The Gospel in Cinema

Frozen

There was a time when I couldn't stand Frozen and refused to watch it because of how incessantly its songs seemed to play. The year was 2013, and it was very popular. After enough time and repetition, the songs became as annoying as ads on YouTube. "Let it Go" was the worst of the bunch. I'm sure that many parents of young children would agree. For me, there was also the connotation the movie and its songs had as frilly and girly. It was a Disney Princess movie after all. As a boy, I couldn't stand to be associated with it. I was already often, both mistakenly and deliberately, hurtfully called a girl because of the length of my hair. I wanted to be very clear that I was not. Frozen was to be avoided and scorned as zealously as the (pink) girls' toy aisle. Eventually, over time my perception changed. I changed and was willing to judge the movie for how it was instead of how it was received and perceived by others. I gave it a chance to speak to me for itself. Today Frozen is one of my favorite movies because of the many biblical themes I've observed in it. It has fully redeemed itself. I appreciate its songs because I now understand them within their context. They are no longer annoying; they are both heartfelt and catchy. I love musicals.

The Gospel Story

As a whole, Frozen outlines the Gospel story pretty well. It starts out with a time of harmony that is quickly shattered. Elsa and Anna are sisters. What's more is that they are both princesses, and they are heirs to the throne of the kingdom of their parents (Arendelle). Elsa was born with magical ice powers, but Anna was not. At the beginning of the movie, the girls are best friends and play with each other all of the time. Everything seems to be perfect. They love each other's company and their relationship is pure and unobstructed. This is like how things were in the Garden of Eden for humans originally. We enjoyed perfect love and fellowship not only with God but also with our fellow humans, animals, and the rest of creation. We were the princes and princesses of God's kingdom, and we had the authority to rule and govern over everything.

Unfortunately without any brokenness, there would be no story and final triumph. One night when Elsa and Anna are playing together, Elsa accidentally almost kills Anna with her ice powers. Elsa's parents had warned her about using her powers (because little Elsa can't fully control them), but after Anna's pleadings, Elsa gave in and disobeyed. While it was an accident, there were still consequences. Anna survives but has a lock of white hair as a scar from the incident. To prevent such an incident from happening again, Anna and Elsa's parents keep the two girls completely separated from each other and the outside world as they grow up. Anna remembers the fun that she had with her sister, but she doesn't remember why they were separated. Elsa remembers everything, and she not only has to live with the guilt of what she's caused but also has to learn how to keep her powers a secret from everyone. Tragically, Anna and Elsa's parents also die, and the sisters can't even have each other to mourn with. All of this is just within the first 15 minutes of the movie, and the situation only gets worse years later as the main story progresses and these deep-seated issues are brought to the forefront of everyone's attention. In the Bible, things also appear to get bad rather quickly. By chapter 3 (of 1189) humans have already sinned and lost their perfect fellowship with God and their neighbors. Guilt, shame, and fear enter the scene--all of the same emotions that keep Elsa and Anna apart and cause Elsa to hide herself away from everyone. Humanity's sin separates them both from God and their neighbors. Out of guilt, shame, and fear, we can't trust each other. We can't undo the harm that we've caused even if we want to. When sin entered the world, it changed the world and broke it. There were consequences for our disobedience to God's good rules.