Frank Kogan

I have seen Frozen (so spoilers ahead) -- twice now, plus lots of 5-20-minute snatches overseen/heard when nephews and nieces are watching -- and what I like and dislike about it are pretty much the same thing, and something that I was surprised, in retrospect (well, maybe not surprised, but pleased?) that kids picked up on, which is that it really is Elsa's story even though Elsa barely features in huge hunks of the movie, much to its detriment.

The formation (and eventual abandonment) of the ice castle is so the heart of the movie that it's hard to care about much else going on. A few folks had mentioned how disturbing it was for their kids to see the "prince charming" scenario turn sour for Anna, but for me the real disturbing stuff -- the stuff that disturbed ME, that is, not sure how it would affect kids -- was just how *violent* Elsa became in her quest for a quiet, private place of her own. (Mick Jagger thought two's a crowd, but I don't think he flung literal ice daggers at anyone who got near him, aiming to murder them effortlessly and indiscriminately, even if that was what he was feeling.)

But like I said, kids clearly picked up on the fact that Elsa is the star and the heart and soul of the movie. "Let It Go" is the right song for the right moment there, and it reminds me that when I was a kid I often fantasized that I had a special power to stay young and invincible, and sharp claws might have been part of the deal too -- destined to brood and roam the earth quietly with the ability to beat up bad guys if absolutely necessary, which it would be, I imagined. But mostly I would just kind of *be there*, hanging around everyone, and they wouldn't notice me, would float in and out and around and I would be totally unremarked on. That this thought -- of being alone in a crowd (h/t Hilary Duff) -- became a source of constant anxiety in early adulthood is maybe ironic or else just the flipside of the same coin, I guess.