I first saw Frozen in theaters with a good friend, and we both agreed it was bad. Not just a little bad, really bad. In the ensuing years I rolled my eyes at the movie's takeover of Target, McDonalds, and disposable childcare items worldwide.
When my daughter came along we were draconian about screen time. Absolutely none, we said, until she was two. At eighteen months the pediatrician encouraged us (!) to let her dip her toe in watching TV. And when the pandemic cleared our play date calendar, we decided to do a "movie o' clock" each day--she could watch a half, and then a full Disney movie, while we scrubbed down the groceries and got dinner ready.
Screen time had perks I was not expecting. Her language exploded, she was using words and making phrases. She was singing and telling longer form stories with her toys during play time. It was a great way to expose her to social norms during a winter when otherwise we could not. I am forever grateful for Disney Plus, quite frankly.
She would want to watch the same movie for weeks, and then abruptly shift to a new one. So I peripherally saw each movie in the Disney animated canon, in roughly chronological order, about fifteen times in a row.
After watching half a dozen movies what felt like thousands of times, that climaxed in a kiss from a Prince, Frozen, with its focus on a sister saving her sister, was such a welcome entry. I went from hating Frozen to actively encouraging my daughter to engage with it (it didn't take much.) Frozen 2 is truly beloved by the entire family (the soundtrack is chef's kiss, the message is a bit bizarre/muddied, but its visuals justify it completely.)
Walking out of the Frozen theater I never imagined I would be watching the sequel, let alone listening to its soundtrack on my own, but this song has honestly been my personal the last couple months. It gives me something to cry about that is and is not about me. It has galvanized and sustained me in the way the best art does. I am now a fan of Frozen? Life is mysterious and weird guys.