I’ve always felt like Disney hasn’t been sure how to approach the subject of colonization or problematic history; we can see in movies like Pocahontas (1995) where Disney for the most part skims over the systematic and institutionalized issues in society, such as sexism, racism, and colonization, with the main focus on the love interest of Pocahontas and John Smith. Not only is this portrayal of history problematic, but it is also incorrect. 

Disney attempts to redeem itself in Frozen II, where it actually confronts Arendelle’s history of attacking and manipulating Native Americans for their land. When the kingdom is struck by sudden disaster, Anna and Elsa set out to find a magical forest in hopes of finding an answer to the near destruction of their home. Along their journey, Anna and Elsa are forced to acknowledge the devastating past of their kingdom and even their own grandfather. In fact, Disney even reveals that Anna and Elsa’s mother was actually Native. 

While there was still focus on Anna and Kristoff’s romantic relationship, I appreciated that this was not the main plot of the movie. Frozen II actually focused more on the sister’s relationship than the love interest, even more than Frozen did. I enjoyed how the moments where we did see Anna and Kristoff’s relationship, they were humorously realistic relationship issues rather than the ‘perfect’ relationship Anna thought she had achieved with Hans in Frozen. 

As Disney begins to introduce movies that are more inclusive, I think more teenagers are excited to see themselves represented on the screen. From Snow White (1937) to Beauty and the Beast (1991) and every princess movie before, Disney has sent subliminal messages to young children with the characters and types of people they include, but especially with the people they choose to exclude. There has been an extreme lack of representation in Disney movies throughout history, and while Disney is beginning to portray more diversity on the screen, that does not dismiss its previous racist, sexist and overall problematic past. 

In spite of Disney’s problematic history, I do think it is on the right track to becoming more inclusive, and Frozen II is a good example of how children’s movies do not have to avoid or lie about tragic history to make it comprehensible.