The Great Archetype Love

attention up to the point where she jumps at the chance to marry someone she has just met. She is naïve and lonely, and because of this, she is self-centered and cannot see past people’s actions towards their true intentions. Their relationship is explored through the movie as the agape love that Elsa has for Anna. Her absolute refusal to willingly put Anna into any harm of her own making that is shown constantly throughout the movie. The two struggle to see from the perspective of the other as Elsa must understand Anna’s feelings of rejection, and Anna must understand Elsa’s need to protect her. In the end, however, Elsa learns to be more confident and embrace her powers and to be true to herself. She understands that she must not lose the

Merida is the tomboy archetype who refuses to be “princess-like.” She is skilled in combat and rejects all the normal conventions of being a “lady” and does not acknowledge her duty to the kingdom – marrying. She is strong-willed and wants to remain free of any constraints – whether it be a husband or a strict mother who forbids her to engage in the activities that she loves (archery and horseback riding). Anna is a happy-go-lucky upbeat girl who takes matters into her own hands without the need to heavily rely on princes. She bravely goes in search of her sister in dangerous conditions and does so of her own will to protect her sister. Elsa is an anti-hero who has no qualms in killing others in order to fulfill her heightened sense of self-preservation. It is constantly shown that she suffers from mental illnesses that stem from her seclusion and fear of her own powers instilled by her father. In these respects, one sees that Disney has presented viewers with a more progressive set of lead characters with their own agency that stray from the convention of submissive and seemingly flawless princesses who embody all the traditional female

We see a form of love in both movies that is rarely depicted as the main theme in Disney movies, familial love. Although many other Disney movies portray it, none of them have ever been the central focus of the movie. In Brave, we see that Merida has no interest in marrying, and throughout the movie, her relationship with her mother is the force that pushes the story forward. In Frozen, Elsa’s relationship wither her sister is the main factor in the movie, as everything that happens is the result of Elsa’s true love for Anna. Hence, both movies feature true love in the sense of familial love as opposed to romantic love.

Lastly, both movies are set in medieval kingdoms with the presence of magic. Merida follows magical beings – will-o’-the-wisps – into the forest to find a witch, who transforms her mother into a bear. Elsa has the power of ice and snow, and can create sentient beings and intricate castles with little to no effort. This shows that both movies have a magical aspect to