(This is a slight rabbit trail from my original Frozen 2 review)
OK, so I am about to get nit-picky here. (Also, is that the grossest description ever? Nit-picky? Blech! If you’ve had lice, you know why.)
As I was watching the movie I kept saying to myself, “Just enjoy! Don’t worry about it. It’s just a movie!”
However. There were 2 main things that got to me. I want to address these gingerly and truthfully because they can easily get polarizing which I do not want to do.
I’m just going to jump right in.
Here we go.
Things that bothered me in Frozen 2:
First: FEMINISM
OK, now, hear me out.
I believe God created each of us with intrinsic value. We are imago Dei, created in God’s image.
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
Have men ruled over women and abused their power and strength? Sure. Have women felt used, harmed, under appreciated and belittled because of men? Absolutely.
However, that’s because some men are stupid men. Just like there are some stupid women.
Being a man does not make you a sexist, a misogynist or a jerk.
And being a woman doesn’t mean you need to belittle men to build yourself up.
That’s the main point here. In trying to raise women up, to eliminate “princess culture”, media has pushed GIRL POWER so hard by doing the worst thing they can do: belittle men!
Don’t believe me?
How many quality men were in the first Frozen?
None. Not Hans. Not the Duke of Weaselton. And not even Kristoff, a buffoon who is “socially impaired”, talks to reindeer and is a bit of a “fixer upper”. (see Fixer Upper lyrics)
Heather Haupt has a whole section about this in her book (which I highly recommend!!), Knights in Training. She says,
“Males of all ages are often depicted as gross, uncouth, lazy and stupid creatures. Being an underachiever is a badge of honor. Dads are portrayed as boring, bumbling fools. We need to recognize these messages…and then talk to our kids about them. Limiting exposure to these kinds of harmful messages is key too.”
emphasis mine
Although her boys saw both The Lego Movie and Frozen, they didn’t purchase them to watch over and over at home because of their portrayal of immature men (Emmett and Kristoff). These guys aren’t role models!
In Frozen 2, Kristoff sings a (hilarious) 80’s love ballad about Anna. He says she is his “true north” and he is “lost in the woods” without her, unsure of which path to take when she’s gone.
Can you even imagine a girl singing a song like that? Pining for a man? Saying she was unable to go on without him? Ohmyword. There would be outrage.
We have forgotten that God made male and female to complement each other and to show different aspects of who God is! Read more about this here. (Seriously, read every word.)
I am purposeful in pushing my daughter to recognize her value as a female. But I will not do so in detriment to my son. I will not demean my husband to show how great I am. I celebrate men and their giftings and skills as I do women and theirs.
Second thing that bothered me: Politics.
That’s not really the best description but you’ll understand as we continue.
So, in this movie, <<HUGE SPOILER AHEAD! LOOK AWAY!!!>> Ann and Elsa’s grandfather does something that hurts another people-group. In order to release this people-group from a terrible mist that has them stuck in an enchanted forest, the sisters must right a “wrong from history”.
When they discover the wrong is their grandfather, they are willing to do anything, even destroy Arendelle to do so.
It felt like all the political arguments about “was America ever great?” Except there was no nuance–the only option was to despise their ancestors.
Of course, I’m not remotely siding with the grandfather here. (See Imago Dei above!)
There is just something super weird about a child’s movie that could be set down exactly on top of this current narrative and fit perfectly.
Why do I think this is dangerous? Or at least worthy of an eye-roll?
It’s not that I necessarily disagree with the narrative. It’s that a children’s movie can have political undertones and no one cares. Our children can be indoctrinated into a mindset and ideology through the simplest ways.
And as I’ve said a million times, I don’t want the media giving my kids morality lessons! Leave that to me, please!
I think I talked about this in my Toy Story 4 review–media and entertainment wield great power. They can shape ideas and form world views.
Hillary Morgan Ferrar from Mama Bear Apologetics says,
“We want to train [our children] to use their critical thinking skills during every lecture, every movie, every song, and –yes–even every sermon! We don’t want our children to see everything around them as black and white, because frankly, we don’t live in a comic book world. We want them to realize that biblical truths and cultural lies can appear anywhere at anytime…We want our kids to be able to see Christ in art, movies, science, history, music–in all things because He is Lord over all. Yet we don’t want them to assume that everything they encounter in art, movies, science, history or music is speaking His truth.”
emphasis mine
Wow. I literally wanted to highlight that entire quote! Our kids need to be looking for Truth in every bit of information that enters their eyes and ears before it enters their heart.
I always talk about Deuteronomy 6’s instruction to talk about God’s Word when you sit and when you rise and when you walk along the road. Friends, make sure you’re talking about God’s Word when you sit and rise from those velvet chairs at the theatre.
Don’t let the powers of this dark world instruct your children. Stand firm in God’s Word, Spirit and Truth to protect your children. (Ephesians 6:12-13)
