An ethereal voice calls: AAAaaaaAAAAaaaaAA
Elsa: Do you hear that?
Kai: What?
Elsa: Nevermind.
I grew up in a Christian household, attending church, and immersed in Christian culture. There is a lot of talk about hearing and responding to the calling of God’s purpose in our life.
I’ve noticed that throughout my entire life, I have always had this sense of being drawn forward, drawn toward impact, drawn toward a purposeful future of discomfort that will be exchanged for beautiful ripple effects in the world.
Some of my favorite stories from the bible are stories about people who were responding to God’s calling. For example, a young Solomon hears God’s voice calling to him. God offers him anything and Solomon asks for wisdom. From a very young age, I latched onto this story.
I know I’m not unique to have this sense of purpose for global impact. Though, part of me wants to believe I am.
Ha, oh how our brains like to be special and unique.
When I saw Frozen II, I was hooked. For so. many. reasons. I’ve shared a bit of this here. However, that only offers a tiny glimpse into what all I love and derive from this film. Here, I’m going to share just one piece of why this film is not only dear to me, it is fuel for me.
I absolutely love and adore Elsa.
When I was reflecting on this recently, Stef commented, “You see so much of yourself in Elsa.”
Yes.
My personal journey of learning to love myself collided with Frozen II, put my personal growth into hyperdrive, and has fundamentally affected my life. This isn’t just a story I love. This is a story I use to fuel my being.
After the opening scene and the movie title, Frozen II, is displayed across the screen, the camera carries us over the waters toward Arendelle. As we near the castle, we find Elsa standing on the balcony, gazing off into the distance.
THIS.
I was hooked. I mean, the opening scene with young Anna and Elsa is so freaking cute, I was already hooked.
But this was different.
As the camera glides toward Elsa, we hear the final lyrics of the movie’s first song, When all is lost, then all is found.
I could feel the potency of her gazing off the balcony. It wasn’t a casual, “Here I am, a Disney character just living my happily-ever-after life.” No, not at all. This was chocked full of mature, adult human experience. This was a woman contemplating where and who she was in the world, reflecting on memories of beauty and loss.
It was clear to me that this was not going to be a cutesy film. This film was packed with deep and affecting themes.
I made friends with a delightful woman from Japan, who goes by 5m_mila on Instagram. She was kind enough to be willing to create five drawings for me. I wanted an art series about Elsa’s transformation. But…which one? There were multiple transformations in this film. I spent weeks contemplating what the arc should be.
I wondered…what will be most powerful for me?
I decided to focus on an arc that I feel like both gets less attention than other aspects of the movie and rings incredibly true for me.
What follows is the series Mila drew, the text I’ve currently selected to go with each, and then a slightly longer explanation of why these resonate. Also, an important note, while I think these can happen sequentially, they can also happen simultaneously and can come in waves. This transformation isn’t a process that one goes through and is automatically complete.
You might notice that I shift around in my writing from talking about “her” (Elsa), to first person, to a general “you”, and to “we” (sometimes referring to me and Elsa, other times referring to people who feel a similar calling). I considered editing for consistency. But I think that’s part of the beauty in how this reflects me seeing myself in Elsa.
a sense of something which could be that should be
contemplation | something is missing
I live in a near-perpetual state of, “There’s something for me to be doing on this planet.” Even if I am doing it, there’s this clear sense of mission and purpose. It’s a belief that, until I die, my work continues.
I’ve heard from individuals and film reviewers, “Why did Elsa leave Arendelle on a whim?”
My response here is highly colored by my own personal experience:
She did not leave on a whim.
Elsa is the only known person in her universe that has magical powers invested in her. And I have a lot of thoughts about how this both makes sense and why, if she were to have children, those powers would not pass onto them.
So far, we’ve seen Elsa use her powers to accidentally freeze her kingdom and then unfreeze it, and to create beautiful ice decorations.
I imagine her wondering, “Is this what I’m meant to do with what I’ve been given? Is there something more out there for me than creating ice decorations?” (The director has confirmed this.)
Given the song’s lyrics as the camera moves in toward Elsa here, When all is lost, then all is found, I like to think she’s remembering her mother, Iduna. She feels a tension between being the kingdom’s ruler and her own, unique journey. She’s Queen because…she’s the queen. Not because she ever necessarily chose it.
torn between where i am and where i want to be
doubt | confusion
For Elsa, her magical powers have been a source of immense and traumatic pain. Here, with the magic gently emanating from her hands, there’s this history of pain met with wondering if she’s to be somewhere else.
What is that somewhere else? I’m guessing that she has absolutely no idea. She just has this knowing: There’s more in this life for me than to be Queen of Arendelle.
It’s confusing because she is Queen and why should she be unhappy with such a position? Isn’t this good enough? Shouldn’t it be?
She might think she’s an okay queen (though, undoubtedly she is plagued by her past trauma). She probably believes that someone else would probably be a much better ruler of her people. She believes there’s something else for her…but doubts her capacity and worthiness to pursue it, let alone attain it.
This results in cognitive dissonance: I’m meant for something else; I don’t believe I can be that something else.
wondering if i have what it takes
questioning | fear
The voice, that internal sense, that calling, that belief that we’re meant to be doing something else…it gets stronger. And as it gets stronger, it’s harder to ignore. When we look in the mirror, we have that doubt and also a quiet whisper in our minds that says, “Yes, I’m worth this. Yes, I can go all-in on me.”
Fears whisper, “You don’t have what it takes. You won’t do it right. Someone else should do this. Not you.”
But each time you hear that voice, each time you feel that calling, you get pulled further into tension. You want to take that leap, but you just aren’t sure you have what it takes.
There are only two options from here.
One path is to ignore it. To stay where I am. To continue my current path. And for me, this is where my spirit suffers. A part of me wilts inside. I’ve been in this place for years in the past, when I knew that what I was doing was not what I was meant to do. It didn’t invalidate what I was doing. But instead of following the voice inside me, I bowed to my fears.
The other option is to listen to that voice, in spite of the fears, and venture into the unknown.
experiencing the thrill of what could be
accepting potential | joy
Brené Brown calls joy the most vulnerable emotion. It’s in this stage of this transformation that things get really scary. You’ve decided that you will move toward your future, your calling. But…you still have those fears.
I love Elsa’s posture here. It’s that vulnerable, openness to possibilities, the belief and sense that things are right. When you close your eyes, you just know that you’re being who you were meant to be.
For her, her magic courses through her and begins to manifest in more ways. This magic, which has been the source of so much pain, is growing and revealing new beauty and power.
It’s here that we feel the power within. It’s here that we know: this is what I was born for.
The acceptance here is critical to being able to follow that voice.
at the crossroads of my calling and comfort
terrifying | exhilaration
It is at this moment when the need to choose becomes clear: the path forward is not one of comfort. To follow this voice, this calling, this purpose, we have to make choices. Choices that will be necessary, choices that may leave me feeling vulnerable, choices that mean the life I’ve lived so far will not be the life I continue to live.
For me, and as I see it in Elsa, it’s a combination of terror and exhilaration. The heart is pounding as we look out and ask, “Can I really take this leap?”
Elsa’s hand is outstretched toward this future she wants so desperately. What will she have to go through to create this new reality? What will she have to give up? And how long will she wait to pursue this?
And here’s the truth of it all: it’s not actually a choice between calling and comfort. Because if we stay where we are, we will never feel true to ourselves and we will never experience peace or comfort.
Update (And Spoiler Alert)
My friend and fellow Frozen co-conspirator, DaimonLyra, pointed out something that is incredibly important to this transformation process that we see in the movie.
Anna loves her sister and another one of the magnificent elements of this film is how she and Elsa must learn what it means to dearly love one another and have separate journeys.
Anna: Who will stop you from going too far?
Elsa: You said you believed in me that this was what I was born to do.
Anna: And—I don’t want to stop you from that. I—I don’t want to stop you from being whatever you need to be.
From my friend, DL:
Elsa, for the first time, affirms something she wants to do and Anna is against the idea. A loved one could be against your path to fulfillment, and maybe having some good reasons. But sometimes there is only one way.
Yet again, this show demonstrates an incredible depth that some reviewers miss entirely. I remember one complaining, “Didn’t Elsa learn anything from the first movie?” Yes, she did, and she’s still Elsa.
The lesson from my friend is this: obstacles can be in the form of loved ones. And it is our job to determine how or what, if anything, we do with this as we step out into the unknown in pursuit of ourselves and our calling.
Displaying this Series
I am working on a physical display for this series. As I’ve been contemplating how this should be done, I am enjoying reflecting on the words that correspond with each drawing..
The art arrived recently after having traversed the Pacific ocean.
My plans are to display it in some format that has the text visible alongside each photo.
I look forward to reflecting on this art for years to come to remind myself of the beauty and transformation of following the voice calling me forward.
This art series is a beautiful way I am investing in myself, my current journey, and my future journeys. It’s a reminder of the influence we all have on each other when we pursue our passions, love ourselves, and believe in our own potential. Elsa’s journey inspires me to go all in on me and my journey, to be willing to venture into the unknown.