10 Examples Of How Progressive Disney Has Become
8. Frozen Subverting The True Love Trope
As well as the subtle gay couple in Frozen, the overall plot subverts a typical Disney trope in the best way. It almost feels like Disney addressing their past cliches and trying to move forward in a more character driven direction.
Princess stories typically revolve around the idea of true love, with both Snow White and Aurora being awakened by the very notion of it. While Mulan, for example, had a story away from romance, the ultimate finale of the film still sees her ending up in a relationship.
Frozen used the idea of true love too, but pulled a bit of a bait and switch both with Prince Hans and then with Kristoff.
They lampshade the idea that Hans is Anna’s true love when she’s only known him a day, and when he’s revealed to be the villain, it’s heavily implied that Kristoff is in fact her true love, and he will therefore be the one to dutifully save her.
In the end, it turns out her sisterly bond with Elsa is the truest love she knows, and this ultimately saves her life without the need for an accelerated romance.