To say that Frozen is a successful film would be an understatement. With a box office earnings of about one billion dollars, two Academy awards, and a powerful soundtrack that everyone played until they got sick of it (side note: they didn’t get sick of it), the movie won the hearts of everyone who watched it. Also, the fact that it didn’t stick to the Prince-Charming-Saves-Damsel-in-Distress formula makes it more relatable in this age. It is so good that every known Frozen merchandise such as toys, clothes, and collectible items can be seen virtually everywhere both in physical and online stores. But apart from the quantifiable success achieved by the animated film, what really made people resonate with Frozen is the life lessons it portrayed. In this article, I listed 12 morals that I personally believe are reflected on the movie and how you can adapt these lessons in daily life.
1. Family comes first.
There are probably no siblings who never had an argument at least once in their lives, but once the dust has settled and they decided that their best playmate is actually their sister or brother, order is restored. Anna may not know in the beginning that the reason why Elsa was cut off from everyone else was because her big sister accidentally put her life in danger, but this didn’t stop her from reaching out to Elsa and from setting off to find her after she left the palace and put Arendelle on a state of eternal winter. Regardless of whom you consider family—whether it’s the ones you share a DNA strain with or the ones whom you choose to call kin—Frozen teaches us to look after each other especially when you know that you’re the only ones who can.
2. Accept your children for who they are.
Elsa and Anna’s parents may have passed away ten minutes to the movie, which was really sad, but they did a fairly great job at raising the princesses to be the loving and well-mannered women they became. The King and Queen did not dismiss Elsa’s powers, and while they evidently believed that it was best for everyone to isolate her until she can control her gift, Elsa’s parents helped her in the best way they can. It can be difficult seeing how your kid is different from other children but one of the best ways to help them is by acknowledging their unique characteristics as a blessing.
3. Never apologize for being yourself.
Unless you take pleasure in making other people miserable, be comfortable in your skin every waking hour of your life. Just look at Anna. She may not exactly be the prim and proper princess we’ve become used to but you have to admit that as far as princesses go, her sense of humor and being adventurous works like a breath of fresh air. Besides, you can’t please everyone, so why bother? For as long as you love yourself enough to show your true colors and not maligning other people’s sensibilities, by all means let your freak flag fly.
4. Just because people shut you out doesn’t mean they hate you.
It doesn’t take rocket science to realize that Elsa didn’t want to stop building snowmen with Anna or to not have a social life. However, her isolation led her to believe that the only way she can protect the people she cared about is by staying away from them. And since Anna had no memory of the accident they had when they were little, she took Elsa’s elusion the wrong way—that she did something wrong that upset her big sister. It took a major confrontation and a slew of icicles before Anna found out why her sister has been locked up in her room for a long time. People who are comfortable with being alone are often mistaken for not wanting to blend with others when in truth they are just enjoying their solitude and that sometimes, you don’t even factor into that equation.
5. Communicate.
In an alternate universe, the catastrophe that happened to Arendelle wouldn’t have happened if only Elsa opened up to Anna; after all she’s the only family left to her. Unfortunately, the young queen chose to bottle up her emotions and would rather deal with it on her own than to drag everyone she loves into the mess that is her feelings. In Elsa’s defense, sparing Anna from getting hurt (or possibly killed) signifies her love for her sister but it took her a near-death experience to realize that she didn’t have to go through all of it alone. The point is this: it’s perfectly all right if you want to spend time wallowing in your sadness but it wouldn’t hurt if you get help from people who are actually willing to give it to you—even if it’s just someone who will listen to you rant.
6. Exercise self-control.
One of the side effects of Elsa successfully shutting people out and suppressing her emotions was the latter’s going beyond her control and blowing up in her face. It also led her to make hasty decisions such as wandering off the forest alone, throwing her sister and company from the castle she built, and nearly killing one of the Weselton Duke’s henchmen. The thing is the more Elsa told herself not to feel, the more she wasn’t able to control her emotions. Despite being overwhelmed by emotions, it helps when you make sense of a situation before making a move. This way, you have complete rein of your feelings because you know what triggers them and therefore make rational decisions based not just on emotions alone but also logic.
7. Be nice to people.
Kristoff learned this lesson the hard way when he called Oaken a nasty name. Granted that he was frustrated with the winter slowing his business down and with the inflation but calling Oaken a crook was uncalled for. Kristoff’s exasperation was of course warranted but what he didn’t consider was the Oaken’s business was also going through the same crunches that his ice business is in. Not getting what you want doesn’t give you the license to be rude to anyone. All of us have our own daily battles to fight and you can do other people and yourself a favor by simply being nice, despite hard times.
8. Channel your emotions in a constructive manner.
There are people who get satisfaction in swearing, breaking things, and hurting others when they are hurt, sad, or afraid. While this can be considered normal by others, it can also be destructive. When Elsa finally let it go, her powers carved the ice-capped mountain with ornate formations and even played God by breathing life to a snowman. However, her contemplating after sending Anna away made the castle dark and full of ice structures worthy of a villain’s headquarters. The point is if you find yourself thinking and feeling a lot of things at a time, you can try to find a way to channel it constructively.
9. Allow yourself to dream.
One of the things that endeared us to Olaf was his unadulterated optimism. Surely he didn’t have any experience with heat but it was his naiveté that affords him to dream big. Olaf imagined a summer where he doesn’t melt, and when he finally gets to experience heat, he didn’t mind staying with Anna even if the both of them were hanging by a thread. If you think about it, these scenes resonate with how people can pursue their dreams—by knowing what it is that you want, doing everything you can to get it, and sometimes even risking your safety just to achieve it.
10. Love doesn’t always happen on the first strike.
The song Anna and Hans shared was definitely catchy and cheesy but the thing is not everyone finds true love on the first take. You may find someone who fits your standards perfectly but they may still not be the one for you—especially if they just want to be with you because of reasons that aren’t love. If you have found the right person for you then hold on to him/her for dear life, but if you have to meet him/her yet, exercise precaution. Ask yourself why you want to be in a relationship and if you’re ready to take on the responsibilities that come along with the intimacy you’re looking for. Don’t sign up for a relationship just for the sake of being in one or to fill some void caused by other things and therefore require a specific solution.
11. Relationships take a lot of work.
One of the things that affirm the love between Anna and Kristoff is the fact that they overcame challenges together, and while having fun, too. Their friendship and its victories made it easier for them to shift into a more intimate kind of relationship and it didn’t even take place until things in Arendelle went back to normal. Finishing each other’s sandwiches may be nice but a person who is willing to weather death with and for you is definitely more attractive. Being in a relationship is always a mixture of storms and rainbows, of moments where you think and move in synchrony and of ugly fights. Only those who are willing to work through these together can truly enjoy the purpose of having a partner.
12. True love has different faces.
The main characters of Frozen love making sacrifices—Elsa shutting herself in to protect Anna, Kristoff sending Anna home to Hans, Olaf melting by the fireplace so that he could keep Anna company, and Anna giving up her life so that Elsa could live. All of these acts are proof that true love can be shown in different ways. And that while we’re used to the symbolism of a boy and a girl ending up together, Frozen showed us that it’s not the only face of true love that we need. Do you know of other lessons shown in Frozen that helped you improve your way of looking at things? Share us your stories by writing a comment below. Featured photo credit: moustachemagazine.com via moustachemagazine.com
