It’s no stretch to say that Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2 are insanely popular. There’s a lot to love about the movies – the incredibly lovable and witty Olaf (Josh Gad, you are amazing!), the amazing vocal talent of Idina Menzel (and most everyone else…not to mention the caliber of the music in general), and the charming and mystical Nordic-inspired setting, among other qualities. However, despite Elsa being the magical queen character with spectacular ice powers, I believe the true hero and soul of the series is her decidedly un-magical but golden-spirited sister, Anna. Why do we love Anna so much? In my estimation, it is because she embodies the best in us – that idealistic spirit that maintains hope, that finds a way, that loves selflessly and unconditionally.
Let’s start with the obvious, based on the plot. In Frozen, Anna saves the whole thing, despite being in the process of rapidly turning into a block of ice. In fact, she saves the day by being a block of ice – talk about making the best of a bad situation. What is Elsa doing in this situation? Kind of losing it, and running around aimlessly. It’s not her crazy awesome ice powers that save the day – nearly the opposite, if not for the enduring love of Anna for her sister above even herself. But what about Frozen II, you might say? Surely, Elsa saves the day by braving the Dark Sea (literally running out into the dark, open water with massive waves towering higher than the Earth giants she encountered previously)? Again, while I am not discounting her mettle especially in this situation, Elsa’s quest is first, in my opinion, one of self discovery. Cue “Show Yourself.” She does want to save Arendelle, but she so desperately wants to find the reason for her power and her place in the world that I think this is her primary motivation.
Think about what Anna has to do. She very nearly loses her own life, only then to witness the disappearance of her best friend in Olaf – while discovering through that event that she has also lost Elsa. She then has to rescue herself from a cave, nearly lose her own life again by awakening the earth giants, and destroy the dam – all with the knowledge, due to the astute and conveniently foreshadowing warning by Kristof, that its destruction will lead to Arendelle being wiped out by a massive torrent of water. She thinks Elsa is gone, and has no reason to believe Elsa will ride to Arendelle’s rescue as she does. In addition, she, unlike Elsa, has no special powers by which to accomplish any of the things she does. She does it anyway – because that is who she is.
I think there are additional subtleties that make Anna the shining star of the series. Imagine how much effort their parents, the king and queen, must have had to devote to Elsa based on the snippets of them we see in Frozen. To compound the issue, when the king and queen begin to isolate Elsa, Anna also loses her sister and best friend, in a way. Anyone with children would ache to consider the effect of this on a young child. Yet she emerges with a surprisingly sunny disposition, positive attitude, and no less love for Elsa than when they were children. I think this is evidence of her strength of character, her grace, and her unshakeable hope in the face of adversity.
While most of us don’t have the ability to blast icy shards from our fingertips like Elsa, Anna teaches us how to use real magic in our lives. She shows us that greed and selfishness are no match for love. She responds to adversity in a way that I can apply – sometimes when I’m in a tough situation, The Next Right Thing actually starts playing in my head. She proves that, no matter what circumstances we are in, bringing positivity, light, and the courage to do what is right can make the best of it. And while real life doesn’t always have a fantastic Disney happy ending, living our lives this way gives us the best shot at bringing that Disney magic we love into them.