Feminism in Frozen II (Essay Sample)

In recent years, the activism within society has increased, bringing many injustices to the surface. One specific injustice that has been heavily challenged is sexism against women. Feminism, the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes,  recognizes that men have privileges that women do not have. This privilege for men has no unbiased reasoning, even if people nowadays do not necessarily believe that men are better than women, the beliefs of society contribute to the continuation of unfair expectations for women. Beliefs such as the way women are supposed to look, dress, act, speak, feel, and like certain things are upheld through centuries. A good example of these beliefs are the plots of Disney Princess movies; The princess faces a conflict, cries about it, is saved by a random handsome stranger who happens to be a prince, the princess immediately falls in love, they get married, and live happily ever after. Recent years of activism have brought about new representation of women in the media showing women having the same basic privileges and abilities as men. Frozen II gives all its viewers fantastic representation of strong, in depth female characters and realistic relationships, which contribute to strong feminist themes.

One of the main protagonists of Frozen II is Elsa. Elsa’s character has qualities that are noticeably different from those of previous Disney princesses. For example, Elsa is the first Disney princess to become a queen, and she rules without a king. Her character is one of few that is not centered around interest in a man, or any love interest for that matter.  She does have magical powers, but is portrayed as a powerful being, instead of being portrayed as a fragile fairy. Her powers are strong, and are only getting stronger, “Everyday’s a little harder/ As I feel my power grow” (Into the Unknown) . Elsa faces conflicts, both external and internal, that add depth to her character development.  The confidence she has in her powers allows her to use them to protect herself, her family, and her kingdom. She is confident in her own abilities, and pushes her limits. She has internal conflict as she struggles with fulfilling her duty as queen while wrestling with keeping her powers under control. “I’m not where I'm meant to be…” Her conflicts are centered around self discovery, as she learns who she really is “show yourself” (song). Elsa's priorities show that women can be independent, focused on themselves, and focused on their responsibilities. 

The other main protagonist is Anna, Elsa’s sister. Anna's character has her own conflicts. Frozen II subtlety pokes fun at Disney Princess stereotypes by mentioning Anna’s desperation for love in Frozen, “Crazy naive or something” (quote).   Anna has other priorities in her life besides her boyfriend, Kristoff, like making sure Elsa does not behave recklessly. She actually pushes Kristoff to the side as keeping Elsa safe becomes more challenging. She loves Kristoff, but she also loves Elsa. Anna is feisty, hard headed, brave, and confident also, “if you don’t want me to go into fire, don’t go into fire” (Anna). Anna’s character also has depth, as she has strong familial and romantic relationships. Her character is not centered around Kristoff, but she still has a relationship with him, showing that women do not need a man, but can have one if they want, which is a feminist value. Anna's character is a juxtaposition to Elsa’s. Elsa internalizes her emotions and tries to subdue or control them, whereas Anna externalizes her emotions and feels them very strongly. Anna is feisty and stubborn, but has an amazing capacity for love. The contrast of the two female protagonists in Frozen II presents the audience with female characters that have qualities that support and oppose gender normalities, which is part of what feminism is about! Feminism rejects the societal judgement of women’s emotions, actions, and priorities, and instead argues that women should be able to do, think, and feel however they want without being criticized.

Kristoff is Anna’s love interest and long term boyfriend in Frozen II. Anna and Kristoff’s relationship contributes to the feminist theme in many ways. The main conflict surrounding Kristoff is that he is trying to propose to Anna, but he can not seem to find the right time or the right words to say. Adding to Kristoff’s difficulty, Anna’s attention is completely focused on making sure Elsa is safe, and not on her relationship with Kristoff. Anna unintentionally pushes Kristoff to the side, so while Kristoff is trying to take the next big step in their relationship it seems like Anna is pulling away from him. Kristoff’s feelings of sadness, confusion, and uncertainty are expressed in his song “Lost in the Woods.” Instead of making the princess chase after the prince like in other Disney movies, Disney is making Kristoff chase after Anna, breaking the stereotype. The acceptance of men openly showing emotions besides anger and happiness is also a feminist value, so the choice of Disney to have Kristoff’s main conflict surrounding his feelings of love and doubt support this value. Kristoff also respects Anna’s priorities, even when he is not one of them “I'm here, what do you need?” He knew that this was something Anna had to do, and that she was going to do it. He asked what she needed, and did not doubt her abilities.

As society becomes more aware of inequalities in itself, it will begin a shift towards righting its wrongs. Frozen II shows this shift, as many things about the film were noticeably different from sexist stereotypes in previous Disney movies.  However, instead of directly bashing stereotypes, Disney created a movie that normalizes strong female characters with depth, and supportive male partners. This is especially important for the young audience Frozen II was intended for, as this representation of women will impact their perspective of gender normalities, creating a generation raised with fair morals. Of course, nothing is perfect, and that includes Frozen II. There are aspects of the movie that reinforce harmful stereotypes. The physical appearances of both Anna and Elsa uphold societal standards, as they are thin, beautiful, and unrealistically perfect. Their appearance does contribute to the lack of realistic body representation in media, but adds so much to women empowerment.

Frozen II gives all its viewers fantastic representation of strong, in depth female characters and realistic relationships, which contribute to strong feminist themes.