Elsa & Anna

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 Elsa & Anna


Elsa

Elsa the Snow Queen is the deuteragonist of Disney's 2013 animated feature film Frozen and the protagonist of its 2019 sequel. Born with the power of ice and snow, Elsa is the firstborn daughter of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, the older sister of Queen Anna, and the former queen of Arendelle. Throughout most of her young life, Elsa feared that her powers were monstrous. Therefore, she isolated herself from the world as a means of protecting her family and kingdom. Elsa's anxieties would eventually trigger a curse that plunged Arendelle into an eternal winter. Through Anna's love, however, Elsa was able to control her powers and live peacefully amongst her people with a newfound self-confidence.

Three years into her reign, Elsa is called forth to Ahtohallan to assume her rightful place as the Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest, whose purpose is to bridge the magic of nature and people. She thereby abdicates the throne, allowing Anna to rise as the new queen of Arendelle.

From the outside, Elsa looks poised, regal, and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret - she was born with the power to create ice and snow. It's a beautiful ability, but also extremely dangerous. Haunted by the moment her magic nearly killed her younger sister Anna, Elsa has isolated herself, spending every waking minute trying to suppress her growing powers. Her mounting emotions trigger the magic, accidentally setting off an eternal winter that she can't stop. She fears she's becoming a monster and that no one, not even her sister, can help her.

Elsa is loosely based on the titular character of "The Snow Queen", a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Though pivotal to its events, the character had little presence in the original story. The Disney adaptation expanded the Snow Queen to serve as a villain initially, but the advent of "Let It Go" inspired the filmmakers to rewrite the character as a tragic heroine.


Anna

Queen Anna of Arendelle (pronounced Ah-na) is the protagonist of Disney's 2013 animated feature film Frozen and the deuteragonist of its 2019 sequel. She is the second-born daughter of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, the younger sister of Elsa the Snow Queen, and the contemporary ruler of Arendelle. During their childhood, an accident involving Elsa's magic created a rift between the two sisters, leaving Anna devoid of love for many years. Despite this, Anna remained big-hearted and optimistic, albeit socially awkward. When their estrangement incidentally triggered an eternal winter, Anna embarked on a perilous journey to save her kingdom and mend the broken bond between herself and her sister.

Three years after her adventure, a rekindled Anna and Elsa embarked on another journey to confront the elemental spirits of the Enchanted Forest. Upon their journey's end, Elsa remained in the forest to join the spirits, while Anna was crowned Queen of Arendelle.

Anna is more daring than graceful and, at times, can act before she thinks. But she's also the most optimistic and caring person you'll ever meet. She longs to reconnect with her sister Elsa, as they were close during their childhood. When Elsa accidentally unleashes a magical secret that locks the kingdom of Arendelle in an eternal winter, Anna embarks on a dangerous adventure to make things right. Armed with only her fearlessness, a never-give-up attitude and her faith in others, Anna is determined to save both her kingdom and her family.

Anna is loosely based on Gerda, the female protagonist of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Snow Queen".



A bit confusing, Elsa and Anna are not "official" Disney Princesses for a number of reasons. First, Elsa and Anna are both queens by the conclusion of Frozen 2. Elsa reigns over Arendelle for three years before abdicating the crown, taking the mantle of the Snow Queen. Her sister, Anna, then occupies her sister's former throne, becoming the Queen of Arendelle. The former's sexuality remains a hot topic, and Anna is only engaged to Kristoff. The two sisters sing quite often, so they both have that as a point in their favor. Another roadblock is their lack of animal sidekicks, which most Princesses have. A case could be made for Olaf; however, his dynamic in Frozen is different from Mulan's Mushu or The Little Mermaid's Sebastian. Much bigger than the character-driven details is the message behind Frozen itself. Past Princess movies were predominantly romance-driven, a hallmark of Disney's traditional stories. The concepts of true love and finding Prince Charming smothered the rest of the narrative. Anna and Elsa's story isn't about finding their spouses, but rather about finding each other. Their bond as sisters drives them, convincingly moving the film forward. Neither character is trying to go to extravagant balls or seems interested in wearing fancy dresses. Their sisterhood is enough for them, overshadowing their will to be monarchs in the first place. Both regal women have what it takes to be Disney Princesses. They fit the framework, but they don't need it.

Elsa and Anna have proven to be so much more than generic, love-seeking royals. They are strong, confident sisters with different motives than their predecessors. Young girls can look up to them and feel inspired by Elsa's independence or Anna's compassion. This is not a knock against the original Disney Princesses by any means. Most date back hundreds of years, and are a product of their time. They have achieved an immortal status in modern culture. At the same time, Disney Princesses are a thing of the past. Much like Moana has, Frozen's Anna and Elsa redefined what it means to be a Disney Princess, even if they don't officially have the title.












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