The final fight in a film normally only has one winner, and for the loser, the price of failure often means death. After all, the punishment should always match the crime. Once again, despite the child-friendly nature of its output, Disney animated films don't often shy away from showing the bad guy kicking the bucket. This started all the way back with Snow White, where the enraged dwarves drove the Evil Queen off the edge of a cliff. Some other Disney villain deaths that are worth a mention include Frollo falling into the fires that engulfed Notre Dame, Ursula being impaled by the bow of a ship, and Scar being torn to pieces by his own hyenas - all were great moments that taught us that no matter how bad the villains behave, karma catches up to them all eventually. Prince Hans does not die in Frozen. After he swings his sword at Elsa he disappears (quite awkwardly) for a bit, then the next time we see him he is being thrown into the brig of a ship, and is told that his elder brothers will deal with him. It is the sort of punishment that seems more in line with a college kid crashing his family's car than attempted regicide, and the moment is handled in a manner that make Han's actions seem like a bit of a laugh more than anything else. The scene may help for Frozen to remain a light, breezy, child-friendly sort of film, but once again the story is robbed of much needed dramatic weight. Being the primary villain, the audience should be interested to see what Hans' fate is, but the whole thing is treated as nothing more than an afterthought, with more emphasis placed on another musical number and Elsa creating an ice-skating rink. There is much to like about Disney's latest animated film Frozen: it looks beautiful, has some funny lines, and contains a couple of the songs will be running around your head for days. But when it comes to the villain, though, the film is considerably weaker than Disney's previous offerings, and because of that, it struggles to achieve the emotional impact that will make it memorable over time. Do you agree that Prince Hans lacked Disney's usual punch? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
Matthew Chard is a writer who has lived and worked across Australia, USA, South Africa, UK, Cambodia and Tanzania. When not writing articles he can be found working on his next novel, traveling, in the surf, or listening to David Bowie while wearing red Spider-man underpants.
