Great analysis!

Anna sounds a bit like a Miyazaki heroine and in my book that’s a nice thing. I like the idea that she may not be regal or sophisticated but her good intentions will motivate her to take action.

I confess though, I am getting a bit tired of Disney and other film companies introducing their heroines as “flawed” to assure us they won’t be dainty porcelain dolls. “She’s not lady-like, “she’s not
perfect”, she’s strong and gusty”, etc. “The Little Mermaid” did this decades ago with feisty Ariel and now everyone does it with stories like “Hunger Games”, “Brave”, and “Harry Potter”.

I want to understand the need to appeal to contemporary audiences with a more “realistic” heroine but I still think even an “idealistic” heroine can be likeable if she’s consistent with the world around her. I couldn’t relate to Merida from “Brave” at all because her resolution with Eleanor is nothing like my relationship with my parents. I know the desire to be your own person and not become a puppet on strings but her outbursts seemed childish to me. In contrast I felt respect for Mulan for making an effort to make her parents proud even though the matchmaker
scene didn’t turn out well for her. She was willing to be unselfish even if it was an uncomfortable and difficult thing for the sake of her family.

Regarding “Frozen”, it’s sounding less and less like “The Snow Queen” but I am interested to see Disney make this a princess-fairy-tale story about conflict between siblings. There have been “evil parental” figures with queens and witches or power-hungry rivals like Scar from “The Lion King”. But it sounds as if Elsa isn’t a foe to be destroyed as much as someone who will fall from grace and need rescuing.

I’m also much more excited about this film than Brave. 🙂 I’m very interested to hear that they’re keeping a female co-director this time.

I agree! Merida was set up to be the anti-princess princess, which was a bit of a turn off. Anna seems much more real and not so much against the princess thing, but rather she’s just not very good at it.