My Thoughts On Frozen

I’m not a Frozen fan.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Frozen hater (it has Idina Menzel, I can’t completely hate it). But the more I look into this movie, the more agenda-driven it seems. True, it’s subtle; but it’s still there, and with each new movie (Disney or otherwise) it’s going to be less and less subtle. Because it’s the 21st century, people. Time to be progressive, right?
Perhaps by now you’ve heard that there is a distinct possibility that Frozen has a gay character. I personally didn’t notice it in the movie (like I said, Disney was subtle), but it was brought to my attention by this article.
Apparently Oaken – the giant, flannel, bearded man who runs the tradepost – is suspected of being gay from the dialogue he shares with the family in the sauna. He shouts, “Hi family!” and the family smiles (as you can see) and waves back.
It’s a 50/50 toss up. Maybe it is Oaken’s family in the sauna. Or maybe (like I assumed both times I saw the movie) he is just saying hello to a random family who came by his shop.
Steven D Greydanus from National Catholic Resource said:
        "Is there plausible deniability? Sure.
        "The adult male in the sauna, with his slim jaw and lack of facial hair, looks markedly younger than the mountain-sized, hirsute Oaken, and could be his oldest son. Next to him is a young woman who, given the conventions of animation, could be could be Oaken’s daughter or his wife — or, heck, the wife of the other guy, who could also be Oaken’s younger brother). It’s even possible that the family isn’t Oaken’s family at all; “Hoo hoo! Hi family!” could mean “Hi, random visiting family of customers.”
        "On the other hand…
        "What’s the moment doing in the film at all? Why make a point of having Oaken call “Hoo hoo! Hi family!” and fleetingly show the family in the sauna? At the very least, the moment and the line seems intended to suggest that they are, or at least could be, Oaken’s own family.
        "Why is the young man centrally positioned, with all the other figures around him? The framing of the shot, and his huge size, seems to suggest that he’s a father figure, not just an older brother.
        "How often do we see such a large family in a Disney movie? Why so many, if not visual misdirection to slip the moment past most viewers?
       "It seems plausible the filmmakers have thrown this moment in to allow sharp-eyed homophile viewers to draw their own conclusions about just what sort of “family” this is."

While we’re on the topic of improper sex, lets fast-forward about 30 minutes in the film to when the trolls sing to Kristoff and Anna. Here is the second verse of the song according to Disney Wiki:

So he’s a bit of a fixer upper
So he’s got a few flaws
Like his peculiar brain, dear
His thing with the reindeer
That’s a little outside of nature’s laws

So not only does Frozen leave open the possibility of a gay couple, now one of the main characters is implied to practice beastiality with his pet reindeer. That is just... incredibly disgusting (and this is a kids movie!).

       What is this movie’s mantra? “Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart”. Great. Wonderful. Anna has probably seen a few Disney movies during her time in the castle, so naturally her first thought is to go to Hans – her true love. Go to the guy, get a peck on the lips, boom, you’re healed. That’s how it always happens, right?
But Disney threw in a twist this time. Hans didn’t love her. He just wanted her kingdom. Now Anna’s locked up in a room and is freezing to death while he runs off to kill Elsa. How delightful.
Luckily for her, Olaf’s carrot nose is versatile, and he manages to unlock the door. After convincing her that her true love is Kristoff, the two race off (quite speedily for a dying girl) to find him before Anna dies. But on the way, she sees Hans about to kill her sister. In that moment, a choice must be made. Kiss Kristoff and be restored, or stop Hans and freeze?
Being the good girl that she is, she chooses the latter. She leaps in front of Hans, (conveniently) turning into ice the moment she does. The sword shatters on contact, and Elsa is saved.
Elsa realizes what she did to Anna – and what Anna did for her. She hugs her sister and cries. And then, suddenly, Anna begins to thaw. She is restored to life, and the two sisters share a loving embrace.
So... who exactly committed the act of love?
It definitely wasn’t Hans. Kristoff may have acted out of love for her by taking her to Hans, but that obviously wasn’t enough, seeing as it didn’t heal her then. Olaf loved her – was even willing to melt (which pretty much equates to dying) for her, but even that doesn’t save her. Elsa didn’t do anything (except cry. But this isn’t Tangled, people, and she doesn’t have magical tears).
The only character here who could have possibly saved Anna was Anna herself.
Speaking from the perspective of a writer, it’s ridiculous. Having the heroine save herself – after she dies? Seriously??
And you notice how unspecific the cure was? An act of true love. That’s kind of broad, if you think about it. But it is her act of love that ends up saving her.
Never mind the fact that Kristoff loved her enough to take her there, and to come back when he realized there was danger.
Never mind the fact that Olaf was willing to melt for her.
Nope. She found salvation in her own death (as a side note, it really bothers me that people compare Anna’s sacrifice / resurrection to Christ’s).
And I think that’s really stupid.
My fellow blogger The Minstrel Boy wrote an excellent post about Frozen and its weak plot, which I definitely recommend reading. He had some really good points.

All in all, I wasn't very impressed with Frozen. Sure, the songs are catchy, and Idina’s voice is as glorious as ever. But it could have been so much more. The biggest turn-off for me was the weak plot; the other two elements mentioned above I didn't even realize until after the fact (and only mention to you now because I found it interesting; I don't dislike the movie because of them (although I found it disappointing)).
     
       Yup... so those are some of my thoughts on Frozen.

"Vice is a monster of so frightful mien

As to be hated needs but to be seen

Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face

We first endure, then pity, then embrace."

~Alexander Pope

~Riah

Welcome to the World

        I had the immense pleasure last night of witnessing the birth of my niece, Fiona Jaine Eddy. It was such an amazing, beautiful birth. Thank you so much, Tianna, for letting me be a part of it. :)
        Welcome to the world, sweet little niece!

~Stats~

Born at: 10:04 PM
On: June 18th, 2014

Weight: 7.15 lbs

Length: 21"

~Riah

~~~~~~

        You can see more pictures here. 

Of Lions and Laziness

        I read the following this morning on John Piper's devotional app, Solid Joys.

When Reason Serves Rebellion

by John Piper

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”(Proverbs 22:13)      

        This is not what I expected the proverb to say. I would have expected it to say “The coward says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!’” But it says, “sluggard,” not “coward.” So the controlling emotion here is laziness, not fear.

        But what does laziness have to do with the danger of a lion in the street? We don't say, “This man is too lazy to go do his work because there is a lion outside.”

       The point is that the sluggard creates imaginary circumstances to justify not doing his work, and thus shifts the focus from the vice of his laziness to the danger of lions. No one will approve his staying in the house all day just because he is lazy.

       One profound biblical insight we need to know is that our heart exploits our mind to justify what the heart wants. That is, our deepest desires precede the rational functioning of our minds and incline the mind to perceive and think in a way that will make the desires look right.

       This is what the sluggard is doing. He deeply desires to stay at home and not work. There is no good reason to stay at home. So what does he do? Does he overcome his bad desire? No, he uses his mind to create unreal circumstances to justify his desire.

       Doing the evil we love makes us hostile to the light of truth. In this condition the mind becomes a factory of half-truths, equivocations, sophistries, evasions and lies — anything to protect the evil desires of the heart from exposure and destruction.

       Consider and be wise.

~~~

~Riah

Welcome Home

        After having been gone at ALERT International Academy for five months, my brother Caleb is finally home! Needless to say, I've missed him like crazy, and I'm so glad that he's back.
        Welcome home, big bro.

~Riah

Thinking About You

        You would think that time would make it easier. You’d think that after two years, I’d be used to it – the lack of your presence in the house. But it still feels foreign.
        Sure, we’ve acclimated. Mom makes a little less food for dinner, and we know that there is a little more hot water for showering and a little less laundry to be run. We’ve changed and adapted, squeezing into the new mold. We’ve settled into a new kind of normal.
        But it’s not the normal I want.
        I want the old normal back. I want you to still be here, forever checking the fridge for food, leaving your socks all over the place, and all the other silly little things that made up you. I want to be able to talk to you, see you, help you make dinner, watch movies with you, sit by you at church, clean your bedroom with you, listen to you share your heart with me... all those moments that I took for granted. I wish I could live them again.
        I know that God is good, and I can see so many beautiful things that came from your death, but that doesn't change the reality that I hurt. And some days, that pain is more potent then others. But it's okay. God has carried me this far, even when I was on the verge of despair, and I trust Him to bring me safely home.

        I miss you so ridiculously much, Joshua Steven Eddy. And I love you.

~Riah