Frozen Part 1

After all the posts on Abraham and Sarah...it feels like time for a vacation or at minimum something not so serious.  So in a huge leap, I will spend a few posts focusing on the movie Frozen.  If you have not seen the movie, it might help to have a brief synopsis.  It is about two sisters, Anna and Elsa.  Like all good Disney movies, someone has to die early on in the movie.  Think here of Bambi's poor mother or Carl's wife in Up.  But this time, Disney is more equally opportunity, with both mom and dad dying...real progress if you ask me. 

Anna is the eternal optimist; Elsa holds the secret power of being able to make winter appear (totally should have typed "spoiler alert" first).  Eventually, Elsa's powers are discovered and not by some careless blogger.  So, she goes off on her own, which is where the ubiquitous song, Let It Go comes into play. Trust me, if you have not heard this song, ask any eight year old girl, she will sing every word.

Anna goes after her, meets Kristoff and his pet moose.  By the way, is there any movie not made better by a pet moose?  I think not.  And...well the rest, you will have to watch the movie.  It has received well deserved praise.

First, unlike previous Disney movies, neither Elsa or Anna need "saving" by any man.  There are men in the movie who play important roles, none of which include the trite and cliché role of saving the princess.  These two princesses are perfectly capable and brave.  Second, the movie is just good story telling.  The movie reminds us why we go to movies, which is to be enthralled with a narrative that captures our imaginations.  But stories are not simply escapism.  The best stories shine a light or hold up a mirror to our lives.  They reflect back to us who we are as a people and our deepest desires.

One of the reasons why Disney movies are so successful is not only marketing, but they almost always center around the question of identity.  Think of Toy Story, where Woody has to come to terms with what it means to not be the favorite toy any more and Buzz Lightyear has to come to terms with truth that he is just a toy...not an intergalactic space ranger.  Think of Cars where Lighting McQueen has to deal with whether friendships or fame are more important to who he is.  Same is true here, can Elsa really be a good sister given her powers or is it easier just to form an ice castle where she is an island by herself?

The question of identity is paramount today.  And if you don't believe me, watch commercials.  Companies no longer just sell a product, but a sense of who you are.  Are you a Mac or PC kinda person?  Do you drive a Chevy or a Mazda (zoom, zoom)?  Are you the kind of parent who cares enough about your kids to give the best kind of peanut butter?  Seriously, when did my choice of cereal become a defining moment of life?  The honest answer, never!  It does not matter.  Only identity is the only thing that does matter in some ways today.  Theologian Andrew Root points out that our identity use to come from our family at the turn of the 19th century and previous to that.  You were a farmer because your dad, grandfather, uncle, great-grandfather, etc. were farmers.  But around the mid 20th century, we started letting our job define who we are.  But one of the marks of the post-modern era is that we no longer want we do for a living to be so central; we do not want to be confined by our paycheck.  But where does that leave us?  We continue to question if it is not family primarily and it is not our job that defines us, what does?  Our consumerism has been all but delighted to say, "You can buy your identity!"

I fully realize the irony that Frozen is a financial boom to Disney, so in some ways they are selling us a sense of identity.  But I also think the movie asks questions about family and about who we are and who we want to be.  In the next post, I will talk about some of the music from the movie.  But for now, I invite you to ponder prayerfully where is it that you find your deepest sense of identity, how do you see yourself?  Who helps define who you are? 

I pray as we ponder this, we will find a trace of God's grace in our lives to help.

Blessings ~