FILM

Taking "Frozen 2" Too Seriously: Race, Reparations, and Revisionist History

Disney comes close to transcending the Happily Ever After pitfall–and then fails.

Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell Receive Frozen-Inspired Dolls

Photo by Jordan Strauss-Invision-AP-Shutterstock

If you've seen Frozen, then you know that being a person of color these days is sort of like having magic powers—if you live in a society (like Arendelle) where people with magic powers are vilified and run out of many towns out of fear and misunderstanding of the foreign and unknown.

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FILM

Homophobia in Animation: Queer-Coded Disney Characters

Disney has almost no outwardly queer characters, and the queer-coded characters it does have are almost always villains.


Let's be honest: Disney hasn't given us a lot to work with in terms of LGBTQ+ representation.

Troublingly, many of the Disney characters that display queer characteristics are also portrayed as villains. While this isn't a positive thing overall, many queer folks have combed through Disney movies, triumphantly reclaiming the franchise's many glittering, flamboyant, queer-coded characters.

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Can You Feel the Love Tonight (From "The Lion King")

By now, we've all heard "Spirit." We've all basked in the track's vast cathartic greatness. The song is majestic in a way only Beyoncé could be.

As the song swells, it carries with it a heavy-handed mix of euphoria and nostalgia, and, according to film critics' reactions to the upcomingThe Lion King, the anthem conveys only a fraction of the glory that the movie will offer. "Oh man The Lion King delivers," wrote The Wrap. "It's a visual masterpiece…" BuzzFeed News said the film "[is] going to change the way we look at films forever."

As for "Spirit" itself, there is no way to describe it. The lyrics could only be given justice by Beyoncé. "Your destiny is comin' close," she bellows as a chorus sings in the background. "Stand up and fight." We can't exactly picture Taylor Swift giving the words the same emphasis. In closing, "Spirit" is a level of perfection that can only be reached by Queen Bey. As cliche as it is, the song literally sucked the spirit and breath out of my f**king body.

The single is part of a new album Beyoncé has curated titled The Lion King: The Gift. The "gift" is obviously a new Beyoncé album. "This is sonic cinema," Beyonce said in a statement. "This is a new experience of storytelling." Chance The Rapper was even brought in as a f**king "nostalgia consultant" just to make sure audiences would leave the theater emotionally exhausted. No words can prepare us for what's to come on July 19.