Rewriting Frozen's Feminist Fantasy? Toys, Books, and Soundtracks as Key Para/Texts

• In Event: Make Room for Retail: Repositioning Sites of Consumer Encounter Within the Study of Media Industries

Abstract

For many audiences, engagement with a film is only one facet of their encounters with a particular narrative universe. Repetitive play, particularly of young audiences, with related merchandise and texts is an important aspect of how a film's narrative is understood and disseminated. Disney's massive hit film Frozen, arguably their first successful “feminist” feature, emphasizes female characters' power and the redemptive qualities of sibling love over romantic love through its subversion of traditional fairy tale plot devices and roles. This analysis considers the Frozen toys, storybooks, and soundtrack in relation to how they reinforce or weaken the film's feminist narrative. While the licensed merchandise is largely consistent with the emphasis on strong female characters, it often de-emphasizes or omits the crucial plot element of the sisters saving one another that has contributed to the perception of the film as feminist.

Authors

• Kathryn M Frank, U of Michigan

• Amanda D. Lotz, U of Michigan