The Slate

Disney caused a lot of confusion when they decided to release their latest film under an inconspicuous marketing strategy. Those who have already seen Frozen know it’s a heartfelt story that holds more meaning than the original trailers had shown, but it was first marketed  to people as a comedic tale about a snowman named Olaf. The trailers consisted of Olaf and a reindeer teasing each other on an iced-over lake. There was no context behind the actual plot of the movie so viewers hadn’t the slightest idea what they were getting themselves into when they went to see the film. 

While Disney is typically famous for their princess stories (which basically tell little girls that being pretty enough gets you a suitable prince), this movie had a much deeper message that went beyond the typical love story. This love story was between two sisters, not a prince and princess. Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, is the main character who goes off to save her older sister, Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), who after having accidentally cast an eternal winter over their town, locks herself away in a private ice castle. Maybe Disney thought that if they previewed the movie as another princess tale, they would lose a huge portion of viewers and that’s why they decided to take a different route by focusing on Olaf and the reindeer. This strategy of “false” marketing worked. Frozen has brought in over $600 million since it opened at the end of November 2013. 

Though children dragged their parents to take them to see a funny movie about a snowman, what Disney returned was a surprisingly great tale that appealed to both kids and adults alike. This is the first time in a long time that a Disney movie didn’t center around a princess finding true love, but rather how love can better a person - and that makes everyone happy.