After about the fourth or fifth time moms and dads are made to sit and watch Frozen
with their little ones, certain aspects of the movie start to ring as a bit strange … and
we're not just talking about the inexplicably addictive nature of the soundtrack, either.
"I said ENOUGH!"
Frozen is a story about two sisters finding out what true love really means and how to
overcome the divisions that exist between people at heart.
But while kids might've focused on things like the zany talking snowman Olaf and all
the eye-catching ice sculptures, adults everywhere had a hard time letting some of these odd
plot details go.
Poor parenting
Disney movies commonly kill off their parents -- and even those rare movies where both mother
and father are left alive, there's almost always some kind of drama associated with
them.
And while there's usually a common thread of parents being out of touch with their kids'
needs, Frozen takes it a step further and paints its princesses' parents as downright
abusive.
After all, the King and Queen of Arendelle choose to lock their daughter away like a
diseased beast, rather than trying to actually deal with her power struggle, even after they're
told that fear will make Elsa's powers more dangerous.
Okay, okay, so she did accidentally maim Anna with her chilly gifts, but it's kinda part
of the parenting package to help your kids grow up to be good people after they make
mistakes.
If The Little Mermaid's sunken ship really was the vessel that sank the royal parents,
maybe karma came back to bite them in the bow after that terrible parenting decision
to encourage her isolation sunk this child's chance at happiness so early on in life.
Who is in charge here?
Another question that adults might often have after screening Frozen for the umpteenth time
is: Who exactly is running things in Arendelle?
We see that they reduce the castle staff after Elsa gets put on house arrest, but if the
kids are holed up for three years after their parents' death, who's left running the show
in their absence, and how does it maintain itself for three years without a monarch making
the tough calls?
We see the Duke of Weselton roll up looking very excited to learn more about his biggest
trade partner, but what are they trading and who is overseeing that production?
Maybe Rapunzel's parents helped maintain things, since her appearance with Flynn Rider at Queen
Elsa's coronation indicates there's some connection there.
What's with the trolls?
Anna and Elsa's dad, the king, had a map to the trolls and seemed to have a friendly enough
relationship with the head troll to indicate they'd had some magical dealings in the past.
"Shh I'm trying to listen."
That would certainly explain why troll patriarch Pabbie was willing to save Anna from being
frozen by warping all her memories -- and why her parents would submit her to such treatment
in the first place.
"You are lucky it wasn't her heart.
The heart is not so easily changed.
But the head can be persuaded."
But that's not what's so weird about these little creatures.
They seem so set on hooking Anna up with their adopted boy, Kristoff, that they may have
played a part in Prince Hans' eventual deceit.
"He's brought a girl!!"
"A girl!"
Consider their response to learning of Anna's engagement to Hans, as they huddled and said
"Her cloak engagement is a flex arrangement"
"And by the way I don't see no ring."
"Get the fiance out of the way and the whole thing will be fixed."
The trolls might be painted as cute and all, but they've clearly got some darkness lurking
beneath those grass gowns.
And whaddya know, Hans' personality does an about face shortly thereafter.
One minute, he's shown handing out blankets to the people of Arendelle and saving Elsa
from the Weselton henchmen.
Then, the next he leaves his beloved to die a cold, lonely death.
It's almost like that major personality shift was inspired by some kind of curse.
The LGBT subtleties
Another fan theory that adults might catch onto is the idea that the burly but cheerful
owner of Wandering Oaken's Trading Post is raising a lovely family with his husband.
While nothing is confirmed there are other LGBTQ undertones that can be detected.
"Yoohoo.
Big summer blowout."
Eventually we realize Elsa's "powers" are nothing she needs to be ashamed of.
But because they are something her parents don't understand they tell her …
"Conceal it.
Don't feel it.
Don't let it show."
Those words might sound a little familiar to a gay teen who wants to come out to parents
who might not understand.
The jolly snowman
When we first meet Olaf he's a cheery little chatterbox who talks about the beautiful colors
of snow he wants to see.
"How about yellow?
No, not yellow.
Yellow in snow?
No go."
And while his obsession with all things warm, hot, and summery is a little disturbing, the
other thing that doesn't fit is how he even exists.
Elsa created the wintery wonderland when she was furiously tearing through the forest to
get away from her sister.
How did she end up creating such a happy snowman creature in the midst of her malaise?
It doesn't make much sense, especially considering some of the other snow beasts that were born
of her wintry demeanor.
Whether or not the film always makes sense or sneaks a few darker details past its youthful
audiences, it's still a kid-favorite so parents will just have to enjoy the movie anyway and,
of course….
"Let it go, let it go"
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