Frozen 2’s Story Fixes Problems in Pocahontas & Avatar

Disney’s Frozen 2 transports viewers back to the magical Scandinavian world of Frozen, continuing the story of sisters Anna and Elsa as they search to discover the truth about Elsa’s powers and dive into Arendelle’s dark history with colonialism and indigenous people—political issues that were explored, but not reconciled in blockbusters like Pocahontas and Avatar.

Disney experienced unparalleled success with its 2013 film Frozen, a reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen” that raked in $1.28 billion to become the highest grossing animated film of all time, until 2019’s Frozen 2 claimed this honor by surpassing its predecessor’s box office earnings with $1.446 billion. Frozen introduced audiences to Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), the franchise’s icy monarch who possesses dangerous magical powers that become a catalyst of inner-conflict between duty to her kingdom and a quest of self-discovery. The film garnered critical acclaim for its catchy pop anthem “Let It Go” and its modern treatment of love, which focused on the platonic relationship between Elsa and her vivacious sister, Anna (Kristen Bell), rather than the traditional trajectory of romance in Disney’s animated films.

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Frozen 2 continues the story of Queen Elsa three years later, now living at home in Arendelle with Princess Anna, her sister’s ice-harvesting boyfriend, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer Sven, and the anthropomorphic snowman Olaf (Josh Gad). However, a mysterious voice interrupts Elsa’s solitude, triggering another epic quest that leads the crew beyond the kingdom of Arendelle in search of the origins of Elsa’s powers. While navigating an Enchanted Forest, the group unearths powerful elemental spirits and Elsa and Anna uncover an insidious legacy with the neighboring tribe of Northuldra perpetrated by their grandfather — the former ruler of Arendelle, King Runeard. The Frozen sequel sets a darker tone than the original film, delving into more mature themes like grief and existentialism and reconciles them with character’s individual reflection and appropriate responsiveness. Notably, Frozen 2 tries to deal responsibly with the problems of colonialism and indigenous people by focusing on issues overlooked in similarly themed films like Pocahontas or Disney’s acquired franchise, Avatar.

Frozen 2 Has a Political Message

Frozen 2 differs from other animated Disney films because it doesn’t have a concrete villain. Instead, it emphasizes the changes each character must face while navigating the difficult passage to adulthood — like finding meaning in existence or confronting wrongs enacted by prior generations. The bedtime story told at Frozen2‘s beginning outlines the establishment of the treaty made by King Runeard with Northuldra by building a dam in the Enchanted Forest. The sisters eventually uncover the dam was actually a ruse meant to conceal imperialistic conquest and limit Northuldra’s resources due to King Runeard’s distaste for magic and distrust of indigenous people.

In times of global warming and environmental uncertainty, Frozen 2 parallels modern political concerns, showing how decisions made by previous generations can negatively impact the environment and the future of generations to come. The film’s protagonists must reflect on the uncomfortable nature of their elder’s decisions and respond to these mistakes in an effort to confront and fix the past. Anna realizes the only solution to rectify her grandfather’s racist actions are to destroy the symbol of his colonial oppression — the dam. Frozen 2 aims to answer problems not resolved by Pocahontas or Avatar.

Why Pocahontas Is Problematic

Pocahontas and John Smith did meet in real life, but maintained a diplomatic relationship, instead of the amorous one depicted in the movie. Aspects of their romance oversimplified relations between the English and Algonquian people, whitewashing history and changing the true motivations of Smith (voiced in the movie by a very non-British Mel Gibson) and Pocahontas (Irene Bedard). It’s a troubling trend in Hollywood, applying a Western lens to events in nonwhite history and only bothering with these narratives if they can be heavily sensationalized and fictionalized to support Western ideologies. The result is the reduction of a brave, 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 finds himself startled by the appearance of the princess at a waterfall but decides not to shoot Pocahontas because she is beautiful.  

Avatar Promotes Colonialism & Racism

James Cameron’s high-flying allegorical adventure tale Avatar may have once been the highest grossing movie in history, but it still divided critics with its trite formula and positive spin of colonialism and racism set in the fictional world of Pandora. The 2009 movie follows a paraplegic ex-Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who embarks on a mission to explore a poisonous alien moon through the use of a cognitively-linked avatar, only to find himself emotionally enmeshed in the lives of Pandora’s peace-loving natives — the athletic, blue-hued and deeply spiritual Na’vi. When Jake finds himself falling in love with a Na’vi woman (Zoe Saldana), he must choose whether to side with Pandora’s indigenous aliens or with his colleagues who intend to plunder the moon’s resources for their own gain — resources that hold intense spiritual significance to the Na’vi.

The plot of Avatar charters familiar territory, but what is especially problematic about the recycled narrative is how Jake, the white, non-native hero of the story, is predictably the savior of the Na’vi, perpetuating the White Messiah trope. The New York Times writer David Brooks spotlights the problem: “The white guy notices that the peace-loving natives are much cooler than the greedy corporate tools and the bloodthirsty U.S. military types” and after a short time learning and conquering Na’vi customs, he quickly becomes “the most awesome member of their tribe” (via The New York Times). Brooks points out the movie’s underlying racism weakens the integrity of the film. Cameron’s White Messiah treatment is ultimately offensive because it turns the audience’s focus from the struggles of Pandora’s indigenous people onto the heroics of the superior white being. Although Avatar excels visually, its themes capitalize on the racist notion that white people are inherently the liberators and protectors of victims of colonization, rather than the root cause. 

The creators of Frozen 2seem to be aware of this, and empower the movie’s heroines to fix mistakes made by prior generations. Anna redeems her grandfather’s treachery by smashing down the symbol of his colonial oppression and Elsa furthers this reconciliation by becoming a living bridge between magic and people.

Key Release Dates
  • Avatar 2 (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
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