On the drive to pick up her brother from school, I heard my daughter sigh from the backseat of the van.
"What's up babe?" I asked.
"Mom! I am so mad! I made a wish when I made my bear at Build-A-Bear and it never came true!" She said.
"What did you wish for?" I asked.
"I wished to be Elsa. Every time I get in the bath I test out to see if I have ice powers, but nothing ever happens."
I held back a giggle, trying to recover my daughter's faith in magic and wishes. "Wishes don't always work, and that's okay. Maybe it didn't work because the world already has an Elsa, and what it still needs is you."
The conversation soon moved on to another topic, but its stuck with me since.
Both my daughter and I have joined the world in a mutual love for Frozen II and Elsa. Since seeing it in theaters over a month ago, my mind has replayed its songs and scenes over again so I can squeeze every bit of joy and meaning from them. I have read every article, blog post, and Instagram caption I have come across about Frozen II (this one being a particular favorite), but this conversation with my young daughter highlighted something I hadn't realized before - she and I walked away from the story and characters of Frozen II with two very different treasures.
This makes sense, given there is a 20 year age difference between us. Part of me is thrilled knowing that the enchantment of story, the possibility of magical ice powers, and the potential of being the "chosen one" (or the "fifth element", whatever you want to call it) is still very real to her. The other part of me houses my desire for her to see beneath the glittering facade of magic powers to what is really at the heart of her favorite heroine. "There are so many things to love about Elsa," I want to tell her. "Her ice powers are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg."
Elsa Is Prudent
Within the first 10 minutes of the movie, it is obvious that Elsa has learned much from her adventures in the first Frozen. The castle gates are open. Elsa has integrated herself into both a family unit (charades, anyone?) and the larger society, which is apparent just by observing the attitudes of the Arendelle citizens - seeing Elsa is totally normal for them. Even though she feels restless and is not completely at peace, she recognizes and appreciates the important role that community and connection play in her life. Her simple lines in the song Some Things Never Change, "I'm not sure I want things to change at all," and in the song Into the Unknown, "Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls / I've had my adventure / I don't need something new / I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you into the unknown." showcases two things: 1. Elsa's purposeful and measurable efforts and success in finding a place in which she feels a sense of belonging, and 2. her wisdom in being unwilling to abandon the goodness she's found at the first call to adventure. From this alone I feel we can clearly see that Elsa is capable of learning from her experiences and consciously chooses to follow a growth trajectory.
Elsa is Intuitive
Elsa is a tad bit more lucky than the rest of us who best recognize intuition as a soft inner knowing. Her intuition literally called to her in an audible and unmistakable way, via a "voice" singing a haunting lullaby from a far-off, unseen somewhere. From the moment she first heard the call, she leaned in to hear what it was trying to tell her. Through the day and night the call followed her - which follows the pattern of intuition in life off-screen, too - and because she both recognized its voice and allowed herself to be open to it, she was able to give voice to her deep and forbidden desire to follow her heart wherever it took her. Her acceptance of her intuition is easily apparent as she softly sings,
What do you want? 'Cause you've been keeping me awake
Are you here to distract me so I make a big mistake?
Or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me?
Who knows deep down I'm not where I meant to be?
Everyday's a little harder as I feel my power grow
Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go
Into the unknown?
As she continues to follow her inner guide, her confidence grows. She becomes more sure of herself and of her path and purpose. The story is propelled almost by her certainty alone. It is her trust in her intuition that awakens the Nature Spirits, that helps her recall her father's bedtime story of the Enchanted Forest as more truth than tale, and brings her into alignment with a purpose greater than that of Queen of Arendelle.
Elsa is Reliant
If there was one takeaway from the first Frozen, its that disconnection never ends well. So instead of pushing those closest to her away when she realizes she must go to the Enchanted Forest, Elsa welcomes their company. Even though her first concern is their safety, she realizes that this is a journey she can't take alone. She doesn't walk herself to her destination; she allows Christoff to take her there. She takes as many people with her as are willing to go until they are unable to go any further. Elsa understands that her story is part of a greater story of past, present, and future, and therefore excludes no one who is willing to do the work with her. She welcomes every effort, every explanation, every piece of wisdom that comes her way because she recognizes she does not have all the answers.
Elsa is Tenacious
She has only one goal through the entire film: find answers. Who is calling to her? Why? What is the full story of the past? What happened to her parents? What is her purpose? Elsa is relentless in her pursuit of knowledge. Eventually, she finds herself at a place where she innately knows she must travel to alone. For the first time in forever (see what I did there?) Elsa is alone on a dark, rocky beach because she knows that this particular part of her journey is meant just for her. She's sent everyone else away under the guise of "keeping them safe," but I think it really comes down to the fact that there are some journeys in life that must be taken alone. On a journey of self-discovery, at some point the worry of others becomes a hindrance. Anna could not have survived the tempestuous sea Elsa had to cross or faced the Nokk and come out victorious. Anna had nothing waiting for her in Ahtohallan. Elsa intuitively knew this and therefore had to make a tough decision she knew would hurt her sister. Tenacity means being capable of holding tightly to something; Elsa refused to let go of her calling, no matter what.
Elsa is Vulnerable
Even though Into the Unknown is Frozen II's signature song, Show Yourself is what makes Elsa's character arc complete and brings an underlying sense of wholeness to the film. Show Yourself is vulnerability in song form. Lets just look at the lyrics.
"I have always been a fortress, cold secrets deep inside. You have secrets too, but you don't have to hide."
"I have always been so different, normal rules did not apply. Is this the day, are you the way I finally find out why?"
This would be incredibly hard to admit for anyone. The ache to belong is a strong and innate human need and Elsa is not immune. For her to find companionship, even if it comes in the form of an explanation from the divine is an incredible gift. The song continues,
"Here I am. I've come so far. You are the answer I've waited for all of my life. Show yourself - let me see who you are."
This is a beautiful act of vulnerability to say, "I'm here. This is all I have. I've waited for so long and given everything to be here right now. Is this enough? Am I enough?" Have you ever had that experience in your own life? Where your need to be seen and accepted was so strong you'd give anything and everything to hear the simple words, "You are loved?"
Then Elsa has a subtle realization about who exactly it is she's been waiting for. Her path forward is clear - all she needs is to embrace it. As she does, the audience is gifted with one of the most beautiful lines of song:
"Show yourself. Step in to your power. Grow yourself into something new. You are the one you've been waiting for all of your life. Oh, show yourself. "
The message is:
Wait no longer.
Everything you'll ever need
is already inside you.
I can't listen to Show Yourself without openly weeping every.single.time. And whenever I hear my daughter sing it? It is unadulterated peace, wonder, and awe.
Elsa is Humble
Elsa is largely absent from the film from the point of her transformation until almost the very end. When she does reappear, she carries herself with a sense of quiet peace. Anna ultimately was the one who put into action the necessary steps to heal the Enchanted Forest and liberate the Nature Spirits and it is Elsa who helps her realize this. Elsa never rubs her powers, her transformation, or her new title of "The Fifth Element" in her sister's face. Instead, she reminds Anna with one simple sentence how necessary their sisterhood is: "Mother had two daughters. We did this together." Elsa steps down from the Arendelle throne knowing that Anna was the best fit for that role. She moves away from a life of castle comforts (not that she ever really felt comfortable there anyway) and into the Enchanted Forest. Elsa is not caught up in titles, royalty, roles, and authority. Her humility stems from her acceptance and realization of something much greater. Her power comes from her deep and resilient connection to her heart and soul self.
Elsa is so much more than ice powers, magic dresses, and a new horse. These are things she has, and they ultimately come to her because of who she is. So the next time my daughter tells me she wants to be like Elsa, I will do my best to show her what magic is really all about.
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