Journal Article
Depression in Frozen
'Frozen,' that Disney movie from three years ago that your kids wouldn't stop watching, constantly singing 'Let it Go.' A film about two sisters reconnecting, ice powers, talking effeminate snowmen, dastardly princes and dark undertones of depression and suicide. Wait what? Frozen containing depression? That's right, Queen Elsa, the Ice Queen herself, suffers from severe depression.
How is that possible? Well, Elsa's parents sought to isolate her from her younger sister, Princess Anna, and after they perished upon a sinking ship, Elsa had no way of gaining neither the affection nor the attention that she needed for fear of harming her younger sister. And even when they were alive there was a lack of affection present, her parents often wearing expressions of fear, matched by their body language when they were with Elsa. Her parents even provided her with the mantra 'conceal it, don't feel it, don't let it show1' which Elsa constantly repeated and shortened to 'conceal, don't feel2' a common coping mechanism for depression and anxiety during times of large emotional stress. Furthermore they give her the gloves to suppress her powers, which she continues to rely on greatly as she gets older, which can be interpreted as Elsa becoming '[reliant] on anti-depressants3' if one considers how her powers can be seen as a symbol of her depression.
We see Elsa's emotional state through her ice powers, seemingly tethered to her emotions, acting as a physical manifestation of her feelings and by extension her depression. We see her struggle to deal with her grief when her parents died, her room almost entirely frozen. In addition when her powers are revealed to Anna and the guests of Elsa's coronation it is in the form of sharp icicles pointing towards the approaching crowd, symbolising that she feels like she is being attacked when Anna confronts her, lashing out like many individuals who suffer from depression do when they are confronted by others about their depression.
Elsa's powers are further used to show the effects of depression. Elsa inadvertently creates a blizzard when she loses control and her secret is out, freezing her kingdom. This is a perfect example of how depression hurts everyone around the suffering individual. The symbolism continues into the Disney short 'Frozen Fever' in which we see Elsa struggle with her depression and that it's a life long struggle, her exaggerated cold causing her powers to activate without control, symbolising the internal struggle she feels over Anna's birthday and the desire to make it perfect to make up for all the previous years of failing Anna, in her eyes. Even Anna's behaviour throughout symbolises how loved ones should act when caring for a depressed family member. Anna is enthusiastic about everything Elsa does for her, appreciating how much effort Elsa put into everything, even as it fell apart and even at the end Anna nurses Elsa, ignoring her birthday showing unconditional love, while also showing the nature of depression as a selfish illness, as Anna has to ignore her own birthday to care for her big sister as she struggles with her depression, and is not bitter over it.
Furthermore, even the seasons within the film depict depression rather vividly. Elsa's coronation takes place in summer, a time of warmth, long days, commonly associated with family and hope, with life. And Elsa's turning summer into winter symbolises how depression can change how one perceives the world. Winter further acts as a metaphor for depression through the use of snow, the start of the movie focusing on falling snowflakes, a perfect metaphor for depression, no two are the same just as no case of depression or anxiety is identical to the another, every case is different and unique in its own way.
And finally the classic song your little girl loves, 'Let it Go,' which an online article described as a 'blatant suicide note'4 relying on the repeated phrase 'the cold never bothered me anyway5' in the iconic song, Which while been a reference to Elsa's ice powers is also a rather vivid description of how numb depression can make someone feel. Even the title of the songs title 'Let it Go' has another interpretation to its meaning, it been the usual response when someone admits to dealing with depression or feeling depressed, that they should just 'cheer up and let it go'.
Thus it is actually quite simple to see how Elsa suffers from depression and Disney's 'Frozen' is Elsa's journey to accept the help of her family in dealing with it which is further realised by the phrase 'love will thaw'6, there is no better phrase to explain how family and friends help a depressed individual than thawing away the numbness.
Word Count (Title Not Included): 800
1 Frozen (2013)
2 Frozen (2013)
3 blog/let-it-go-suicide-note-6-ways-frozen-super-dark/
4 blog/let-it-go-suicide-note-6-ways-frozen-super-dark/
5 Frozen (2013)
6 Frozen (2013)