Frozen: Politics in Disney Movies
I like to keep up with various types of popular entertainment. So while I don’t have little children any longer (and don’t have grandchildren yet), I try to watch the well regarded animated films. Frozen is a very popular movie these days and so I caught it the other day on cable.
It was ok – no Lion King, but not bad. What struck me about it was the injection of current politics.
Frozen appears to be intended for a mainly female audience, with the focus on two sisters, one of whom finds love in the end.
Like many traditional fairy tales, the girl appears to fall in love with the guy when he does some nice things for her, including protecting her. But the movie moves from such tradition to the modern age at the end. The guy wants to kiss the girl, but instead of simply doing so, he awkwardly asks her if he can kiss her. Yes, he seeks affirmative consent! And what happens when he asks? The girl gives him a kiss. I suppose he has consented. But this is real feminism – the guy asks and the girl makes the move.
It remains to be seen what little girls will think of this. Perhaps it depends on the answer to the perennial question of nature versus nurture.