Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Thoughts on Playing Elsa the Ice Queen (Frozen) at Parties

Birthday Party Frozen ElsaWith Disney's new Frozen movie out, and me being a Princess, I had to make the Elsa dress.  Had to do it!
I originally saw the movie and related more to Anna, the younger sister (the silly one!).  But when I saw Elsa's dress and amazingmagicalpowers, I knew that she was the one I wanted to be.  Superficial?  I want to be the powerful tormented one because she's pretty?  Well, yes.  At first.

The Elsa character is turning out to be INCREDIBLY popular, especially with 6-7 year old girls.  I thought they'd relate more to Anna, like I did.. but Elsa is the one everyone wants at their party.  Is it, like me, because of the pretty pretty dress?  The more I think about it, the more I think it goes deeper than that.

I'm really familiar with all the princess or princess-related Disney stories and movies.  This is what I do, after all.  And the more I develop the Elsa show and find the parts of the story that resonate with the kids, the more I think it's Power, rather than Beauty, that draw the kids to Elsa.

Elsa is the first Disney Princess ever to have Power.  Sure, Rapunzel could sing and make her hair light up, and Merida can shoot like nobody's busines, but Elsa controls the weather!  She can build ice palaces with a wave of her hand, she can make her own fabulous dress instead of getting a fairy godmother to do it for her, and she can even create living snowmen.  She's got more power in her little finger than all the rest of the Princesses combined.

Spiderman and Frozen
He didn't stand a chance.
No other female character in Disney's history has this kind of power. So far, it's been absolutely amazing to watch the little girls see, relate to, and feel that power inside their own imaginations.  The Let it Go song sends them into a frenzy of singing, dancing, and pretend-ice-sculpting.  They want to know how I made Olaf talk.  They want to see and feel and hear about learning to control that much power.  The kids like the dress (they like it a whole lot), but they LOVE the magic.

Thanks Disney, for giving us a Princess who can rival any Marvel Superhero in strength, grace, and absolute magic.  




Elsa Dress Back



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