My Frozen Conflict.

Hello, I’m the Lady Americanist, and I’m a Disney-phile.

Much of the Disney scholarship out there is critical of the company and the messages it sends out or the historical perspective and myth-making in action in the parks and films. I absolutely agree with some of it, but I still get a lump in my throat when I walk down Main Street U.S.A. to Cinderella’s castle, and I still get goosebumps when I ride up into Spaceship Earth. Once, on a family vacation, we were pulling up to our hotel, the Contemporary, and as the Magical Express bus pulled into view of Cinderella’s Castle, “When You Wish Upon a Star” came on my iPod, and I cried real big tears. I love sharing the  movies with my son, and one day, my dad and I WILL go on a tour of the Utilidors.

All that said, I have a conflict.

I’m angry at Frozen.

frozen2
I’m not totally angry at Olaf.

I’ve seen parts of it, but its insane popularity gives me pause. What makes it so popular? I don’t know how any Disney movie can be better than those of my youth. I was lucky enough to be born in the mid-1980s, just before the Disney Renaissance of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. Maybe I don’t get it because every little girl is obsessed with Elsa (and sometimes Anna). I teach dance to three year olds and they all love Elsa. My friends and I have debates over the best Disney princess. I’m on team Belle, mainly because she reads, and I identified with her in many ways when I was 6.

Here’s my real beef though. I’m a big fan of Epcot. I have been for a long time, and my family always spent a lot of time there when we were kids. Epcot was quiet, pretty, and had some fun stuff (RIP Wonders of Life pavilion). Even 7 months later, I’m mourning the loss of the Maelstrom. Norway does not equal Arendelle (although, from what I understand, it is inspired most by the nation of Norway). Many commentators have noted that it will make the park more attractive to younger guests. When was it inaccessible to younger guests? When I was little, we could visit with Dreamfinder and Figment! We exercised with Goofy! We found out how babies were made (sort of)! Hollywood Studios doesn’t have a lot to offer the younger set. It’s mainly thrill rides and loud shows. That’s what Fantasyland is for (and it’s why I avoid Fantasyland until after 8pm, when possible). The park is straying from its original mission, and I don’t necessarily support it. I understand rebranding The Living Seas. I definitely understand getting rid of Horizons (or as we thought of it: our Epcot nap spot).

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R.I.P. Maelstrom.

I just don’t believe that “princesses” belong in Epcot. Find a new way to engage kids with the information they are getting at the different national pavilions.

Oh, and Mary Poppins is not a princess (duh, she’s a nanny), and I am always happy to bump into her at the Great Britain pavilion.

Perhaps this is not the most academic of posts, but my irrational irritation with Frozen is starting to seep into my dissertation, and it definitely needs to stay out of that document.

Am I alone here?

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