How is isolation shown in Frozen?

Frozen (2013) revolves around the isolation of two sisters, Anna and Elsa. While these two princesses are best of friends as young children, Elsa, who has magical powers that she struggles to control, withdraws from the world, essentially locking herself in her bedroom. When their parents die in a shipwreck, their isolation deepens.

One way to trace the theme of isolation throughout the film is through its soundtrack. The hit song “Do You Want to...

Frozen (2013) revolves around the isolation of two sisters, Anna and Elsa. While these two princesses are best of friends as young children, Elsa, who has magical powers that she struggles to control, withdraws from the world, essentially locking herself in her bedroom. When their parents die in a shipwreck, their isolation deepens.

One way to trace the theme of isolation throughout the film is through its soundtrack. The hit song “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” appears in the film during a montage that reveals the progression of Anna and Elsa’s isolation. As the line “It doesn’t have to be a snowman” suggests, the titular question is not so much about building a snowman as it is a sister’s plea for companionship. When Elsa’s coronation day arrives and the castle is opened for guests, Anna celebrates that “for the first time in forever / I won’t be alone.”

Although popular culture has embraced “Let It Go” as a song about (female) empowerment, it is also a song about isolation. Consider the extreme long shots of Elsa as she climbs further and further up the mountain and away from everyone else. It is about her embracing her powers, but sadly it’s also about her withdrawing from her sister and the people that she is to rule. We see her embracing her identity, but it's from a great distance against a backdrop of snow. Even from the viewer, Elsa’s isolation deepens, as she becomes harder and harder to see—from this perspective, her visual transformation takes on a new significance. Fittingly, it is later in the film, also against a snowy backdrop, that this isolation is ended by true love’s kiss. In this late moment, it is their reunion that ends the snowstorm—the recurring symbol of isolation—and their isolation itself.