4.02.2014

A Boy Mom Analyzes Disney's "Frozen"

Last December, Hubby's wonderful sister (also known as Aunt-of-the-Year) took our boys and a group of their cousins to see "Frozen" so that the parents could have some time to go Christmas shopping. The boys had a great time, liked the movie, and that was the end of the story.

Except now, Frozen is EVERYWHERE, especially with the release of the DVD last week.

Many moms are talking about it on their blogs, parents are already lamenting about costumes for next Halloween and swapping tips on how to throw Frozen-themed birthday parties, viral knock-offs of the movie's most popular song are everywhere, bloggers are analyzing the movie and GAH!! Enough already!

But we were at Costco last weekend, and there was "Frozen" available for sale. The boys wanted it, I wanted to see it, and we love movie night at the Frog house; so it ended up in our cart and in our DVD player that night.

Oh. My. Goodness, you guys. I have officially been . . .Frozen!!





I usually use movie night as a chance to get caught up folding my mountains of laundry, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. I loved the songs, I loved Anna's strength and perseverance, and I love, love, loved the ending!! So NOT typical Disney.

Of course, there were typical Disney elements in this movie - beautiful princesses with huge eyes, long hair, and teeny tiny waists whom every girl will want to be, highly marketable characters that appeal to both genders, and boy-based humor in the form of secondary characters for the brothers who get dragged to this movie with their sisters. **SPOILER**  The parents die early on leaving the girls orphans and there is a villain, although an unlikely and surprise one (that I personally did NOT see coming).

It's all here and more. I can now totally see why it has won all the awards and garnered all the hype.

Plus, there are some lessons in the movie that I'm hoping my boys have noticed in the three times we have watched the movie this week:

1. Girls can be smart, strong, confident, and beautiful all at the same time. Anna refuses Hans's help when she decides to go after Elsa. She is sure she can do it on her own, and we're sure she can, too.
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2. When a girl does ask for your help, she wants it to be on her terms. We're sure she can do it until her skirt gets frozen and she realizes she can't make it up the mountain without help. But she has her own money and her own plan, and Kristoff can't help but to comply.

3. Sometimes, when girls wear certain clothes or look a certain way, it's just because it makes them feel good. Several girl moms are up in arms about Elsa's "sexified" look at the end of Let It Go, which I totally understand (says the boy mom who judges the inappropriate skirt lengths of girls during Sunday mass). But Elsa sings that she can now finally be who she wants to be. There is no one in her ice castle but herself, so clearly she's not trying to be sexy for anyone. Boys need to know that the way girls dress is not always about boys. It's about girls wanting to feel good. And sometimes that's okay (but it's also a really fine line).

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4. Don't be the jerky guy who tries to win a girl over in one day (or night). Sometimes those douche bags win; but most of the time they don't. **SPOILER** Hans ended up in jail, and his modern-day frat bros end up in cheating scandals and divorce court with alimony payments.

5. Humor, boyish charm, loyalty, and kindness ALWAYS get the girl. Always.

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6. Don't try to understand or break the bond between sisters and women friends. It always prevails. Just let the women have their time together, and don't try to figure out why or what they're doing. Take your reindeer black lab and go ice fishing and come back to a happier woman and a happier you.

7. Women don't NEED men to be happy. Oh geez, this has so many levels. It's nice when you have a connection with someone, but don't try to force it. Sometimes a girl is perfectly happy just hanging out with her friends.

8. Siblings always have each other - through good and bad times. Anna never gave up on Elsa, even when it looked like Elsa had given up on her. Create that bond and keep it sacred.
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I'm sure I will think of more lessons my boys can learn from Frozen in the next 20 times we will watch it, but these should do for starters.


If you're a boy mom, what do your boys think of this movie and how would you break it down for them?


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