying to find an Olaf plushie that doesn't look like it's been stepped on. I'll keep you all updated if I do.

[crystallizedandwinged]

On a more serious note, I do feel like nostalgia affects people more than they realize. When Frozen came out, I was eight years old and I adored it but I remember everyone around me having a deep and visceral hatred for it. YouTubers tore it to shreds, people made fun of the characters, everyone thought the songs were annoying, people called it the downfall of Disney. Now whenever I tell someone it's my favorite movie (or they see my bag, shirts, buttons, etc) they almost always have positive memories of it and a happy feeling associated with it. I'm not gonna lie and say I think recent Disney movies are all good or even decent (when I get you live-action Lilo and Stitch when I GET you) but I do think it's possible to keep in mind that kids movies will never really feel the same way they did when you were a kid.

I think Disney has a real problem right now with prioritizing cash flow over interesting and unique stories but I'm also sick of people ignoring the target demographic. If I was a little girl I would adore Wish. It's pretty, it's fun, the protagonist is a beautiful biracial girl with box braids. I don't think it holds up to other Disney princess movies, I think it is bland and the story has a lot of issues, but I don't think that's the point of it. Cinderella didn't have a massively morally complex story. I think a lot of the criticism of Wish is really disingenuous because it's not coming from a place of understanding that the point of Wish is to be a fun princess movie! Barbie Princess and the Pauper has a lot of similar issues and I adore that movie. A lot of criticisms are conflicting too (Asha is too adorkable, Asha is too smart and capable, the villain should just be straight-up evil we're sick of empathetic villains, the villain wasn't empathetic enough he was too straight-up evil). The movie was clearly a hit with little girls. I refuse to be the adult saying, "This movie made for little girls doesn't directly appeal to ME in PARTICULAR!" when it was never meant for me.

Disney sidekicks nowadays are all "cute animal with no personality who makes an easily marketable plushie" what happened to snowman who's comedically obsessed with summer unaware that it would kill him if he ever lived out his life's dream? What happened to sassy gay Jamaican crab? What happened to servants turned into cutlery for the crime of working for a crappy employer? We used to be a country

[crystallizedandwinged]

Disney sidekicks nowadays are all "cute animal with no personality who makes an easily marketable plushie" what happened to snowman who's comedically obsessed with summer unaware that it would kill him if he ever lived out his life's dream? What happened to sassy gay Jamaican crab? What happened to servants turned into cutlery for the crime of working for a crappy employer? We used to be a country

[crystallizedandwinged]

A Needlessly In-Depth Review of the Disney100 Frozen Anna and Elsa Collector Dolls

I promised myself I wouldn't boil wash their hair but wow is it tempting.

I was finally able to get my hands on the Mattel Creations Anna and Elsa dolls (a gift from my lovely mother, everyone give her a round of applause). Here is my thorough review!

(These are NOT the special 10th anniversary dolls because I do not have $400 dollars, but maybe someday.)

My mother bought these for $70 USD but they were originally $100 USD. I'll be evaluating how they hold up to both prices.

They come in a very pretty and simple box. I like the simplicity of it because it provides a good backdrop for photos (I'm using stock photos here because I haven't finished my set-up but I'll show you all soon). It has a classic snowflake pattern and a blurb on the back about celebrating 100 years of Disney, as well as descriptions of the dolls. I thought the last line about "celebrating the magic of sisterhood" was pretty sweet. The background inside of the box is shimmers and snowflakes, it's cute but I liked the outside of the box better. I'm not sure if it's supposed to come with a certificate of authentication, probably not, but I didn't receive one regardless. Anyway, the box is sturdy and the overuse of plastic restraints irks me but it's not that big of a deal.

Both dolls come with stands. I don't like crotch-stands usually but here I think they're warranted, waist stands would definitely mess up the dolls' dresses and capes and the dolls cannot stand on their own. I wish the stands were slightly more interesting, they're just plain white and they're shaped in a fun way that almost gives the illusion of them standing on top of snow so I do like that but I just think a little glitter would've gone a long way. Their hair is VERY crunchy and I understand these are collector's display dolls but it's really uncomfortable just to touch, most of my other display dolls do not have hair this crunchy. I have to physically hold myself back from at least boil washing the ends but honestly I might still do it because ewwww. Overall their hairstyles are adorable though. Now we'll get into individual breakdowns.

ANNA is adorable. Her face is so perfect. It's very similar to Elsa's but has cute freckles that are very well-spaced (though I wish they had a little more variety in size). Her eyebrows have tiny individually painted hairs and I really appreciate that. Her rooted eyelashes are so pretty and add a lot of dimension to her face. Her braids are soooo cute if you can get past the crunchiness (the crunch is really mostly on the ends anyway but it also affects her fringe unfortunately because that's a lot harder to wash). Her bonnet and cape are so adorable, both are real fabric. The bonnet has a faux fur trim that's really cute and adds a great tactile touch. The cape is long and shimmery like velvet and has fluffy pom-poms at the trim which is such a great detail. The cape is closed with little silver heart clasps! Her outfit really does genuinely look warm. Her mittens are so cute and accurate to the movie! The print is slightly blurry but I prefer that because I believe a clearer print would require the mittens to be less fluffy and I definitely prefer them fluffy. Her shirt is a simple shimmery light blue and her fabric bodice is super beautiful, especially the golden metallic edges which are thankfully also fabric. Her boots match her bodice perfectly and are super fitting, especially with the curve up by the toes. My main issue is her skirt. It's taught plastic instead of flexible fabric. I understand that they did this so it could keep its shape, have a clearer pattern, and have sparkles and I do appreciate that. It's definitely a very cute look. But it's such an uncomfortable tactile experience and it's very visually obvious. It's also slightly see-through which I don't enjoy. I really wish they had just given her a fabric skirt. I'll likely sew my own skirt for her. Overall a very cute doll and I'm quite happy.

ELSA is absolutely beautiful. Her face is gorgeous and her makeup is perfect, a lot more mature and sophisticated than Anna who's a little more playful. Not sure if it's just mine, but her rooted eyelashes are a little less bushy than Anna's which gives her a more mature appearance and I really like that. Again I appreciate the individual eyebrow hairs because I really think it adds elevation to the face. Her braid is beautiful though very crunchy. The blue sparkly tinsel woven through is just gorgeous and matches perfectly with the three spaced out snowflakes. I especially love that the snowflakes have detailed moulding, it's such a nice touch. Her single bang-curl is cute but very crunchy which doesn't give a great appearance. Her dress is kept up by clear plastic straps which I don't love but it's not really a big deal and it doesn't distract too much. Her bodice and dress are a beautiful fabric with shining/sparkling details that I really enjoy. Her dress has a see-through layer overtop with the sparkles and a fabric layer underneath, which looks SO good and makes it so her dress can be both sparkly and fabric. I love that the sparkly chenille extends a little past the fabric under-layer. However, the hemming inside is sloppy and bothers me a lot. For her bodice they prioritized fabric so it's smoother and shiny, as opposed to the rest of the dress which is more sparkly. Her off-the-shoulder sleeves are so pretty with sparkly diamond patterns that suit her so well. Her cape is just gorgeous. The flowy fabric lets it drape around her and fly behind her and the shiny silver snowflakes are such a beautiful addition. The tactile experience is fantastic honestly. The cape is mostly one piece but it does have a slit at the top to make the dress removable. The cape is massive and can be styled in sooo many different ways. Her shoes are clear with flecks of sparkle and really give the impression of being made of ice. I cannot get over all the beautiful details she has.

The quality of the dolls is not perfect. I noticed many loose hairs right out of the box, especially with Elsa's tinsel, but the details make this a worthy purchase, to me. I'm not totally certain it is worth $100 USD but it is definitely worth $70 USD in my opinion. They are a fantastic edition to any Frozen (or doll) collection. I spend a lot of my time just holding them and looking at all their pretty little details. They honestly look even better than in the stock photos! I do not recommend them for young children as they are relatively fragile and have many small easily-swallowable parts. My overall review: flawed but lovable!

I might do reviews like these for all my Frozen dolls (though most of them I bought second hand so I probably won't be able to review them as in-depth).

[crystallizedandwinged]

₊°｡❆ Intro ❆｡°₊

I'm crystallizedandwinged! I'm an autistic woman obsessed with Disney's Frozen. I honestly love all things snow and cold, my third favorite movie is Tinkerbell and the Secret of the Wings and my fourth is the Snow Queen 2012. This is my blog for happily rambling about my special interest in Frozen. I post analysis, random thoughts, theories, head canons, and maybe even fan art or fan fiction! Stick around if you like Frozen or just like to watch someone gush over things they love. Feel free to ask me any questions you'd like (though I delete negativity, this blog is my happy place).

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

[crystallizedandwinged]

Something I love about Frozen is how Elsa learns to control her powers. In the beginning, child Elsa knows exactly how to control it and it just comes naturally to her, the way say maybe walking would for a toddler. Maybe she still had to learn over time how it works but it isn't foreign to her, it's natural. Her powers are fueled by comfort and love. When she grows extremely fearful of her powers, they become completely out of control. The best example of this is after the funeral when her room is entirely iced over with snowflakes falling. She's so anxious all the time she can't even take her gloves off for a moment, it's that terror. You know what else? She's able to freeze off the shackles Hans puts on her, she could DEFINITELY freeze through the gloves but they're a mental barrier. It's like when you stack red solo cups in front of your chihuahua. The people she trusted most in the world (her parents) told her that the gloves would stop her powers so she believed they did so they did.

In Let It Go, she finally figures out somewhat how to control her powers with her newfound freedom and confidence. After so long of having to stifle and hide and being terrified, she's finally totally free. The first thing that comes to her mind? Her love for her sister. Immediately, she builds Olaf, the snowman she built with her sister in her happiest memories. Remember in Olaf's Frozen Adventure when Elsa and Anna explain that Olaf WAS their tradition, the only interaction they had, the only thing keeping them together all those years that they were apart? Of course Olaf is the first thing Elsa thought of making with her newfound freedom and confidence. This love propels her ability to control more. She creates a dress that's free and able to be moved in, she lets her hair down, she creates a castle completely to her specifications. But this confidence isn't really...real. As I was talking about in my last post, she was just self-isolating she wasn't really free because real freedom requires truly accepting yourself. I'd say that what's propelling her powers more in Let It Go is excitement, rather than confidence. She's feeling exactly what Anna felt in For the First Time in Forever: the gates are open.

When Elsa creates Marshmallow she realizes she can control her powers when angry too, which leads her to the fight with the men that the Duke of Weselton sent. If they had fought her in the beginning she never would've been able to control her powers in a coherent way but now she can. Obviously the storm towards the end is a manifestation of Elsa's growing fear and anxiety, which stops suddenly when her worst fear comes true: Anna dies and it's Elsa's fault (she thinks). In this moment I would argue Elsa likely hates her powers and herself as much as possible BUT! The worst case scenario has occurred. The thing she has been running from her entire life (hurting Anna) has happened. In a way, that means she can finally accept her powers and herself. When Anna unfreezes, Elsa realizes a few things. First: she can control her powers. We've laid the groundwork for that, she's seen how different emotions affect her powers and how she can use that. Two: she realizes her powers are not inherently evil, especially if she can control them. She finally accepts them. Three: if she can control her powers and if they're linked to emotion, all she has to do to melt the snow is think about the strongest emotion she has: love for her sister. IMO that's why she's able to maintain Olaf. He's literally a representation of her strongest emotion. I theorize that OLAF is actually the bridge between the spirit world and the people in Frozen 2 but that's for another post.

[crystallizedandwinged]

It's interesting how Elsa is embarrassed of the events of Let It Go. Like it's super realistic because if I had a panic attack and ran up a mountain I'd look back on that and feel kinda embarrassed too but it's just sort of an interesting writing choice. In Frozen 2, when she's seeing the memories in ice in Ahtohallan she's clearly embarrassed by the memory of Let It Go, and in Disney Dreamlight Valley if you say you liked her Let It Go dress she says she's embarrassed of that part of her life. It feels sad because for us, the audience, it seems like such a confident moment for her, finally being free, but the truth is she wasn't free she was just isolated. She wasn't hiding her powers she was hiding herself, far away from everyone. This is why I think her moving to Ahtohallan actually makes sense. She didn't like being queen! It was thrust upon her unwillingly! She clearly is not comfortable in large groups of people and prefers to be by her lonesome.

In Frozen 1 Anna is already seen commanding the people of Arendelle efficiently and she's only 18. In Frozen 2 we see this even more when they're evacuating in the beginning. It just becomes perfectly clear when she has to make the extremely difficult decision to destroy all of Arendelle to set the forest right and save all the land. She's so clearly suited for queendom. But Elsa never was and she knew it. When Elsa moves to Ahtohallan, she can finally be actually free. She's not isolated (she has the Northuldra) but she can be who SHE is. In the beginning of Frozen 2, a butler spooks Elsa and she freezes her hands to the railing of the balcony. Like it's so obvious that she still isn't comfortable, that's the whole point of Into the Unknown, she feels out of place and unable to fully express herself. When she goes to live in the forest, she can truly just be herself and express her powers to their fullest extent without having to worry about what people think, especially since it seems that magic is looked down upon and magic users appear to be feared and scorned (King Runeard, the Duke of Weselton, etc). The Northuldra people respect magic and work in tandem with it, Elsa IS magic. In the forest, she can be truly and completely free and live with people who don't look down on her for things she can't control. It's not to say that Arendelle is bad or there's something wrong with it, living there just doesn't suit Elsa but it absolutely does suit Anna! Honestly I think these are both the natural conclusions for their character arcs. All of Frozen 2 is ABOUT Anna figuring out how to differentiate herself from Elsa and be her own person, her coronation is the ultimate expression of that. (I'll explore Anna's arc in Frozen and Frozen 2 more deeply in another post at some point.)