Elsa and Ana. Is Frozen suitable for children?

Frozen – On one fateful night, two inseparable princesses, Elsa and Ana, enjoy the older sister’s ice and snow making powers but when an accident hurts Ana, Elsa then shuts herself away from the world, not realising how her absence is affecting her sister. Years later, after the death of their parents, Elsa is forced to emerge from her solitude to be crowned Queen but when the people see her powers, she runs away again and creates an ice palace to feel safe in. Ana, desperate to rebuild her relationship with Elsa and stop the eternal winter her sister has unwittingly caused, sets out to find her and meets a few colourful characters along the way.

Frozen (2013) – Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Is Frozen appropriate for kids?

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37784628

Rating: PG

Running Length: 102 mins

Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff

Genre: Animated, Drama, Musical

‘FROZEN’ REVIEW

Loosely based on the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairytale ‘The Snow Queen’, Disney’s ‘Frozen’ as become a smash hit with audiences the world over. With great songs, including the now-classic ‘Let It Go’ and plenty of great comedy, it’s difficult not to find something to like about this movie! While all the boxes that make a great Disney movie have been ticked to make it an instant hit with the kids, ‘Frozen’ at its core is a rather mature story which helps the adults who are forced to watch it over and over again!

With a more unusual story of sisterly love taking precedence over any romance that sizzles away in the background, ‘Frozen has a touch of sadness throughout with both sisters unable to fully express their feelings and struggling to understand each others’ motivations. Ana’s happy-go-lucky, outgoing nature is at odds with Elsa’s repressed introvert who has been forced to become a recluse from childhood due to her dangerous and uncontrollable powers. Elsa’s joy of finally being free from this life is plain to see but she soon discovers that she can’t hide from her problems forever. In a slight send up of the usual Disney ‘love’ plotlines, when Ana meets a handsome prince she agrees to marry him within a few hours (something the other characters are completely baffled by). But the sub-text of this attraction goes beyond simple ‘boy meets girl’. Ana is extremely naïve and, due to Elsa’s rejection of her, she is desperate for a human relationship. Hans is not just kind to her, he also gives her positive attention so she falls for him quickly. While on the surface she may come across as a silly, idealistic girl, her reasons for jumping at the chance of companionship is understandable, believable and just a touch heartbreaking and this is the sort of depth that makes ‘Frozen’ stand out from its contemporaries.

With some fantastic messages for kids to absorb and parents to appreciate, ‘Frozen’ gets the balance perfectly right between kids’ entertainment and family film and with songs that will be going around your head to a maddening degree; thank goodness they’re good!

CONTENT – IS ‘FROZEN’ SUITABLE FOR KIDS?

As children, Elsa and Ana get up in the middle of the night to play; with her powers, Elsa creates a winter wonderland indoors and Ana plays among the ice and snow. When Ana is jumping around at a height, Elsa can’t keep up with her movements and Ana is hit by some ice, falls and is knocked unconscious. She is taken to be saved but this could be a little upsetting for young kids.

Because of the accident, Elsa is shut away from the world her parents try to console her and keep her powers under control but as a child growing into womanhood, she struggles to cope. She is often seen to be distressed and desperate. Ana doesn’t understand why her sister is no longer willing to spend time with her and both go through years of sadness because of this.

On her journey in the snow, Ana stops at a log cabin and attempts to buy some items to help her on her way. Shortly after her arrival, a large man who is covered in a thin layer of snow walks in. He is silent and stares at Ana as he walks towards her, the music is a little ominous and Ana appears a little intimidated by the man. However this lasts for around 30 seconds and soon turns into a more light-hearted scene.

Olaf is a sentient snowman who has unknowingly been created by Elsa, he meets Ana and Kristoff who are shocked and a little frightened when he happily pops up among them. They accidentally pick his head up from his body and throw it between them, not wanting to touch it. He is a little bemused by what they are doing but remains in high spirits. Later in the movie, Olaf accidentally walks into a large, sharp icicle which separates his middle section from the rest of his body, once he realises he looks down and happily says ‘I’ve been impaled!’

Elsa creates a huge aggressive ice monster which chases several characters away from her frozen palace, although she doesn’t intend for it to harm them, it chases them to the edge of a cliff and they are forced to jump off. This is a controlled fall and they come to no harm but they are scared, not knowing for sure if they will survive. The ice monster roars at the characters and could be a bit scary for young kids.

Elsa accidentally hurts Ana with her powers which will kill her if the magic isn’t broken, she gradually gets more and more ill and suffers terribly with the cold. This happens over the course of the third act of the movie and could be quite upsetting for kids who love the usually confident, happy-go-lucky Ana.

Two men who have been sent to Elsa’s frozen palace to stop her by any means necessary, they approach her menacingly and shoot at her with arrows. In order to protect herself, Elsa creates sharp icicles which pins one man to the wall, one of the icicles slowly moves towards his throat and he grimaces in fear. The other man is pushed towards a wall by a large slab of ice which he pushes against to avail, however Elsa doesn’t actually hurt either men.

A character falls into icy water and there is a couple of seconds where their friend is worried about them, however they emerge after around 3 seconds and are seen to be fine.

A character is killed when they are turned to solid ice and they let out one last breath. Another character who cares deeply for them is devastated and embraces them, sobbing. This part of the scene doesn’t last too long and the death isn’t all it seems to be so although kids may be upset that the character dies, they will soon be reassured.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT – IS ‘FROZEN FOR KIDS?

In a word: ‘yes!’ ‘Frozen’ has proven to be a hit among youngsters the world over and its grown up story will engage the adults to keep everyone entertained. Although there are a few exciting scenes and some short-lived moments of emotional distress, we feel this movie should be appropriate for all ages although supervision may be required for younger children who may need some reassurance for the more intense scenes.

  • Violence: 1/5
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5
  • Fear Factor: 1/5
  • Sexual Content: 0/5
  • Bad Language: 0/5
  • Dialogue: 1/5 (some talk about death and killing)
  • Other Notes: Deals with themes of the love of a sibling, having strength that is too much to handle, isolation, good intentions, the need for human contact, accepting and being yourself and love.

Words by Laura Record

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