Good grief: a Frozen II commentary

I saw Frozen II last night. If you haven't seen it, go! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Also, there are going to be spoilers for both Frozen and Frozen II in this blog, so consider yourself warned.

As with all Disney movies, there are things to appreciate about the movie as an adult. We could talk about a lot of them. I hardcore relate to Elsa, Olaf is hilarious, and Kristoff's song in Frozen II is one big amazing homage to 80s rock ballads. If you've read any of my other posts, you know I love a good parody. 😏

There is a lot to love and appreciate - but I'm here to talk about Anna, and how relatable she is as a character who experiences grief.

In the first movie, we see Anna and her sister lose their parents during the "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" song. Anna has been rejected by her sister Elsa for most of her life. At a certain point, Anna gives up on the relationship. So, she has been lonely for awhile when her parents die tragically at sea. Anna longs to connect with her sister Elsa, her last remaining relative, especially at this moment when she is feeling so isolated and alone:

Elsa, please, I know you're in there
People are asking where you've been
They say, "have courage," and I'm trying to
I'm right out here for you
Just let me in

We only have each other
It's just you and me

What are we gonna do?

Unfortunately, Anna is getting no support from her sister. She is desperate for affection. So desperate, that she literally falls for the first man who pays any attention to her: Hans. We all know how that ends... 🙄

But, that's how Disney subverted expectations for its first Frozen film! Because the true love of a sister thaws Anna's frozen heart, not the true love of some recently-met prince. Anna and Elsa start to mend their relationship, and as an added bonus, Anna meets and starts to fall for Kristoff, a much more genuine man.

Fast forward to Frozen II. It's been a few years. The kingdom of Arendelle is doing pretty well under Elsa, Elsa and Anna are on much better terms, and Anna and Kristoff will probably be engaged soon. But Elsa is feeling restless and still a bit like she doesn't belong, since she is the only person with ice powers. At the first sign of something intriguing, she feels drawn to investigate. What if there is something more out there - or someone else like herself?

After working so hard to mend their bond, Anna is terrified to let Elsa go by herself. Her loyalty and devotion is fierce. "She's my sister!" she exclaims several times. Anna won't lose someone again - she can't. This fear exhibits itself in her desperate attempts to follow her sister at all costs, regardless of the danger or Elsa's protests. It even shows up in Anna's relationship with Kristoff, where she routinely looks for reasons why he is going to break up with her (rather than reasons why he is about to propose, as is the case).

Anna is so fixated on clinging to her sister, she doesn't think twice about stranding Kristoff alone in the woods somewhere without telling him where she is going. Elsa is determined to get to the bottom of what's going on, but doesn't want to endanger Anna - so she literally pushes Anna away. This ultimately results in a very dark place for Anna: she is in a cave by herself, where no one knows she's stuck, and the death of Olaf indicates her sister likely just died. Anna's worst fear has come true. She has lost everyone she loves. She is alone.

All of this results in one of the most powerful, relatable, and yet encouraging songs - "The Next Right Thing":

I've seen dark before
But not like this
This is cold
This is empty
This is numb
The life I knew is over
The lights are out
Hello, darkness
I'm ready to succumb

I follow you around
I always have
But you've gone to a place I cannot find
This grief has a gravity
It pulls me down
But a tiny voice whispers in my mind
"You are lost, hope is gone
But you must go on
And do the next right thing"

Can there be a day beyond this night?
I don't know anymore what is true
I can't find my direction, I'm all alone
The only star that guided me was you
How to rise from the floor
When it's not you I'm rising for?
Just do the next right thing
Take a step, step again
It is all that I can to do
The next right thing

I won't look too far ahead
It's too much for me to take
But break it down to this next breath
This next step
This next choice is one that I can make

So I'll walk through this night
Stumbling blindly toward the light
And do the next right thing
And with the dawn, what comes then
When it's clear that everything will never be the same again?
Then I'll make the choice
To hear that voice

And do the next right thing

I don't think anything quite encapsulates disappointment, discouragement, and depression quite like this song. And yet, it also clearly identifies what to do in just such a situation: the next right thing.

I've got a friend who has (several times!) mentioned the very same thing, when I have expressed how discouraged or hopeless I feel in a situation. She prays that God shows me the next step to take. "You don't need to know your whole future," she'll say. "You just need the next step." After that step, there will be another step. And another. Life is just one 'next right thing' after another until you look back and realize just how far you've come.

We could psychoanalyze Anna some more, but I think that's enough for today. And fear not: things end up working out pretty well for the Frozen gang and Anna.

If you're ever struggling, take a page out of Anna's book. Slow down and take life one step at a time. Just do the next right thing.