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Disney’sFrozen 2transports viewers back to themagical Scandinavian worldofFrozen , continuing the story of sis Anna and Elsa as they search to find the verity about Elsa ’s power and dive into Arendelle ’s dark history with colonialism and indigenous people — political issues that were explore , but not submit in blockbusters likePocahontasandAvatar .
Walter Elias Disney experienced unparalleled succeeder with its 2013 filmFrozen , a reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen ’s fairy narration “ The Snow Queen ” that raked in $ 1.28 billion to become the high grossing animated photographic film of all time , until 2019’sFrozen 2claimed this honour bysurpassing its precursor ’s box function earningswith $ 1.446 billion . Frozenintroduced audiences to Queen Elsa ( Idina Menzel ) , the enfranchisement ’s icy monarch who possesses dangerous magical powers that become a catalyst of internal - conflict between obligation to her kingdom and a quest of self - discovery . The film pull together critical acclamation for its catchy pop music anthem " Let It Go " and its forward-looking treatment of dear , which rivet on the platonic kinship between Elsa and her vivacious sister , Anna ( Kristen Bell ) , rather than the traditional flight of love affair in Disney ’s animated pic .
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flash-frozen 2continues the story of Queen Elsa three age later , now living at plate in Arendelle with Princess Anna , her sister ’s ice - harvesting boyfriend , Kristoff ( Jonathan Groff ) , his Greenland caribou Sven , and the anthropomorphous snowman Olaf ( Josh Gad ) . However , a mysterious voice interrupts Elsa ’s solitude , set off another larger-than-life pursuit that leads the crew beyond the kingdom of Arendelle in hunt of the origins of Elsa ’s powers . While navigating an Enchanted Forest , the grouping unearths powerful elementary spirits and Elsa and Anna uncover an insidious bequest with the neighboring federation of tribes of Northuldra perpetrated by their grandfather — the former rule of Arendelle , King Runeard . TheFrozensequel sets a darker tincture than the originalfilm , turn over into more mature themes like heartbreak and existentialism and reconciles them with character ’s individual reflexion and appropriate responsiveness . Notably , wintry 2tries to deal responsibly with the problems of colonialism and autochthonous people by focusing on issues leave out in similarly themed film likePocahontasorDisney ’s acquire franchise , Avatar .
Frozen 2 Has a Political Message
flash-frozen 2differs from other animatedDisney films because it does n’t have a concrete villain . Instead , it emphasizes the changes each fiber must face while voyage the difficult passage to adulthood — like finding meaning in existence or confronting wrong enact by anterior generations . Thebedtime story told atFrozen2 ’s beginningoutlines the establishment of the pact made by King Runeard with Northuldra by work up a dam in the Enchanted Forest . The sisters finally uncover the dam was actually a ruse signify to conceal imperialistic conquering and set Northuldra ’s resource due to King Runeard ’s distaste for deception and misgiving of autochthonal the great unwashed .
In times of planetary warming and environmental uncertainty , Frozen 2parallels modern political care , show how decisions made by premature generations can negatively impact the environment and the hereafter of generations to add up . The film ’s protagonist must speculate on the uncomfortable nature of their elder ’s conclusion and respond to these mistakes in an effort to confront and get the past tense . Anna realizes the only solution to rectify her granddaddy ’s antiblack actions are to destruct the symbol of his compound oppression — the dyke . stock-still 2aims to answer job not resolved byPocahontasorAvatar .
Why Pocahontas Is Problematic
Disney ’s 1995 exalt filmPocahontas , although a commercial-grade success , was criticized for its lack of historical accuracy — particularly the means it over - romanticise genuine life case of the moving picture ’s nominal character . The movie was especially problematic due to its narrative glossing - over of the negative reverberation of colonialism , imperialism and racial tensions among the first settler of Jamestown , Virginia during the 17th century . Matoaka , also known as Princess Matoaka , was bear around 1595 and was the daughter of Chief Powhatan , a powerful drawing card of the Powhatan kindred and surround Algonkian communities . During her lifespan , Pocahontas became an important peacekeeper between her hoi polloi and the invading colonist who found themselves battling the devastation consequence of disease , drouth , starvation and distrust toward neighboring indigenous citizenry . Matoaka ’ eventual changeover to Christianity and marriage to tobacco sodbuster John Rolfe briefly cemented the precarious alignment between the Powhatan kindred and English colonist , but peace dilapidate shortly after her death in March of 1617 .
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Pocahontas and John Smith did meet in literal life , but maintained a diplomatical human relationship , instead of the romantic one portray in the movie . scene of their romanticism oversimplified relations between the English and Algonquian people , whitewashinghistory and change the true motivations of Smith ( voiced in the movie by a very non - British Mel Gibson ) and Pocahontas ( Irene Bedard ) . It ’s a distressful trend in Hollywood , applying a Western lens to event in nonwhite history and only bothering with these story if they can be intemperately sensationalized and fictionalized to support westerly ideology . The consequence is the simplification of a audacious , multi - faceted historical figure into a cringe - inducing stereotype , the Exotic Native Woman who exists to add intrigue to the man whose story is being told , evinced when John Smith find himself startled by the show of the princess at a falls but decides not to shoot Pocahontas because she is beautiful .
Avatar Promotes Colonialism & Racism
James Cameron ’s high - flying allegoric dangerous undertaking taleAvatarmay haveonce been the highest grossing pic in history , but it still divided critic with its trite formula and incontrovertible twist of colonialism and racialism dress in the fictional world of Pandora . The 2009 film follows a paraplegic ex - Marine named Jake Sully ( Sam Worthington ) , who embarks on a missionary station to explore a poisonous exotic moonshine through the employment of a cognitively - linked embodiment , only to recover himself emotionally enmeshed in the liveliness of Pandora ’s peace - loving indigene — the gymnastic , blue - hue and deeply phantasmal Na’vi . When Jake bump himself falling in making love with a Na’vi woman ( Zoe Saldana ) , he must choose whether to side with Pandora ’s endemic aliens or with his confrere who mean to plunder the moon ’s resources for their own gain — imagination that hold intense unearthly significance to the Na’vi .
The plot ofAvatarcharters intimate territory , but what is especially tough about the recycled narrative is how Jake , the white , non - native champion of the history , is predictably the savior of the Na’vi , perpetuating the White Messiah trope . The New York Timeswriter David Brooks spotlight the problem : “ The white guy discover that the peace - loving native are much coolheaded than the greedy incarnate tool and the bloodthirsty U.S. armed services types”and after a short metre learning and conquering Na’vi customs , he promptly becomes“the most awe-inspiring phallus of their tribe ” ( viaThe New York Times ) . Brooks points out the picture ’s rudimentary racism weakens the integrity of the film . Cameron ’s White Messiah treatment is ultimately sickening because it turn the audience ’s focus from the struggles of Pandora ’s indigenous hoi polloi onto the heroics of the superior white being . AlthoughAvatarexcels visually , its theme capitalize on the racist notion that lily-white people are inherently the liberator and protector of dupe of colonization , rather than the root cause .
The Jehovah ofFrozen 2seem to be aware of this , and empower the movie ’s heroines to fasten mistakes made by prior generations . Anna pay off her grandfather ’s betrayal by bang up down the symbol of his colonial oppression and Elsa furthers this reconciliation bybecoming a living bridge between magic and people .
Next : Frozen 2 : What Really Happened To Elsa & Olaf
