Have you ever watched a movie, whether it’s live action or animated, and immediately felt attached to a character? You felt as though they knew exactly what you were going through and encapsulated all your thoughts and feelings towards a specific problem that you were also having. I know it sounds a little farfetched, but I have this kind of weird connection with a Disney princess from the movie Frozen. Normally when people say this, they’re usually talking about Elsa, but not me. I have never connected with a character more than Anna in my entire life. Don’t get me wrong Elsa is one of my favorite Disney character of all time, but Anna was the first to touch my heart in both the original and sequel.
In the original Frozen Anna was known as the “normal” sister since Elsa was the one born with the power to control ice. I never truly thought of Anna as “normal” or “ordinary” when looking at her character in depth. I have always felt like her spirit spoke louder than her dialogue in most situations. Some of her obvious traits include her longing for something more in terms of adventure since she was locked inside a castle until she was 18. She is also known for being a hopeless romantic which doesn’t always have to be a bad thing unless you’re trying to marry someone you’ve known for MAYBE 12 hours, but I digress. I have always admired her undeniable love for the people in her life, even if one of them is a snowman. This is where I connected with Anna the most. I don’t know about you, but I have always been the person to put my friends/family above everything else in most situations. If I had a bunch of homework due over the weekend and my friend wanted me to go to the movies, I’d probably do it. I just value friendships and relationships so highly because finding people you enjoy being around for long periods of time can be a pretty rare thing at times. Another reason why I connect with Anna so much is that she always has an optimistic and positive attitude which is something I strive for every day. I can’t stand when someone pushes their anger and frustration onto others, so I try my best to counteract that in my own life with the way I treat people when I’m upset or angry.
Not only do I relate to Anna’s character traits, but I also relate to her relationship with her sister. Okay maybe my sister doesn’t have ice powers and she hasn’t been locked away for ten years, but I relate to the feeling of being shut out without understanding a reason why. My sister is about four years older than me and she is the only sibling I have. As a kid she would always lock me out of her room, steal my friends in the neighborhood, and resort to being physical as a means of telling me what to do. Now I know all siblings fight and all siblings can get a little rough, but this has carried on up into high school. Like I said earlier, I can’t stand when people take their anger out on others which is what my sister does frequently. After she went off to college at SFA we were able to have a more adult relationship in a lot of ways. Being away from a sibling for weeks and sometimes months a time can strengthen your bond once you get back together. Don’t’ get me wrong we still bicker and fight but it’s nothing like it was before. I attribute my sisters’ actions to her being constantly bombarded with questions about why she doesn’t wear makeup or why she doesn’t “dress like a girl”. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable in what they choose to wear or what they choose to do with their body, and I feel sorry that she has to hear those questions so often especially with family and close friends. This is why I see her as my Elsa because Anna always blamed her sister for shutting her out without truly knowing why. We all have things we are ashamed of or are scared of letting out in fear of being mocked or ridiculed. Although I didn’t climb a mountain and sacrifice myself for my sister, I still feel like we were able to mend our bond and become closer than ever before.
Even though I related to Frozen almost instantly, Frozen Two will always be the movie I connected with most in my entire life. I will go more in depth on how Frozen Two has impacted my life in a later article, but I can give you a couple of reasons why. Although I will always attribute my relationship with my sister to the original Frozen, the sequel embodies my relationship with my best friend all the way down to the song lyrics (SPOILER). The song “The Next Right Thing” sung by Kristen Bell in Frozen Two is the most heartbreaking song I have ever heard in a Disney Movie. It speaks about the struggles of depression and grief after losing a loved one and how to move on. In the future, I’d like to dissect the entire song and speak about why it speaks to me so loudly, but I guess we’ll have to wait until then. I know every situation and relationship is different, but I hope that no matter what struggles you’re going through, you can remember that you can survive whatever life throws at you. We all can. Whenever life gets a little rough and I feel like I can’t make it through the day I remember “If I can live through this, I can do anything” (Fall Out Boy, ‘Champion’).