Hans is such a likable character that I seriously still love him even after seeing that he was willing to kill the protagonists of the movie. Of course, the movie does try very hard to make you like him, but this just underscores the fact that none of the other characters made me feel so strongly about them, except Anna. I was more convinced by the falling-in-love montage and song Hans sang with Anna, which even had tons of embedded clues that their relationship was not meant to be long-term (thank youuuuu amazingly clever songwriting team), than I was by Kristoff and Anna. Which is really a problem, because even though Kristoff and Anna's relationship rightfully takes a backseat to Elsa and Anna's, it's still supposed to be the most appealing romantic relationship in the movie, and personally I just wasn't invested in it. Although I do really like the painfully awkward way he asks her if he can kiss her at the end. And I like that the movie ends with their romance just beginning. (I can deal with the fact that Disney is decidedly un-feminist most of the time, but I have to appreciate a princess movie where nobody gets married at the end.)
I think there's so much missed opportunity with these characters - especially Elsa. They are so vague with her emotional journey and her powers, as you pointed out, and that’s the sticking point for me in terms of things they really should have worked harder to develop (and probably should have had nailed down before they even started animating). I was really expecting to connect with Anna and Elsa's relationship because I have a sister myself. Not only that but my sister is also somewhat distant, and tends to shut people out in ways that are callous and sometimes even seem cruel. So this movie should have spoken to me! But I couldn't relate. Because Anna and Elsa's relationship is not clearly characterized. They don't feel like real sisters.
So weirdly, what stuck with me the most about this movie was Hans, because even though Elsa should have been the most interesting character, I feel like he ended up being that character instead. Like you said, he doesn't really fit any of Disney's molds. It feels odd for him to be cackly and theatrical. He also seems smarter than most villains. What I'm confused by, though, is that he meets Anna, and she first falls for him, in a way that he could not possibly have planned? Although it's incredibly funny for me to imagine him evilly engineering a meet-cute like that. He's an atypical villain for sure.
I also think that Olaf's connection to Anna and Elsa's childhood memories should have been reinforced (and I loved Do You Want to Build a Snowman, it about killed me at the end). I really thought Olaf was going to be the seemingly annoying character that turns out to be the heart of the film, like Ray in The Princess and the Frog. But even though he had some heartwarming moments, like his (adorable) song and when he showed up at the castle to save Anna, I think overall his emotional potential as a character was wasted.
This is how I feel about the film in general. It had the potential to be a tearjerker in the best way. But all of the characters, really - except maybe Anna - seem to be lacking emotional centers. This is the most important thing to think about when writing a character! But since we don’t really know what’s driving these people, we also can’t easily empathize with them, and it really hurts the film.
And yeah, speaking of characters not emoting visibly, I agree SO MUCH about what you said about the character animation. The "they always have to be pretty" thing is total BS, and good animation is so not about that. I would have liked to see a greater range of expressions for Anna and Elsa.
Have you seen The Sweat Box, by any chance? (If not you totally should!) Your comment about Disney's production style made me think of it. I'm curious to know if this movie had a troubled production process, because that would explain a lot.
I absolutely agree about Hans! He's the second-most developed character in the film behind Anna. By rights Elsa should be as well-developed because her relationship with Anna is supposed to be driving the conflict, but that's not the way the movie worked out. And so, we get a lot of really interesting discussion about Hans. He comes out of Frozen as the most interesting royal character from Disney canon in recent memory.
And Frozen smacks of feminist tokenism in an unsatisfying way. Yes, there were two female leads, the charming prince was untrustworthy, the sororal relationship saved the day, and no one got married at the end. And a girl punches a guy who was mean to her! The directors were trying so much to be progressive, but because the story doesn't drive or support many of these decisions they just ring hollow. It's as if Disney just approved these points so they could say they were trying to reflect modern feminism.
I have brothers instead of sisters, so I thought I may be harder on Frozen because I don't have that sister-to-sister relationship the film could emotionally exploit. It's good to know from your specific experience that wasn't the case. I don't think I've read a review yet that said how Elsa and Anna reminded them of their sister.
But then again, I have a mom and I still couldn't relate to Brave.
This is how I feel about the film in general. It had the potential to be a tearjerker in the best way. But all of the characters, really - except maybe Anna - seem to be lacking emotional centers. This is the most important thing to think about when writing a character! But since we don’t really know what’s driving these people, we also can’t easily empathize with them, and it really hurts the film.
Nailed it! Frozen builds you up, makes you interested in these characters and their situations, and then just leaves you hanging. I told someone today asking for a recommendation: "It's better than you think, but not as good as you hope."
And I haven't seen The Sweat Box! But now that you've recommended it, I totally will.
Awesome! You can actually watch the movie here. Disney keeps taking it down whenever it gets posted online, probably because it makes them look bad. It's a very eye-opening documentary on the troubled production of The Emperor's New Groove, that gives you a hugely different look at how these big animation studios make movies. This is why whenever people assume I want to work for Disney (I'm an artist, I like Disney, it's easy math), I'm pretty quick to correct them, heh. I love watching the movies, but I wouldn't want to be in the artists' shoes.
I guess there could be sisters out there who do relate to Frozen, since there were people who really responded to the mother and daughter in Brave. (My mom and I didn't, though.) But I felt like the beginning of Frozen set up the basis for a potentially very deep, real relationship between Elsa and Anna, and then it didn't explore it any further. I know that sisterhood can be really complex and interesting, and so I was hoping to see that - just like most audiences want to see themselves in the stories.
Also yes to your comment about hollow appeals to feminism! It felt like that to me, too, although I still hate to condemn the movie because from what I've seen, kids who watch it are really internalizing those messages and talking about them with their parents and friends. And that's so important, I sort of feel bad that as an adult feminist I wasn't totally satisfied with the movie.
I think Hans was constantly adjusting his plan as the movie progressed. His original idea was to get Elsa to fall in love with him, marry her, arrange for her and Anna's death, and then Arendelle would be his. After he met Anna, however, it was easier for him to manipulate her and get her to want to marry him than take the risk of trying to seduce Elsa (which is a bit of a longshot).
As for why he didn't let Elsa die, it's possible he didn't want to take the chance that her death would mean the winter is permanent. Best to tackle the immediate problem of saving the kingdom so he has a kingdom to rule later. Keeping Elsa prisoner means a better chance of reversing what she did.
I think there's so much missed opportunity with these characters - especially Elsa. They are so vague with her emotional journey and her powers, as you pointed out, and that’s the sticking point for me in terms of things they really should have worked harder to develop (and probably should have had nailed down before they even started animating). I was really expecting to connect with Anna and Elsa's relationship because I have a sister myself. Not only that but my sister is also somewhat distant, and tends to shut people out in ways that are callous and sometimes even seem cruel. So this movie should have spoken to me! But I couldn't relate. Because Anna and Elsa's relationship is not clearly characterized. They don't feel like real sisters.
So weirdly, what stuck with me the most about this movie was Hans, because even though Elsa should have been the most interesting character, I feel like he ended up being that character instead. Like you said, he doesn't really fit any of Disney's molds. It feels odd for him to be cackly and theatrical. He also seems smarter than most villains. What I'm confused by, though, is that he meets Anna, and she first falls for him, in a way that he could not possibly have planned? Although it's incredibly funny for me to imagine him evilly engineering a meet-cute like that. He's an atypical villain for sure.
I also think that Olaf's connection to Anna and Elsa's childhood memories should have been reinforced (and I loved Do You Want to Build a Snowman, it about killed me at the end). I really thought Olaf was going to be the seemingly annoying character that turns out to be the heart of the film, like Ray in The Princess and the Frog. But even though he had some heartwarming moments, like his (adorable) song and when he showed up at the castle to save Anna, I think overall his emotional potential as a character was wasted.
This is how I feel about the film in general. It had the potential to be a tearjerker in the best way. But all of the characters, really - except maybe Anna - seem to be lacking emotional centers. This is the most important thing to think about when writing a character! But since we don’t really know what’s driving these people, we also can’t easily empathize with them, and it really hurts the film.
And yeah, speaking of characters not emoting visibly, I agree SO MUCH about what you said about the character animation. The "they always have to be pretty" thing is total BS, and good animation is so not about that. I would have liked to see a greater range of expressions for Anna and Elsa.
Have you seen The Sweat Box, by any chance? (If not you totally should!) Your comment about Disney's production style made me think of it. I'm curious to know if this movie had a troubled production process, because that would explain a lot.
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And Frozen smacks of feminist tokenism in an unsatisfying way. Yes, there were two female leads, the charming prince was untrustworthy, the sororal relationship saved the day, and no one got married at the end. And a girl punches a guy who was mean to her! The directors were trying so much to be progressive, but because the story doesn't drive or support many of these decisions they just ring hollow. It's as if Disney just approved these points so they could say they were trying to reflect modern feminism.
I have brothers instead of sisters, so I thought I may be harder on Frozen because I don't have that sister-to-sister relationship the film could emotionally exploit. It's good to know from your specific experience that wasn't the case. I don't think I've read a review yet that said how Elsa and Anna reminded them of their sister.
But then again, I have a mom and I still couldn't relate to Brave.
This is how I feel about the film in general. It had the potential to be a tearjerker in the best way. But all of the characters, really - except maybe Anna - seem to be lacking emotional centers. This is the most important thing to think about when writing a character! But since we don’t really know what’s driving these people, we also can’t easily empathize with them, and it really hurts the film.
Nailed it! Frozen builds you up, makes you interested in these characters and their situations, and then just leaves you hanging. I told someone today asking for a recommendation: "It's better than you think, but not as good as you hope."
And I haven't seen The Sweat Box! But now that you've recommended it, I totally will.
Reply
I guess there could be sisters out there who do relate to Frozen, since there were people who really responded to the mother and daughter in Brave. (My mom and I didn't, though.) But I felt like the beginning of Frozen set up the basis for a potentially very deep, real relationship between Elsa and Anna, and then it didn't explore it any further. I know that sisterhood can be really complex and interesting, and so I was hoping to see that - just like most audiences want to see themselves in the stories.
Also yes to your comment about hollow appeals to feminism! It felt like that to me, too, although I still hate to condemn the movie because from what I've seen, kids who watch it are really internalizing those messages and talking about them with their parents and friends. And that's so important, I sort of feel bad that as an adult feminist I wasn't totally satisfied with the movie.
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As for why he didn't let Elsa die, it's possible he didn't want to take the chance that her death would mean the winter is permanent. Best to tackle the immediate problem of saving the kingdom so he has a kingdom to rule later. Keeping Elsa prisoner means a better chance of reversing what she did.
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