Storm Power, an Icy Tower and Elsa’s Bower: The Winds of Change in Disney’s Frozen

Abstract

In Disney's box office sensation Frozen (2013), Elsa conjures powers rivaling those of Zeus, which is an echo of the shifting gender dynamics at the time of the film's release. By independently creating offspring Olaf and Marshmallow through whirlwinds, Elsa's parthenogenesis (virgin birth) evokes wind-driven pollination, allowing her to circumvent any male role in creation. However, Elsa's autonomy clashes with the traditional gender hierarchy, which is reinforced by a cultural context replete with latent symbolic meanings. Examples include both carrots and carats as phallic symbols, eggs as representations of the procreative potential that is appropriated by men and devalued in women, gender bias in perceptions of magic and enchantment, and the value of the nubile nymph over the tempestuous termagant. The normalcy of male dominance likely drives the resolution of the plot, in which Elsa learns to wield power in a non-threatening manner. In addition to having implications for gender roles, Frozen also portrays a mélange of gender symbolism through Elsa's snowmen creations, which function as an expression of the storm of controversy surrounding the subversion of binary conceptions of gender. In the end, Frozen serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers inherent in an unattached female as the ultimate potentate. This content analysis suggests that the film reflects fears surrounding the maelstrom of societal changes including expanding fertility options and the re-conceptualization of gender identity-pressing issues likely to sustain Frozen's relevance.

From the Sleeping Princess to the World-Saving Daughter of the Chief: Examining Young Children’s Perceptions of ‘Old’ versus ‘New’ Disney Princess Characters

“…Analyses of movies from 2009 onwards present even more positive messages, showing that princess characters are more androgynous (i.e., they demonstrate equal exhibition of masculine and feminine characteristics), participate in more rescue behavior, and show greater variation in romantic outcome (with some princesses rejecting romantic interests altogether, England et al 2011;Hine et al 2018). The overwhelming message from such studies is that newer princesses, whilst are by no means perfect Dundes 2017b, 2017a;Dundes and Streiff 2016;Dundes et al 2018), present female characters that are much more fitting for the modern age (Hine et al 2018).…”

Balancing Gender and Power: How Disney’s Hercules Fails to Go the Distance

“…In direct contrast to what can be labeled as Hera's "womanly reaction" (Sharrock 2011), Zeus becomes exceedingly angry. The sky mirrors his rage, manifested in flashes of lightning and roars of thunder-storm power that is typically the domain of men (Dundes et al 2018) and reflected in the thunderbolt gold medallion Hercules wears even as a baby. Thus, Hera is portrayed as helpless and as nothing more than a grieving mother, whereas Zeus can be seen demanding and instigating action in response to crises.…”

“…The very first setting of the movie is Mount Olympus in the midst of a celebration of the birth of Hercules, where Hera can be seen cradling her baby and showing stereotypical motherly affections: cooing, kissing, adoring, and protective actions. When Hera asks Zeus what gift to bestow on Hercules, in keeping with a baby shower (Afflerback et al 2014), Zeus ponders the question and then, without consulting his wife, uses his power to create and give life to Pegasus, who emerges from his hand, an example of male parthenogenesis in which procreativity is achieved manually (Dundes et al 2018). Thus, Zeus effectively usurps even the biological female ability to give birth-further promoting his superiority.…”

“…Hercules' journey of growth includes the development of physical brawn, which bolsters his strength and overall power-supporting the general theme that masculine heroes should strive to be physically strong. When granted the ultimate strength of a god, though (literally shown theatrically through the glowing of his skin), Hercules willingly sacrifices his newfound power (and therefore his glow) to stay with Megara, potentially suggestive of the male preoccupation about shininess that is associated with sexual readiness (see Dundes et al 2018). Thus, Hercules' climatic act of heroism involves his sacrifice of the masculine reward of power in lieu of love.…”

“…Disney's influence in children's entertainment has resulted in the scrutiny of gender stereotypes in its films (Do Rozario 2004;Dundes et al 2018;England et al 2011;Giroux and Pollock 2010). Disney's Hercules (1997), however, has been largely overlooked in academic literature exploring the evolution of gender portrayals by the media giant.…”