Frozen: Why The Protagonist-Antagonist Setup Is Important

*Sigh*

It was only a matter of time before I wrote about Frozen. Might as well get it out of the way now in saying that I don't really care for this movie.

Hear that sound? That's the sound of Frozen fans ("Froz-ans?") navigating away from this post. I promise, while I am going to criticize it, I will not do so out of spite. The film does have great things going for it, but I'm using this post to explore some technical issues in the plot.

Even I can admit that the music is catchy, the animation is fantastic, and the story definitely goes for the heart. And the fact that it works against the common princess tropes is cool: one princess goes the whole film without finding a Prince Charming, the two sisters save each other through their kinship instead of needing help from others, and the obstacles the girls overcome are largely psychological instead of physical - Elza has to grapple with the anxiety of having powers, and Anna has to grow up and learn what real love is. In short, this a story about two young women who are coming into their own.

And that's fantastic, right? That has to be beyond criticism.

Alas,

Every story has a protagonist, a character we identify with and through whom we experience the story. In Frozen's case, I'd argue there are two protagonists - Elsa and Anna. We feel bad for Elsa after seeing how a childhood accident has forced her to suffer so much guilt and fear. We hope that, by the end of the film, she makes peace with what happened and gets to live a richer, fuller life. We also feel bad for Anna because she simply desires to be around people and have fun but this is stymied for reasons she doesn't understand. For Anna, we want a fairy-tale romance and a reunion with her older sister.

Most stories also have an antagonist, the character (or force) that makes things harder for the protagonist. Typically we're not supposed to like the antagonist and it is the conflict between the two that creates the drama and excitement of the story. Lord Voldemort is the antagonist to Harry Potter. Lex Luthor is an antagonist for Superman.

But who is the antagonist for Elsa and Anna?

Think carefully...

At first I had to wonder if Elsa was both the protagonist and antagonist. I mean, she does almost create an ice age, threatening the lives of everyone in Arendelle. She also started the film by freezing her sister's head, thus inadvertently driving a wedge between the two of them and forcing Anna to suffer from isolation. And the latter half of the movie is spent trying to warm Anna's heart, which was also Elsa's fault.

But I'm going to dismiss this idea. None of those events really seem to be Elsa's fault. The first instance of freezing Anna was when they were both too young to understand the consequences of their actions. The near-apocalyptic ice storm was the result of releasing a lot of pent-up anxiety for once (something to which we, as humans with feelings, can relate.) And freezing Anna's heart was also an accident, stemming from her latent fear of getting close to people only to hurt them. In fact, I'll let this last one go just for the irony.

You're in the clear, Elsa.

I'll assume Anna isn't the antagonist because nothing but bad stuff seems to happen to her for the entire film, despite how sweet and upbeat she is. It's hard to earn the audience's ire when you're constantly being beaten up by the story. Also, she's voiced by Kristen Bell. That earns a free pass in my book.


So we're still looking for an antagonist. Another obvious choice could be Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. After all, he was trying to seize the kingdom by marrying into Arendelle royalty. Then, towards the end of the movie, he decides to let Anna freeze to death in order to usurp the throne even faster. He certainly looks like a good antagonist.

But remember this scene?

Hans meets Anna in a very adorable way, ends up in the ocean, watches her run away, and smiles fondly. Do this look like a cold-hearted antagonist to you? I mean, he stops Elsa from being shot by a crossbow in her ice castle for crying out loud! Film critics call this a "narrative cheat" - something that throws the audience off track, on purpose, to suit the plot later. Cheats often serve the purpose of making the "twist" at the end of the film more shocking. But while Hans' sudden transformation into a cold-hearted b**tard was shocking, and it did help Anna learn a lesson, Hans wasn't a major source of suffering in the film. He had 20 minutes or so of infamy and that's all. He was a nuisance at best, but not the driver of conflict for the whole story.

So Hans is off the hook. Who does that leave us with? The Duke of Weselton who was trying to steal Arendelle's secrets? He only brought a couple of goons and some comic relief. Again, more a nuisance than a bonafide antagonist.

What about the rock trolls? They steal children and can take the fun out of them (remember, the troll in the beginning of the film said, "I recommend we remove all magic... But don't worry. I'll leave the fun" - this could imply some kind of fun-sucking magical potential.)

I'm kidding, of course. They make for great adoptive parents, have their hearts set on playing matchmaker, and they're the ones that teach us about the power of true love. They're adorable, not antagonists.

"I think I'll keep you!"

So who does that leave?

What if I told you that the real antagonists of this film were Elsa and Anna's parents, the late King and Queen of Arendelle?

Dun-dun-DUNNNN! Now that's a twist!

What's the main conflict that our protagonists, Anna and Elsa, are suffering from? Separation. By being apart, Elsa is forced to try to contain her magical powers on her own, causing stress, anxiety, fear, and the occasional frosty outburst. This same separation also causes Anna to feel lonely and forces her to seek attention from anyone, including throne-stealing pretty-boys from the Southern Isles. Only by recovering their sisterhood is Anna's heart thawed, Elsa's powers controlled, and balance restored back to the narrative.

And what precipitated this divide between the sisters? After the King and Queen visited the rock trolls, the parents decided to limit all contact between Anna and Elsa. Understandable, maybe, since they were worried that any more contact with magic could kill their youngest daughter. But Pabbie the troll (I had to look his name up) never said that Anna shouldn't experience magic again. That was just the King and Queen's assumption. Later events in the film prove that Anna can watch Elsa work magic and not have any adverse reactions. So, The King and Queen, by separating their two daughters, end up creating the main conflict of the film, the separation of the sisters, that Elsa and Anna must overcome. As such, the parents are the primary antagonists.

Dick move, mom and dad. Dick move. I hope you tried to do better with Tarzan.

Back to the point.

The tertiary villains, like Hans and the Duke of Weselton, distract from the psychological drama going on between the sisters. And these challenges are compelling in their own right. What girl (or anyone, for that matter,) doesn't feel like they're going to burst at the seams if they have to maintain their composure 24/7? And how many of us can relate to desperately yearning for simple human contact when we're hurting? This primary conflict is inspired and has the potential to resonate with all viewers, old and young, male and female. It's a universal tale of the human connection.

Instead of trying to paint someone as the classically evil villain, or the quintessential antagonist, just let the parents be in the wrong. After all, that's what growing up is about: taking in all of the lessons you've learned from your parents, keeping the good, and fixing the bad. And as a coming-of-age tale, parents would make for perfectly fine antagonists.



Have something you want to add? Or do you disagree with me? Feel free to let me know in the comments below. Also, feel free to share this on whatever social media site you'd like. I'd love to have lots of angry Froz-ans blowing up my inbox.