Hello All! Due to my life interfering with my time these days, I took a hiatus from articulo writing. I also took a hiatus, because KataraLover and Cruella stepped into the void, and took on the “these are horrible characters argument” in a set of ongoing video discussions that can be found on the video enlaces page of The disney Princess Club. (My hat goes off to them, as they were dispelling the myths and stigmas surrounding certain unbeloved characters). Great work, guys!!!
Since this is the last articulo on the Vices of the disney Princesses, I want to at least say that it was --- not necessarily a pleasure to dissect everyone down to their skeletons ( ew)--- but it was enjoyable to get the skeletons of each princess out of the closet, so to speak. There are common threads and behaviors shared por all of the disney Princesses. Selfishness seems to be the primary flaw for each and every single one of them! At least, this shows that they’re human, right? But similarities aside, each princess is a unique character with a unique set of flaws.
Let’s not waste time. I’m going to mover full-speed ahead to the matter at hand. I already told tu why I’m escritura this ( see earlier articles: link and link . Feel free to check out why). This is the last part of the “why.” Ready o not, shall we go?
9. Tiana
Selfishness: The beginning of The Princess and The Frog starts off with what I like to call “dream transference,” which is más commonly known as “carrying the banner.” Young Tiana likes to cook, and is flawlessly good at it. But it is her father that wants to open up a business. Tiana’s father wants to create a family legacy and connect with the community through founding a restaurant. The restaurant is not originally Tiana’s idea. It’s her father’s idea.
Looking at the grownup Tiana, we see how grieved she is at her father’s death, and how amargo, amargos she is at him having not had the chance to live to see his dream come true. (The “dream come true” aspect is standard fare for Disney. If tu don’t like it, well… go watch something else, because this is a nauseatingly normal trope). Because Tiana is grieving and is staunchly opposed to how things “shook out” for her father, she works herself to the bone as a waitress, saving all tips--- mere pennies at times--- in an effort to save up enough to buy a property for the restaurant. Tiana “wants to fulfill her father’s dream,” and is prepared to sacrifice all to do so! (You have to admire Tiana’s diligence, here. This is an equal match to Ariel’s pursuit of becoming a human).
By the time Naveen shows up in town, Tiana has created an idea in her mind of what constitutes “a good life,” and what constitutes “a worthy person.” The movie does not come directly out and say what either one of these definitions are, but if you’re lectura through the lines in how Tiana interacts with Charlotte, Tiana’s life code becomes clearer. Tiana’s life code seems to be: 1) there’s no magic, and a good life cannot be just “given” to tu like Charlotte’s father gave to her, because not everyone has it easy, and 2) people who have always had it their way, and had things provided for them, do not ever learn to work hard; they tend to be lazy, and are not really “realistic” about their dreams. Tiana considers believing in stars for wish granting as lower than stupid.
Tiana, tu see, has developed a very narrow-minded view of the “lives” of other people. I think this is because when Tiana looks at Charlotte’s wealth, in contrast to her own poverty, she is frustrated and dissatisfied. In order to justify the imbalance and the discrepancy between the two--- Tiana has to “vilify” the other side. Tiana has to define the other side as “ más lazy than herself.” Tiana has to believe that “stuff that comes easy is not valuable at all.” Tiana is IN ERROR in her thinking, here. What she has told herself IS NOT necessarily true. What is true is that families who are wealthy have a tendency to pass on their wealth to the siguiente generation, because the available laws allow them to do so. Families who have less wealth to work with, have a harder time passing on their wealth, because the available laws are written so as to decrease their chances of passing it on. This is economics. This is the truth of the matter. (For más on inequality and the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor, please take a Poverty, Affluence, and Families course at your local college o university).
So Tiana has some weird ideas burgeoning in her brain. They’re lies, of course. But comfortable ones, if tu know what I mean. But let’s get on with the point of the story….
The first time Tiana makes her bid/offer for the property, she gets turned down por the shady real estate owners (who tell her a very capitalistic message: it’s not enough money. She’s been outbid por another individual). Thoroughly depressed and angry, Tiana has a horrible time at the neighborhood soiree, and is forced to borrow a dress from Charlotte. It is after she has dressed up in some “wealth” borrowed from charlotte that Tiana’s corazón breaks anew. This is the last straw. Tiana believes that all her efforts have been in vain. Then…Tiana meets Naveen… and por meeting him, Tiana is brought face-to-face with the lies she has been telling herself over and over about the wealthy.
Tiana distrusts Naveen because of his wealthy background, and only kisses Naveen when she thinks it will “give her a chance for money.” Deciding that Naveen is only her opportunity “to secure money for her restaurant” is Tiana’s selfishness. Tiana’s selfishness is rooted both in her desire for her restaurant, and in her jealousy of her wealthier peers. (I have to give disney apoyar for mostrando this in a disney movie, because it is a very heavy and very human portrayal).
It’s also very funny, that one side of the political spectrum these days likes to say that the poor are “lazy,” and that poor people “don’t value hard work.” This movie suggests otherwise. I wish they’d watch it.
But the point here is that Tiana is selfish. Tiana’s selfishness is not as easily spotted like Ariel’s, but I would not say that it escapes attention. Tiana’s selfishness is actually pretty blatant, if tu ask me.
Bossiness: I’m not going to beat around the arbusto, bush here. Tiana is extremely bossy. She bosses Naveen, Ray, and Louis. Mama Odie escapes being bossed around por Tiana, due to her voodoo magic and being más than twice Tiana’s age. Hahaha. Tiana can’t boss Dr. Facilier around very much, because he is crafty and sly. (Reminiscent of Ursula, Facilier likes to strike deals that end poorly for the signee. Tiana has to outwit him, just like Ariel does to Ursula).
In the DP lineup, Tiana and Snow White are similar, in the sense that bossiness is a trait shared por both girls.
Naivety: Tiana doesn’t know how capitalism works. Tiana does not know “the how” o “why” the system is “rigged” against her achieving her dream of owning a restaurant. Tiana even trusts a frog’s promise to “give her money.” Technically, Tiana is just as naïve as Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan.
Arrogance/Cockiness: Tiana has her own ideas about life, and knows all about what is best for Naveen. Tiana hardly listens to Mama Odie. But if tu already know everything, people really can’t help tu achieve your dream. They just can’t.
Tiana goes around thinking she is “justified” in treating other people shabbily. Tiana feels dissed because of the dismissal of her achievements por her peers. If tu watch the movie, Naveen eventually grows sick of being called “a lazy good-for-nothing” por Tiana, and so he calls her “a stick-in-the-mud.” This cements Tiana’s feelings of hurt, and she continues her “justification in treating people badly.” Just make a mental note, here, though. Tiana shows out due to her own hurt and her own arrogance. Tiana keeps reprimanding Naveen nonstop, and she eventually hurts HIS self-esteem.
It’s funny how some people provide all kinds of excuses for Tiana’s bad behavior. They don’t excuse Merida for her bad behavior. They don’t excuse Anna for her bad behavior. They don’t excuse Elsa for her bad behavior. They certainly don’t excuse Ariel for her bad behavior. So I’m NOT EXCUSING Tiana for her bad behavior. I’m still kind of amazed, that Tiana can’t figure out that the Naveen on the float must not be the real Naveen, because she is still a frog! Like, Mama Odie already told tu that only the real Naveen’s kiss would work. You’re still a frog, so he can’t be the true Naveen!!! Then, Tiana, why are tu so upset over this? Even rayo, ray told tu that this was a deception. But does Tiana listen to him? Nope. She blows off Ray’s words, and proceeds to tell him “the right way to see things.” Seriously, Tiana? What tu dicho to rayo, ray was extremely haughty. Your dream didn’t come true? Well, boo-hoo. Suck it up. tu are NEVER justified in treating other people like dirt. NEVER.
Stubbornness: Tiana is stubborn, just like ALL of her Renaissance predecessors: Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan. If Tiana can’t get her way, she gets mad, and she will fight to the amargo, amargos end to secure her dream.
Hypercritical/Ignoring the Golden Rule:
Way too often, Tiana is just plain critical to other characters in this movie for no apparent reason. I TOTALLY BLAME THE SCREENWRITERS for this one. I mean, was it necessary for Tiana to tell rayo, ray that “it’s only a star,” right after rayo, ray has valued Tiana’s dream of getting her restaurant, EVEN GUIDED her to Mama Odie so that she can become human again, and even tells her that the Naveen she saw on the float was really a deception? rayo, ray did not need “a lecture on how his dream was inaccurate.” After all, rayo, ray comes across as the selfless type. Tiana comes across as a (female) jerk, here.
There is the instance where Tiana is captured por the trappers on the bayou, and Naveen mounts a rescue mission, and he frees Tiana. Does Tiana thank him? Belle says thank tu to the Beast for jumping into the fray and battling lobos for her. Tiana does not thank Naveen at all. Tiana basically leaves Naveen in the lurch, and gets herself to safety, first. It’s not until Tiana gets captured por the trappers, herself, that she seems to be the least bit grateful for Naveen’s presence. Tiana again acts dismissive.
Then there are the moments where Naveen is trying to connect with Tiana: through music, through dancing, and through translating French poetry. During the song “Dig A Little Deeper,” Tiana is shown really enjoying dancing por herself far más than she did with Naveen during the sequence “La Belle Evangeline.” Tiana always keeps Naveen at arm’s length. I guess the only “thawed-out-version” of Tiana that comes to mind, is when Tiana appreciates the cena Naveen provided, where he minced everything. I think Tiana related to/liked this the most, because it directly translated into cooking, her own specialty. The rest—a shared amor of music, of dancing, of French poetry-- Tiana seems to turn down her nose at, and this really is her loss.
Even when Naveen sits with Tiana on the barco after the dinner, Tiana is busy discussing her restaurant in the “our” since of the word, referring only to her and her father. Tiana simply does not take any emotional cues at all, not even from Naveen’s repeated, gentle attempts to include himself as part of her dream. When Naveen breaks in, and says, “Our food?” Tiana responds, “Huh? Oh, no, no, no. My daddy.” Tiana is dismissive. She just doesn’t treat other people the way she treats herself. Tiana treats her own dream with kid gloves and reverence. Contrast this, with the way Tiana punctures Ray’s dream, and drags Naveen’s personality and his hobbies down as being inferior to her own. Tiana only begins “liking” Naveen, after Naveen starts changing key aspects of his personality. Working hard is all fine and good, but how I wish Tiana followed o believed in the Golden Rule. It would have made her less prickly and más approachable. (As it is, I don’t ever warm to Tiana, nor do I grow to like her very much).
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Tiana, like Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and mulan before her, NEVER LISTENS to what anybody tells her. Tiana is told por Naveen that there is más to life than incessant work. Tiana disregards his words. rayo, ray tries to give Tiana hope that her dream is not yet lost to her. Tiana lets her depression control her tongue; she doesn’t believe the firefly, and gets snarky, calling Ray’s amor for a estrella “impossible.” Mama Odie even tries to tell Tiana that while hard work is good, Tiana should open up her corazón and her eyes to see that loving and building relationships with others will help her to reach her own dream. BUT---Tiana only focuses on the “hard work is good” part of Mama Odie’s message. It’s only after Dr. Facilier offers Tiana the choice of sacrificing Naveen’s life for her restaurant, that Tiana actually STOPS TO THINK for once. Yeah. Tiana NEVER LISTENS to what anybody says, until it’s very, very late in the game.
No Risk-Taking: As seen in the movie, Tiana is adventure-adverse. Her only “risk” is besar a frog for money. Tiana never takes any other risks at all. She is staunchly against risk-taking of all kinds, a trait that really pits her against every other character she meets. Tiana basically runs all her friends away, because she prides herself “on not ever doing anything entertaining o fun that other people flock to do.” Throughout the movie, Tiana stays right in her comfort zone: she has her goal, the restaurant, and she does not really care about the goals of other people, which is her arrogance. Tiana does not feel threatened as long as the goals of other people don’t interfere with her goal. Once Tiana becomes a frog, her interests are bumped up to just two: becoming human again, and then her restaurant. (To this day, I have a hard time believing Tiana really fell in amor with Naveen, because all of her actions after the magical wedding-turn-back-into-a-human –kiss-moment are all about her restaurant. Literally. THAT’S IT. The romance in The Princess and The Frog really feels like an extra pizza topping added on “just because.” The romantic vibe is somewhat forced, and the movie would have been just fine without it, I think).
Now some people will be able to identify with Tiana. They will like her resolute pursuit of her goal, no matter what, and the fact that she does not get hung up in the concerns of other people. They will like her no-nonsense take on life in general. They will like the fact that she is tight-fisted and never does anything STUPID like Ariel. But the flip side of that is Tiana being viewed AS STUPID for not trying to do anything else to expand her limited view of the world. Tiana is basically severely cutting back on all of her chances to have any new interactions, o to have any new experiences. (Tiana would be limited to creating small talk at her new restaurant. Tiana, as hostess of her establishment, would be moving around to create small-talk to customers waiting at dining tables; these discussions are superficial at best, and at worst, very rarely ever grow into any long-lasting friendships. I know this from being a frequent customer going to the same establishments time after time. It’s the same people mostrando up over and over, but nothing of import is discussed. This frivolous exchange between Tiana and her customers, would never dip into how they are faring in their actual lives--- a deep subject that Tiana would clearly avoid! Whenever Naveen tries to share his memories about how he grew up with music, Tiana does not even want to hear about it!) So we see Tiana at the end of the movie, happy with realizing her dream, and doing justice to her father’s memory-- but not making the effort to cultivate anything but surface relationships.
Some people will have trouble relating to Tiana, because they might not want to stay in the same place and do the same things día after day. They might want to get out and do things that Tiana would label as “crazy.” That would not mean that Tiana’s view is the wrong viewpoint to hold. It would just mean that some people would leave Tiana in the dust, and go about their lives having new experiences, and deeper relationships, while not trying to please a person who thinks “you’re stupid for taking risks and having fun.” Because, when all is dicho and done, not everyone is going to want to listen to a person who constantly talks down to them. And Tiana, for all her hardworking sensibilities, has a penchant for talking down to people.
10. Rapunzel
Selfishness: Rapunzel’s selfishness is also as easy to spot as Tiana’s is. Rapunzel has lived in a tower all of her life. She has no friends other than a chameleon, named Pascal. Rapunzel therefore has lived a sheltered, limited life, in the “lack of experiences” way. To decrease Rapunzel’s motivation to leave the tower, Mother Gothel provides Rapunzel with everything Rapunzel could ever want…I guess…save Rapunzel’s freedom. Look at all of the hobbies Rapunzel has! The girl cooks, bakes, sews, knits, makes candles, makes dresses, cleans, paints her walls, and brushes her outlandishly long hair, etc. And Rapunzel has everything, literally everything--- and she still wants more! Rapunzel wants to see the lights that appear every año on her birthday. She wants to see them up close, in a way she has never seen them before. This is akin to Ariel wanting to see humans up close. And if Ariel is selfish for wanting to be part of the human world-- an experience she has never had-- then, Rapunzel is just as selfish for wanting to go see the lights, an experience she has also never had. So Rapunzel is selfish for having been “given everything” por Mother Gothel, but for wanting más than has been provided. Sound familiar? Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tiana ALL WANTED MORE. They wanted their dream to come true. Selfishness is pretty universal to all of these characters, isn’t it?
Naivety: How much naivety is too much naivety? Okay, for starters, this is not the first character in the lineup to be naïve. And Rapunzel is not the last character to be naïve. In fact, if tu go backwards, from Rapunzel, tu will see that most of the lineup is naïve. These girls often don’t know much about the outside world; they don’t know whom to trust; and they don’t know that their pursuit of their dreams, and their own curiosity, might be exploited. It’s the same, here. Rapunzel is naive about the world. She places her trust in a thief! This is similar to Snow putting her trust in the words of an old hag. cenicienta putting her trust in a total stranger calling herself her fairy godmother. Aurora trusting that the handsome stranger she met in the woods, totally loves her. Ariel trusting a sea witch. Belle putting her trust in the words of a beast. jazmín trusting a calle rat. Pocahontas trusting a white “savage.” mulan trusting a tiny, fast-talking dragon. Tiana trusting a frog to give her money. And eventually, Merida trusting in a witch’s spelled cake. Elsa trusting that distance will make all the difference in protecting people from her powers. And Anna trusting that a charming, handsome dude truly loves her, in one night. Rapunzel is clearly not the only naive one in the lineup. She has LOTS of company.
Being a Jack-Of –All Trades: This is the trait in Rapunzel that truly sets her apart from all of her peers. Where most princesses have one signature hobby: daydreaming, cooking, cleaning, collecting human stuff, lectura books, playing with a pet (tiger o chameleon), loving nature, loving chess and strategy, loving cooking again, loving archery, loving architecture, loving romance---- Rapunzel is a manifestation of all of these, including being an artist. Well, the archery part is substituted with using a frying pan as a weapon, which makes her más unique (I think). But when most people who dislike Rapunzel talk about her in the comentarios section…it’s usually related to the fact that she is “universally skilled” and is therefore “kind of boring, a Mary-Sue, and derivative.” Plus, she has magical hair, which makes her even más “skilled.” Ugh. She’s “a forced character.” I suppose the jack-of-all-trades aspect of Rapunzel can be irritating to people; she seems to be “too good at everything.” But the magical hair thing was something Rapunzel was born with, and it isn’t just a straight up skill that Rapunzel could have acquired/read from a book, o practiced doing. It was a part of her. Honestly, being “skilled” isn’t the worst flaw in a character. Leonardo Da Vinci was a Renaissance man: he was a sculptor, an artist, an inventor, an architect, and más besides. People don’t look at him that often, and call him derivative and a Mary-Sue. They don’t say, Da Vinci was “a forced man, who developed too many aspects of himself.” If Rapunzel is flawed for being what I would call the disney equivalent of “a Renaissance Woman,” then so be it, I guess.
Stubbornness: Mother Gothel wants Rapunzel to stay in the tower. Rapunzel wants out of the tower. Rapunzel pursues her dream, even in defiance of what her foster mother wants. Rapunzel is stubborn, and she shares this trait with Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tiana.
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Mother Gothel tells Rapunzel all about the dangers that exist outside her tower, and the “tricks” that people will play on her. Rapunzel does not listen to Gothel. She leaves her tower, anyway. Flynn tells Rapunzel that her idea of looking for the lights lacks a lot of common sense, and that he is being “inconvenienced” and needs his payment: the crown back. Rapunzel basically ignores him for a long time. Flynn also tells Rapunzel that Maximus recognizes him and will out him to the authorities. Rapunzel doesn’t believe him, not really, and insists that Maximus and Flynn become “buddies.” Gothel comes again and tells Rapunzel that she’s on the wrong track, which is really what the song “Mother Knows Best Reprise” contains. It’s all played for cuteness, but Rapunzel NEVER REALLY LISTENS TO ANYONE, at least not until Rapunzel believes that Flynn/Eugene has betrayed her amor for him. Then, of course, she goes back with Gothel, but is very conflicted.
Risk-Taking: tu can’t tell me that a girl who uses her long hair as the equivalent of rappelling gear, and a lasso, to jump off cliffs, and propel herself away from danger, doesn’t have an element of risk-taking in her? Rapunzel leaving her tower was synonymous with taking a risk. Rapunzel joins Ariel, Pocahontas, and Mulan, in the risk-taking category.
11. Merida
Selfishness: Merida doesn’t care about the future of Dun’Broch. No. At the beginning of the movie, Merida could care less what her father’s and mother’s responsibilities are. Her mother, Elinor, makes Merida “care” por forcing her to perform activities that would suit the siguiente queen of Dun’Broch. But Merida doesn’t care about becoming a queen. Merida does not care about much of anything except her favorito! pastime: archery. Similar to Tiana, Merida thumbs her nose up at all other activities that do not interest her: music, public speaking, early-rising, stately walking, appropriate dress, being mannerly, needlework, and so on. It’s quite a shame, really, but it’s her loss, just like it was Tiana’s.
Elinor is forward-thinking. Elinor looks toward the family legacy, and the future, while Merida, her daughter, “lives only in the present.” That’s the real issue between these two titular women, and how they view the world around them.
Merida’s selfishness comes to a head, though, when she exploits her mother’s arrangement of how the suitors will compete for her hand. Merida insists on archery, of course. Elinor suspects nothing, because she believes in her daughter, and though her daughter has a history of not always agreeing with her, Elinor believes deep down that Merida truly cares about her community and her family. Imagine Elinor’s surprise, when Merida blatantly embarrasses her family in front of the entire community! tu feel both for the daughter (whose life is being swept along in a destiny not of her own choosing), and tu feel for a mother (whose daughter shows out in the most public way possible and brings shame on her family).
I suppose, the two instances that speak the most to Merida’s selfishness are these: 1) a willingness to exact revenge por destroying her mother’s tapestry, and 2) a willingness to have her own way, even stooping so low as “to trick her mother” and “to change another person’s mind” for them. Elinor, for all her stringent upbringing of her daughter, never stoops to trickery, o to trying out a spell to change her daughter’s mind. But Merida does. And that is her selfishness.
Arrogance/Cockiness: Merida is not the only princess to exhibit this trait. She shares this trait with Tiana. Merida basically throws a hissy fit in her mother’s room ( the one with the tapestry). In her fit of anger, Merida lets her arrogance win out over her self-control. She never wants to be like her mother. ZAP. The tapestry is shredded. Merida does not care about the consequences of her actions, really. Merida is self-assured, and she thinks that she is “justified” in taking her life choices back from her mother. Merida throws a tantrum, ruins her mother’s property, and deeply hurts her mother’s feelings. Merida is not all that different from Tiana. Both girls don’t think about anybody’s emotional feelings save their own.
Naivety: Does Merida know much about the world outside Dun’Broch? I’ll venture a guess as to …NO. She doesn’t know diddly squat about life outside the kingdom her parents rule. But she is naïve, just like…oh, let’s see… Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, and Rapunzel. Yep. Another naive princess. Here is another princess who willingly trusts the words of a stranger: a dubious individual/witch/hag. Check. Wow, Disney/PIXAR. You’re becoming…derivative? o just not original, anymore?
Stubbornness: Is Merida stubborn? Is the sky blue? Is the césped, hierba green? Yes, of course she is. But let’s not forget that she shares this trait with Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, and Rapunzel.
Reluctance to rectify the situation: I found this trait unique to Merida, a-queen-in-training, and to one other Modern princess/queen-in-training, Elsa. But let’s just talk about Merida, here. Merida knows that she has “ruined” things for her mother. But instead of trying to “repair the damage” she has done, she proceeds to dig the hole deeper. Merida not only embarrasses her mother, she also feeds her mother “a suspicious cake,” all in an attempt to continue to “get her own way.” After Elinor becomes a bear, it still doesn’t seem to register to Merida how wrong her choices were. It’s only after Merida sees her mother losing her “human consciousness,” and finds out that this “sort of spell” hasn’t happened just once-- that it dawns on Merida that she has DONE WRONG. I just feel…to this day…that Merida’s remorseless behavior is kind of upsetting. (Oh, yes, she’s remorseful in the last half-hour of the film, but golly…what an awful, awful thing to do to your mother and… por extension... to your brothers).
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Merida doesn’t listen to her mother. What else is new? Merida also doesn’t really listen to the “fine print” of what the witch says to her about the spell. Merida NEVER LISTENS TO WHAT ANYONE SAYS, until it is way past due. But a bunch of princesses don’t listen. Merida joins the ranks of Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, and Rapunzel.
Although the last two girls have yet to be added to the disney Princess official lineup, (or will continue to exist in their own franchise), I shall still discuss them. I dicho I would address everyone’s flaws, and I MEANT EVERYBODY’S.
12. Anna
Selfishness: In Anna, tu have a girl who has no real “knowledge” about the outside world, having been under house-arrest since childhood. Anna comes to age with very little common sense, (which I profoundly blame her dumbass parents for and some doofus-level screenwriting), and seems to have the attention span of a hummingbird. Anna moves from one interest to the next, never stopping, and never fully grasping why she feels “so dissatisfied.” Anna needs emotional growth so badly, and she is so starved for it, that she literally throws herself at every situation, for better o for worse.
Anna feels understandably hurt por her sister’s emotional withdrawal, which happened very early on in their childhood. This feeling of “hurt” within Anna intensifies even más after their parents die in the shipwreck. Elsa stays in her room, no matter how much Anna begs her to come out. Anna feels rebuffed. Anna does not know how to “fill” this emotional void within her. So she begins trying to use other things--- events like her sister’s upcoming coronation, and looking for “romantic love”--- to satiate the hunger she feels.
Anna is a slight paradox. Her sense of entitlement to have “a romance” is coupled with her severe emotional insecurity. Usually, a person who is emotionally insecure normally feels reticent about “putting themselves out there.” But Anna is the exact opposite. Anna covers her emotional insecurity with “emotional vulnerability.” This is unique to Anna. Anna first wants a relationship with Elsa, and when she cannot have that, she rapidly turns to “romance” as the siguiente thing that will provide her with contentment. This is Anna’s selfishness, as she starts off being a meek girl, with an earnest desire for some companionship, but then grows into a tenacious individual who will stop at nothing to secure some kind of emotional support.
When Elsa ultimately tells Anna that she cannot have “a romance” with a man she barely knows, Anna feels tremendously betrayed. Anna feels like her sister, Elsa, who is the person who has withheld emotional support from her for all of her life, is wrong for condemning her for now seeking that emotional support from someone else. Anna acts out of her own selfishness, anger, and hurt. Anna unknowingly exposes her sister’s secret.
Naivety: I recall an apt comentario from user MissCindySpice about Anna’s personality. MissCindySpice dicho that Anna was “fizzier than a can of soda.” I actually agree with this statement. Anna is bubbly, and knows very, very little about human relationships, about the world outside Arendelle’s castle, about the emotional connection of family, and about romantic love. Anna thinks it only takes one evening for a guy to “fall in amor with her.” Anna thinks that she will win Elsa over, por simply talking to her. Yes, Anna is naive, but she shares this trait with Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida.
Cluelessness: This is kind of self-explanatory. 1) If tu think a real relationship can happen in one night, tu are pretty clueless ( on average, most disney Princesses take three days to find love), and 2) tu also are kind of clueless to run off into a blizzard in only a ball vestido and a cape; tu are seriously under-dressed for the elements and could catch pneumonia, and 3) leaving a total foreigner, whom you’ve only met tonight, in charge of your entire kingdom is just asking for something awful to happen.
Stubbornness: Anna is resolute in pursuing “romance,” and is equally as resolute in fighting a blizzard and the ice in her heart, to restore her “sister.” Anna shares her stubbornness with Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida.
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Anna does not listen to Elsa. Anna does not listen to Hans, when he disagrees about going after Elsa. Anna does not listen to Kristoff about “falling in love” in one night. Anna ignores the trolls and their song about Kristoff and Elsa’s personalities. Basically, Anna NEVER REALLY LISTENS TO WHAT ANYONE SAYS, and only stops to listen after Hans unmasks himself as the devious piece of ***t he is. Then, and only then, does Anna listen to Olaf, the snowman. So, technically, Anna joins Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida-- a long line of disney Princesses WHO NEVER LISTEN TO WHAT ANYBODY SAYS TO THEM. Achem.
13. Elsa
Selfishness: Elsa happens to be just as selfish as all of her predecessors and her own sister. Elsa’s selfishness is associated with her anxiety and her severe depression over her powers. Elsa, to be honest, WANTS HER FREEDOM just like her counterparts Ariel, Pocahontas, and Merida. (All three girls, Ariel, Pocahontas, and Merida wanted the restrictions their parents placed on them to be lifted. Ariel wanted the freedom to be allowed to entertain her own thoughts on humans. Pocahontas wanted the freedom to choose her own path/destiny. Merida wanted the freedom not to marry. Similarly, Elsa wants the freedom to exercise her powers).
If there is a message behind the song “Let It Go,” that isn’t one that people have co-opted and forced into whatever “symbol” they want--- it is this. Elsa is blasted tired of listening to everyone in her life tell her that her powers are scary, destructive, dangerous, and useless. When she builds her ice castillo while canto “it’s time to see what I can do, test the limits and break though,” it isn’t really about lgbt rights. It is totally about Elsa expressing her own FREEDOM to USE her own powers at long last.
Elsa has spent her whole life caring about what happens to other people, including her own sister. Elsa’s father demanded that she be the “responsible” one. But with both of her parents dead, her secret revealed publicly por Anna, and her life endangered por being construed as a witch, Elsa can think of no other option than the SELFISH OPTION of escaping.
Elsa is torn between wanting her own freedom and the responsibility that was dropped into her lap from a young age. So, in a sense, when she is up on a mountain-top creating a blizzard and canto about her own freedom: “My power flurries through the air into the ground/ My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around” ( she is elated!) Then in the three lines that follow, and in the last chorus of the song, there is a BOLD STATEMENT of Elsa’s selfishness, and her desire to remain free…
“And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast/ I'm never going back/ The past is in the past
Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand in the light of day
Let the storm rage on!
The cold never bothered me anyway”
Yep. Even Elsa--- in the last three lines of the final verse, and in the last chorus of her song, expresses one thing: SELFISHNESS. Elsa now doesn’t care about what happens with other people’s lives. Standing in her castle, Elsa has chosen her own life, and her own desires. But I’m not exactly surprised por this, because Elsa is very much like Ariel. Both have grown up under an overbearing trajectory set forth por their fathers, and both express – in a song-- their total desire to deviate from the “approved way that they have been dictated to live.”
Ambivalence and Cowardice: Well now, if tu can’t see that Elsa is ambivalent and seems “torn” and “confused” all the way through Frozen, then tu really weren’t watching her facial expressions. Twenty-five years ago, Ariel’s distress, choices, and feelings were all delivered por her facial expressions. Elsa, just like Ariel, has her facial expressions delivering her emotional state.
The ambivalence of Elsa is similar to Pocahontas’s. Pocahontas knew that having two men from opposing peoples fighting over her romantically would end badly for both males. Pocahontas knew that, but was SLOW TO ACT. Like Pocahontas, Elsa knew that releasing her powers would endanger someone, somewhere. But Elsa committed fully to her freedom, and released her powers--- just like Pocahontas committed to her freedom por loving John Smith, which was totally against her cultural protocol. When Anna rushes up and tells Elsa that she froze Arendelle and everything, Elsa wears the similar shocked/worried expression that Pocahontas wears after Kocoum is killed. Just like Pocahontas, Elsa is SLOW TO ACT. Elsa does not immediately reverse the winter after she finds out that she has created it. Pocahontas lets John be carried off and imprisoned, and does nothing, immediately, to save him. Both girls register shock about their mistakes, but DO NOTHING at that moment, to rectify the situation. They both just stand there, miserable and quiet.
I’m not sure that Elsa’s cowardice about reversing the winter is far-fetched. Elsa doesn’t even try to reverse the winter, half because she doesn’t know how, and also because (I think) she is afraid of making things even worse than how they are at present. I mean, Elsa is scared of so many things por this point in her life: rejection por her people, rejection por her sister, the dangerous nature of her powers, her complete fear of having to be a queen, and strange new neighbors with political desires circling her like sharks (the Duke of Weselton and Hans). Maybe, just maybe, Elsa is one of those people that, instead of facing their fears, have the hope that por hiding o turning away…the problems will all resolve themselves without them needing to do anything. Unfortunately, this logic is wrong. And it doesn’t take long for Elsa to see how her lack of making a decision-- is a decision in itself. por doing nothing, Elsa basically realizes that she has set herself up for failure.
Bossiness: Elsa is a queen. We do see her crowned in the movie. But Elsa is bossy, and she basically bosses Anna around. Elsa does not want to dance with the Duke of Weselton, so she shoves her sister at the Duke, instead. Elsa also does not want Anna making any decisions for herself, at the present moment, so Elsa basically puts her foot down, and embarrasses Anna publicly, por telling her that wanting romance is a foolish choice to make. But Elsa is not the first bossy disney princess. Elsa joins Snow White and Tiana.
Naivety: Elsa doesn’t know anything about forming constructive family relationships. Agreeing to remain isolated in her room turns out to be a huge disservice for Elsa. This is part of why her relationship with her sister deteriorates to the point where Elsa practically wishes to cut off all ties. Elsa, like her sister, has never had a “good family life.” Elsa has never experienced romance.
Elsa also doesn’t know ANYTHING about her powers, really. She only knows that they are “dangerous.” Elsa actually thinks that “distance” will matter one whit to the “strength” of her released powers. One thing puzzles me. If Elsa spent years not releasing her powers, because of fearing for the safety of her sister and Arendelle at large, then why would she “suddenly think” that releasing her powers at a distance from Arendelle and Anna, WOULD WORK? Elsa already tried the “distance” thing once, with remaining away from both Anna and Arendelle, while being locked inside her own room. Distance as a form of protection didn’t seem to improve things the first time. And distance clearly didn’t help on the mountainside, either. I tell you, Elsa is naive.
Elsa joins her counterparts Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Anna in being naïve. Elsa is also an introvert, which people often confuse with her “being mature.” Elsa IS NOT MATURE, though. Not por a long shot.
Arrogance/Cockiness: Elsa’s arrogance is much más subdued than either Tiana’s o Merida’s. Elsa is not as brash as either of her two counterparts. However, Elsa does claim to know information which she does not, in fact, know. Elsa claims to be an authority on “romance.” I have always found this statement, “ tu can’t marry a man tu just met,” strange for two reasons. 1) Elsa has never had a fiancé. In the entire movie tu never see her with anybody. I would feel like Elsa had some credence to make this statement, if she had had an Ex, and the Ex treated her very badly. But Elsa speaks this line out of total ignorance. 2) Secondly, this line shows how ruled-by-anxiety Elsa is. Elsa really only cares about people seeing “her powers,” and is terrified of her big secret being exposed. When Anna tells her that Hans is going to stay, the wheels in Elsa’s head turn faster, and Elsa leaps to a conclusion: “More people will be around the castle! This means más people from which I will have to hide my powers! EGHADS! HELP ME!!”
Okay. Don’t shoot me. I can totally see it from Elsa’s point-of-view. But Elsa is arrogant in prejudging the situation, and she SOUNDS like a COMPLETE HYPOCRITE when she knows so little about romance o about people in general.
Passivity/ The reluctance to rectify the situation:
If I were to describe Elsa in one word it would be “passive.” Elsa is the most passive disney character I have ever watched on screen. The passivity IS the flaw in Elsa that sets her apart from Merida, even, and makes her “redemption” at the end of the movie seem kind of false. Aside from Elsa’s one moment on the hilltop, casting off her responsibilities with “Let It Go”--- there are no other moments where Elsa is shown being “proactive” and “taking the initiative to set things right.” After “Let It Go,” Elsa returns to being a completely passive person.
Elsa is also the most anxious disney character I have ever seen. Elsa spends the majority, if not the entirety of the film, running away and hiding from ALL of the mistakes she makes. When faced with the consequences, Elsa continues to panic and run away. Elsa is reluctant, and also profoundly unable to rectify the “eternal winter problem,” which seems counterintuitive, since we know just how intelligent she is. Elsa built a frigging elaborate ice castillo all on her own, without input from any architects, with just a mere image in her head!!! Elsa is SMART!!!! It would seem PERFECTLY OBVIOUS that she could put two-and-two together, and figure out how to reverse the winter.
I also need to say that IT TAKES AWAY FROM ELSA to have Anna provide Elsa with “the solution to her mistakes, which is love.” Elsa should have been ALLOWED to figure that out ALL ON HER OWN! Look at some earlier examples, among the Modern girls, of EXACTLY what I am talking about… Tiana figured out how to outwit Dr. Facilier all on her own! Rapunzel figured out the mystery of why she recognized the sunburst art all on her own! Merida figured out all on her own what the witch’s silly rhyme meant, and turned her mother back into a human! The same should have happened HERE. It would have made Elsa a más compelling figure-- dado Elsa AGENCY, if she had been able to undo all of the damage she’d done without any “hints” from anyone. Done this way, Elsa would have come into her own, and earned más respect. There would be less controversy surrounding her personality and character; there would be less credence to the arguments of her being cowardly; there would be fewer contradictory instances in the movie, where Elsa is shown as being smart in one instance, and then shown as being pitifully helpless/stupid the next. As it is, the true credit for saving the día goes to Elsa’s sister, the naïve and admittedly- kind-of-clueless Anna. This seriously UNDERCUTS Elsa’s strength as a protagonist.
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her:
Elsa, like Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Anna before her, NEVER LISTENS to what ANYBODY tells her. Anna tells Elsa that she is wrong to judge her for wanting romance. Elsa just looks shocked at Anna’s reaction, but doesn’t seem to give any credence to what Anna says. Later on, when Anna appears at Elsa’s castillo and tells her that she froze Arendelle and the entire country, Elsa barely hears Anna AT ALL. Elsa begins canto “ For The first Time In Forever (Reprise),” where she basically belts out how her powers make her afraid; how she will never go back to Arendelle; and how she will never associate herself with being a queen ever again. Elsa even let’s her irritation and anger over Anna’s message dictate her reaction. She shoots her sister in the chest with ice. I do not think THAT THAT IS LISTENING to someone….
Also, Elsa does not listen to Hans, either, when he shows up and asks her to come back to Arendelle. Elsa again refuses to listen. Even in the dungeon, when Hans comes in and asks Elsa to reverse the winter, she doesn’t seem to be ready to listen. Her answer is the now infamous line “I can’t!” Elsa just spends the entire movie NOT LISTENING to anybody. Elsa listens only to her own fears, anxieties, and troubles. Of course, after Anna becomes an ice statue, then Elsa is brought out of her preoccupation with just herself. But it took ANNA’S SACRIFCIAL DEATH to wake Elsa up. Yeah. Elsa joins multiple disney Princesses, a whole group of people WHO NEVER LISTEN until it is almost too late.
So, to envolver, abrigo up, every single princess in the disney lineup IS SELFISH. I do not make this final judgement lightly. IT’S THE UGLY TRUTH THAT KEEPS REAPPEARING EVERYWHERE. No, Ariel isn’t the only one singled out with this awful problem. Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, and Elsa ARE SELFISH, TOO. Aside from the selfishness, other flaws are shared among the princesses, such as bossiness, ambivalence, naivety, stubbornness, not listening to what anyone else tells her, etc. Then there are flaws that are unique to each princess, and are hers and hers alone.
Pssst! I’m going to tell tu a great big secret about Disney. Ready? ALL of the disney Princesses ARE BAD ROLE modelos IN THEIR OWN WAYS. There. I dicho it. For children, for adults, for most anyone--- these girls ARE NOT the greatest role modelos tu have ever seen! There is some truth to this statement. I actually sat down and analyzed every single one of them, and that is the only conclusion I could draw after looking at each and every girl. tu connect the dots! You’re holding the finished report. I gave tu all of the problems about every single princess in the lineup. Plenty of people get hung up in arguments about this, but the facts are the facts. No character in this lineup is “completely good.” tu can like who tu like, but that’s about it. We all have our preferences. Save yourself some energy, make some friends, participate in polls, discuss stuff, play games, and go on and have a good time with the club. That’s the real reason tu joined, isn’t it?
Then why make up “a disney Princesses franchise,” you’re asking? If NONE of these characters are spotless, then why do we “look up” to them so much?
I think this is the answer. It’s because we like them. We like their flaws. We like their personalities. And they are teaching us lessons through their mistakes. That’s it, in a nutshell.
As for the siguiente time tu heavily criticize a princess tu dislike, over a princess tu do like…remember that your chosen princess IS NOT PERFECT, EITHER. tu just happen to overlook her flaws por choice, o amor her for her flaws. On face value, having done this series, I’ve found that NOT ONE of the princesses in the disney lineup IS SUPPOSEDLY BETTER than any of her contemporaries. We, the disney audience, just gravitate to those flaws/vices we can stand.
Thank you, if tu made it, to the end of this article. My geez, this was long! I hope it wasn’t a horrid read. Also, many thanks to everyone who left comentarios for the first two artículos in this series!! tu didn’t have to do that, but I loved to read the comentarios below the article. Again, like last time, please feel free to comentario /discuss below, should tu choose.
I might resurrect my other articulo series, “Disney Rewind: The disney Princess Edition,” at some point in the future. (That is, if my account doesn't somehow get randomly deleted, again...) Good tidings till the siguiente article-go-round! Over and out.
-wavesurf ( formerly 8804)
Since this is the last articulo on the Vices of the disney Princesses, I want to at least say that it was --- not necessarily a pleasure to dissect everyone down to their skeletons ( ew)--- but it was enjoyable to get the skeletons of each princess out of the closet, so to speak. There are common threads and behaviors shared por all of the disney Princesses. Selfishness seems to be the primary flaw for each and every single one of them! At least, this shows that they’re human, right? But similarities aside, each princess is a unique character with a unique set of flaws.
Let’s not waste time. I’m going to mover full-speed ahead to the matter at hand. I already told tu why I’m escritura this ( see earlier articles: link and link . Feel free to check out why). This is the last part of the “why.” Ready o not, shall we go?
9. Tiana
Selfishness: The beginning of The Princess and The Frog starts off with what I like to call “dream transference,” which is más commonly known as “carrying the banner.” Young Tiana likes to cook, and is flawlessly good at it. But it is her father that wants to open up a business. Tiana’s father wants to create a family legacy and connect with the community through founding a restaurant. The restaurant is not originally Tiana’s idea. It’s her father’s idea.
Looking at the grownup Tiana, we see how grieved she is at her father’s death, and how amargo, amargos she is at him having not had the chance to live to see his dream come true. (The “dream come true” aspect is standard fare for Disney. If tu don’t like it, well… go watch something else, because this is a nauseatingly normal trope). Because Tiana is grieving and is staunchly opposed to how things “shook out” for her father, she works herself to the bone as a waitress, saving all tips--- mere pennies at times--- in an effort to save up enough to buy a property for the restaurant. Tiana “wants to fulfill her father’s dream,” and is prepared to sacrifice all to do so! (You have to admire Tiana’s diligence, here. This is an equal match to Ariel’s pursuit of becoming a human).
By the time Naveen shows up in town, Tiana has created an idea in her mind of what constitutes “a good life,” and what constitutes “a worthy person.” The movie does not come directly out and say what either one of these definitions are, but if you’re lectura through the lines in how Tiana interacts with Charlotte, Tiana’s life code becomes clearer. Tiana’s life code seems to be: 1) there’s no magic, and a good life cannot be just “given” to tu like Charlotte’s father gave to her, because not everyone has it easy, and 2) people who have always had it their way, and had things provided for them, do not ever learn to work hard; they tend to be lazy, and are not really “realistic” about their dreams. Tiana considers believing in stars for wish granting as lower than stupid.
Tiana, tu see, has developed a very narrow-minded view of the “lives” of other people. I think this is because when Tiana looks at Charlotte’s wealth, in contrast to her own poverty, she is frustrated and dissatisfied. In order to justify the imbalance and the discrepancy between the two--- Tiana has to “vilify” the other side. Tiana has to define the other side as “ más lazy than herself.” Tiana has to believe that “stuff that comes easy is not valuable at all.” Tiana is IN ERROR in her thinking, here. What she has told herself IS NOT necessarily true. What is true is that families who are wealthy have a tendency to pass on their wealth to the siguiente generation, because the available laws allow them to do so. Families who have less wealth to work with, have a harder time passing on their wealth, because the available laws are written so as to decrease their chances of passing it on. This is economics. This is the truth of the matter. (For más on inequality and the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor, please take a Poverty, Affluence, and Families course at your local college o university).
So Tiana has some weird ideas burgeoning in her brain. They’re lies, of course. But comfortable ones, if tu know what I mean. But let’s get on with the point of the story….
The first time Tiana makes her bid/offer for the property, she gets turned down por the shady real estate owners (who tell her a very capitalistic message: it’s not enough money. She’s been outbid por another individual). Thoroughly depressed and angry, Tiana has a horrible time at the neighborhood soiree, and is forced to borrow a dress from Charlotte. It is after she has dressed up in some “wealth” borrowed from charlotte that Tiana’s corazón breaks anew. This is the last straw. Tiana believes that all her efforts have been in vain. Then…Tiana meets Naveen… and por meeting him, Tiana is brought face-to-face with the lies she has been telling herself over and over about the wealthy.
Tiana distrusts Naveen because of his wealthy background, and only kisses Naveen when she thinks it will “give her a chance for money.” Deciding that Naveen is only her opportunity “to secure money for her restaurant” is Tiana’s selfishness. Tiana’s selfishness is rooted both in her desire for her restaurant, and in her jealousy of her wealthier peers. (I have to give disney apoyar for mostrando this in a disney movie, because it is a very heavy and very human portrayal).
It’s also very funny, that one side of the political spectrum these days likes to say that the poor are “lazy,” and that poor people “don’t value hard work.” This movie suggests otherwise. I wish they’d watch it.
But the point here is that Tiana is selfish. Tiana’s selfishness is not as easily spotted like Ariel’s, but I would not say that it escapes attention. Tiana’s selfishness is actually pretty blatant, if tu ask me.
Bossiness: I’m not going to beat around the arbusto, bush here. Tiana is extremely bossy. She bosses Naveen, Ray, and Louis. Mama Odie escapes being bossed around por Tiana, due to her voodoo magic and being más than twice Tiana’s age. Hahaha. Tiana can’t boss Dr. Facilier around very much, because he is crafty and sly. (Reminiscent of Ursula, Facilier likes to strike deals that end poorly for the signee. Tiana has to outwit him, just like Ariel does to Ursula).
In the DP lineup, Tiana and Snow White are similar, in the sense that bossiness is a trait shared por both girls.
Naivety: Tiana doesn’t know how capitalism works. Tiana does not know “the how” o “why” the system is “rigged” against her achieving her dream of owning a restaurant. Tiana even trusts a frog’s promise to “give her money.” Technically, Tiana is just as naïve as Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan.
Arrogance/Cockiness: Tiana has her own ideas about life, and knows all about what is best for Naveen. Tiana hardly listens to Mama Odie. But if tu already know everything, people really can’t help tu achieve your dream. They just can’t.
Tiana goes around thinking she is “justified” in treating other people shabbily. Tiana feels dissed because of the dismissal of her achievements por her peers. If tu watch the movie, Naveen eventually grows sick of being called “a lazy good-for-nothing” por Tiana, and so he calls her “a stick-in-the-mud.” This cements Tiana’s feelings of hurt, and she continues her “justification in treating people badly.” Just make a mental note, here, though. Tiana shows out due to her own hurt and her own arrogance. Tiana keeps reprimanding Naveen nonstop, and she eventually hurts HIS self-esteem.
It’s funny how some people provide all kinds of excuses for Tiana’s bad behavior. They don’t excuse Merida for her bad behavior. They don’t excuse Anna for her bad behavior. They don’t excuse Elsa for her bad behavior. They certainly don’t excuse Ariel for her bad behavior. So I’m NOT EXCUSING Tiana for her bad behavior. I’m still kind of amazed, that Tiana can’t figure out that the Naveen on the float must not be the real Naveen, because she is still a frog! Like, Mama Odie already told tu that only the real Naveen’s kiss would work. You’re still a frog, so he can’t be the true Naveen!!! Then, Tiana, why are tu so upset over this? Even rayo, ray told tu that this was a deception. But does Tiana listen to him? Nope. She blows off Ray’s words, and proceeds to tell him “the right way to see things.” Seriously, Tiana? What tu dicho to rayo, ray was extremely haughty. Your dream didn’t come true? Well, boo-hoo. Suck it up. tu are NEVER justified in treating other people like dirt. NEVER.
Stubbornness: Tiana is stubborn, just like ALL of her Renaissance predecessors: Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan. If Tiana can’t get her way, she gets mad, and she will fight to the amargo, amargos end to secure her dream.
Hypercritical/Ignoring the Golden Rule:
Way too often, Tiana is just plain critical to other characters in this movie for no apparent reason. I TOTALLY BLAME THE SCREENWRITERS for this one. I mean, was it necessary for Tiana to tell rayo, ray that “it’s only a star,” right after rayo, ray has valued Tiana’s dream of getting her restaurant, EVEN GUIDED her to Mama Odie so that she can become human again, and even tells her that the Naveen she saw on the float was really a deception? rayo, ray did not need “a lecture on how his dream was inaccurate.” After all, rayo, ray comes across as the selfless type. Tiana comes across as a (female) jerk, here.
There is the instance where Tiana is captured por the trappers on the bayou, and Naveen mounts a rescue mission, and he frees Tiana. Does Tiana thank him? Belle says thank tu to the Beast for jumping into the fray and battling lobos for her. Tiana does not thank Naveen at all. Tiana basically leaves Naveen in the lurch, and gets herself to safety, first. It’s not until Tiana gets captured por the trappers, herself, that she seems to be the least bit grateful for Naveen’s presence. Tiana again acts dismissive.
Then there are the moments where Naveen is trying to connect with Tiana: through music, through dancing, and through translating French poetry. During the song “Dig A Little Deeper,” Tiana is shown really enjoying dancing por herself far más than she did with Naveen during the sequence “La Belle Evangeline.” Tiana always keeps Naveen at arm’s length. I guess the only “thawed-out-version” of Tiana that comes to mind, is when Tiana appreciates the cena Naveen provided, where he minced everything. I think Tiana related to/liked this the most, because it directly translated into cooking, her own specialty. The rest—a shared amor of music, of dancing, of French poetry-- Tiana seems to turn down her nose at, and this really is her loss.
Even when Naveen sits with Tiana on the barco after the dinner, Tiana is busy discussing her restaurant in the “our” since of the word, referring only to her and her father. Tiana simply does not take any emotional cues at all, not even from Naveen’s repeated, gentle attempts to include himself as part of her dream. When Naveen breaks in, and says, “Our food?” Tiana responds, “Huh? Oh, no, no, no. My daddy.” Tiana is dismissive. She just doesn’t treat other people the way she treats herself. Tiana treats her own dream with kid gloves and reverence. Contrast this, with the way Tiana punctures Ray’s dream, and drags Naveen’s personality and his hobbies down as being inferior to her own. Tiana only begins “liking” Naveen, after Naveen starts changing key aspects of his personality. Working hard is all fine and good, but how I wish Tiana followed o believed in the Golden Rule. It would have made her less prickly and más approachable. (As it is, I don’t ever warm to Tiana, nor do I grow to like her very much).
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Tiana, like Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and mulan before her, NEVER LISTENS to what anybody tells her. Tiana is told por Naveen that there is más to life than incessant work. Tiana disregards his words. rayo, ray tries to give Tiana hope that her dream is not yet lost to her. Tiana lets her depression control her tongue; she doesn’t believe the firefly, and gets snarky, calling Ray’s amor for a estrella “impossible.” Mama Odie even tries to tell Tiana that while hard work is good, Tiana should open up her corazón and her eyes to see that loving and building relationships with others will help her to reach her own dream. BUT---Tiana only focuses on the “hard work is good” part of Mama Odie’s message. It’s only after Dr. Facilier offers Tiana the choice of sacrificing Naveen’s life for her restaurant, that Tiana actually STOPS TO THINK for once. Yeah. Tiana NEVER LISTENS to what anybody says, until it’s very, very late in the game.
No Risk-Taking: As seen in the movie, Tiana is adventure-adverse. Her only “risk” is besar a frog for money. Tiana never takes any other risks at all. She is staunchly against risk-taking of all kinds, a trait that really pits her against every other character she meets. Tiana basically runs all her friends away, because she prides herself “on not ever doing anything entertaining o fun that other people flock to do.” Throughout the movie, Tiana stays right in her comfort zone: she has her goal, the restaurant, and she does not really care about the goals of other people, which is her arrogance. Tiana does not feel threatened as long as the goals of other people don’t interfere with her goal. Once Tiana becomes a frog, her interests are bumped up to just two: becoming human again, and then her restaurant. (To this day, I have a hard time believing Tiana really fell in amor with Naveen, because all of her actions after the magical wedding-turn-back-into-a-human –kiss-moment are all about her restaurant. Literally. THAT’S IT. The romance in The Princess and The Frog really feels like an extra pizza topping added on “just because.” The romantic vibe is somewhat forced, and the movie would have been just fine without it, I think).
Now some people will be able to identify with Tiana. They will like her resolute pursuit of her goal, no matter what, and the fact that she does not get hung up in the concerns of other people. They will like her no-nonsense take on life in general. They will like the fact that she is tight-fisted and never does anything STUPID like Ariel. But the flip side of that is Tiana being viewed AS STUPID for not trying to do anything else to expand her limited view of the world. Tiana is basically severely cutting back on all of her chances to have any new interactions, o to have any new experiences. (Tiana would be limited to creating small talk at her new restaurant. Tiana, as hostess of her establishment, would be moving around to create small-talk to customers waiting at dining tables; these discussions are superficial at best, and at worst, very rarely ever grow into any long-lasting friendships. I know this from being a frequent customer going to the same establishments time after time. It’s the same people mostrando up over and over, but nothing of import is discussed. This frivolous exchange between Tiana and her customers, would never dip into how they are faring in their actual lives--- a deep subject that Tiana would clearly avoid! Whenever Naveen tries to share his memories about how he grew up with music, Tiana does not even want to hear about it!) So we see Tiana at the end of the movie, happy with realizing her dream, and doing justice to her father’s memory-- but not making the effort to cultivate anything but surface relationships.
Some people will have trouble relating to Tiana, because they might not want to stay in the same place and do the same things día after day. They might want to get out and do things that Tiana would label as “crazy.” That would not mean that Tiana’s view is the wrong viewpoint to hold. It would just mean that some people would leave Tiana in the dust, and go about their lives having new experiences, and deeper relationships, while not trying to please a person who thinks “you’re stupid for taking risks and having fun.” Because, when all is dicho and done, not everyone is going to want to listen to a person who constantly talks down to them. And Tiana, for all her hardworking sensibilities, has a penchant for talking down to people.
10. Rapunzel
Selfishness: Rapunzel’s selfishness is also as easy to spot as Tiana’s is. Rapunzel has lived in a tower all of her life. She has no friends other than a chameleon, named Pascal. Rapunzel therefore has lived a sheltered, limited life, in the “lack of experiences” way. To decrease Rapunzel’s motivation to leave the tower, Mother Gothel provides Rapunzel with everything Rapunzel could ever want…I guess…save Rapunzel’s freedom. Look at all of the hobbies Rapunzel has! The girl cooks, bakes, sews, knits, makes candles, makes dresses, cleans, paints her walls, and brushes her outlandishly long hair, etc. And Rapunzel has everything, literally everything--- and she still wants more! Rapunzel wants to see the lights that appear every año on her birthday. She wants to see them up close, in a way she has never seen them before. This is akin to Ariel wanting to see humans up close. And if Ariel is selfish for wanting to be part of the human world-- an experience she has never had-- then, Rapunzel is just as selfish for wanting to go see the lights, an experience she has also never had. So Rapunzel is selfish for having been “given everything” por Mother Gothel, but for wanting más than has been provided. Sound familiar? Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tiana ALL WANTED MORE. They wanted their dream to come true. Selfishness is pretty universal to all of these characters, isn’t it?
Naivety: How much naivety is too much naivety? Okay, for starters, this is not the first character in the lineup to be naïve. And Rapunzel is not the last character to be naïve. In fact, if tu go backwards, from Rapunzel, tu will see that most of the lineup is naïve. These girls often don’t know much about the outside world; they don’t know whom to trust; and they don’t know that their pursuit of their dreams, and their own curiosity, might be exploited. It’s the same, here. Rapunzel is naive about the world. She places her trust in a thief! This is similar to Snow putting her trust in the words of an old hag. cenicienta putting her trust in a total stranger calling herself her fairy godmother. Aurora trusting that the handsome stranger she met in the woods, totally loves her. Ariel trusting a sea witch. Belle putting her trust in the words of a beast. jazmín trusting a calle rat. Pocahontas trusting a white “savage.” mulan trusting a tiny, fast-talking dragon. Tiana trusting a frog to give her money. And eventually, Merida trusting in a witch’s spelled cake. Elsa trusting that distance will make all the difference in protecting people from her powers. And Anna trusting that a charming, handsome dude truly loves her, in one night. Rapunzel is clearly not the only naive one in the lineup. She has LOTS of company.
Being a Jack-Of –All Trades: This is the trait in Rapunzel that truly sets her apart from all of her peers. Where most princesses have one signature hobby: daydreaming, cooking, cleaning, collecting human stuff, lectura books, playing with a pet (tiger o chameleon), loving nature, loving chess and strategy, loving cooking again, loving archery, loving architecture, loving romance---- Rapunzel is a manifestation of all of these, including being an artist. Well, the archery part is substituted with using a frying pan as a weapon, which makes her más unique (I think). But when most people who dislike Rapunzel talk about her in the comentarios section…it’s usually related to the fact that she is “universally skilled” and is therefore “kind of boring, a Mary-Sue, and derivative.” Plus, she has magical hair, which makes her even más “skilled.” Ugh. She’s “a forced character.” I suppose the jack-of-all-trades aspect of Rapunzel can be irritating to people; she seems to be “too good at everything.” But the magical hair thing was something Rapunzel was born with, and it isn’t just a straight up skill that Rapunzel could have acquired/read from a book, o practiced doing. It was a part of her. Honestly, being “skilled” isn’t the worst flaw in a character. Leonardo Da Vinci was a Renaissance man: he was a sculptor, an artist, an inventor, an architect, and más besides. People don’t look at him that often, and call him derivative and a Mary-Sue. They don’t say, Da Vinci was “a forced man, who developed too many aspects of himself.” If Rapunzel is flawed for being what I would call the disney equivalent of “a Renaissance Woman,” then so be it, I guess.
Stubbornness: Mother Gothel wants Rapunzel to stay in the tower. Rapunzel wants out of the tower. Rapunzel pursues her dream, even in defiance of what her foster mother wants. Rapunzel is stubborn, and she shares this trait with Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tiana.
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Mother Gothel tells Rapunzel all about the dangers that exist outside her tower, and the “tricks” that people will play on her. Rapunzel does not listen to Gothel. She leaves her tower, anyway. Flynn tells Rapunzel that her idea of looking for the lights lacks a lot of common sense, and that he is being “inconvenienced” and needs his payment: the crown back. Rapunzel basically ignores him for a long time. Flynn also tells Rapunzel that Maximus recognizes him and will out him to the authorities. Rapunzel doesn’t believe him, not really, and insists that Maximus and Flynn become “buddies.” Gothel comes again and tells Rapunzel that she’s on the wrong track, which is really what the song “Mother Knows Best Reprise” contains. It’s all played for cuteness, but Rapunzel NEVER REALLY LISTENS TO ANYONE, at least not until Rapunzel believes that Flynn/Eugene has betrayed her amor for him. Then, of course, she goes back with Gothel, but is very conflicted.
Risk-Taking: tu can’t tell me that a girl who uses her long hair as the equivalent of rappelling gear, and a lasso, to jump off cliffs, and propel herself away from danger, doesn’t have an element of risk-taking in her? Rapunzel leaving her tower was synonymous with taking a risk. Rapunzel joins Ariel, Pocahontas, and Mulan, in the risk-taking category.
11. Merida
Selfishness: Merida doesn’t care about the future of Dun’Broch. No. At the beginning of the movie, Merida could care less what her father’s and mother’s responsibilities are. Her mother, Elinor, makes Merida “care” por forcing her to perform activities that would suit the siguiente queen of Dun’Broch. But Merida doesn’t care about becoming a queen. Merida does not care about much of anything except her favorito! pastime: archery. Similar to Tiana, Merida thumbs her nose up at all other activities that do not interest her: music, public speaking, early-rising, stately walking, appropriate dress, being mannerly, needlework, and so on. It’s quite a shame, really, but it’s her loss, just like it was Tiana’s.
Elinor is forward-thinking. Elinor looks toward the family legacy, and the future, while Merida, her daughter, “lives only in the present.” That’s the real issue between these two titular women, and how they view the world around them.
Merida’s selfishness comes to a head, though, when she exploits her mother’s arrangement of how the suitors will compete for her hand. Merida insists on archery, of course. Elinor suspects nothing, because she believes in her daughter, and though her daughter has a history of not always agreeing with her, Elinor believes deep down that Merida truly cares about her community and her family. Imagine Elinor’s surprise, when Merida blatantly embarrasses her family in front of the entire community! tu feel both for the daughter (whose life is being swept along in a destiny not of her own choosing), and tu feel for a mother (whose daughter shows out in the most public way possible and brings shame on her family).
I suppose, the two instances that speak the most to Merida’s selfishness are these: 1) a willingness to exact revenge por destroying her mother’s tapestry, and 2) a willingness to have her own way, even stooping so low as “to trick her mother” and “to change another person’s mind” for them. Elinor, for all her stringent upbringing of her daughter, never stoops to trickery, o to trying out a spell to change her daughter’s mind. But Merida does. And that is her selfishness.
Arrogance/Cockiness: Merida is not the only princess to exhibit this trait. She shares this trait with Tiana. Merida basically throws a hissy fit in her mother’s room ( the one with the tapestry). In her fit of anger, Merida lets her arrogance win out over her self-control. She never wants to be like her mother. ZAP. The tapestry is shredded. Merida does not care about the consequences of her actions, really. Merida is self-assured, and she thinks that she is “justified” in taking her life choices back from her mother. Merida throws a tantrum, ruins her mother’s property, and deeply hurts her mother’s feelings. Merida is not all that different from Tiana. Both girls don’t think about anybody’s emotional feelings save their own.
Naivety: Does Merida know much about the world outside Dun’Broch? I’ll venture a guess as to …NO. She doesn’t know diddly squat about life outside the kingdom her parents rule. But she is naïve, just like…oh, let’s see… Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, and Rapunzel. Yep. Another naive princess. Here is another princess who willingly trusts the words of a stranger: a dubious individual/witch/hag. Check. Wow, Disney/PIXAR. You’re becoming…derivative? o just not original, anymore?
Stubbornness: Is Merida stubborn? Is the sky blue? Is the césped, hierba green? Yes, of course she is. But let’s not forget that she shares this trait with Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, and Rapunzel.
Reluctance to rectify the situation: I found this trait unique to Merida, a-queen-in-training, and to one other Modern princess/queen-in-training, Elsa. But let’s just talk about Merida, here. Merida knows that she has “ruined” things for her mother. But instead of trying to “repair the damage” she has done, she proceeds to dig the hole deeper. Merida not only embarrasses her mother, she also feeds her mother “a suspicious cake,” all in an attempt to continue to “get her own way.” After Elinor becomes a bear, it still doesn’t seem to register to Merida how wrong her choices were. It’s only after Merida sees her mother losing her “human consciousness,” and finds out that this “sort of spell” hasn’t happened just once-- that it dawns on Merida that she has DONE WRONG. I just feel…to this day…that Merida’s remorseless behavior is kind of upsetting. (Oh, yes, she’s remorseful in the last half-hour of the film, but golly…what an awful, awful thing to do to your mother and… por extension... to your brothers).
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Merida doesn’t listen to her mother. What else is new? Merida also doesn’t really listen to the “fine print” of what the witch says to her about the spell. Merida NEVER LISTENS TO WHAT ANYONE SAYS, until it is way past due. But a bunch of princesses don’t listen. Merida joins the ranks of Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, and Rapunzel.
Although the last two girls have yet to be added to the disney Princess official lineup, (or will continue to exist in their own franchise), I shall still discuss them. I dicho I would address everyone’s flaws, and I MEANT EVERYBODY’S.
12. Anna
Selfishness: In Anna, tu have a girl who has no real “knowledge” about the outside world, having been under house-arrest since childhood. Anna comes to age with very little common sense, (which I profoundly blame her dumbass parents for and some doofus-level screenwriting), and seems to have the attention span of a hummingbird. Anna moves from one interest to the next, never stopping, and never fully grasping why she feels “so dissatisfied.” Anna needs emotional growth so badly, and she is so starved for it, that she literally throws herself at every situation, for better o for worse.
Anna feels understandably hurt por her sister’s emotional withdrawal, which happened very early on in their childhood. This feeling of “hurt” within Anna intensifies even más after their parents die in the shipwreck. Elsa stays in her room, no matter how much Anna begs her to come out. Anna feels rebuffed. Anna does not know how to “fill” this emotional void within her. So she begins trying to use other things--- events like her sister’s upcoming coronation, and looking for “romantic love”--- to satiate the hunger she feels.
Anna is a slight paradox. Her sense of entitlement to have “a romance” is coupled with her severe emotional insecurity. Usually, a person who is emotionally insecure normally feels reticent about “putting themselves out there.” But Anna is the exact opposite. Anna covers her emotional insecurity with “emotional vulnerability.” This is unique to Anna. Anna first wants a relationship with Elsa, and when she cannot have that, she rapidly turns to “romance” as the siguiente thing that will provide her with contentment. This is Anna’s selfishness, as she starts off being a meek girl, with an earnest desire for some companionship, but then grows into a tenacious individual who will stop at nothing to secure some kind of emotional support.
When Elsa ultimately tells Anna that she cannot have “a romance” with a man she barely knows, Anna feels tremendously betrayed. Anna feels like her sister, Elsa, who is the person who has withheld emotional support from her for all of her life, is wrong for condemning her for now seeking that emotional support from someone else. Anna acts out of her own selfishness, anger, and hurt. Anna unknowingly exposes her sister’s secret.
Naivety: I recall an apt comentario from user MissCindySpice about Anna’s personality. MissCindySpice dicho that Anna was “fizzier than a can of soda.” I actually agree with this statement. Anna is bubbly, and knows very, very little about human relationships, about the world outside Arendelle’s castle, about the emotional connection of family, and about romantic love. Anna thinks it only takes one evening for a guy to “fall in amor with her.” Anna thinks that she will win Elsa over, por simply talking to her. Yes, Anna is naive, but she shares this trait with Snow, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida.
Cluelessness: This is kind of self-explanatory. 1) If tu think a real relationship can happen in one night, tu are pretty clueless ( on average, most disney Princesses take three days to find love), and 2) tu also are kind of clueless to run off into a blizzard in only a ball vestido and a cape; tu are seriously under-dressed for the elements and could catch pneumonia, and 3) leaving a total foreigner, whom you’ve only met tonight, in charge of your entire kingdom is just asking for something awful to happen.
Stubbornness: Anna is resolute in pursuing “romance,” and is equally as resolute in fighting a blizzard and the ice in her heart, to restore her “sister.” Anna shares her stubbornness with Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida.
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her: Anna does not listen to Elsa. Anna does not listen to Hans, when he disagrees about going after Elsa. Anna does not listen to Kristoff about “falling in love” in one night. Anna ignores the trolls and their song about Kristoff and Elsa’s personalities. Basically, Anna NEVER REALLY LISTENS TO WHAT ANYONE SAYS, and only stops to listen after Hans unmasks himself as the devious piece of ***t he is. Then, and only then, does Anna listen to Olaf, the snowman. So, technically, Anna joins Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida-- a long line of disney Princesses WHO NEVER LISTEN TO WHAT ANYBODY SAYS TO THEM. Achem.
13. Elsa
Selfishness: Elsa happens to be just as selfish as all of her predecessors and her own sister. Elsa’s selfishness is associated with her anxiety and her severe depression over her powers. Elsa, to be honest, WANTS HER FREEDOM just like her counterparts Ariel, Pocahontas, and Merida. (All three girls, Ariel, Pocahontas, and Merida wanted the restrictions their parents placed on them to be lifted. Ariel wanted the freedom to be allowed to entertain her own thoughts on humans. Pocahontas wanted the freedom to choose her own path/destiny. Merida wanted the freedom not to marry. Similarly, Elsa wants the freedom to exercise her powers).
If there is a message behind the song “Let It Go,” that isn’t one that people have co-opted and forced into whatever “symbol” they want--- it is this. Elsa is blasted tired of listening to everyone in her life tell her that her powers are scary, destructive, dangerous, and useless. When she builds her ice castillo while canto “it’s time to see what I can do, test the limits and break though,” it isn’t really about lgbt rights. It is totally about Elsa expressing her own FREEDOM to USE her own powers at long last.
Elsa has spent her whole life caring about what happens to other people, including her own sister. Elsa’s father demanded that she be the “responsible” one. But with both of her parents dead, her secret revealed publicly por Anna, and her life endangered por being construed as a witch, Elsa can think of no other option than the SELFISH OPTION of escaping.
Elsa is torn between wanting her own freedom and the responsibility that was dropped into her lap from a young age. So, in a sense, when she is up on a mountain-top creating a blizzard and canto about her own freedom: “My power flurries through the air into the ground/ My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around” ( she is elated!) Then in the three lines that follow, and in the last chorus of the song, there is a BOLD STATEMENT of Elsa’s selfishness, and her desire to remain free…
“And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast/ I'm never going back/ The past is in the past
Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand in the light of day
Let the storm rage on!
The cold never bothered me anyway”
Yep. Even Elsa--- in the last three lines of the final verse, and in the last chorus of her song, expresses one thing: SELFISHNESS. Elsa now doesn’t care about what happens with other people’s lives. Standing in her castle, Elsa has chosen her own life, and her own desires. But I’m not exactly surprised por this, because Elsa is very much like Ariel. Both have grown up under an overbearing trajectory set forth por their fathers, and both express – in a song-- their total desire to deviate from the “approved way that they have been dictated to live.”
Ambivalence and Cowardice: Well now, if tu can’t see that Elsa is ambivalent and seems “torn” and “confused” all the way through Frozen, then tu really weren’t watching her facial expressions. Twenty-five years ago, Ariel’s distress, choices, and feelings were all delivered por her facial expressions. Elsa, just like Ariel, has her facial expressions delivering her emotional state.
The ambivalence of Elsa is similar to Pocahontas’s. Pocahontas knew that having two men from opposing peoples fighting over her romantically would end badly for both males. Pocahontas knew that, but was SLOW TO ACT. Like Pocahontas, Elsa knew that releasing her powers would endanger someone, somewhere. But Elsa committed fully to her freedom, and released her powers--- just like Pocahontas committed to her freedom por loving John Smith, which was totally against her cultural protocol. When Anna rushes up and tells Elsa that she froze Arendelle and everything, Elsa wears the similar shocked/worried expression that Pocahontas wears after Kocoum is killed. Just like Pocahontas, Elsa is SLOW TO ACT. Elsa does not immediately reverse the winter after she finds out that she has created it. Pocahontas lets John be carried off and imprisoned, and does nothing, immediately, to save him. Both girls register shock about their mistakes, but DO NOTHING at that moment, to rectify the situation. They both just stand there, miserable and quiet.
I’m not sure that Elsa’s cowardice about reversing the winter is far-fetched. Elsa doesn’t even try to reverse the winter, half because she doesn’t know how, and also because (I think) she is afraid of making things even worse than how they are at present. I mean, Elsa is scared of so many things por this point in her life: rejection por her people, rejection por her sister, the dangerous nature of her powers, her complete fear of having to be a queen, and strange new neighbors with political desires circling her like sharks (the Duke of Weselton and Hans). Maybe, just maybe, Elsa is one of those people that, instead of facing their fears, have the hope that por hiding o turning away…the problems will all resolve themselves without them needing to do anything. Unfortunately, this logic is wrong. And it doesn’t take long for Elsa to see how her lack of making a decision-- is a decision in itself. por doing nothing, Elsa basically realizes that she has set herself up for failure.
Bossiness: Elsa is a queen. We do see her crowned in the movie. But Elsa is bossy, and she basically bosses Anna around. Elsa does not want to dance with the Duke of Weselton, so she shoves her sister at the Duke, instead. Elsa also does not want Anna making any decisions for herself, at the present moment, so Elsa basically puts her foot down, and embarrasses Anna publicly, por telling her that wanting romance is a foolish choice to make. But Elsa is not the first bossy disney princess. Elsa joins Snow White and Tiana.
Naivety: Elsa doesn’t know anything about forming constructive family relationships. Agreeing to remain isolated in her room turns out to be a huge disservice for Elsa. This is part of why her relationship with her sister deteriorates to the point where Elsa practically wishes to cut off all ties. Elsa, like her sister, has never had a “good family life.” Elsa has never experienced romance.
Elsa also doesn’t know ANYTHING about her powers, really. She only knows that they are “dangerous.” Elsa actually thinks that “distance” will matter one whit to the “strength” of her released powers. One thing puzzles me. If Elsa spent years not releasing her powers, because of fearing for the safety of her sister and Arendelle at large, then why would she “suddenly think” that releasing her powers at a distance from Arendelle and Anna, WOULD WORK? Elsa already tried the “distance” thing once, with remaining away from both Anna and Arendelle, while being locked inside her own room. Distance as a form of protection didn’t seem to improve things the first time. And distance clearly didn’t help on the mountainside, either. I tell you, Elsa is naive.
Elsa joins her counterparts Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Anna in being naïve. Elsa is also an introvert, which people often confuse with her “being mature.” Elsa IS NOT MATURE, though. Not por a long shot.
Arrogance/Cockiness: Elsa’s arrogance is much más subdued than either Tiana’s o Merida’s. Elsa is not as brash as either of her two counterparts. However, Elsa does claim to know information which she does not, in fact, know. Elsa claims to be an authority on “romance.” I have always found this statement, “ tu can’t marry a man tu just met,” strange for two reasons. 1) Elsa has never had a fiancé. In the entire movie tu never see her with anybody. I would feel like Elsa had some credence to make this statement, if she had had an Ex, and the Ex treated her very badly. But Elsa speaks this line out of total ignorance. 2) Secondly, this line shows how ruled-by-anxiety Elsa is. Elsa really only cares about people seeing “her powers,” and is terrified of her big secret being exposed. When Anna tells her that Hans is going to stay, the wheels in Elsa’s head turn faster, and Elsa leaps to a conclusion: “More people will be around the castle! This means más people from which I will have to hide my powers! EGHADS! HELP ME!!”
Okay. Don’t shoot me. I can totally see it from Elsa’s point-of-view. But Elsa is arrogant in prejudging the situation, and she SOUNDS like a COMPLETE HYPOCRITE when she knows so little about romance o about people in general.
Passivity/ The reluctance to rectify the situation:
If I were to describe Elsa in one word it would be “passive.” Elsa is the most passive disney character I have ever watched on screen. The passivity IS the flaw in Elsa that sets her apart from Merida, even, and makes her “redemption” at the end of the movie seem kind of false. Aside from Elsa’s one moment on the hilltop, casting off her responsibilities with “Let It Go”--- there are no other moments where Elsa is shown being “proactive” and “taking the initiative to set things right.” After “Let It Go,” Elsa returns to being a completely passive person.
Elsa is also the most anxious disney character I have ever seen. Elsa spends the majority, if not the entirety of the film, running away and hiding from ALL of the mistakes she makes. When faced with the consequences, Elsa continues to panic and run away. Elsa is reluctant, and also profoundly unable to rectify the “eternal winter problem,” which seems counterintuitive, since we know just how intelligent she is. Elsa built a frigging elaborate ice castillo all on her own, without input from any architects, with just a mere image in her head!!! Elsa is SMART!!!! It would seem PERFECTLY OBVIOUS that she could put two-and-two together, and figure out how to reverse the winter.
I also need to say that IT TAKES AWAY FROM ELSA to have Anna provide Elsa with “the solution to her mistakes, which is love.” Elsa should have been ALLOWED to figure that out ALL ON HER OWN! Look at some earlier examples, among the Modern girls, of EXACTLY what I am talking about… Tiana figured out how to outwit Dr. Facilier all on her own! Rapunzel figured out the mystery of why she recognized the sunburst art all on her own! Merida figured out all on her own what the witch’s silly rhyme meant, and turned her mother back into a human! The same should have happened HERE. It would have made Elsa a más compelling figure-- dado Elsa AGENCY, if she had been able to undo all of the damage she’d done without any “hints” from anyone. Done this way, Elsa would have come into her own, and earned más respect. There would be less controversy surrounding her personality and character; there would be less credence to the arguments of her being cowardly; there would be fewer contradictory instances in the movie, where Elsa is shown as being smart in one instance, and then shown as being pitifully helpless/stupid the next. As it is, the true credit for saving the día goes to Elsa’s sister, the naïve and admittedly- kind-of-clueless Anna. This seriously UNDERCUTS Elsa’s strength as a protagonist.
Never Listening To What Anyone Tells Her:
Elsa, like Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Anna before her, NEVER LISTENS to what ANYBODY tells her. Anna tells Elsa that she is wrong to judge her for wanting romance. Elsa just looks shocked at Anna’s reaction, but doesn’t seem to give any credence to what Anna says. Later on, when Anna appears at Elsa’s castillo and tells her that she froze Arendelle and the entire country, Elsa barely hears Anna AT ALL. Elsa begins canto “ For The first Time In Forever (Reprise),” where she basically belts out how her powers make her afraid; how she will never go back to Arendelle; and how she will never associate herself with being a queen ever again. Elsa even let’s her irritation and anger over Anna’s message dictate her reaction. She shoots her sister in the chest with ice. I do not think THAT THAT IS LISTENING to someone….
Also, Elsa does not listen to Hans, either, when he shows up and asks her to come back to Arendelle. Elsa again refuses to listen. Even in the dungeon, when Hans comes in and asks Elsa to reverse the winter, she doesn’t seem to be ready to listen. Her answer is the now infamous line “I can’t!” Elsa just spends the entire movie NOT LISTENING to anybody. Elsa listens only to her own fears, anxieties, and troubles. Of course, after Anna becomes an ice statue, then Elsa is brought out of her preoccupation with just herself. But it took ANNA’S SACRIFCIAL DEATH to wake Elsa up. Yeah. Elsa joins multiple disney Princesses, a whole group of people WHO NEVER LISTEN until it is almost too late.
So, to envolver, abrigo up, every single princess in the disney lineup IS SELFISH. I do not make this final judgement lightly. IT’S THE UGLY TRUTH THAT KEEPS REAPPEARING EVERYWHERE. No, Ariel isn’t the only one singled out with this awful problem. Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, and Elsa ARE SELFISH, TOO. Aside from the selfishness, other flaws are shared among the princesses, such as bossiness, ambivalence, naivety, stubbornness, not listening to what anyone else tells her, etc. Then there are flaws that are unique to each princess, and are hers and hers alone.
Pssst! I’m going to tell tu a great big secret about Disney. Ready? ALL of the disney Princesses ARE BAD ROLE modelos IN THEIR OWN WAYS. There. I dicho it. For children, for adults, for most anyone--- these girls ARE NOT the greatest role modelos tu have ever seen! There is some truth to this statement. I actually sat down and analyzed every single one of them, and that is the only conclusion I could draw after looking at each and every girl. tu connect the dots! You’re holding the finished report. I gave tu all of the problems about every single princess in the lineup. Plenty of people get hung up in arguments about this, but the facts are the facts. No character in this lineup is “completely good.” tu can like who tu like, but that’s about it. We all have our preferences. Save yourself some energy, make some friends, participate in polls, discuss stuff, play games, and go on and have a good time with the club. That’s the real reason tu joined, isn’t it?
Then why make up “a disney Princesses franchise,” you’re asking? If NONE of these characters are spotless, then why do we “look up” to them so much?
I think this is the answer. It’s because we like them. We like their flaws. We like their personalities. And they are teaching us lessons through their mistakes. That’s it, in a nutshell.
As for the siguiente time tu heavily criticize a princess tu dislike, over a princess tu do like…remember that your chosen princess IS NOT PERFECT, EITHER. tu just happen to overlook her flaws por choice, o amor her for her flaws. On face value, having done this series, I’ve found that NOT ONE of the princesses in the disney lineup IS SUPPOSEDLY BETTER than any of her contemporaries. We, the disney audience, just gravitate to those flaws/vices we can stand.
Thank you, if tu made it, to the end of this article. My geez, this was long! I hope it wasn’t a horrid read. Also, many thanks to everyone who left comentarios for the first two artículos in this series!! tu didn’t have to do that, but I loved to read the comentarios below the article. Again, like last time, please feel free to comentario /discuss below, should tu choose.
I might resurrect my other articulo series, “Disney Rewind: The disney Princess Edition,” at some point in the future. (That is, if my account doesn't somehow get randomly deleted, again...) Good tidings till the siguiente article-go-round! Over and out.
-wavesurf ( formerly 8804)
Now, Tiana's up. This was pretty easy. An honourable mention for Zoe Saldana, though quite honestly I don't see the resemblence. She would make a much better Kida.
5.Naturi Naughton
Some of tu may know her from 3LW, she's the one who didn't registrarse the Cheetah Girls. Now she's a successful broadway actress and played Lil Kim in Notorious. So clearly she can sing and act very well.
4.Rihanna
Everyone says she should play Tiana, I don't really think rihanna looks like her. She has Tiana's smile, that's about it. But I think she could do the part, she really isn't a bad actress.
3.Meagan...
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5.Naturi Naughton
Some of tu may know her from 3LW, she's the one who didn't registrarse the Cheetah Girls. Now she's a successful broadway actress and played Lil Kim in Notorious. So clearly she can sing and act very well.
4.Rihanna
Everyone says she should play Tiana, I don't really think rihanna looks like her. She has Tiana's smile, that's about it. But I think she could do the part, she really isn't a bad actress.
3.Meagan...
Congradulations CuteDiana
Since everyone has one of these, I decided to do one. Please comentario & enjoy! (:
10. Aurora - Sleeping Beauty
Maybe its because she only has sixteen minutos of screen-time. o maybe because she has no personality. Whichever reason, Aurora is just a boring amor crazed teenager whom I don't really care for. I do amor her movie though.
9. Pocahontas - Pocahontas
I used to amor Pocahontas, but after re-watching her movie a few times I found her to be a bit bland and...not very smart. I mean, it takes...
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10. Aurora - Sleeping Beauty
Maybe its because she only has sixteen minutos of screen-time. o maybe because she has no personality. Whichever reason, Aurora is just a boring amor crazed teenager whom I don't really care for. I do amor her movie though.
Pretty as a picture, sweeter than a swisher, mad cause I'm cuter than the girl thats with ya.
9. Pocahontas - Pocahontas
I used to amor Pocahontas, but after re-watching her movie a few times I found her to be a bit bland and...not very smart. I mean, it takes...
no clue where Snow, Belle and Aurora got bridal wear, but okay.
I left all nostalgia behind so my lista changed a lot. I guess it's also because when I first joined Fanpop, I only knew the Princesses on the surface level and I based my opinions on that. I also had to re-watch all the movies, I hope it won't change again for a while. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I'd amor to argue if tu disagree :) I like all of them so it's hard for me to put some at the bottom. Anyway, here goes.
11. Merida
Typical spot for Merida, sorry but someone has come in last. I'm not going to judge Merida for her actions...
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If tu had a chance to change your fate, would you?
Typical spot for Merida, sorry but someone has come in last. I'm not going to judge Merida for her actions...
So I've already made an articulo talking about why I amor Elsa, Tiana, Snow White, Aurora, and Pocahontas, and thought why not make one for Anna next? I did a encuesta asking which articulo you'd most want to see from me next, and Anna won. Don't worry if I haven't made one for your favorito! yet though, because I do plan on making one for every princess, since I do amor them all. My bottom three might be a bit tough to write about though, but I'll try my best! Anyway, I'm rambling, let's get started!
In many ways, Anna has been overshadowed por her sister with the release of Frozen, and while...
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In many ways, Anna has been overshadowed por her sister with the release of Frozen, and while...
Next time Snow, next time.
I know I have not been doing as much artículos and countdowns as I used to, but things have gotten busy for me. I am trying to get back into my flow of constant participation, but it will take some time. Anywyas, por guessing what the título is, tu know what I am going to talk about. This is por no way meant to insult fans o to completely throw a hate fest. It is just my opinion. 10 is the least overrated, and 1 is the most, and just because something is the least overrated, does not necessarily make it the most underrated.
10. Prince Charming
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10. Prince Charming
Bland, snobbish seeming guy no one cares about....
Looking at these results, I can understand why some Princesses appeal to the general public more. A total of 18 users took part in this countdown and I averaged out the rankings. I included Anna and Elsa because I think they are both such fun characters to analyze. Anyway, the título says it all, enjoy! :)
13. MERIDA
Some people have the same type of relationship Merida and Elinor share. I argue with my mom all the time, ALL THE TIME. Though I can't say I really relate to Merida's personality and I wouldn't do anything Merida does. I might think about wanting to change what's coming...
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13. MERIDA
75 points
Some people have the same type of relationship Merida and Elinor share. I argue with my mom all the time, ALL THE TIME. Though I can't say I really relate to Merida's personality and I wouldn't do anything Merida does. I might think about wanting to change what's coming...
Yeah so this is my opinion which DP some people here look like. And I admit that my opinion can be far away of what tu think and my opinion which one they look isn't in any way "right"one. This is really.. eh.. simple articulo but well I tried to be simple.
Thanks to everyone who publicado their picture(none of tu are ugly!) and please don't get offended, from one picture it's really hard to create ful image of tu and if tu think something I wrote it's competely wrong it's just my stupidity. tu know yourself the best :)
link Belle[/b]
Well sadly from this picture is hard to say much when...
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Thanks to everyone who publicado their picture(none of tu are ugly!) and please don't get offended, from one picture it's really hard to create ful image of tu and if tu think something I wrote it's competely wrong it's just my stupidity. tu know yourself the best :)
link Belle[/b]
Well sadly from this picture is hard to say much when...
