A Frozen theory proposed on Reddit suggests that Frozen follows a major Disney magical trend of locking Elsa away and making her fear her ice powers.
A trend of using magic throughout Disney history suggests another explanation for why Elsa’s powers were hidden from the public in Frozen. Elsa using her magic publicly is central to the plot of Frozen 2, but the plot of the first film centers around her struggle to keep her powers hidden and quiet. The story of Frozen 3 still remains unknown, but if it’s anything like the first two movies, audiences are likely to see another strong emphasis on Elsa’s magic. Disney movies have a long history of magical and magical characters in their films, but overall these characters lean more towards villainy than heroism.
As far as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney has used magic as a central plot point in its animated films. Examples abound in his early catalog, including Fancy, Sleeping Beautyand Cinderella. While Disney’s storytelling has changed over its decades of production, the use of magic in its animated properties has remained relatively constant, with only a few outliers.
While not solely used for villainy, Disney’s magic is frequently wielded by its villains against the film’s heroes or princesses. This suggests a dangerous quality of magic in Disney properties – a quality that makes it appealing to any character who might want power, control, or wealth, even if it may come at the expense of others. To look at Frozen through this lens, the decision to hide Elsa’s powers from the public might make more sense than it first appears.
Magic is often used for evil in Disney movies
Names like Maleficent, Ursula, Dr. Facilier, and Jafar conjure up images of dark sorcery and villainous intentions. They’re an integral part of Disney’s storytelling model: villains are big, mean, and scary, and defeating them is difficult because the heroes are usually individually weaker than them. Villains are more willing to practice dark arts that ordinary people might find objectionable, such as mind control, poisoning unsuspecting women, or making deals with malevolent spirits.
Although there are examples of good magic users…Pinocchiois the Blue Fairy, Cinderellais the fairy godmother, and AladdinThe wish-granting Genie is among the most famous – they are usually inhumane or live away from prying public eyes, suggesting a need for privacy or even a potential threat from ordinary people. Even though the average Disney citizen has no problem with these numbers, they remain largely unknown to the general public. Magic would generally be known as something wicked and used for evil.
Are Disney Animated Movies Connected?
If it is true that the general public would only associate magic with evil, they would have to know examples of such things. So the question is whether the Disney movies have a shared universe where this knowledge could be accessible to the general public. Easter eggs abound in Disney movies, and it seems like it’s possible for Disney movies to be set in a shared universe. Perhaps the most obvious example of this idea comes from Frozen where Rapunzel and Flynn Rider attend Elsa’s coronation. This suggests cultural exchange and possibly even foreign relations between different Disney realms. It’s not far off to think that perhaps gossip and stories would be equally shared between these connected lands.
Frozen Theory: Elsa Was Hidden Because Of Other Disney Magic
This all lends itself to a theory posed on Reddit by MustanGuy: Elsa’s powers were hidden not because of the danger she could pose to Anna, but because of the reputation magic has in the shared universe. from Disney. Having magical powers as the future queen of Arendelle could cause her future subjects to distrust Elsa or even rebel. In Frozen, it is shown what happens when she accidentally uses her powers during her coronation – she is immediately called a witch and, when she runs away, is chased by people seeking to kill her. Instead of simply being afraid of her powers or the fact that she cannot control them, this theory proposes that her parents had some foresight or knowledge of public opinion about magic. By locking her up, they were trying to protect her from people who would take her for a villain just because she has powers. It paints Elsa’s parents in a totally different light than the movie might suggest of them on a first watch.
How This Frozen Theory Changes Elsa’s Story
This theory changes Elsa’s journey in the first Frozen movie dramatically. Instead of just being a story of self-acceptance and growth, it’s a story of changing a nation’s mind and breaking known conventions so they can live authentically in a world that is hostile. to her reality as a magic user. The fact that she was born with her powers and didn’t seek them out makes her very different from characters like Jafar, Dr. Facilier, or Ursula, who all seem to seek power. Elsa is hesitant to use her powers because she has internalized this same fear that exists among the citizens of Arendelle: magic is scary and evil. Overcoming these feelings and thoughts is something even greater than simply coming to terms with herself and her truth – Elsa is actively changing the status quo at Disney. Heroes can be magical, powerful, and good all at the same time.
The Problems With Disney’s Magical Theory of Frozen
There are a few key issues with this theory about Elsa’s powers in Frozen. While that sounds great and adds depth to Elsa’s struggle, a lot depends on the idea that the Disney films share a universe. Easter eggs are fun and they litter Disney movies, but looking at them through a lens that makes them plot-wielding may overload what they’re intended for: a fun reference to other works. Another problem with this theory is that Elsa uses her powers freely until Anna is injured in the opening scenes of Frozen. It wasn’t something secret. Frozen 2 shows her parents watching the two play with Elsa’s magic and smiling. If her parents were aware of a public stigma against magic and used that as the basis for their decision to sequester Elsa, it doesn’t quite follow that she was allowed to use her magic freely until now. until Anna gets hurt.
Also noteworthy is the revelation that Queen Iduna is from Northuldra and knows magic well. Magic may have been stigmatized in Arendelle, but they were comfortable enough with the Northuldra to seek treaty and make peace. That’s not to say the Northuldra-born queen of Arendelle would view her daughter’s magic as evil. All of these things taken into account, the theory that Elsa was hidden away because people distrust magic due to the way it’s been used in other Disney properties doesn’t quite ring true. It’s a compelling theory, and it adds an interesting nuance to Elsa as a character. It also potentially contextualizes her parents’ decision to keep her hidden, which has been the subject of some controversy ever since. Frozen came out first. Still, the idea that all Disney movies exist in a shared universe is almost necessary for this theory to come to fruition, and the evidence just isn’t enough at this point.
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