As I mentioned in my last post, Lily, and through her, Corin, are on a big Frozen kick right now. It’s Frozen music in the car and on the music player, Frozen storybooks at bedtime, Frozen coloring books and stickers in the art closet, and Frozen toys (the few we could find) strewn about the house.
[Spoiler Alert: I don't summarize the movie's plot, but I reference it, so if you haven't seen it and you want to be completely surprised, don't read this post yet.]
There are some who would say that Disney, and especially Disney Princesses, are bad for kids. They have some worthwhile points. But leaving aside my long family association with Disney (my parents are Disney Vacation Planners) and my extended views on the question of little girls and princesses (that’s for later), I simply like Frozen. Perhaps that’s not the preferred stance of academics (who tend to dislike Disney), hipsters (who dislike mass popularity), or my childless peers (who dislike anything made for kids), but, in the words of Queen Elsa, “I don’t care.”
I like Frozen because it’s entertaining. I like Frozen because the music is good. I like Frozen because it’s got enough story to keep my mind engaged during dozens of re-enactments in my upstairs landing. Here’s what happens when you are a graduate student in literature with Frozen on repeat:
Essay prompt 1: Discuss the ways in which Elsa and Anna each conform to or deviate from the princess norm as it exists in popular culture or previous Disney films. To go further, discuss the effect of having two different princesses in a single film together.
Essay prompt 2: Discuss the significance of the Joan of Arc reference in “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”
Essay prompt 3: Discuss Frozen in light of 1 John 4:18. Consider the recurring themes of fear and love in the film, noting how they are introduced and highlighted throughout the story and how they are resolved.
Essay prompt 4: Discuss how Prince Hans problematizes the Prince Charming ideal. What does his treatment of Anna say about the idealization of romance? Is this critique undermined by the storyline with Kristoff? What does Hans’s treatment of Elsa suggest about sexist attitudes toward powerful women?
Essay prompt 5: Discuss the choices of Elsa and Anna’s parents. What motivated them to close the gates? Was this a good choice? What other options could they have considered? Does the story have relevance for real parents of children with special needs?
[Digression: here’s Lily’s take on the parents: “Why did they go out in that storm? What were they THINKING?! They should have checked the weather on their phones.”]
I also like Frozen because it has something for both of my kids. Lily loves Elsa: the mysterious, dramatic sister with ice powers and a stunning dress. It’s funny how playing Elsa suits some of Lily’s socially challenged tendencies. For example, on the playground after school, Lily won’t engage much with groups of her peers. She’s often off in her own little world, and she does not try to join in others’ games or seem bothered to be uninvited. Sometimes, one of her classmates will directly ask her to play, but there’s at least a 50/50 chance that Lily will just say “no, thank you.” She identifies with Elsa choosing to be alone. She even has a song she sings about it: she just repeats “Let the Ice Queen be alone!” over and over again, partly shouting it and always dragging out “aloooone.” (Matt says that she has a good future as a grunge rocker.) I remind her from time to time that Elsa has to learn that she needs friends and family, but I don’t need to be too pushy. She’ll get there.
Corin, on the other hand, likes Anna, the adventurous, ebullient sister with a quick laugh and overflowing affection. I thought he would go for Olaf since he loves snowmen and Olaf is so funny, but Cor is definitely an Anna fan. One night, he put on one of Lily’s tiaras and walked around with a huge smile declaring, “I Princess Anna!” When Lily got a pink, sparkly Anna shirt for her birthday, he was so excited that she let him wear it at her party. I’m not sure if Anna is his first crush or his role model, but I’m fine either way. Anna is bold, loving, good-humored, and remarkably free from envy given her circumstances. If more men learned to be like Anna, combining fearlessness and kindness, we would all be better off.
Finally, I also like Frozen because it has provided an unexpected outlet for creativity. Lily knows that movies come with merchandise, but most of her previous obsessions have lent themselves to craftiness at home because they have been so old that very little merchandise exists. Over the past few years, we’ve home-made costumes, coloring books, bedtime books, and magnet sets, and combed the internet for used items for The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and The Incredibles, but you would think that Frozen, being a current blockbuster, would have the full force of Disney merchandise behind it. Instead, to borrow a line from Tour Guide Barbie in Toy Story 2: “Shortsighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand.” You can’t find anything Elsa in stores, and online, it’s either sold out or selling on Ebay for triple its retail price or more. You can find storybooks and activity books, but dolls and clothes are hot commodities. [Digression: you can draw sad inferences from toys and clothes selling out while books are still in good supply.] Disney is usually on top of the chance to make money. I’m not sure why they have such a supply shortage in this case. Perhaps they underestimated the popularity of the movie? I can understand that; caution is good. But the supply, however limited, of Anna toys and clothes while Elsa is completely sold out, suggests that they either intended or predicted Anna to be the favorite and were blindsided by the overwhelming interest in Elsa. Wake up, Disney marketing: the sweet, adventuring princess is great, but lots of kids like ruling queens with ice magic.
The first thing our little Elsa fan wanted was an Elsa dress (no shock if you know her), and the next thing she wanted was a Frozen birthday party. Since official merchandise was in short supply for both of those desires, it gave me an excellent pretext for pursuing my growing make-it-yourself obsession. The saga of the Elsa dress and its related Party of Special Magnificence will be the topic of their own post.
[Spoiler Alert: I don't summarize the movie's plot, but I reference it, so if you haven't seen it and you want to be completely surprised, don't read this post yet.]
There are some who would say that Disney, and especially Disney Princesses, are bad for kids. They have some worthwhile points. But leaving aside my long family association with Disney (my parents are Disney Vacation Planners) and my extended views on the question of little girls and princesses (that’s for later), I simply like Frozen. Perhaps that’s not the preferred stance of academics (who tend to dislike Disney), hipsters (who dislike mass popularity), or my childless peers (who dislike anything made for kids), but, in the words of Queen Elsa, “I don’t care.”
I like Frozen because it’s entertaining. I like Frozen because the music is good. I like Frozen because it’s got enough story to keep my mind engaged during dozens of re-enactments in my upstairs landing. Here’s what happens when you are a graduate student in literature with Frozen on repeat:
Essay prompt 1: Discuss the ways in which Elsa and Anna each conform to or deviate from the princess norm as it exists in popular culture or previous Disney films. To go further, discuss the effect of having two different princesses in a single film together.
Essay prompt 2: Discuss the significance of the Joan of Arc reference in “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”
Essay prompt 3: Discuss Frozen in light of 1 John 4:18. Consider the recurring themes of fear and love in the film, noting how they are introduced and highlighted throughout the story and how they are resolved.
Essay prompt 4: Discuss how Prince Hans problematizes the Prince Charming ideal. What does his treatment of Anna say about the idealization of romance? Is this critique undermined by the storyline with Kristoff? What does Hans’s treatment of Elsa suggest about sexist attitudes toward powerful women?
Essay prompt 5: Discuss the choices of Elsa and Anna’s parents. What motivated them to close the gates? Was this a good choice? What other options could they have considered? Does the story have relevance for real parents of children with special needs?
[Digression: here’s Lily’s take on the parents: “Why did they go out in that storm? What were they THINKING?! They should have checked the weather on their phones.”]
I also like Frozen because it has something for both of my kids. Lily loves Elsa: the mysterious, dramatic sister with ice powers and a stunning dress. It’s funny how playing Elsa suits some of Lily’s socially challenged tendencies. For example, on the playground after school, Lily won’t engage much with groups of her peers. She’s often off in her own little world, and she does not try to join in others’ games or seem bothered to be uninvited. Sometimes, one of her classmates will directly ask her to play, but there’s at least a 50/50 chance that Lily will just say “no, thank you.” She identifies with Elsa choosing to be alone. She even has a song she sings about it: she just repeats “Let the Ice Queen be alone!” over and over again, partly shouting it and always dragging out “aloooone.” (Matt says that she has a good future as a grunge rocker.) I remind her from time to time that Elsa has to learn that she needs friends and family, but I don’t need to be too pushy. She’ll get there.
Corin, on the other hand, likes Anna, the adventurous, ebullient sister with a quick laugh and overflowing affection. I thought he would go for Olaf since he loves snowmen and Olaf is so funny, but Cor is definitely an Anna fan. One night, he put on one of Lily’s tiaras and walked around with a huge smile declaring, “I Princess Anna!” When Lily got a pink, sparkly Anna shirt for her birthday, he was so excited that she let him wear it at her party. I’m not sure if Anna is his first crush or his role model, but I’m fine either way. Anna is bold, loving, good-humored, and remarkably free from envy given her circumstances. If more men learned to be like Anna, combining fearlessness and kindness, we would all be better off.
Finally, I also like Frozen because it has provided an unexpected outlet for creativity. Lily knows that movies come with merchandise, but most of her previous obsessions have lent themselves to craftiness at home because they have been so old that very little merchandise exists. Over the past few years, we’ve home-made costumes, coloring books, bedtime books, and magnet sets, and combed the internet for used items for The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and The Incredibles, but you would think that Frozen, being a current blockbuster, would have the full force of Disney merchandise behind it. Instead, to borrow a line from Tour Guide Barbie in Toy Story 2: “Shortsighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand.” You can’t find anything Elsa in stores, and online, it’s either sold out or selling on Ebay for triple its retail price or more. You can find storybooks and activity books, but dolls and clothes are hot commodities. [Digression: you can draw sad inferences from toys and clothes selling out while books are still in good supply.] Disney is usually on top of the chance to make money. I’m not sure why they have such a supply shortage in this case. Perhaps they underestimated the popularity of the movie? I can understand that; caution is good. But the supply, however limited, of Anna toys and clothes while Elsa is completely sold out, suggests that they either intended or predicted Anna to be the favorite and were blindsided by the overwhelming interest in Elsa. Wake up, Disney marketing: the sweet, adventuring princess is great, but lots of kids like ruling queens with ice magic.
The first thing our little Elsa fan wanted was an Elsa dress (no shock if you know her), and the next thing she wanted was a Frozen birthday party. Since official merchandise was in short supply for both of those desires, it gave me an excellent pretext for pursuing my growing make-it-yourself obsession. The saga of the Elsa dress and its related Party of Special Magnificence will be the topic of their own post.
Comments
Post a Comment