Disney’s Elsa is a Bad Role Model
Disney princesses. They are an icon of an era, beloved by all ages for many years since Disney’s first princess: Snow White. One of the biggest releases of the 2010s and grossing over $67 million during its opening weekend, the film Frozen was a phenomenal success for Disney (Amidi "Frozen" smashes Disney Animation Opening weekend records). The touching tale of two sisters, true love, sacrifice, and who doesn’t love anthropomorphic singing rocks and snowmen? The stars of the movie, of course, are the two sisters; the princesses of Arendelle. They have a complex relationship, growing apart after Elsa’s isolation at a young age and they remained distant for eighteen years. Anna, the younger sister, is arguably the protagonist of the movie, but Elsa, the elder sister, attracts more attention, likely from the intrigue of her ice powers. It is easy to see why they are so beloved: Anna is spunky and fearless; Elsa is independent and assertive. Not only that, but their relationship is raw and relatable to everyone. They are not perfect characters, but while Anna is noble, Elsa is problematic. Elsa from Frozen should not be hailed as a role model because the choices she makes do not set a good example for young children or adults.
At the beginning of the first film, Elsa is shown to be carefree and playful. She enjoys playing with her sister, dazzling Anna with her ice powers, until one day, she accidentally hits Anna’s head with ice. Their parents bring them to the trolls where Granpappy wipes Anna’s memory, healing her. This incident scars Elsa and in an effort to control her powers, she allows fear to control her. Fear is not the main issue with Elsa, in fact, her struggle with fear is largely what makes her so relatable. The way she handles this fear is where the issue lies.
This is the main driver for Elsa. There are numerous examples of this throughout the film. She’s afraid to hurt her sister so she stays isolated from her, and she’s afraid people will see her as a monster after her powers are revealed so she runs away. She abandons her duty as the Queen of her kingdom because she is afraid. Her power ballad “Let It Go” is praised as an anthem for putting behind social expectations and living for yourself. She leaves her kingdom stuck in an eternal winter, and throws away her crown and her duties with it. She dons a more provocative gown and raises a castle out of ice for herself. The display of such delicacy and power awes people. She is content that she is all she needs to thrive.
But Elsa’s journey to that mountain is not one of individual strength, it’s one of cowardice. She ran away impulsively. When Anna finally arrived at the ice palace, Elsa decisively told her sister that she was happy and made it clear that she did not wish to return to Arendelle. Those iconic scenes during “Let it Go” are where she is praised for her independence, but isolation is not the same as independence. Anna is a great example of being independent and taking the initiative to heal the hurt, but she does not isolate herself. In fact, Anna makes new friends along her journey such as Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. Elsa running away to be “independent” is actually her being irresponsible and selfish. Her sister is left to pick up the pieces of her mess and Anna is the one who wants to fix the brokenness between them; Elsa makes no move to bridge the gap.
Much of the movie is focused on Anna’s journey to save her sister and her kingdom. Though she is not without her flaws, Anna is much more selfless and journeys long and hard to find her sister. But when she arrives, Elsa tries to kill her. Yes, Elsa tries to kill her sister. Though hitting Anna with an ice blast was an accident, creating a spiky snow monster to chase her sister out (or destroy her if necessary) is not excusable.
“Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.” These words are spoken by Granpappy and become increasingly important to the story the moment Anna is literally struck in the heart by Elsa’s ice powers. When Hans is about to kill Elsa, Anna jumps in front of his sword, freezing to death to save her sister. It’s not Elsa who saves Anna, it’s Anna who saves herself. The sacrifice she makes out of love for her sister is the act of true love that thaws Anna. It’s not until after Anna dies, that Elsa faces her fear. Perhaps her fear is so deeply rooted that that’s what it took for her eyes to be opened.
People are attracted to Elsa. She’s beautiful, and powerful, and she asserts herself. But her assertion of herself over the well-being of the people she is responsible for is not a trait of a good role model. Escaping fear is not how you overcome it, but over and over, Elsa abandons her responsibilities for her own comfort and her own security. Taking a break from the situation is a good way to de-escalate, but Elsa doesn’t have any intention to make things right until Anna briefly dies. This is not a character that should be seen as a good role model, especially for young girls.
Works Cited
Amidi, Amid. “‘Frozen’ Smashes Disney Animation Opening Weekend Records.” Cartoon Brew, 19 Dec. 2013, https://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/frozen-smashes-disney-animation-records-91624.html