Film Theory: Frozen: Elsa's TRUE Fight For The Throne!

Wait, are we talking about Frozen again? Ugh, can't we just "let it go"? *Christmas intro begins (Christmas theme song)* Hello, Internet! Welcome to Film Theory! The

frozen

heart that brings a chill to the Disney canon. Case and point today, Frozen. You know those movies you love to watch on vacation? For Steph and I, it's always "The Nightmare Before Christmas" around Thanksgiving. And then "The Lord of the Rings" and Disney before Christmas. And with my tryptophan-induced naps and Black Friday shopping behind me, it meant it was time to watch "Frozen" every year. And you know what? It's still a really good movie.

I know it's easy to hate it because of all the overexposure it got, but honestly, the characters are great, the songs are great, it's really fun. So, dear Internet, stop hating on popular things just to be edgy and anti-cultural. OK? You know, I say that, but then you have to consider that a big part of this movie's success was Disney's own willingness to hate according to its own established tropes. No one is saved by

true

love's kiss, everyone discards the idea of ​​love at first sight, and the dreamy "Prince Charming" turns out to be the villain.

But since I first saw the movie, it was always that last point that bothered me the most. Because as much as I loved Prince Hans' turn to the dark side in the

film

's final moments, it felt like... it came out of nowhere. And of course, part of that is the point of the twist, it's a surprise, like that ream of printer paper your aunt gave you that one time for Christmas... Man, do you think you react enthusiastically to an ugly Christmas sweater? It's hard, try that one. But, if you really stopped to look at Hans' behavior and the flow of his plan throughout the movie...

Nothing adds up... Which means that A. Disney's writers knew they wanted a big twist and used to Hans to shuffle the pieces. without much concern for how it influenced his broader character arc. OR B. There's something much more sinister going on in this world... And while A. is probably the objectively correct option, B. is the more fun option, and to me that means... it's the right option. So let's spend an episode unearthing the secret conspiracy that clears Hans' name... once and for all. So let's first look at the motive of this big murder plot. He himself says: "As thirteenth in line in my own Kingdom, I had no chance, I knew I would have to marry into the

throne

somewhere." surface would seem to make sense.

He wants to rule the kingdom and sees an opportunity in Arendal. Marry one of the two princesses and boom! He is in the race to wear the crown. And he gives us a little more detail in the next line: "As her heir, Elsa was preferable, of course, but no one got anywhere with her. But you, you were so desperate for love, that you were willing to marry me." ". like that." So, option one is to marry Elsa and speed your way to the royal

throne

, but since she tends to give people a bit of the old "COLD MAN"... *comic edge* I don't hear your raucous laughter , so let me shout it louder...

COLD SHOULDER BATONS He opted for the next best thing: Anna, next in line to be queen, in case Elsa died. And he knows it. , I'd have to stage a little accident for Elsa..." Which anyone who's ever heard an evil monologue before that means giving her the old stab and a half, throwing her in front of a rogue snowplow. Or the classic Disney bloodless death: simply throw her off a high cliff, she's gone and Anna, with Hans in tow, ascends the throne. "All that's left now is to kill Elsa and bring back summer." They start to go off the rails.

Then his plan involves killing Elsa. He's so excited about this that he mentions it TWICE in that little monologue we just went over. And yet, when he and the guards arrive at Elsa's ice palace in search of Anna, Hans expresses his intention to do the exact opposite: protect Elsa. "We are here to find Princess Anna, be on your guard... ...but no harm will come to the Queen." Later, in a scene where a guard literally has Elsa in his sights, Hans runs and deflects the shot. If he really wants Elsa dead, why wouldn't he let the guard kill her right then and there?

I mean, maybe he really liked the snowplow idea, but seriously, when life gives you lemons, you fire a crossbow at the heart of the woman who stands between you and the throne! Hans's hands would be clean, and to the rest of the world, including Anna, who just had her ice blown away by her dear sister, Elsa is a threat. A MONSTER. But not only does he deflect the shot, he also offers you some #MondayMotivation. "Don't be the monster they fear you are!" HANS! Is this what you say to the person you plan to murder? He is helping her become a better person.

Oh really! He's about to murder people! And that is not an exaggeration. He watches this guard being pushed off the balcony by his ice wall. If it hadn't been for Hans, he would have literally killed this man! Disney's most beloved princess will slay some in this icy hizzouse! The script even confirms this. Hans's phrase causes her to "come out of her wrath." Then why? Why would you help the woman you plan to eventually break up with, when the problem solves itself right then and there? And then when they bring Elsa back to Arendelle and put her in prison, he says once again- (Elsa): "why did you bring me here?" (Hans): "I couldn't let them kill you" "she does it to gain her trust" I hear you say, but that's not it either!

She is already convinced that she is in love with him. In a few scenes, she will beg Hans to kiss her. Anna: "Hans, you have to kiss me. Now!" And throughout the troll's song, both Christoph and Anna continually state that she is already a kidnapped woman; rejecting the idea that there is any kind of romance there. And here's the other thing: Hans is already in charge of Arendelle for most of the movie. When Anna decides to run away and bring Elsa back, she puts him in charge. Hans: "I'm going with you." Anna: "No, I need you here to take care of Arendelle.

I leave Prince Hans in charge." And let's face it, Anna is just days away from ascending the throne. According to the sisters' talk, the ice castle, Elsa has no intention of returning to the city. Elsa: "Anna, please come home, your life awaits you. Go enjoy the sun and open the doors." "Yes, I am alone, but I am alone and free!" She has voluntarily abdicated the throne. She is saying that Anna now has the power to keep the doors open because she is the new decision maker. Anna is going to be the Queen. Elsa is happiest alone on the mountaintop in her fortress of solitude.

Even when she escapes from prison, where does she run to? Her safe space, the ice castle. So all Hans has to do to achieve his goal is not suck during the few days Anna is away, comfort her a little when she comes home depressed because Elsa now rules a private kingdom of snowmen, and, you know, make sure that his future wife does not die. That's all he has to do to achieve the goal he has set for himself; literally do nothing. All the murder plots, the whole bringing Elsa back from the ice castle thing, none of it matters!

But that last task is important because we're actually talking about his refusal to kiss Anna. Long story short: Anna's heart has been

frozen

by Elsa's ice powers. She is about to die and needs an act of

true

love to save her. She thinks she will be a kiss from Hans because she is apparently a Disney character who apparently grew up on Disney movies. But he refuses, making it clear that he never loved her at all. All he wanted to do was marry her for a kingdom. He blows out the candle so she will freeze to death faster and then leaves prematurely because all villains always leave prematurely, except it doesn't make any sense.

There is literally no reason not to kiss her in this situation. If she lives, great! He can marry her and rise to power next to her, as was always her plan. If the kiss doesn't work, she dies and he can still go through the whole marriage charade. Just like he does in the actual movie, except with someone who is literally dead and can't show up a few seconds later to refute everything he just said. In fact, if he really cares about his goal, then he chose the riskiest move he could make because letting Anna die puts him in grave danger.

If she doesn't make it, his entire plan literally falls apart. However, to really understand why we have to quickly talk about monarchies. I've been watching The Crown on Netflix and doing a lot of research on the royal succession. You know, since my chances of being elected president here in the United States are pretty slim these days, and hey, why rule America when you can rule a United Kingdom? Anyway, if Arendelle is like most monarchies, Hans would have to keep Anna alive to help her rule her kingdom. In a typical monarchy, such as in Britain, the crown is passed down based on the royal blood that runs through the veins.

So if a king or queen dies, the new ruler is the eldest son. That's why Elsa becomes Queen. Her parents died (maybe), but more on that later... So, when she comes of age, she will ascend to the throne; she now she is the oldest blood relative. If Elsa abandons the throne, or she lets herself be thrown in front of that snowplow and doesn't have a little Olaf of her own, she moves on to the next in line: Anna. And that's what Hans should count on. But if Anna dies like she is literally minutes away from doing so when Hans decides to go rogue, he not only remains on the throne and will rule because of blood.

Let me explain. Although many people consider that every king has a queen and vice versa, that is not actually how it works. He who possesses royal blood is called monarch; That's the one he's in charge of. His sexy Sven in the sheets is known as his royal consort and is in no way in line for the throne. For example, just look at the British line of succession. The Queen's husband, Phillip, isn't even in the top 50 when it comes to waiting in line for the throne. Mrs Irina Walker Kruger, who lives in the US, is most likely to become the next British monarch and is currently on probation for being associated with illegal gambling and cock

fight

ing.

That's no joke. That person is more likely to become queen of England than Philip, the current queen's husband. And based on how we see the transfers of the monarchy happen in Frozen Arendelle, it would work the same way. Hans wouldn't even get the title of king in his plan. Like a deck of cards, the royal consort cannot have a title that surpasses the royal monarch. So if Anna is the queen, Hans can't be the king. It is the highest title. So Hans would always have to remain Prince Hans: Queen Anna's royal consort. It's actually the same in Britain at the moment.

Queen Elizabeth is the reigning monarch and her husband is Prince Philip, although he is a prince who is currently 95 years old. As you can see, the crowd would flock to literally anyone who had even a drop of blood related to these two and Hans has no Arenedellian blood. Get this, at the end of the day, Tarzan would be next in line. It sounds like a joke, but interviews with the creators of Frozen have confirmed that Anna and Elsa's parents survive their shipwreck and give birth to Tarzan, before, of course, dying from the brown leopard attack. Man!

First a shipwreck, then mauled by a leopard. Ho Ho Ho! (Christmas and all :) ) I guess that's what you get for stifling your kid's ice magic. Karma is BRUTAL! If it's not Tarzan, then according to the other theories about the movie, including my latest movie

theory

about it, Rapunzel could also be a candidate for ruler of Arendelle. Still, if Hans has any hope of preserving a royal title and ruling the kingdom in any way, he needs Anna alive; Having his evil turn here in the final minutes of the movie makes ZERO sense. But lastly, let's step back and look at how this guy behaves.

When Anna leaves him in charge of the kingdom, he spends his time handing out cloaks to people who are cold Hans: "The castle is open, there is soup and hot glog in the Great Hall." He threatens to imprison the Duke of Weaseltown- Duke: "Weselton"- accused of treason against Anna and Elsa Hans: "I will not hesitate to protect Arendelle from betrayal!" When the Duke complains about how dangerous Elsa is, Hans corrects him by saying, "You slipped on the ice." Even at the beginning of the movie, seeing them look at each other, that's genuine affection. And when a few seconds later Hans falls into the water and hides under the boat, he smiles to himself.

He's not an evil smile or a sinister grin, he's just one of those silly, lovestruck smiles. In short, if this is the guy who wants to rule Arendell and kill Elsa, he's just not doing it right. What's even stranger is that if there is Frozen II, the writers intend to give Hansan arc of redemption. It is not a joke! Santonio: "They say, no, no, no, we have an idea. We want to bring you back, we want to redeem you." No other Disney villain has ever received that kind of treatment. So what's going on here? Well, what if Hans was just a pawn in someone else's game, collateral damage to someone else's agenda?

What if there is another villain in Frozen? No, not Sven, not even the Duke of Weaseltown. It's Olaf. No! No, it's not Olaf, that would be stupid. The real villains and Frozen are… the Trolls? You heard me, those cute little stones that are randomly introduced into the movie could be the ones with bad intentions. NowIt may seem exaggerated, but hear me out. Let's start with their song "Fixer-Upper," which at first seems like an upbeat comedy song, but when you bother to pay attention to the lyrics, it contains some really disturbing lines. As I mentioned before, Christoph is VERY honest about Anna already being engaged to Hans.

Christoph: "She's engaged to someone else, okay?" And yet, despite this, trolls gloss over that small detail by saying that their "engagement is a flexible agreement..." and "get the fiancé out of the way and everything will be alright." At the end of the song, the Trolls literally try to trick Anna into marrying Christoph. Pastor Troll: "Do you, Anna, accept Christoph as your married troll?" Anna: "-Wait what?" Pastor Troll: "You're getting married." Willfully ignoring that he probably doesn't want to kiss a guy who literally eats carrots coming out of his reindeer's mouth. But why did they push so hard to see these two married?

Well, remember, Christoph was adopted by the trolls; He's part of the clan, so having one of his own as part of the noble family is a big deal, especially when the nobles think you look pretty sinister. Pictures right there, just saying, also ask yourself this: who were the first to scare Elsa about her powers? Before visiting them, Elsa was confident in her abilities. The only reason Anna gets injured at the beginning of the game. movies is because she was reckless, leaving Elsa as the one who has to take all the blame. Dad: "Elsa, what have you done?" And yet, when Mommy Frozen and Daddy Frozen take their daughters to see good old Grandpa, what happens?

The solution? He does the following: "I recommend that we remove all magic, even memories of magic, to be safe." Did Anna never have powers too? Strange. Anyway, let me include that one in the old list of potential theories to discuss. Regardless of what it means to erase Anna's memories? NOTHING. Well, at least nothing GOOD. She feels alone and estranged from her sister for reasons she cannot understand. Meanwhile, Elsa is thrust into a realm of isolation, where it appears she is the queen. Pappy's blue ribbon here also ensures that Elsa is terrified of herself. Grandpappy Troll: "You must learn to control it.

Fear will be your enemy." Are you sure about that, grandpa? Are you going to say that fear IS the final enemy and then punctuate the moment by doing what and now? Frightening her with a creepy vision. OK that's fine. Good on you. To quote the script, "The spikes take on human form and then attack adult Elsa's silhouette. This scares Elsa." Grandpa (MatPat's amazing impersonation): "Fear will be your enemy. BOO! I got you!" Very good grandfather. It's like the worst scare ever. It should put you in the custom FNAF Sister Location night. All this despite the fact that, once again, Elsa was fine and had perfect control of her powers before this visit.

What else do trolls do? Oh yeah! They deliberately trick Anna into believing that she needs true love's kiss to survive her frozen heart, even though they are experts in love and are also completely wrong. Troll Woman: "A true love's kiss, perhaps?" But here's the big problem: Grandpa is very good at manipulating people's minds and he does it all the time. Of course, in Frozen, we only see it done once to Anna, which, like I said, doesn't accomplish anything good. But then, in the Frozen-themed season of Once Upon a Time, we see him do it again, and this time on a much larger, more catastrophic scale. when Gerta (I thought it was Iduna?), eventual queen of Arendelle and mother of Anna and Elsa traps her sister in a magic urn, because that sister killed her other sister - WORST DAY EVER - asks Grandpa for help , asking him to erase the memories of the ENTIRE kingdom of Arendelle so he would never remember his two sisters.

And Pappy just does it. He doesn't resist, he doesn't ask for any payment, he just says, "Okay, let's create some false memories in these peasants." AND THEN he even lies to cover it up! When Anna questions him about the incident, he hides the fact that it was Ana's mother who requested the erasure of her memory in the first place. She is protecting a legacy of lies. So what does it mean that the trolls couldn't, or wouldn't, do some kind of memory magic on Hans, the fiancé who happens to be getting in the way of his big plans for Christoph?

Remember what trolls say over and over again, grandpa: "The head can be persuaded, but the heart is not so easily changed." Simply put, Hans' plan doesn't make any sense, especially considering all the steps he takes against it at the beginning of the

film

. All he needed was that final kiss, and he was locked in, making his turn to be the villain in that final moment of the film the complete antithesis of what he sought to achieve. But it makes sense considering the Trolls wanted to get rid of that fiancé and insert Christoph in his place. They have proven that they have the means to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting minds, the cunning to hide their actions, and the motivations to trick people into getting what they want.

Perhaps the redemption arc the writers have planned for Hans in Frozen 2 is less about a bad guy turning good, but more about a good guy revealing the real villains at work behind the scenes. But hey! that's just a

theory

. A FILM THEORY! AAAAAAAY CUT! (OUTRO) Thanks for reading my subtitles! ;)