I’ve taken our family to see Frozen II twice now, and I’ve made it through without crying exactly ZERO times.
I have two daughters, 7 and 4, so I’m sure that has something to do with the emotional impact for me as a father.
But there’s a series of scenes in the latter half that just slays me. [SPOILER ALERT!]
Elsa has been hearing a voice, a literal melodic voice that only she can hear. It beckons to her, like a call. She does her best to ignore it and maintain her duties as queen, but eventually she realizes that she must set out to discover its meaning.
Of course everyone in her tribe joins her in this quest (Anna, Olaf and company), but Elsa reaches a decisive moment in the journey where only she can continue. Anna has her own path of development, but this one is hers.
To follow the call involves her crossing a broiling, angry sea that thrashes the coastline. Elsa makes several valiant attempts to freeze the waves and cross on the solid ground, but to no avail. Each time she is pounded mercilessly, until at last a mysterious horse made of water joins in the chaos of the frothing waves and nearly drowns her.
Finally, after significant struggle, Elsa realizes that the horse is not her enemy, but her ally. She uses her power to harness the horse and ride it across the sea toward the voice, which is emanating from a cavernous glacier.
Here, she is transformed into who she was always meant to become.
And here is where I’ve done my darndest to conceal a tear or two trickling down into my beard:)
I know the message is lost on my young daughters, but it’s so powerful to me as I think of their journeys. They will encounter their own sirens - the inner longings and invitations to become that only they can hear. And that growth will not come without significant effort and courage. “Fear is what cannot be trusted,” Elsa says.
My hope is to teach them to listen for that voice, and to nurture the resilience it will take to go find it!