Since the dawn of Disney, there has been an ongoing war of who’s the “fairest of them all,” also known as the Princess Wars.
It all started with Snow White in 1937, who came onto the scene with a story of a jealous queen, 7 dwarfs, and a poisoned apple.
Cinderella, the 12th animated Disney film, came next in her clear glass slippers. Often called the “Queen of the Disney Princesses,” Cinderella is the classic princess with her tale of rags and riches.
However, Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Jasmine from Aladdin, and Pocahontas from her self-entitled movie brought more competition to the ring.
A debated Disney princess, Mulan was added to the fight in 1998 as she entered the game as one of the few courageous and self-reliant princesses who did not need a man to save her.
The 21st century produced the first African American Disney Princess, Tiana in her own movie, Princess and the Frog.
The 50th animated picture from Disney with the 10th Disney Princess gave us a frying-pan-wielding heroine who represented a modern young woman better than any of the other princesses in the form of Rapunzel.
Just recently in 2012, Disney produced another unique princess in their movie Brave. Merida was a princess with many firsts for Disney including being the first Pixar princess, the first Princess who does not sing in her movie, and the first Disney princess to not have a love interest. Plus, her archery skills and drive for control of her fate make her a real contender for the title of Greatest Disney Princess of All Time.
But, there is another…
Two more actually.
In 2013, Disney released Frozen, its 53rd animated feature film. The movie is loosely based off of the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson and features the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, and Jonathon Groff. The movie’s accolades are incredible. Frozen is the highest grossing animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios since The Lion King. It became Fandango’s top advance-ticket seller among original animated films, beating out Brave, and became the top selling animated film in the company’s history. The film became the highest-grossing non-sequel animated film of all time. Critics adored the movie as well with positive critiques coming from all sides. The movie received many nominations and won many awards. Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature- the first of Disney animated films to win in this category, and two Academy Award nominations including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song are just a few of their many accolades.
Clearly, there is enough evidence to prove this movie is awesome, but let’s get down to what is truly revolutionary and timeless about this movie. (Caution: Spoilers ahead!)
Frozen, unlike the other Disney princess movies, introduces two Disney princesses at once. The oldest sister, Elsa, is born with icy powers that are both a blessing and a curse. Her powers force her to be estranged from those she loves out of fear of hurting them. Nevertheless, Elsa is a kickass Disney princess. Her ice powers protect her from harm in the movie and later bring enjoyment to everyone in the kingdom. More importantly, Elsa becomes a queen in Frozen with a special ceremony once she gets of age. That’s right. Elsa becomes a queen without marrying anyone. She is the first Disney queen.
Her youngest sister, Anna, is exceptional also. Aside from being fearless and adorably awkward, Anna loves her sister like a best friend and longs to be close to her, as Elsa creates more and more distance in between them. Anna just wants happiness, companionship, and love. In the beginning, she finds it in all the wrong places, falling in love with the first Disney villain to betray us in a cute love song. She learns her lesson though. When the moment comes to save the day, Anna does it without a guy. She and Elsa come to the rescue of each other and the kingdom with their own “true love” for one another. In the end, Anna receives love from her sister and some new companions she meets on her journey to save her kingdom.
Frozen reinforces the strength and power of modern women. The power sisters Elsa and Anna illustrate women who do not need men to succeed. Elsa became the queen of Arendelle by just waiting for a birthday to come instead of having to marry into the role. She was a truly epic and powerful character with her ice abilities, her personality, and her actions. Her sister was inspiring with her determination to care and love those closest to her. Anna represented a young woman with her normalcy. Despite being a princess, she still struggled to wake up in the morning, battled social-awkwardness at every turn, wanted to find love someday, and attempted to deal with her family in the best way she could. The movie redefined love for Disney, through these amazing female roles. It was not true love’s kiss but the true love of a sister that saved everyone from the curse of ice.
With the addition of Elsa and Anna, the Disney Princesses are guaranteed to stop playing ice in the war for “fairest of them all.” Which Princess will get the greatest cold shoulder of all? Who will chill their way to a win in the Disney Princess Wars?