Frozen as a Reflection of Schmidtt's Heroine’s Journey
Many of us watched Frozen for the first time in first or second grade, captivated by the magical Disney ice realm. Throughout the movie, Elsa’s journey closely mirrors the stages of Victoria Schmidtt’s heroine’s journey. Elsa’s character evolves significantly over the course of the film, as she embarks on a path of self-discovery and mastery of her powers. From believing she has everything under control, to seeing her world fall apart and fleeing from her problems, Elsa experiences it all. However, with the support of her sister, Elsa returns home, undergoing a rebirth and achieving balance with her powers.
Elsa's journey begins with the illusion of a perfect world, which is disrupted early in the film. After years of estrangement, she reconnects with her sister Anna at her coronation ceremony. Though Elsa is anxious about her powers, things seem hopeful as she is about to become queen. Her gloves hide her magic, allowing her to maintain control. However, this fragile balance is shattered when Elsa loses her temper during an argument with Anna and accidentally reveals her powers, freezing the kingdom and endangering everyone. This marks a betrayal, a realization that she no longer belongs in the kingdom. Fearing the harm she might cause, Elsa flees to the mountains, beginning her journey of self-discovery.
In the mountains, Elsa relinquishes control over her powers, symbolized by her removal of the gloves. She builds an ice palace and, for the first time, explores the full extent of her abilities, thus representing her ‘eye of the storm’. However, this newfound freedom is short-lived. When Anna arrives, pleading with her to return, Elsa accidentally strikes her sister with her magic, bringing her to the lowest point in her journey… when all seems lost. Overwhelmed by guilt and fear, Elsa isolates herself, believing she must stay away from others to prevent further harm.
The final steps of Elsa’s journey unfold when Anna, in a final act of selflessness, sacrifices herself to save her sister from Hans, who tries to kill Elsa. This ultimate display of love leads Elsa to realize that love, not fear, is the key to controlling her magic. This revelation marks Elsa’s rebirth. She regains control over her powers, thawing the frozen kingdom and embracing her role as queen. Finally at peace with herself, Elsa returns to her perfect world, reuniting with Anna and accepting that her powers are not a curse, but a vital part of who she is.
Ultimately, through Elsa’s journey, Frozen beautifully exemplifies the heroine's path of struggle, self-discovery, and eventual empowerment.
Hey Larissa! I think Frozen is a great example of Schmidtt's heroine's journey structure. It follows it pretty directly-- in particular, I really liked how the help / moment of truth was centered around the familial love between the sisters rather than any kind of romantic love. If you've watched it, how do you think Frozen 2 fits into the narrative? I wonder if it's a repeat of the same structure.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Frozen does an excellent job of showcasing the Heroine’s Journey, especially through Elsa’s transformation from fear and isolation to self-acceptance and empowerment. Disney often follows Schmidt’s Heroine’s Journey template, which can make many princess stories feel similar and repetitive. However, they always manage to add their own unique touches, like Elsa’s emotional struggle and powerful redemption, making the stories popular.
ReplyDeleteHi Larissa, I really liked how you used Elsa rather than Anna to follow the Heroine's Journey because it makes a lot more sense that Elsa is going through these deep changes. In particular, I thought that identifying when she builds this ice palace as the Eye of the Storm was insightful and not something that I had thought about before. I wonder if maybe the Heroine's Journey could actually follow two people simultaneously. That would be an interesting thought.
ReplyDeleteHey Larissa! Great post- Frozen is such a good framework for the heroine's journey. Following Elsa was really interesting, but I think it's a good choice as we see her learn to accept herself and eventually save her sister in the place of the typical hero of "Prince Charming". You provide good examples of the steps in the narrative, like when she hits Anna being her moment when "All is lost". Overall, this was very good!
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