Frozen's Not All Meh

I was thinking that I'd do a post about Infinity War, but I will DEFINITELY have spoilers in it and I want to wait until an acceptable time has passed before I talk about it. Maybe next week.

This week, I am going to be spending the weekend in the Happiest Place on Earth:

DISNEYLAND!

Personally, I think Disney World, the Most Magical Place on Earth, is the better location, but I admit East Coast bias and any Disney is good Disney, I think.

Which may come as a surprise to you, considering how much I criticize Disney lately. That doesn't mean I don't like Disney or enjoy its movies and attractions. It just means that I don't want them to get complacent and try to pass off okay movies as great ones. Like Frozen.

I throw a lot of shade at Frozen because I think it's an okay movie, a good movie, but not a great one and I don't like it when okay, good stories are touted as great ones. Elsa is not a feminist character just because she doesn't chase a man (seriously) and Hans is not a good villain just because you didn't see him coming.

That said, there is one thing that Frozen did that I think they did very well, and that was in Anna's characterization.

Anna is a good protagonist that gets overshadowed by fans and media by her older sister (which is interesting, when you think about it). She is a strong character and, I think, the more feminist character, because she acts and is not acted upon. But that's not what I think they did well with her.

No, what I like about Anna's writing is that she has consistent character traits that work as both flaws and strengths.

One annoying sign of lazy writing is the "clumsy character." The writer knows the main character can't be perfect, so they give them some stupid flaw like clumsiness that doesn't impact that plot at all. At first glance, Anna seems to be one of these lazy characters.

But she's not. Why?

Because she's impulsive.

This is the trait that makes her interesting! Over and over again, we see Anna act before thinking. With Hans:

 

With Elsa:

Running off to find Elsa without supplies or proper clothing for a winter mountain trek:

 
Insisting they go "right now":

Trust-falling into Kristoff's arms:

Jumping off the cliff:

And, lest we forget, confronting Elsa without any kind of plan beyond "I'm going to talk to my sister."

This character trait is consistent. It's not just there when it's convenient or inconvenient. Anna is always a bit impulsive. Sure, she does plan and think, but overall, she's eager to leap before looking.

And this causes problems for her.

This trait is the reason she trusts Hans so much so early. It's also the reason she fails so badly with Elsa at first, because she didn't have a good plan.

But it's also the reason she actually goes in the first place to get Elsa to come back, and it's the reason she moves to save Elsa from Hans so quickly, thereby saving Elsa and herself. She doesn't think before she acts, and that means she can act quickly.

Sometimes, that quick action is reckless, and sometimes it's needed. But either way, it's a character trait that belongs to her. It doesn't make her a weak character; in fact, it makes her stronger by giving her realistic strengths and weaknesses beyond "clumsy."

Flaws and strengths in characters are subjective. A tendency toward reckless action may be a strength on the battlefield but not in a diplomat's office. It's traits that give characters strengths and weaknesses, not some inherent list of "good" and "bad" qualities. Frozen actually did a good job showing that with Anna.

So, can we please start liking the movie for what it has instead of what we wish it had?