A Thought
I regret that I will not be able to take part in the Speakeasy challenge this week, much as I would like to. I’ve also been remiss in commenting and reading other people’s posts. I only barely managed to get an entry into the Gargleblaster challenge. Poor Hadley is stuck on a spaceship as a horde of terror bunnies flies towards her, with her only defense being Captain K’Pid and the BFG, and I’ve left her in dire straits. But, you see, I’m in law school; in fact I’m nearly done, and classes ended just last Monday. I’ve got papers due this week, and exams next, and then a short breathing space before….*ominous pause*….THE BAR EXAM. So. My time has, alas, been limited.
On the bright side, I did finally get around to watching “Frozen” this past weekend. Very clever movie. It had a great many subversions of classic Disney cliches. I won’t reveal them all, as some of them are spoilery but I did want to discuss one interesting twist. It relates to That Song.
You know the one.
“Let it gooooo, let it gooooo….that perfect girl is gooooone….”
Now, I admit, I first heard it when “Adele Dazeem” sung it at the Oscars. I assumed, given its popularity, that it was the standard Disney “I Want” song. As in “I want much more than this provincial life,” or, “I want to be where the people are….” And the lyrics sounded like the usual Disney themes of following your heart, being true to yourself, etc., etc., things Mulan and Belle and Ariel have been singing about for years.
The thing is, in context though, it’s actually the opposite of the Follow Your Heart theme. Because while Elsa is singing and happily making ice castles and frozen fractals and talking snowmen and such, her actions have a very real consequence for the people of Arendelle. When Elsa “lets it go”, her kingdom gets plunged into endless winter, just like in Narnia. Now, granted, keeping her powers and herself completely locked away wasn’t good either, but even so….you don’t get too many Disney songs that point out that Following Your Heart isn’t always the best solution in every circumstance. You’d find that life lesson more often in things like the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. Very clever. I just thought I’d mention that.
