For a song that was entitled “Let It Go”, kids just can’t let it go. Sorry if I have to bring this up here but chances are kids (and kids at heart) would still be Googling “Let It Go” for the sheer heck of it. Could it be the worst case of last song syndrome ever?
Well, if Frozen director Jennifer Lee is to be believed, quoting her from her interview from The Hollywood Reporter, she shared:
A year ago, I’d meet people who, when they found out who I was, they’d say, ‘Oh, we love the songs! We sing them all the time’.
Now they’re like, ‘Yep, we’re still listening to those songs’. I’ve gone from, ‘Thank you’, to, ‘Sorry!’
I know some friends who started hating the line “The cold never bothered me anyway” since “Frozen” was released in the Philippines just a few days into the cold months. Of course the cold bothered us into getting flu. But still, was that enough to stop up from singing “Let It Go”? Well, no. Some folks even reached the point of almost forgetting Idina Menzel as Elphaba in “Wicked” because her voice became so identified with “Frozen”. And since you have gone this far to read my thoughts about this hit animated musical, might as well get into it.
Loosely based on a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen, “Frozen” is about the story of estranged sisters, Elsa and Anna. Elsa flees the palace a few hours after her coronation to avoid her powers from harming anyone else including her sister. Anna, on the other hand, followed her hoping to get her back to the palace despite the dangerous levels that Elsa’s power has reached.
This film is what I consider as the kind of musical where even the dialogues are sung, not spoken. It added beauty to the fairy tale scenery that this film exuded. And this is where I can say that it worked as a musical – because it contained songs catchy enough to get stuck in your head. You have to admit that months after the songs from this film been released, they’re still playing on the radio long enough to make you feel “umay”. Kids are still singing it to the point of dressing the part of Elsa that you just wanted to post on social media a status as simple as “Stop! Please! Enough!” This might be the reason why some fans would put on their headphones and put “Let It Go” on repeat mode to avoid inconveniencing the rest of the populace who had one too many replays.
The fact that “Frozen” had one of the few interesting story lines as of late sometimes comes across as a way to respond to commentary about how most Disney princesses are damsels in distress waiting for their prince charming to save them from their misfortune. The fact that Elsa got crowned as head of state without having to marry another monarch just to be crowned is bordering on feminism. In history, princesses rarely get crowned as such and only end up becoming queen-consorts to some other heir to the throne in another kingdom.
Another scene that served as commentary about some of Disney’s own “princess-based” films is that princesses get married on the get-go. Sure, there was a litany from Christoph later in the movie about how marrying someone you just met is a bad idea but it still held a stronger impact when Elsa said it.
For Elsa, that’s easy for her to say since she managed to get crowned without the inconvenience of a political marriage. But sisterly concern prevailed. Remember we have a pair of princesses here who are political neophytes and one princess with no concept of romantic love. But for a sister who got stunned to shutting everyone out for the sake of avoiding anybody any harm (Anna almost died after a careless snow bolt), the only thing left for her to do is to be a wise elder sister to Anna. This makes multiple viewings of “Frozen” unravel the lessons that Disney today is now trying to impart to us.
When watching movies like these and realizing how princesses can save their own without having to rely on princes or “heroic men”, it gets you thinking how progressive the route some of Disney’s films had been. The music is still there but the love has become more towards family and less about the romantic kind of love. I should have realized that the moment I saw “Brave”.
In case you haven’t realized yet, “Frozen” is now available on Blu-Ray. Just click here to buy your own copy. For more insights into musicals, like our official Facebook page, MusicalsOnline.com, and follow us at Twitter @musicalsnews. Thanks for reading.
