#vuelie-frost rambles

[vuelie-frost]

Hair symbolism in Frozen 1 & 2 (and why Anna being queen makes total sense)

Elsa’s hair has been analyzed a lot, and we all agree that the loosening of her hair (coronation do -> braid -> ponytail -> fully down) represents her self-actualization and sense of internal freedom.  Anna’s hair actually changes in the opposite direction. She starts with double braids in the first movie, to partially down in Frozen 2, and then total updo at the end. But Anna has always had an internal sense of who she is- she doesn’t struggle with her identity the same way Elsa does. Anna’s arc is all about fielding external forces, protecting the ones she loves, and maturing. 

I posit Anna’s hair evolution is about moving from childhood to adulthood. But let me be clear: this is not in a way that fundamentally changes who Anna actually is nor in a way that makes adulthood out to be a stuffy, stoic inevitability. It represents moving into the next phase of her life with the grace and beauty of someone who has never compromised who she is.

Anna’s purpose as a fictional character is to mirror our own abilities, or lack thereof. She’s not magical. She’s overwhelmingly imperfect. She’s goofy and weird. She has always put her life on the line for her sister, and so while Anna has a strong sense of self, she’s almost always postured to help or support other characters.  Becoming queen puts Anna at the center of her own story. While I have no doubt she’ll always be the person to cast risk aside and go scale a mountain in search of her sister, she’s enough to be herself & still accomplish great things. I think we all have this sense of suppressing certain parts of our personalities or interests for the sake of the world.

“if people really see me, they wouldn’t like me.”

“If people knew x about me, I wouldn’t be able to go very far.”

Anna becoming queen is VERY VERY important because she’s the one character in Frozen who feels no need to hide who she truly is. She’s us. She’s the human connection of the bridge. While both sisters are yin-yangs of representing different kinds of people (after all, I relate to Elsa more than any other Disney princess,) Anna’s the fairytale character full of yearning and dreaming and not-magic. 

Elsa’s queenhood was meaningful for people like me who wonder if someone with my personality can accomplish great things. Anna, while more traditionally fitting for a queen role based on the personalities of past Disney princesses, was always characterized as the younger sibling type who felt like more of a spare & a punchline. She’s always been a little less mature than Elsa, a little less cautious, a little less cognizant of cause-effect in the real world. So becoming queen is the full circle of her arc. She IS enough. She’s MORE than enough.

I won’t wax poetic about the nature of childhood vs adulthood, as it’s been analyzed to death by people much smarter than me. But it’s a universal experience we all relate to and that’s why we love Anna’s blossoming.  Anyway, just wanted to point that out. Anna in an updo is not the thematic equivalent of Elsa in an updo. For Elsa, it represented suppression. For Anna, it represents honor. And not in a boring regal way- in a way that indicates you can be your whole self & still pursue your future fearlessly.

(I always run the risk of oversimplifying Anna when I try to characterize her because she’s so intrinsically likable. We rely on her to be humorous, strong, brave, and capable. But assuming she’s just a happy-go-lucky figure 24/7 actually dehumanizes her. It’s the same as assuming all extroverts in the world are constantly cheery social butterflies. It does people a disservice to simplify their personalities. It’s easy to see Elsa as internally complex, but harder to see Anna that way unless we’re intimately aware of how people like her function. So I always talk about her with the disclaimer that I might be misrepresenting her, and I’m sorry if so.)

[vuelie-frost]

Maybe someone with more knowledge on lyrical theory can expand, but let’s take a moment to remember that Iduna’s lullaby goes “Come my darling, homeward bound. When all is lost then all is found” And Elsa intentionally and deliberately subverts that final line to “I am found”

Which undeniably fuses together the lullaby of her childhood with the revelations of the present while implying that she was the one who felt lost but is now newly rectified just like the song resolves and no one touch me

[vuelie-frost]

2am thoughts:

I said this a few months ago on a long analytical post but for whatever reason I've been thinking about this idea more lately. Elsa's powers were given as a "gift of utilization" to restore the past. But thematically her powers have a lot of metaphor... because "magic" in stories is never about actual magic, it's about humanity. It's a stand-up in for awe. It's an easier way to swallow amazement at the universe before we can see our own lives in a similar lens.

Elsa has so much potential and it's taken her so agonizingly long to see it. 21 years of life to begin to accept herself. Her magic can do harm, but it can do so much good.

I don't know man, I can't help but wonder if Elsa's true magic is the restoration of broken things- herself included.

[vuelie-frost]

theupsidedownpyramid: Hi! I’m not tagged, but I’d like to try answering your question. Hope you won’t mind! 🙈 I think Elsa has actually been wanting to find answers all these years. In the opening scene of F2, when Agnarr mentioned the Northuldra in his story about the Enchanted Forest, young Elsa immediately interrupted: “Were the Northuldra Magical, like me?”

And in the deleted scene (https://theupsidedownpyramid.tumblr.com/post/614300543491391488/natasa-on-twitter), which happened after the story-telling), Elsa asked Iduna, “Mother, why am I the only one who can use magic?” These show that Elsa already wanted to find someone alike and seek answers about her powers since young age.

Then the incident of her accidentally striking Anna stopped her from the inquiry. Instead of feeling blessed with powers, she started regarding them as a curse: awful, uncontrollable magic that could only cause harm. So during F1 her main goal is to avoid contact with people so that she couldn’t hurt anyone.

But 3 years have passed after F1. Elsa now has full control of her magic (she freezing the balcony doesn’t count; she is lost in thoughts when being called by Kai :P). She’s not afraid of harming anyone anymore, she’s now close to Anna and her family, and is beloved by her people. Therefore with everything else settled, the unanswered questions come to her mind again-

Why I’ve always been so different? Who am I really meant to be? (hope these help! :) ---

Hey @theupsidedownpyramid ! Hope you don’t mind if I post your reply here- I can’t reply directly in Tumblr comments since this is my side blog. 

Thanks so much for bringing up the vignettes from her childhood! I hadn’t considered those. 

I could see someone arguing that since those scenes WERE in the sequel and not Frozen 1, they were “shoehorned in” by the writers to better set the scene for Elsa’s arc. But upon reflection, using your points, I think it’s notable that these are very Elsa scenes. They’re not out of character, even though she’s a little girl. As a kid she was always pretty curious and imaginative. Looking for answers isn’t contrary to her personality. And it makes sense that her focus would shift after the Anna incident, from “why am I magical?” to “how can I protect others from me?” I suppose the latter is the basis of the first movie, while the former is the basis for the second. Only once the first movie happened could the second begin (as corny and “duh” as that sounds, LOL)

[vuelie-frost]

status update

(Will allude to the existence of spoilers in this post, but will not give any away, so fear not! : )

After writing the “How to Cope” post earlier, I delete this app off my phone and resolved to stop engaging with the nature of the spoilers & speculations. It’s kind of exhausting, the emotional waves of optimism and pessimism. It pulls me away from “real life,” where my responsibilities still tug at my heels regardless of how I'm feeling about Frozen 2. And it’s hard to be here on Tumblr, even among all the good posts and excitement and hope and awe at the gorgeous movie we’re getting, because of the slippage of leaks/spoilers through the cracks. So I’m just going to be smarter about how much time I spend online. I also realized that writing that post was therapeutic, because realizing what my biggest concerns were (& writing them out) make them less looming and unpredictable.  On the drive home from work today, pondering all this and a lingering sense of “what now?”, I was filled with... peace. Unexpected, but welcome. I think it’s the only kind of peace that can come with time. 

All the leaks & spoilers... they’re unexpected, but I’m not sure what I was expecting otherwise. Massive changes will probably be necessitated by the plot. This is exciting. The more I separate myself from the negative feedback on here, Reddit, and Twitter, the more I see potential and excitement in the movie’s conclusion. It’s going to be emotionally complex no matter what and in a way that’s EXTREMELY cool. Sure, I'd love a warm happy ending all around. But I can appreciate a complicated, bittersweet ending too.

The last minutes of this sequel, even if they are truly terrible to endure, aren’t going to destroy everything I love about Elsa. They’re not going to invalidate the chapter that came before. They’re not going to poison her arc completely via the conclusion we see, as it’s never been about the destination anyway. I think Disney would be the first to tell anyone that. I’m going to go make some hot chocolate and sketch more of my Snow Queen. I also spent too much money today preordering all her new Funko Pop! figures. Because at this point I’m in too deep to defect her.

[vuelie-frost]

Hi friends! Hope you've all had a lovely holiday so far! I haven't been around here much, with family in town and general busyness that the end of December brings. But I have some more thoughts on Show Yourself I hope to write up within the next week, and some more fanart rolling around in my brain.

I keep my Frozen adoration pretty modest in front of my family- don't want them to think I'm crazy- but I DID get Elsa & Anna PEZ dispensers for Christmas. So. Don't be jealous. 😉

[vuelie-frost]

Frozen 2: A Year Later

Frozen 2 came out one year ago today!

I went to the movies by myself on the evening of November 21, indulged in a large popcorn, and watched my favorite characters flood my heart all over again.

I realize the discourse has slowed down on here- and maybe indefinitely, as I suspect there aren't any more Frozen movies in our future (though crossing some fingers for some shorts!) I myself have been pretty sporadic in my time on Tumblr. I exist in this fandom via ebbs and flows of my hyperfixations (hello, ADHD.)

The Ending

The point of contention that had the most uproar last year. 

I’ve mostly remained positive about the ending. There are small details that still nag at me, but overall I don’t have an issue with it. (I’ve written about this a lot before, so I’ll try not to repeat myself.) 

Regardless, after a year to mull over, I have a little more sympathy for people who reject the ending. We’ve all had shows/franchises that ended poorly to us (glances at HIMYM.) It can feel like actual betrayal when the familiarity we fostered over the years feels breached or violated. I think a year ago I felt very defensive of the ending- and I still defend it- but I have a little more space to allow people to doubt. I know it’s hard. 

Sequels are super fragile, because you’re reentering a space where an established audience is going to be presented with new information. Sequels as a whole RARELY live up to the original. I think even now I still prefer the first Frozen for its poignancy at the time.  Jen has said the theme of the sequel was “love in the midst of change” (while Frozen was “love in the midst of fear.”) These are big, powerful motifs that are destined to challenge our presumptions. Revolting against the changes in Frozen 2 is almost a meta experience, because the empathy we feel is the exact tension the characters feel in the movie. 

I’ve thought a lot about Elsa’s place in the ending, and while cognitively I easily accepted her path (and upon deep reflection realized this is what I wanted for her,) there was a tiny bug in my ear that resisted. Like I said, I’ve been pretty positive about the ending and do think it was the right path for her, but for the sake of honesty I’ll readily admit I wasn’t teary-eyed at the final shot of her running toward Ahtohallan.

Again, I think it’s just the challenge to my presumption that she would live in Arendelle forever. This isn’t a movie problem, this is a me problem. It doesn’t mean it was the wrong decision. “Love in the midst of change.” If Elsa has changed, can I still love her? Has she truly changed? 

Similarly, Anna becoming queen felt right to me immediately, but it still challenged my preconceived notion of the younger sister trope. We assumed she’d always be the fun, relatable foil to Elsa’s stately rank. Anna being elevated this way is exciting for her as a character, but it tests our perception of her.

Again, I love love LOVE Anna being queen. It makes perfect sense. And it’s still never easy to have your assumptions challenged. Those two concepts can coexist.

Elsa

I think after a lot of reflection, the plot point that made me the most skeptical was her giving up queenhood. For someone who relates deeply to her story and characterization, having her as queen gave me hope. If she, despite all her particular flaws, can be a beloved, competent leader figure... maybe there’s hope for me. 

Elsa is an excellent queen. She readily (albeit nervously) accepted the role, since she was prepped for it from birth. She’s a dignified and respected political leader. Her people love her. She’s kind, compassionate, and has a strong sense of justice. Elsa is a good queen.

But that's not the same as Elsa liking being queen.

Now before I make too many assumptions, I’m not saying she hates being queen (I actually think the opposite.) Per her personality, I think she likes caring for people. She enjoys making sure her country is safe and protected. She’s eager to continue the esteemed legacy of her parents. Everything she does is with poise, grace, and gratitude. She probably hoped she had a few more years (or decades) before assuming the rank, but she never shows evidence of resenting the position. This is important.

Since this was her destiny, I’m pretty sure she never even considered doing something else with her life. Which is why the first call from the spirits is so unsettling to her. She thinks her life is set in stone, and suddenly some outside spirit is beckoning her toward adventure. This has to be terrifying.

But I think that’s the first time she starts doubting her place in the world since the events of the first movie. We knew she felt unfit to be queen in Frozen. Now she knows she’s fit for the job, but is this even where she wants to be? Has she even asked herself that question before? 

Elsa’s grappling with personal agency is super interesting to me. She’s always toed the line between fate and personal choice. It was her fate to be coronated, but she ran away to the mountains. It was her fate to be queen, but she chose to follow the call of Ahtohallan. 

(You can argue about whether being the Snow Queen is really her choice or not- I think it is. She’d never let herself be tempted away from Anna against her will. She’s too smart for that. If anything, it means Elsa now fully trusts Anna and doesn’t feel a compulsion to shield her from every crack in the pavement.)

It’s possible to hold two homes in your heart at once. Family of origin stays with us for our entire lives, whether positively or negatively. But at some point we’re called beyond our origins. It’s always partly our choice, partly necessity. 

As an aside- Anna experiences the same arc in a different way. She probably had some training should the need for her to assume the throne ever happened, so she’s not unprepared... but she probably assumed she’d be a princess forever. Her own future is altered when she’s made queen. Even though her location is still Arendelle, she still experiences a lot of similar personal growth.

And because it bears repeating: the sisters are always close. They are not severed. Saying “they’re separated” betrays the nuance of their story. 

- - -

I also wonder how much of our tension with Elsa’s ending is just a challenge to our victimization of her. We adore this character because she struggles so much. We want to take care of her. We want her next to Anna at all times because that’s her other half. We almost want them to be codependent.

So Elsa living with the Northuldra forces us to reckon with the fact that Elsa no longer needs our (or Anna’s) protection. She’s autonomous. And from what I can see, she’s happy. 

At some point, we have to trust the character (and creators) above our own headcanons. I enjoy this fandom a lot, but the cool thing about fiction is that you can accept and reject plots as much as you want. There are no rules on how to love Frozen. 

You can reject the sequel. 

You can love every minute of it. 

You can write fan fiction. 

You can reject fan fiction. 

You can disagree with the writers. 

You can appreciate the writers. 

There’s no “right” way to do it, and if you need to suspend some disbelief to make peace, that’s your right and privilege.

All that said, there is merit to the sadness of having a platonic relationship part geographically. It’s a shame that friendships/siblinghoods are subject to more turbulent futures, where neither are committed to living in the same place. I have a whole personal philosophy on this that I’ll spare you guys from (this post is long enough!) Maybe this is why I’m more sympathetic these days to the people who mourn the ending. 

But maybe we’ve mistaken proximity for intimacy. Maybe we don’t have a great understanding of non-romantic relationships and how they function in a world, whether Earth or Arendelle, where geography is conflated with closeness. 

Knowing everything we know about Elsa and Anna... I think the ending cements their sisterhood, instead of invalidating it. They are finally free and happy enough to follow their fates without the compulsion to stick close together. They’ve moved from looking eye-to-eye to standing shoulder-to-shoulder. 

They’re both protectors of their home, from Arendelle to the Ahtohallan.

They’re both ends of the bridge between the physical and metaphysical.

They’re both challenged to reevaluate their goals and values.

Elsa is released to embracing the the ice that runs in her veins, free to be a force of nature protecting Arendelle and the Northuldra from spiritual discord.

Anna is esteemed to the role of queen, and with new understanding of her heritage & the magic involved, can protect Arendelle with all her fiery love and passion.

They’re two sides of the same coin. They’re guards on either end of the kingdom. We need both of them in these places. 

That’s how I’ve made peace with the ending. If you’re still struggling, I hope you can too. 

- - -

I have an Elsa Pop Funko looking at me from my desk right now, reminding me to be fearless and love freely. Thank you Jen Lee and Chris Buck for making this story. My life has been changed by it.