Frozen 2 and the Deep Chill of Colonialism | Big Joel

[@BigJoel]

Ayy thanks for watching my video! If you're concerned, my series on youtube conservatism is gonna make a return later this month lol. Also, I am still doing my offer where patrons pledging 25 dollars can get a neat sweater. So if you wanna do that, or just wanna chip in a few bucks, go over here to this website! www.patreon.com/bigjoel. Okay nice have a cool,, perhaps even a frozen,,, day.

[@mothcub]

haha ur funmy

[@constance6198]

This comment is older than the video lol

[@theevilsandwitch8520]

Still waiting for the epic style change where you make a 4 hour long analysis of Solaris in a Philosphy tube/contrapoints style mini play in full costume with a 10 minute musical number halfway through.

[@kikifreese7000]

TheEvilSandwitch he's not that mentally ill.

[@nachosanchez3623]

Lovely as always cute guy, thak you very much for your insights!

[@natalierose1072]

I just picture you furiously taking notes in the theater in your cozy sweater.

[@ayior]

Or calmly Analytically Like a therapist Amidst a bunch of children

[@pixelblaze8284]

I would love to watch a movie with this man. But I feel like he would get all excited watching it and then would sit in the parking lot for hours philosophizing to whoever watched it with him😂 which might just be me projecting

[@phoebesmith3935]

This video's title reads like a Harry Potter book

[@IMatchoNation]

He changed it! Booooh!

[@sorchahenderson926]

i wish i could rt this

[@ThatOneGuy7550]

Harry Potter and the Deep Chill of Colonialism

[@dasaggropop1244]

yeah adult harry potter movies be like: harry potter and the dread of double taxation and such.

[@Dorian_sapiens]

A Harry Potter book JK Rowling could never write.

[@raywilliams212]

The gloves Elsaa father gave her echo the damn. A seeming gift from an Arandellian that was used to cut off her power.

[@krisrhood2127]

Pretty much sums up a lot of her ancestors

[@HIsForHawk]

@@theendlessdaydream6442 still you could argue, the gloves and the damn are paralleled in the since that are meant to stop and contain magic, which arendellians see as evil. Elsa's mother was little when she went to arendel is prob able she assimilated many of their ideas and that she wasn't very knowledgeable on magic in the first place, I don't believe she'd had gone with Elsa's father if she knew arendellians started the conflict, so perhaps seeing the spirits attack their visitors for apparently no reason may have convinced her magic was a bad thing

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

The three C's Cleanliness Coherence Fleshed out Story

[@Ghost7065]

you missed "Seas"

[@willnash7907]

Cleanliness Coherence Composition ?

[@jonathanschmidt7874]

Cleanliness Coherence Colonialism ? :D

[@RomanumChristum]

The three C's Cleanliness,Coherence,and COLONIALISM

[@SpencerTwiddy]

Cleanliness Coherence Chronicalization

[@SkydreamerStudios]

it's a shame, l should have known Disney would never destroy a castle in such a thematically resonant way

[@robynwilson9227]

One word: Asgard. They did a whole ass realm.

[@alexfriedrichs6240]

Apparently they planed to do it at one point, but changed it because all theme parks had already begun construction on their arendelle areas

[@robynwilson9227]

Alex Friedrichs that is partially true. However more vitally was that test audiences REALLY didn’t respond well to destroying Arendelle and leaving Olaf dead. Apparently the reactions were so bad they straight up immediately started working on the new ending.

[@Worthless1010]

@@robynwilson9227 The truth, is apparently uncomfortable for audiences.

[@alexfriedrichs6240]

@@robynwilson9227 thanks for the correction 👍

[@KookiesNolly]

Ok the image of Elsa's grandpa killing the indigenous leader kinda looks like a meme template lmao, and it's great and powerful. I thought it was pretty ballsy to release this movie just before Thanksgiving.

[@hacman8732]

Eli N.S Holy Shit the potential indigenous colonizer memes will be fire

[@EliStettner]

If you think about it for a sec though; a decapitation strike against this neighboring state makes geopolitical sense for Arundel. The events of this movie aren't a big surprise, its two princesses discovering how politics works.

[@omegailijevich4005]

So many reviewers call Frozen 2 an obvious “cash grab” , and when i watched it I didn’t understand that critique since the thematic elements you discuss here were so genuinely compelling. It’s messy and it’s very existence is a cash grab, because it’s a huge disney sequel, but I thought that was a really dismissive way to understand a story that is this different for a “princess” movie and so layered in meaning.

[@emopeterparker7]

i think the reason why it feels like a cash grab is because it's messy. themes mean nothing when your story isn't coherent enough to send a message. and i think that's why bits of themes like this fly under people's radars.

[@poisonedyoyo]

I mean every movie is a cash grab, but like destroying my favorite character of all time just to make money is NOT COOL. I mean the studio doesn't know how to make sequels, I can accept that, but honestly I wish they wouldn't have made this. Pixar knows what they're doign with sequels, WDAS does not. Again though I can still aprpreciate the studio's original works. But I will still never forgive them for what they did to Anna. Dreamworks didn't ruin Astrid just to make a sequel to How to train Your Dragon, and Dreamworks is supposed to be the worst studio, overall they are but at least they know how to make decent enough sequels. Even Shrek 2 isnt' a terrible movie and that whole franchise is anti Disney, WDAS should be ashamed of themselves especially after they CLAIMED they knew what they were doing after canning Gigantic.

[@emopeterparker7]

@@poisonedyoyo wow, they canned gigantic? that's unfortunate :( and i can't really say they ruined anna, but i can't really say they did an A++ job on her either. her social awkwardness and the extroverted quirkiness of hers were kinda gone (or at least, overshadowed) - i think it was because they were focusing too much on her clinginess to elsa. and her whole dynamic with kristoff was pretty bad; her misinterpreting what kristoff was saying all the time was kinda irksome - i feel like it was the wrong kind of social awkwardness.

[@keepyourshoesathedoor]

Meg Ilijevich It’s that lousy and mediocre song at the beginning.

[@robgillan2493]

if there was supposed to be a deeper meaning than the mess it was my 7 year old child didnt get it, and maybe im dumb but it didnt really feel like it had a theme to me either. Thats the point, these are childrens movies and not even made for adults. It was frozen just to be frozen and milk it even more

[@SeymourDisapproves]

Choose your fighter: -Jenny Nicholson's rewrite -Big Joel's recontextualization

[@charliequartz2085]

as someone who is a mixed white-native person, i have never before seen a film (much less an animated film) really explore the effects of colonisation in such an accurate way. the story of elsa and anna in relation to their native heritage is (unfortunately) not at all unusual or uncommon (aside from the magic princess aspects, of course). i could very much relate to this movie, and the other native folks i know have also had a similarly positive response. we aren't people who are generally treated well by cinema, so this is a much welcome narrative to be showing in one of the 21st century's most popular franchises. you could go even further in saying that elsa's arc of repression in the original film is given an even darker meaning with the context this film provides. her arc isn't JUST about her white father's attempt to repress her powers to keep her safe. it's about her white father's attempt to repress the native traits he sees in his child. it almost reminds me of things that my own grandparents went through in residential schools in order to assimilate and repress their native spirituality and traditions.

[@thethirdsicily4802]

To be fair she did kinda nearly kill her sister twice because of her not controlling her powers, so I don't think the darker meaning works as well.

[@charliequartz2085]

@@thethirdsicily4802 i actually think that makes it work even more. the regression of her heritage becoming physically harmful and hurting other family members sounds pretty accurate to me.

[@thethirdsicily4802]

@@charliequartz2085 Could you elaborate on that?

[@charliequartz2085]

@@thethirdsicily4802 well, seeing as the repression of magic is now an allegory for repression of native heritage in a mixed-race child, that is something that causes similar effects in real life. speaking from personal experience, the amount of mental anguish one goes though when cultural assimilation causes you to associate your heritage with danger and loss of control as well as people in larger society seeing you as a freak, the toll is disastrous. this is why many native folks turn to alcoholism and other methods of subtle self-harm. that kind of mental anguish can cause you to accidentally harm oneself or others.

[@jenellebelle9828]

@@charliequartz2085 the first time she nearly killed her (as a child) she was not repressing her powers. The movie doesn’t really show her father repressing her powers at that time, but I can see how the allegory works later on.

[@anzus762]

Although i have not seen the film, it seems to me like it bears some resemblance to the history of Norway (the country in which the story is situated). In Frozen we got to see Prince Hans of the Southern Isles (i.e. Denmark) attempt to usurp the throne of Arendelle (Norway). For context: Norway was under Danish hegemony for 400 years---'the 400 night' as it is remembered in Norway. Having been occupied by Denmark, Sweden, and Germany in World War 2, Norwegians have developed this idea about their home as a small and peaceful country (ignoring the Viking Age) that throughout its history was victimised by our tyrannical neighbours. What is forgotten in this narrative; however, is that Norwegians acted as colonisers at home, brutalising the Samis in the northern part of the country and forcing them to become Norwegianised. The story of the Northuldra in Frozen ii reminds me of the history of the Sami people. Considering that the theme song of the Northuldra is called 'Vuelie', meaning 'yoik' in Southern Sami, leads me to believe that this comparison was intentional.

[@tomorbataar5922]

It basically is the Sami. The movie even got its own version of the Alta dam. The controversy and conflict over that dam built on traditional sami lands is what essentially sparked the move toward indigenous rights for the Sami people.

[@tabenstock7119]

Anzus Disney worked with members of the Sami tribe. So it was supposed to be like that

[@TasX]

Spot on. My Scandinavian professor was a major story consultant for this movie. And while it is a mish-mash of themes, one of the big ideas was to represent the colonization of the Sami.

[@cymraegpunk1420]

@Rusty Shackleford are you Welsh Irish or Scottish? 😂

[@freakus___3]

are we sure jenny nicholson and bigjoel are different people

[@FreyaEinde]

We need Joel to wear a wig and sit in front of a giant porg to be sure, honestly.

[@bemiatto67]

They're R63 counterparts

[@batwingsoda]

split at birth

[@sav9373]

have you ever seen them in the same room

[@mathieuleader8601]

@@TheVisualNovel JOTUNN JEN

[@porcelaindoll1228]

Next "Playmobil The Movie and The Dangers of Nationalism "

[@banessuperbrutalmetalfunti2561]

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and the Failings of Monarchism.

[@snug_as_a_bug]

"how barbie and the magic of the pegasus is a feminist anthem"

[@abandonedchannel281]

I actually want to see that movie…

[@supremeleader9440]

Lionking would be a good one with that format

[@Argacyan]

I'd legit watch all of these, though Lion King being very blunt monarchist and antidemocratic propaganda has aleady been done multiple times in detail.

[@houston-coley]

What's even more interesting to me is the larger pattern of Disney's recent movies examining the idea of "the sins of the past" and making amends with the future. Black Panther confronts the failings of T'Challa's father. Thor: Ragnarok confronts the colonialism of Thor's father. Guardians Vol. 2 confronts similar colonialism in Peter Quill's father, Ego The Living Planet. Outside of Marvel, Star Wars: The Last Jedi meditated on the failure of the Jedi, and specifically Luke. I think really, all these movies speak to the idea that before we can move forward as a culture (especially in America) we need to go back to our past and do what we can to make amends.

[@brianb.6356]

I feel like that might be because we're living in a very "failures of the past" historical moment right now.

[@simonegreco1958]

Hey that’s pretty accurate too I also noticed this “creative osmosis” but in regards to other themes Depression: Luke in TLJ, Thor in AIW and AE Passing down the torch: Luke to Rey, Thor to Valkyrie “You’re my friend but our paths are different”: Toy Story 4, Ralph Breaks the Internet (and a little bit of Cap from AE) (this also apply to How to Train Your Dragon 3) All of these are present in Frozen 2 The most interesting theme to me is the last one, it’s like animated movies have been possessed by a sense of finality even when the franchise didn’t go the lengths for it should to be “appropriate”...like it’s understandable for Toy Story, it’s the forth and it’s being going on since 1995, but Frozen and Ralph? That’s just the second movie. It’s weird Granted in Frozen 2 the separation is a lot less heavy, but still

[@Master00788]

Sadly, in the liberal framework it is done in, this can only really manifest as the whip of remorse. A moralist tale about guilt and atonement. Incidentally, this fits perfectly into the protestant moralism, so dominant in US history. Of course, this is better than nothing, but without a critical materialist framework it still leaves us with no vision of an alternative, a real fundamental break with everything that exists and the responsible history ( we mostly get the status quo, just nicer, with our guilt lessened or even swept away), because the present is not really analyzed and understood. This is a long way to say that without a socialist framework, this shit will always be severely "incomplete", to put it nicely.

[@celinak5062]

They do seem more complex and cultural self aware. Revolutionary concepts will often be declawed and consumed by TPTB, just look at Dionysus for this happening to a simple holiday

[@timothymclean]

@@Master00788 I'd like to think that Rise of the Skywalker would have continued TLJ's story of failures by showing how they are corrected, had the director not been replaced again. I can dream, right?

[@AutisticTea]

I also feel like the Northuldrans losing their connection to their land, due to the actions of the colonisers is pretty poignant. Because even though they weren't at fault, the forest and spirits still turned on them and trapped them in. They could no longer live as they had, nor could they fully be safe in their own home. Seems very similar to the experiences of indigenous peoples

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

The dam in the movie is actually based in real life. The Norwegian government built the Alta dam in the 1980s to provide power, but resulted in the flooding of the native Sami village of Maze, and disrupted the natural migration of salmon and reindeer, disrupting the Sami people's way of life. The Sami were obviously not happy, but they had no real power to stop the dam from being constructed. I mean, it's pretty likely that Disney knew what they were doing, so it comes across as a very "on the nose" critique of the way powerful governments have historically treated native peoples. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Hydroelectric_Power_Station

[@iMasterchris]

"The Kubrick Stare" is one of director Stanley Kubrick's most recognizable directorial techniques. A method of shot composition where a character stares at the camera with a forward tilt, to convey to the audience that they are at the peak of their derangement

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

_"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're used to them we call them ordinary things."_ *~ Hans Christian Andersen (Snow Queen)*

[@LexyconDevil]

The thing that kills me about Frozen is in "Let It Go" where Elsa takes down her hair only to reveal a braid that still does the job of keeping her hair out of her face. Basically I'm glad to see Elsa finally let it go and I hope the animation for it was satisfying.

[@doctorwholover1012]

Yes! In the first song (let it go) elsa releases the tight bun hairstyle containing her braid, freeing the surface layer of restriction along with her fringe/bangs, ending the movie in her loose bangs + free-flowing braid, and then in the second movie, elsa maintains her braided style while in Arrendelle, and doesn't change it until she's alone and seeking out Ahtohallan, during her attempts to cross the river, she pulls her hair back into a basic low pony so she can focus, and when she finally arrives at Autohallan, the very first thing she does is let down her hair, even before she enters the ice, and goes through her transformation. Elsa feels safe to the point where she can finally 'let it go' - it being the restrictive and neat ways she had to do everything. Crucially the lines that bracket her letting her hair down are "and I feel like I am home." Before and "I have always been a fortress, cold secrets deep inside." Immediately after. And when she finally discovers her mother's spirit has been calling to her, she sings "I am found" and then gets her final magical outfit change, but her hairstyle was already completely deconstructed, leaving her with her long hair flowing completely free with the wind, as she finally becomes fully confident in herself. She sings "step into your power, grow yourself into something new" but her hairstyle is an active step backwards, in a positive way. Elsa returns to the free flowing hair she would have experienced as a baby/child, before the restrictions of her powers and her parents forced her into her teen/adult hairstyles. The regression to a more free or spiritually-tuned part of your life to achieve an understanding of yourself as an adult is even echoed by the fact that while it's her mother calling her, its not her as an adult, but as a preteen, and not only that but probably one of the last times we see her mother being free before she also done the same restrictive hairstyles/outfits as her daughters. you can even go into more detail and discuss how Anna's double braids give her hair more freedom of movement compared to elsa's initial braid-bun, which continues even after elsa releases her single braid. And when we do see Anna wearing more formal styles like her sister's updo instead of her more casual double braids, she often has little decorations like ribbons that sway or a clip like in Some Things Never Change, showing that Anna works within the updo's style to add personal flair, while Elsa obediently wears the plain basic updo as is. Hell, Anna had a daily style and a party style in the first movie, while Elsa just wore the most restrictive style at all times, which you could say implies that Anna has a personal and "professional" style, one in which she is less guarded, more comfortable etc, while Elsa only has the professional, reserved style, which tracks with her much more emotionally and physically reserved personality, but I'm not gonna keep going cuz I could be here for hours 😅

[@BATCHARRO]

I guess Frozen made so much money Disney was like "DO WHATEVER WE DON'T CARE". It would have been easy to make a sequel about Hans' crazy sister coming back for revenge or whatever.

[@trupype3028]

That's the plot of The Little Mermaid 2 Return to the Sea!

[@TasX]

@@trupype3028 that's a thing?

[@Inspirit-gp4dp]

@@TasX yep

[@irongirltoni]

I want that movie

[@jlinus7251]

I actually liked Ana and Elsa's relationship in this one. My favorite scene was when Ana was depressed but still got up and did what she had to do through her grief. It was such a good message and it hit me hard. Also Christoffs song was comedy gold

[@Brawnald]

I haven't watched a Disney movie in well over 20 years but have watched all the Big Joel videos about them.

[@robynwilson9227]

Man you gotta fix that issue. Coco is a flawless masterpiece.

[@simonegreco1958]

You’ve missed out

[@poisondamage2182]

@@robynwilson9227 Coco is a Pixar movie

[@scaper8]

You should give some of them a try. Say what you will about Disney, and most of it is not without merit, but, damn, can they make good films.

[@blakcnagisa01]

Same, it rubs me in the wrong way, fucking monopoly, I haven't watch marvel, star wars or disney series either in 5 years, if I do I pirate them 💁‍♀️

[@falseworldtruehearts3740]

Agreed on that last point . Not knowing your own roots because your entire culture and people has been systematically wiped out, and even made entirely extinct in history - with not even at least having something to hold on PAPER- is one of the worst feelings in the world . It’s not even being LEFT with nothing : it’s being ROBBED of EVERYTHING. I mean, the indigenous people of my roots aren’t far back in the family tree at all, and yet it seems that is the only fact I’ll ever know for sure. They were still around until so recently in history . Yet it’s easier to find info on Ancient Greece or Rome or even ancient Egypt at times. There’s just... nothing. Even recently in the 70s with forced sterilization and ongoing epidemic of raped, missing and murdered indigenous women that’s been going on SINCE Colombus... it’s really hard to explain this kind of pain to someone who doesn’t have to live it : whose blood and bones either boil, or sometimes just feel so heavy from the fact that people are so quick to “rationalize” all the wrong that’s been done and still being done to you . ( At least a lot of places in America are finally changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day, as it should be.) It’s hard to heal when everyones still refusing to acknowledge you’ve been seriously , outrageously , inarguably wronged: that there are some deep-rooted, institutional problems. All because being honest about history makes others feel “ uncomfortable.” It’s like , oh no, you’re uncomfortable : I’ll just let this genocide and generational trauma fly: it’s alright. I’ll draw the line if you’re just too uncomfortable of the idea of coming together to honestly reflect on history and move on towards a better tomorrow so indigenous can continue being poisoned on our own land, continuously targeted of hate crimes , mm-hmm... It’s hard to heal when, out of convenience , people are always aiming to - thanks to colonialism- keep you invisible . Anyway, thanks for this video, Joel. :)

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@Jeremy Jones Found the snowflake fascist. Are you offended that everything isn't about you?

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@Jeremy Jones Brown people çan not live in first world country,. That is the problem...

[@ambarm.1034]

I understand you pal. Colonialism sucks so much.

[@ambarm.1034]

@Jeremy Jones found the racist

[@keepyourshoesathedoor]

FalseWorldTrueHearts I understand. Y’all lost a whole lot.

[@Arrakiz666]

"In Frozen 2, the oppression of indigenous people is understood not only as a matter of class or material conditions, but also as a traumatic internalization of the oppressor." I think what you meant to say is that in Frozen 2 the oppression of indigenous people is understood *ONLY* as a traumatic internalization of the oppressor. Frozen 2 never really tackles the issues of material conditions or class of oppressed people. No Disney movie does, and none ever will, because they can't.

[@BigJoel]

I'd argue that within frozen two, the two are linked. After all, the dam is purpose built to subjugate the northuldra in a very material way

[@Arrakiz666]

@@BigJoel And yet you'd be hard-pressed to point where the movie actually discusses the material effects of basically living in an ice-water panopticon. All we have are characters discussing their feelings about it. The dam is, at best, a symbol of possible material isolation. It's a hint of it, if even that. You'd have to be extremely generous to make an argument that any Disney movie discusses any kind of material or class conditions at all. Even the ONE movie which had the opportunity to do it, The Princess and the Frog, gracefully dodged that bullet.

[@BigJoel]

@@Arrakiz666 hmm true thats a good point

[@BigJoel]

I think it would be very rare and almost impossible for disney to really get into the raw suffering of colonialism, since it would of course not be child friendly.

[@Arrakiz666]

@@BigJoel I don't actually think that's the case, it would be easy to make a kids-friendly movie that discusses material conditions of colonialism-induced poverty. It's just that Disney sure as hell ain't gonna do it!

[@InfernoBlade64]

I’m surprised reactionaries haven’t complained about frozen 2 being “woke”

[@InquisitorThomas]

“God the left is so easily triggered.” *Sees Frozen 2* “OH MY FUCKING GOD, THESE FUCKING SJWS FORCING THEIR WOKE AGENDA ON ALL OF US!!!!”

[@lucapeyrefitte6899]

Inquisitor Thomas well they're trying to force Elsa to have a girlfriend when it's fine and would be great if she didn't have anyone to love romantically

[@r.p.4756]

@@lucapeyrefitte6899 they already forced Anna and that other guy into a relationship, so why not. Ofcouse Disney will never do that, because then they can't sell their movie in China.

[@InfernoBlade64]

Luca Peyrefitte how was it forced if she never had a boyfriend in first movie?

[@theelectricant98]

@@InfernoBlade64 people are complaining, asking for this now. it didnt happen yet

[@colten6465]

You actually used that title. The absolute madlad.

[@simonegreco1958]

Original “chill of colonialism” squad represent!

[@happyllama1160]

I really quite liked it. It was a better musical and completed Elsa’s arc in a really satisfying way. Show Yourself was so lovely where Elsa actually embraces and accepts herself rather than just closing herself off like in Let it go. If it had an extra half year of production I feel like a lot of the kinks could have been ironed out though which is sad

[@aarishowton8037]

You know, when I first saw it I was disappointed they didn’t destroy Arendale, but actually, Anna MADE the decision to destroy it, it basically just didn’t happen out of sheer luck. So I think it’s fine. I get why they didn’t. There’s already a ton of Arendale merch and their show in Disneyland takes place there. It would be difficult to change.

[@ErickMcNerney]

I also liked it because it reminded me of a Studio Ghibli film - just riding on a water horse with no explanation for instance. Not explaining weird things makes it seem more confident in its weirdness.

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

I agree, I don't think every little detail of a film needs to be explained through some worldbuilding to be good. It's ok to appreciate things just because of the artistic element they bring.

[@Syndie702]

Frozen 2 is unironically one of my favourite movies of all time. I loved it. Also presenting male fragility as a kind of inconsequential, almost laughably trivial subplot that isn't even important enough to really resolve feels like a deliberate choice. In a movie about history and colonialism, who cares about one dude's feelings. At the end of the day he just works through his small issue and doesn't wind up taking more of the story than he needs to, literally stating "My love is not fragile." Could you imagine if Frozen, a movie led by women, took twenty minutes out of a plot about colonialism to grapple with one man's insecurity? That would have been wild, and not in a good way. Anna and Kristoff's relationship being strong enough to withstand some insecurity also seems like a theme. Anna and Kristoff both display insecurity, but are able to overcome this and be happy together. We see their love isn't fragile because we see it surviving disagreements and insecurity. There is a small moment where Anna seems hurt that Kristoff snuck off (we the audience know he's trying to propose, but she doesn't) without telling anyone. In most movies, this might be a major conflict, but it ultimately winds up being inconsequential; not even worth a mention in the context of the broader conflict. Real relationships have moments like this. Real relationships are not either entirely healthy or entirely unhealthy, most people have unhealthy aspects to their personalities, and unhealthy people deserve love too! Contrast this wiith Hans and Anna's "mental synchronization" from the first movie. Anna and Kristoff feel much more real, because they don't always understand each other, they sometimes say the wrong things to each other, and are sometimes insecure.

[@kathessler4090]

This is a huge part of what I didn't like about the movie. Frozen 2 spends so much time on the (confusing) story that we lose the characters. They set up issues between characters and then never follow through and solve these issues. We never see how kristoff overcomes his insecurities or how Anna and Elsa work through their problems, they just hug each other and ignore it. I wanted frozen 2 to be a character study not an completely new story. If they wanted to explore this story I think they should've made a new movie with new characters.

[@jmanakajosh9354]

@@kathessler4090 huh, I dissagree I liked the sub-plots I think LESS would have been better for the answers to questions like "who's my Mom, what happened to my parents etc." AND MORE time should have been spent on several more separate plots

[@BanDaniel23]

Well put!

[@TasX]

@@kathessler4090 I'm a bit late to this game, but just from the bathos of his song, you can tell this is supposed to be humorous and that he's gonna overcome it. The bigger issue is in the name "Frozen." I would argue that it's intrinsically tied to the first movie where there's the gradual process of Elsa following her call and discovering her power (which was never completely resolved in the first film). Also a development of the dead parents' motivations. And another theme very central to this story is change (as if Olaf doesn't have to be explicit enough) - so pretty obviously you just see what it's like to grow up for all the characters (a pretty meta narrative towards the audience for Frozen 1), and something something past and present and how you deal with present with knowledge of the past and then colonialism as a more concrete theme. So basically what I'm saying is that there's plenty of character development. It just doesn't happen in a formulaic Disney way so it's uncomfortable.

[@williamhowell7854]

super late to the party, this is just incredibly well put and I wanted to thank you for your insight. this vocalized so much of what I feel about the film, I just could never find the words!

[@bookworm3756]

I love your videos because you consistantly have opposing takes to mine and I feel like we would never agree on any media ever.

[@vancitycastiel]

I came across this video very late, but I loved Frozen 2, even with its flaws and inconstancies. It just connected with me in the most personal way with its intention to talk about colonization and the grief of losing a close family member. It would have had more impact if they executed some things differently, but I even just appreciate the effort. Not to mention the songs were great, the animation was beautiful, and there are a few chuckle-worthy moments. I see a lot of people say Pocahontas is better, but I honestly can't see how a love story Disney made out of the romanticized tragedy of a little girl is any better than this.

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

I agree. And I don't like how Pocahontas fucks with history, presenting a romance which was completely made up. Not the kind of thing kids should be learning in school.

[@aziraphaletheprincipality4657]

I’M SO GLAD I’M NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO NOTICED ALL THIS

[@moemoechainsawmaid5368]

Can we please talk about the art in the background? Because it's actually lovely.

[@uwu-fm2kj]

I think one of them ( far right ) is a Klimt painting, i don’t know about the rest.

[@WritingSch]

I desperately want to talk to someone about the suspicion of magic being used to oppress Sami people- the witch trials- and how Elsa's father unwittingly oppressed her in this way in addition to the psychological pressure he put her under as a child. Elsa was oppressed by Arendelle both as an Arendelle citizen and as a Sami. So this video was really great. Amazing job! And if anyone wants to discuds, I would love that.

[@myosotis1306]

Oh wow yes !! Honestly I loved Frozen 2, and I didn't see the aspect of colonisation the first time but now it makes me love the movie even more. Elsa is looking for her real identity, and she has all the good reasons to. I adore your profile pic by the way! (Sorry If there was english mistakes I am not english)

[@apteropith]

Elsa: "I was _Frozen 2_-day!" I will not apologise.

[@jaccuse4086]

That line is the one nugget of value Doug Walker has contributed to the world.

[@apteropith]

@@jaccuse4086 I'll stick to crediting Christopher Lloyd.

[@jaccuse4086]

@@apteropith Tru but I wouldn't have learned of it if I didn't watch embarrassing amounts of channel awesome

[@FrabbyCrabsis]

My feelings about Frozen 2 are simple - all I wanted was a spectacle with gorgeous animation and sweeping songs. That's what I got, so I'm happy.

[@onijester56]

We see Kristoff's process, namely in that he's "Lost in the Woods" without Anna. His insecurities are that he feels he can't properly express his emotions to the one he loves, which we see built as his trying to communicate leads to something he says coming out not as intended. Incidentally, he gets literally lost in the woods while singing about being figuratively lost...and he stops being lost when he finds Anna during the climax. ----- The magic system, meanwhile...it's simple as fuck. It's a traditional Aristotelian "Quintessence" form, albeit less the focus of human ability. There are four foundational elements to The Natural World, and each element has an embodiment within some Nature Spirit or Nature Spirits that take a distinct form. Thus you have the EARTH SPIRITS (Giants, or Golems...notably made of rock and thus Earth), FIRE SPIRITS (Salamander, the inspiration for the Pokemon Charmander...and a dozen other Fire-type Pokemon since Gen 1), WATER SPIRITS (in this instance, the one we see is a Kelpie...), and AIR SPIRITS (As seen, it's a sentient gust of wind...Gale is literally a gale). That which calms and unites them? The Fifth Element, called either the Aether or Spirit. It's from this which the world obtains order...and as a unifying force it's not too much of a stretch that it can also be called LOVE. ----- With those two things alone, the movie makes at least some effort to actively display coherence and cleanliness. I mean, it would be a much messier film if we ignored Kristoff's character-song and instead every 5 minutes we went back to him and Sven wandering the forest looking for Anna. Right?

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

I know a lot of people criticize the film for having Kristoff on screen for a pretty limited amount of time, and for not really doing much, but it doesn't bother me. It's not really his story. It's OK for him to be a background character, and to have a smaller character arc. As for the magic system, yes, it's based in the familiar 4 element trope, but it doesn't need to be explained. It serves as a plot device, and Elsa ends up being the 5th spirit or whatever, explaining the origin of her magic. She feels a calling to discover her true identity, and she is led into an unfamiliar, magical world. She treks to the source of the magic, despite Anna begging her not to, and ends up going too far and being frozen solid, the natural consequence of not being more cautious. Anna has to break the dam to undo the wrong done by their grandfather and free the forest, freeing Elsa in the process. Yes, it's messy, and it could have definitely used another year or so of development to be more polished, but it's effective. If you're interested, I found this article which explains the whole magic system a lot better than I can, and clears up some questions about the plot: naclhv.com/2020/01/a-systematic-mythology-of-frozen/

[@jackie968]

did i just trip out or was this video called deep chill of colonialism or smth just a second ago

[@ilexdiapason]

it's in my recommended as "frozen 2 and the deep chill of colonialism"

[@aarishowton8037]

It still says it’s called that as the title for me.

[@AryaBeltaine]

thats still the title for me? whats the new one?

[@scaper8]

_"Frozen 2_ and the Deep Chill of Colonialism" for me as well. What does yours say?

[@emmadrew50]

came here from *breakfast*

[@BigJoel]

hell ya

[@cherriegetison6093]

There's concept art of a rebuilt Arendelle with a blend of Northuldra architecture, showing that the dam destroying Arendelle was a possible ending at one point. Personally, I'm of the opinion that "plebs of one group need to suffer so that plebs of another group can thrive" is propaganda historically put forward by an elite ruling class that benefits from divide-and-conquer tactics. The royal sisters carrying most of the weight of fixing things was fair.

[@acaciaj5378]

i think it also touches on themes of diaspora, in a way? elsa is disconnected from her culture because of colonialism, the way that many people (like me) feel in relation to their immigrant "ancestors" (grandparents, great grandparents.)

[@mana-yb8be]

your summary of your feelings at the start is pretty much exactly how I feel about the movie. I see all the flaws, but I still really like it

[@Coolhandkelpy]

I’m so glad someone made this video! I was so pleasantly surprised by this movie, and I loved the questions it was asking. Thank you for making this video so others might be able to see what I saw and have problems putting to words.

[@TheSugarRay]

Frozen 2 was pretty good. Smash confederate statues and don't steal the agency of native and oppressed people.

[@eveappleby2211]

@Jeremy Jones the racism jumped right out with no warning huh

[@WizzKidxKOx]

Yeah, lay down those barbaric ground rules and destroy liberalism so those fascists respect you when they're in power

[@TheSugarRay]

This comment has attracted a lot of frankly racist people who also don't seem to be reacting to anything I said other than the vague topic. So, I'm playing the npc card.

[@t.sstiller7869]

​@Jeremy Jones let me guess, you think the war started because "mUh sTAtE rIgHTs" even though Southern states straight up said that they were seceding the union because of slavery.

[@moth5560]

​@Jeremy Jones Not only did the South want to keep their slaves, but they wanted it to be legal in the North too, and to make it so that all new territories were slave states. The reason for the secession was that they were pissed that former slaves could flee to non slave states and be free, and that if they weren't allowed to keep their slaves their economy would collapse because it was based off of using people as farm equipment/livestock (slaves were forced to have sex with each other and bred for certain traits like cattle, children were taken from their parents and sold, families were torn apart, they were also branded like cattle and forced to give up their cultural practices, it was really freaking brutal). Lincoln wasn't really going to force them to release their slaves at that point, though he wanted to put limits on how long a slave could be kept after they were 25 in a way to slowly end slavery as full on abolition wasn't all that popular at that point. When the Confederacy became a thing their constitution was almost exactly the same as the Union's, the only difference being that it said that it was a person's right to own slaves. Any way you slice it, the Civil War definitely was definitely about slavery.

[@scoople6]

Oh man I'm glad you made this video, I felt the same way about the movie but haven't seen any other people talking about this aspect of Frozen 2. The history of Arendelle and the Northuldra and the message behind that conflict was the most interesting aspect of Frozen 2 imo.

[@Dell88music]

This is neat, because I love Frozen 2 and didn't even think about historical themes when watching it. I saw Frozen 2 as a message to all of the now teenage children who grew up with the first one. Olaf literally tells the audience "you all look a little bit older". A lot of the drama and all of the songs revolve around teenage problems and the theme of growing up and finding yourself. It's also set during fall, the season of change. Ana's song about simply moving forward when too distraught to see any point in living felt like a sophisticated version of Sesame Street. It's teaching kids how to cope with the strange new world they're in. The ending feels like graduating high school: friends get married, move away and try to stay in touch, and everything changes. Glad someone else saw the lack of F2 content and had a different take on it!

[@WhiteCloudProductions]

When you got to Pochantas I have to disagree. The way I interpreted that movie even as a niave child wasn't both sides was at fault. I feel the movie made it pretty clear the Englishmen were the ones at fault. It specifically showed that greed of early colonizers were the cause of violence. The savages sequence I think does a fairly decent job in showing that hatred and fear spreads like an infection. But even in that sequence the visual ques told me that even though the hatred and fear as spread to both parties the Englishmen were the aggressors.

[@elenaobradovic4181]

You give me big Jenny Nicholson energy in this video

[@muticere]

As much as I love Jenny, I like this rundown of the film much better than hers. She falls too much into trying to rewrite the story to make it more bland and tropey. Part of what worked about Frozen 2 was that it was kind of a mess.

[@brgkotme]

Thank you so much for this thoughtful analysis. Frozen 2 was genuinely so refreshing for a Disney movie, and I hope general audiences don't gloss over its message.

[@MicroSeraphim]

Makes me so happy that I am not the only one who thought of this with Frozen 2

[@ManubibiWalsh]

I really loved this movie. Other than because it didn’t gloss over this, for me it’s because it reminded me of things I’ve been told in therapy. It gave me hope as someone who’s struggling with depression and anxiety. Honestly, I’ve never seen an animated Disney property deal with mental illness or even long-lasting trauma that won’t get solved by just having one (1) conversation. But yeah, Frozen 2 was good. I don’t particularly care for the plot criticism because the things being criticized are things I really don’t mind nor care for, and to me this movie absolutely kicked the shit out of the first Frozen. Easily and with little to no effort. It just fixed everything that pissed me off about the first.

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

I will acknowledge that the film isn't flawless, but the story it tells is effective, and the animation and songs are great. I wouldn't say its better than the first Frozen though, just because the first film is so damn good.

[@AntiEmpire]

I loved your interpretation of the film. I will also be reading "Lose Your Mother". Such a powerful concept.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

Scenes of subjection (also by Hartman) might be interesting too. The book is about ways American slaves were abused, depicted in their abuse at the time, how historians have presented this, and how all this relates to the concept of agency. Its introduction ends with this quote by Walter Benjamin "Only that historian will have the gift of fanning the spark of hope in the past who is firmly convinced that *even the dead* will not be safe from the enemy if he wins". Even the dead was italics but KZbin comments don't have italics. Be warned, this book is not written in a particularly easy to read way. If the concepts it explored seemed broad and difficult to parse, her writing makes it significantly more difficult.

[@AntiEmpire]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat thank you so very much for your suggestion and your warning. You write well, too. 💕

[@celinak5062]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat There are _ italics _ There are _italics_ For anybody interested: * bold * *bold* - lines - -lines- _ italics _ _italics_

[@sweetpeabee4983]

@@celinak5062 you are a saint, friend, thank you!! 🙌🙌🙌

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

@@celinak5062 thank you, I did not know that

[@AngelJD]

For the father's credit vs the grandfather he loved and purposely wanted to help Elsa but lacked knowledge to do so but had to act making a poor choice. The grandfather had knowledge and with the knowledge he acted and knew what he was doing would hurt. The father wanted to help but the grandfather wanted to hurt. The father and mother went forth trying to find knowledge to truly be able to help and died on the journey sadly. The father and mother were young innocents caught unaware and had no knowledge of anything (from Elsa's powers to 'the truth'). Both had no knowledge and chaos erupted everywhere and their people were attacking each other. But the mother acted in love only. She's apart of the tribe yet during the chaos and the battle of the two people she chose to save the father who is apart of the other side calling on the wind to assist her. The wind helped saving him then hide her tossing a blanket over her when a random solder came by and unexpectedly took not just the prince to be King away but also the mother being a stowaway to the new kingdom and carried away from her childhood home and tribe. It makes me recall the wind draping Anna when scanning them possibly a indicator of it recognizing the mother's kin and acting by it but the daughters didn't know better and thought it was just being playful. In the end both were greatly affected but acting only in love the mother would find a way to live in the foreign kingdom, the two would somehow bond in Arendelle (with the king/father never knowing the truth that the mother saving him long ago and yet still fall in love with her), and in the end their love and the mother's actions the spirits were pleased with and as a reward had the two have two daughters whom together could Bridge the divide. Furthermore both would be celebrated in the kingdom with a statues showcasing the Queen's heritage and monument in time for the two as two people of different backgrounds bonding in love and innocence while the only icon for the grandfather would be a ice one in a deep cave of his hate and destruction with the truth revealed about him to all of his guilt. I would love to see a short or a comic series of the mother's life as a child and how she had to adapt with nothing but the clothes on her in a new kingdom that probably disliked her tribe as the kingdom was misinformed and that misinformation spread about her tribe attacking thus sadly she would hide who she was for a long time till she spoke the truth of her past and heritage to the King many years later.

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

Well said. Btw, Elsa and Anna's parents and grandfather have names. Their grandfather is Runeard, their father is Agnar, and their mother is Iduna.

[@tvremote9394]

Instead of making a sequel for money grab, I guess they should've just *Puts on sunglasses* Let it go

[@azuregriffin1116]

YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[@888fluffy]

Just came from jenny nicholson's review of frozen 2 which somehow has an equal but opposite energy

[@gabbyvelasquez3767]

I get why Disney would never further flesh things out than this (I mean its Disney), but I still gotta hand it to them for even approaching it. I think what the film does is serve as a good way to introduce these topics to the young kids who are watching and growing up with it. They're more aware, and as they age they can have some what of a basis to build on top of when learning about the history of colonization. I personally had a really great conversation with my younger cousin about colonization after watching the film with them. They hadn't really heard of what it was until that point (he's 8 years old) but after seeing the film he understood a lot of what I personally tried to explain because he could relate it to moments in the film.

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

You know, the dam in the movie is actually based on the real life Alta dam, which the Norwegian government built to provide power, and which caused massive environmental disruption, hurting the native Sami people (who the Northuldra are based on). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Hydroelectric_Power_Station

[@BanDaniel23]

I’m so glad you made this video, I share your feelings about the interesting elements of this movie. You give voice to great ideas and I love your videos, good vibes and thank you

[@RedtsunamiTed]

I'm just still shocked they killed Olaf. That was... unexpected, on a level of Bambi's/Dumbo's Moms dying. I mean the ruined it by bringing him back but still..

[@Marispider]

Personally I was kind of... unimpressed with it? Like my reaction in theater was "oh. cool. when's he coming back?" which ended up being, what, ten minutes later? And the whole song about depression... where she rises up out of her depression in two minutes... The timing of everything was so weird and funky and pulled me out of the story more than once. I enjoyed the movie, but it was really messy

[@rebeccagibbs4128]

Thanks so much Joel. I havent shut up about these themes. I think arendelle not being destroyed was a way of saying, we can end repression and colonialism without losing what we have built, it will just be made better and have a purpose for everyones benefit. Not just the colonizers. I also felt there were lots of themes of ableism too

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

I don't get why people are so obsessed with wanting to see Arendelle get destroyed. I'm not bothered in the slightest that it wasn't.

[@rebeccagibbs4128]

@@TheRealPSKilla502 congratulations, I guess? it's not about "wanting" to see it destroyed, in the themes and story that was set up it made sense that it should be destroyed, and rebuilt with both peoples on equal footing.

[@nope8083]

3:30 I can’t stop thinking about how Noah Samsen described your humor as “likeable”. It is so true,

[@codasylphanthi2187]

I love how even editor Joel has a cozy sweater.

[@francesconicoletti2547]

The cave thing is straight out of Innana’s trip to the underworld. The giveaway is that when Elsa dies she has to be rescued by the one she left behind. Also Elsa’s ascension is a much better use of the Fisher King motif then the Lion King. If Frozen 2 was an anime arendelle would have been totally been swept off the map.

[@comlanger2833]

My main problem with this movie thematically is that it tries to blame colonialism on individual bad actors. Arendelle’s colonialist actions are painted as solely the fault of Elsa’s grandfather, not as anything systemic.

[@jmanakajosh9354]

good point

[@Petronio39]

I'm glad you pointed out that the film's title was Frozen 2, and connected it to the theme of things being frozen. I don't think I would have made that connection myself.

[@ryucraft5058]

“Slow, quarentined.” Like how I feel right now

[@EchoLimaIndiaAlphaS]

"A place I've already described as slow, quarantined" a sign of things to come.

[@drawnseeker]

I just saw frozen 2 and loved it. This video adds so much to my viewing of the film.

[@mysryuza]

The thing I like about this plot point is that it shows an example that a protagonist's family history isn't as clean, clear, nor as good-guy laced as the protagonist initially thinks. Basically why I like Steven Universe. A lot of times, we have stories with protagonists coded as a good guy alongside a good-guy family, a bad-guy with a bad-guy family, or a bad guy (or good guy turned bad) with a good-guy family.

[@vraisairs9201]

4:01 he told us about the quarantine months ago!

[@thespectralchannel]

I was honestly shocked by the underwhelming critical reception of Frozen - the combination of much more strikingly dark visuals, more haunting and visceral melodies and emotional tones, and of course the themes of colonialism and the Sublime made it seem to me like a much more dynamic, intelligent and complex overall filmic experience - not forgetting the [if extremely subtle] implications of Elsas sexuality as well. (also Olaf was a million times less annoying - I really enjoyed his self-aware jokes about the first film)

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Your final point is powerful. Colonizers cannot unburn books and regain permanently lost knowledge. They cannot unransack graves, religion, land, and women, least of all centuries back with a simple "it wasn't ME". They can't take back any of this. Much was lost that can never be repaid. Some things are simply lost 😔💔

[@Giga419]

I felt many of the themes were constantly undermined by Disney's inability to self-reflect. A primary issue is that, once again, monarchy is not presented as a problematic institution. Frozen II presents the idea that the system (monarchy) isn't flawed (indeed, Anna is instilled as Queen by her sister at the resolution of the movie - this is blindly accepted by the people, despite them having seen the problems associated with the current ruling family and how easily their lives and community were displaced by their antics/antics attracted by them). No, the problem is an individual - specifically their grandfather, who was an 'evil' man. He was the problem. And once we undo his legacy, everything will be okay. No consideration is given to the idea that the true enemy is a system that allows a single individual to make crucial and catastrophic decisions without checks or balances (indeed, the film specifically shows their grandfather's general express concern at his monarch's decision - their grandfather's response is something to the effect of 'they [the forest tribe] dare thought they could challenge a king'). The nature resolution of this theme is that such a system ought to be broken down and replaced with one of balance - one would assume this would fit better into the whole 'multiple people's living together after periods of colonialism, but that pathway is, typically, not travelled in this film. But this is all a distraction..... the best part of this film was the water horse sequence and any scene with the water horse in all of its glory. There's something about the image of a horse furiously bucking a Human deeper into the ocean that will never leave my memory....

[@EmissaryofWind]

I really think there's a lot to be said about this movie that I haven't really seen brought up.

[@Gloomdrake]

Can we talk about how Elsa went to sleep in full makeup?

[@vandythevandy]

And SHOES!!! 😩

[@GreenironBat]

My favourite part was when the North Aldra found what they really needed - a white girl who controls their spiritual powers to rule over them.

[@robynwilson9227]

Anthony Stoffel her mother is one of them, making her mixed race. And she isn’t ruling them, very clearly she lives among them and is learning her heritage (as they INVITED her to do when they asked her to stay with them and learn more of her magical heritage after a childhood of the non magical one). And she doesn’t control the spiritual powers, she is one of them. One of five. And the movie makes it clear multiple times that Anna and Elsa’s birth was meant to serve as a bridge to end the opression. Elsa represents the magical forest where Anna represents the very human Arrandelle and both had to work together to end the injustice done to one half of their shared heritage. I think you are trying to make this bigger than it is. It seems like you didn’t watch the movie. And calling Elsa a “white girl” is erasure of mixed race people. A light skin mixed race person is not white. They are mixed. The heritage of their white parent is JUST as important as that of their Non White one. And the Sami come in all colours. Kristoff is canonically a Sami and he is white. This is true to life, where some Sami are white and some are of a darker skin tone. In fact, Elsa is visually linked to the Northuldra via her hair, as the leader of them has long white hair down. Elsa removes her braid just before “Show Yourself” (the song where she TRULY learns of her heritage) and this leaves her hair as a direct parallel to the Northuldra leaders. This is her coming to embrace her Northuldra heritage. Her outfit then changes under the watch of her SAMI Mother, becoming something decidedly Non-Arendellian. This is a subtle visual cue. But Elsa starts in Frozen 1 with Arrandelle clothing, changes into her ice dress then begins Frozen 2 in Arrandelle clothing again. Even her ice jacket and boots are styled like Arrandellian wear. Once “Show Yourself” is sung, Elsa’s mother is PURPOSEFULLY present where her father is absent from virtually that whole scene. She’s connecting with her Mother. With the other half of her heritage. The part her father tried to conceal. Her magic. I’m not sure if you understood the film properly. They were pretty clear if you ask me.

[@robynwilson9227]

Static Truths EXACTLY

[@robynwilson9227]

Static Truths it was fascinating to read this, hearing the perspective of a mixed race person on this was very insightful. It’s wonderful that you’re trying to connect with your mother’s heritage, I’ve observed this nasty idea that mixed race people had to “pick a side” and choose which culture they followed when I’ve always felt that that was such an awful thing for society to push. It’s regressive. Mixed race relationships are beautiful because they recognise thousands of years of racial isolation and give it the middle finger. They’re this beautiful defiance of racial segregation and making their children choose one side removes that duality they were born into. I’m so glad to hear that this movie touched you, and I know it’s nowhere near the same but I relate to Elsa myself because I too felt isolation from my peers and family. I straight up still struggle with giving physical affection to family members. Though where yours was race mine was thinking I was a freak. Turns out it was OCD and anxiety that made me not touch my sister for two years (among a slew of other things OCD “gifts” you with). Not quite ice powers or your being born mixed race but I understand the isolation. Even if yours was about your heritage and mine was about a paralysing fear of my family being hurt by nonexistent “germs” or by me not checking my front door was locked 52 times before I went to scrub my hand and go to bed ahaha. Bit of a tangent there. But yes it was honestly so wonderful to hear somebody like you can relate to this. It’s something I realised a few years back that diversity was such a big issue in media. Around about the time I realised I was Bisexual actually. I never gave it a second thought until I realised that I’m white, blonde and have blue eyes. I have thousands of characters to choose from. I’m represented by virtually every princess and cartoon character and video game. I get Princess Peach, Cinderella, Aurora, Android 18, Cordelia from WITCH, two Winx Club members, every Barbie film and show and doll ever made, Chloe from BRATZ, my childhood was FILLED with girls who looked exactly like me. But little girls born black didn’t have a Disney Princess until I was 9. Little girls born of any Hawaiian culture (Samoan, Maori ect ect) DIDNT have one until I was 16ish. Latin girls STILL don’t actually have one beyond the unofficial Elena of Avalor. Mixed race kids are only now getting one. Seeing the lack of LGBT leads opened my eyes to just how big of an issue representation is and seeing anyone get to finally see themselves up on the big screen is just such a beautiful thing. I always had that, I’m happy other girls are getting it too.

[@GreenironBat]

Robyn Wilson Well I had typed up a long response, but then my app force quit, so I’m going to try again. I’m surprised that you took the time to write a response as long and as detailed as you did to sentence response with 12 likes on a social media platform. As such, I’ll respond with how I actually feel about the movie. First, race is a social construct from tribalistic beliefs that sadly effects people. In real life I believe to minimize people to how much melanin is in their skin or what phenotypes present outwardly is a morally and mentally corrupt method of thinking. The movie is a muddled mess. If the movie is about cultural relations, I end up knowing nothing about the cultural relations between the NU and the A people. If the movie is Anna and Elsa learning about part of their cultural heritage, then I need to see them learn some of their cultural heritage. If the movie is about moving forward from a colonial past, then I need to see some ideas being tossed around as to how to do that. I left the theatre feeling empty, as I had gleaned what the movie was about before hand and was excited to see how the themes were dealt with. I was left with endless questions: How do the NU and the A people get along now? Do they share resources on the land? How did the A soldiers and the NU people come to a tenuous truce? Why didn’t any of the NU people think to solve a way to break the dam on their own? What are some of the cultural wisdoms or practices of the SU people? If the aggression was so obviously one sided how did the NU people forgive so easily? If Elsa and Anna were the key to bridging the two nations, why did some wisdom of both cultures not be the key to solving the problem? If Elsa has the fifth magical element in her/ she is it is she even a human being any more? The duke of weasel-town mentioned that the nation of A was quite ritch, was this due to exploiting the land? How do the NU people feel about that? Will the wrongs of the past ever be formally addressed? Why do the elemental forces respect Elsa even though she doesn’t know anything about them or the culture they inspired? What are the elemental forces thoughts on the humans and the cultural clash? Being (probably) eternal forces, do they have any thoughts about getting along with others and moving past failures and hurts? In the end I feel disappointed that the movie seemed much more interested in giving Elsa a unicorn V 2.0 for her to ride with a cuddly companion and making Anna a queen so she can get something cool too. If they were really concerned about making a movie about reconciliation between cultures wouldn’t the kingdom of A bother to have some formal show of apology for their kings actions?

[@signupstuff]

@bbonner422 99% of the people watching this movie will not know the Northuldra are based off the Sami, so we can only evaluate the movie based on what they presented. And what we saw were the very white daughters of the whitest member of a brown tribe save the day. So what are brown children watching this movie thinking afterwards.. I guess you gotta be on the light-skinned side to have magic and save the day... in the case of Elsa.. about as white as anyone can be. How about this Disney - in the next movie, have a dark skinned character have the magical powers and save the day, and is revered by a tribe of white people. In fact, make her as black as Elsa is white. Wouldn't that be a hoot? I'm not holding my breath though.

[@MarkCabaniss]

Great video, Big Joel. I too thought that _Frozen II_ was a step backward from the first film. After seeing your video, though, I now think it’s a damn good film. Your fanfiction sounds like a cross between _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ and _The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild_ . I like it! 😊

[@pleasebenice3520]

I was honestly SO disappointed that Arendelle wasn’t destroyed. It would have been so satisfying (and now I realize after I’ve seen this amazing video, more thematically coherent) if the dam of repression had burst and righted an injustice done by the forest’s colonizers. It would have felt so much more... real. Like, actions have consequences, even if that action is long in the past. Sometimes, not everything can be saved. Sacrifices can have impactful repercussions, both for the characters and for the story. It seriously felt like such a cop-out and I have the sneaking suspicion that they only went with saving everything for the merchandising. Gotta sell that magical Arendelle castle playset. *sigh*

[@jmanakajosh9354]

No, just no. We should not be sending a message that reparations causes societal destruction.

[@WizzKidxKOx]

It's not about getting revenge or lacking foresight. It's about letting go of the bottling up of emotions and blockading of emotions... Like a dam. Once you talk with your family or oncce reparations are paid, would it be good to burn down the government? That's called politics of resentment, and it's a vicious cycle. Imagine both Isreal and Palestine letting the dam burst onto eachother. Fucking idiot

[@bilingualkaraoke8665]

You nailed it, nailed it, and did I mention that you nailed it? Thank you so much for your review! What you didn't say explicitly , but maybe agree with: It would have enhanced the overall quality of the movie even more, if Arendelle had at least suffered some amount of damage by the flood from the destroyed dam. Since the entire population had been evacuated anyway, it wouldn't have been devastating anyway and some Thor Something (not my franchise, sorry) state of mind would have been in order.

[@Peter]

Really good as per usual. Next thing to ask, IMO, is why did this one cold-blooded murder take place? I haven't seen the film yet (I will this week; I have two kids and frankly it's kind of amazing I have not yet), but I'd wager it is because this man saw it as a necessity to begin/continue the dominance of Arendelle. This one man wasn't just some guy, obviously; with that sword, he was wielding the institutional power of an entire sovereign nation (and its ruling class looking to take what isn't rightfully theirs). This decision was one that was on an individual level, and the question was more than just "should I kill this unarmed man." It was "should I use the power of a nation to plunge all of us into war." At that moment, this man was tremendously powerful as a representative of a full nation, as well as entirely powerless as a subject. This is speculation, but if this had happened in real life, it most likely would have been accompanied with frustration and deep pain - a situation in which one becomes frustrated with the believe they cannot complete their mission of whatever they were in this native society for in the first place. Well done, though; you got me very interested in Frozen 2.

[@BigJoel]

it's so they coule build the dam, so you're right!!

[@Alejandro-te2nt]

just watch the sopranos like an adult.

[@banessuperbrutalmetalfunti2561]

"Cold Blooded" Heh.

[@neilwickman]

@@BigJoel They had already built the dam, the meeting was to celebrate it. That's when the Northuldra fellow came to the King to say "Hey man, this dam is actually not so great" and the Tea ceremony was to have a chat about what could be done about it. Which, since the point of the dam was to screw with the forest and take the magic out of the picture, just gave King Shitlord a chance to merk the elder and kick off the planned genocide. I hated this movie but this part was a decent hit against colonialism.

[@jmanakajosh9354]

I love how Peter Coffin's take is better than the actual movie 😥🤣

[@JasonJBrunet]

The words "a very small radish" flashed on the screen while I was eating a very small radish.

[@guytorie]

This movie looks interesting enough that I really do want to see Frozen 1 now so I can see Frozen 2

[@clarinamascarenhas7499]

If we don’t allow ourselves to discuss colonialism in a flawed way, we just won’t discuss colonialism.

[@DeliaCore]

cool how Disney adapted Franz Fanon's Wretched of the Earth into a movie!

[@theintolerantjacobin1894]

I've been waiting for someone to make this video ever since I saw Frozen 2. Thank you for another great analysis!

[@TheDudeSmashTrash]

The entire anti-colonialist message of the film is completely undercut by having Elsa prevent the town from being wiped out. It's like the message was originally "the way to right the wrongs of colonialism is to cede back to native people what is rightfully theirs" and then they back out and say "actually, if you feel bad, that's good enough"

[@onijester56]

I would disagree that it's completely undercut. After all, the Arendelle guardsmen themselves had no beef with the Northuldran tribe and didn't even suspect the dam to have been a trap or trick. So punishing otherwise-innocent people when the blame in this case falls to a single individual (King Runegard) is likely to be seen as undeniably excessive. On top of this, Arendelle wasn't something "rightfully" the property of the "native people". Its destruction is more-so, thus, akin to the conceit of "An Eye For An Eye". And Anna acts upon that view, that the greed and anger of King Runegard is settled and forgiven only once the Spirits of Nature take out their own anger.

[@daisyc1741]

When did they say that Arendelle is not also indigenous???? It’s based on Norway, not the US.

[@TheDudeSmashTrash]

Daisy C the indigenous are the northeldrans

[@felixparker6053]

@@daisyc1741 It is based on Norway. Hence, the Indigenous people are based on the Indigenous people of Norway- the Saami.

[@ErickMcNerney]

I liked it. The scene where Anna thought Elsa died was probably one of the most "real" moments I've seen in an animated film by Disney.

[@simonegreco1958]

Did anyone else notice the overlapping themes between Frozen 2 and others big Disney-umbrella releases in the past 2 years? I mean you have depression, passing down the torch and going on a different path than your friends in Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Animation stories It can’t be a coincidence Especially since the colonialism theme kinda echoes Thor: Ragnarok (and the ending is almost the same) PS I loved the movie too I found it weird the first time I saw it (it is messy) but I just can’t stop thinking about it

[@simonegreco1958]

@ULGROTHA Well. talents and artists don't reflect policies

[@simonegreco1958]

@ULGROTHA they aren't when it comes to subsidiaries. There are of course shared rules. Like, no character smokes. Or the "no homo policy" (that's being loosened fyi). But this isn't enough. That's not linked to plot, themes, tone etc

[@wannaBtraceur]

I haven’t seen the movie yet, but it seems relevant to the Caribbean people and their indigenous heritage. As someone from Puerto Rico, I am very attached to my Arawak heritage but I also have to live alongside those who deny it as a result of the colonial mindset. It can be like feeling frozen at times, however, the movie doesn’t talk about the need to keep your culture alive as it slowly disappears beneath the waves of assimilation.

[@tvsonicserbia5140]

Finally someone gets it, I ADORED Frozen 2, the lukewarm reception really annoyed me, but it's understandable considering it's unlike ANY disney film before.

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

It's different, but that's ok. I feel like that's kind of a trend with more recent Disney films, like the Frozen films and Raya: They have more mature, more nuanced plots, which do not fit the mold of the formula established in the 90s, and I like that: it keeps things interesting. And just because the plot was not the most polished doesn't necessarily make it a bad movie. The animation looks great, the songs are great, and there are some legitimate tear jerker moments, such as when Anna is in the dark cave, and she thinks she has lost everyone she loves. Overall, a very underrated film.

[@tvsonicserbia5140]

@@TheRealPSKilla502 Well said

[@robgillan2493]

My 7 year old daughter watched frozen 1 and never stopped talking about, she was so excited for frozen 2 she went to see it walked out and hasnt talked about it since, still plays with her original frozen toys and hasnt asked for new ones. If you want to review childrens movies just ask the children themselves,

[@Isaac-ym8kq]

I disagree as however northaldrian blood elsa is she is culturally ariendellian and then her basically taking over northaldra

[@TheUnseenPath]

She didn't take over nothing in the movie implied that from what I saw.

[@aarishowton8037]

Yeah like above commenter said. It doesn’t say she becomes queen of the region or whatever. It just says her mother was part of one of the oldest bloodlines, not that she was royalty.

[@TheUnseenPath]

@@aarishowton8037 she's royalty on her father's side. Think of her like the Avatar. Aang is the one in charge of protecting the world and briging balance but the other nations still have their rulers.

[@OhSoLiliana]

@Geek37 I disagree. She's essentially become a God to the people,am essential ruler (unless you want to say a God is less than human?).

[@jalix9574]

I was of the understanding that Elsa just started living there to keep on the lookout. She didn’t take over or rule or anything. I was under the impression Elsa was serving the Northuldra.

[@rubbish_kat]

My biggest takeaway from the movie was “we should make amends for past wrongs, even when we need to make sacrifices in order to do that” which, in the current context and obvious coding, for Disney is pretty radical. I wish they hadn’t done the same old, it was one bad guy, and everyone else is nice, thing, and its pretty hard to believe none of the arendalians trapped in the mist knew what happened, but the main message was strong.

[@Solanuma]

that painting of the naked man on horse sculpture is a bit distracting

[@Maksie0]

Am I a bad person if I wish Olaf had stayed dead? I feel like his supernatural resurrection cheapens his death scene, which was legitimately kind of emotional.

[@GlaukopisCal]

I would definitely read that avatar fanfic

[@sarahmaryja9762]

We may not have plot or character development, but we have Water Horse

[@antinomian4067]

I haven't seen this film but your video made me remember my biggest gripe with how people interpreted Frozen: how can a person listen to Let It Go and think Elsa is straight??

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

What does Let It Go have to do with Elsa being LGBTQ? I don't see the connection at all.

[@rescatooor]

That was an abrupt ending. I wanted MOOOOOOOOOOOORE.

[@helenarosno]

The movies may have had some deep themes, but the execution of those themes was kind of bad. There were a hundred ways to present these themes in the story, but for some reason Disney thought that this movie was the best way to do that, which it really wasn't. The twists were kind of awful and disengaging and the lore was way too complicated and left us with more questions than answers from the original. Frozen 2 was trying to say too many things at the same time and didn't know how to execute the themes that they wanted to present. Hopefully this movie can act as a set up for a better Frozen movie in the future.

[@zanthiablue5254]

My biggest dissapointment with the movie was the fact that Arendelle wasnt actually destroyed. I get why they didnt but I feel like thats what I needed to make the movie hit for me. Bonus points if they had left Kristoff with the rest of the Arendellians and he actually had to deal with his dependacy issues rather than becoming annoying comic relief.

[@TheOneManWhoBeatYou]

Yeah, let's destroy everyone's homes for something that happened hundreds of years before they were born...