Un-Frozen

After watching Frozen probably the normal amount of times for a mother with a young girl (a lot) and reading some reviews, I wanted to acknowledge a few things that struck me the very first time I saw it.

1. Sacrificial love: Okay, so everyone realizes this message. But, man, the movie does such a good job here! Uncovering the myth of love at first sight. Shining the light on true love as being self-sacrificial and not some mushy-gushy thing. And, a very palpable feel of internal struggle. When Anna hears her sister's cries as she sees a sword coming to kill her and then the camera turns toward Kristoff racing towards her for "true love's kiss", you feel the intense struggle Anna is facing -- life and self-protection versus death and self-sacrifice. Selfish or selfless. [Obviously she doesn't die, but she chooses self-sacrifice expecting death as the result.] Being well-acquainted with struggle, I literally weep during this scene every time! Because we all want true love -- the real, sacrificial Love. Anna is living out John 15:13 and 1 John 3:16.
2. Initiation: I was blown away somewhat the first time I saw the movie because it is the common theme that love just happens. True love is uncontrollable and it happens to you. But here, not only was the true love highlighted in the movie not romantic love but was brotherly love, it was not passive but active. I mean, wow. Not the 'Oh, I'll lay here and let true love come and fix me,' but Anna physically sacrificed her very being to literally live out true love. It was her action that made it true love.
3. "Love will thaw the frozen heart." This not an entirely perfect example. Indeed, God does not just thaw our frozen hearts. For we have hearts of stone that He actually replaces with soft, warm hearts of flesh. Either way though, our hearts are hard and need help. However, I still appreciate the emphasis on Love doing the work :)
4. True freedom: For most of Elsa's life, she was isolated by fear. But then once her secret was out and she let it go, well, she was still in isolation. It was the love of her sister that really set her free -- free to be herself and live in open, real relationship. Again, Love does it.

There are many other positive messages in Frozen --  When Anna decides to go after Elsa after the coronation, that teaches responsibility ("I caused it, I'll fix it"); perseverance, kindness, Olaf, love changes Kristoff...

Anyway, after seeing Frozen for the first time, I said, "That movie had the most Christian messages of any Disney movie I've seen. Definitely my favorite animated movie!"