MD6001 Week 6 - Frozen using Campbell and Vogler's narrative stages and Propp's morphology (SPOILERS

Poster for the American release of the film (Source: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=109012)

Like Aladdin, I split the plot of Frozen into different narrative stages according to Campbell and Vogler as follows:

Ordinary World - As children, Anna and Elsa play together (see Fig. 1). Elsa accidentally strikes Anna to the head with her ice magic (see Figs. 2 and 3) and Grand Pabbie, the troll king, heals Anna (see Fig. 4). The kingdom closes its gates (see Fig. 5). Afraid of causing any further damage, Elsa isolates herself from the rest of her family (see Fig 6). This causes Anna to hardly see her. The king and queen die at sea during a storm (see Figs 7 and 8).

Fig 1: Anna and Elsa slide down a snow mound.

Fig 2: Elsa loses control of her powers.

Fig 3: Anna is stricken with Elsa's magic.

Fig 4: Grand Pabbie heals Anna.

Fig 5: The gates of Arendelle are closed to protect any outsiders from Elsa's powers

Fig 6: Elsa shuts herself away from Anna.

Fig 7: The king and queen die at sea during a storm.

Fig 8: Anna attends the funeral but Elsa does not.

Call to adventure - On the day of Elsa’s coronation, Anna meets Prince Hans (See Fig 9). They ask Elsa if they can marry (see Fig. 10).

Fig 9: Prince Hans meets Anna.

Fig 10: Anna and Hans ask Elsa if they can marry.

Refusal of the call - Elsa refuses to let Anna and Hans marry because they have only just met (see Fig. 11).

Fig. 11. Elsa refuses to let Hans and Anna marry.

Crossing the threshold - Elsa unleashes her powers in fear and flees Arendelle (See Fig. 12), thus unintentionally setting off an eternal winter in the kingdom (see Fig. 13). Anna sets out to search for her on horseback (see Fig. 14). As Elsa climbs the North Mountain (see fig. 15), she sings Let It Go, builds an ice palace with her powers (see fig. 16) and changes her outfit (see fig. 17).

Fig. 12: Elsa flees Arendelle in fear.

Fig. 13: Arendelle freezes.

Fig. 14: Anna sets out in search for Elsa.

Fig. 15: Elsa climbs the North Mountain.

Fig. 16: Elsa builds an ice palace.

Fig. 17: Elsa changes her outfit.

Meeting the mentor Part A - Whilst Anna goes searching for Elsa, her horse leaves her. She meets Kristoff, an iceman who guides her to the North Mountain and his dog-like reindeer Sven (See Fig. 18). The sleigh is damaged when it falls down a cliff and Anna promises Kristoff to replace it. They continue their journey on foot.

Fig. 18: Kristoff guides Anna to the North Mountain.

Tests, enemies and Allies part A - During her search for Elsa, Anna is reunited with Olaf (see Fig. 19), a goofy snowman who she and Elsa built when they were children. Olaf longs to experience summer (see Fig. 20).

Fig. 19: Anna is reunited with Olaf.

Fig 20: Olaf imagines himself sunbathing.

Meeting the mentor Part B - Anna asks Olaf to show her the way to the mountain.

Approach to the inmost cave - Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf eventually arrive at the North Mountain (see Fig. 21) and Anna enters the ice palace (see Fig. 22). She reunites with Elsa and explains that she set off an eternal winter (see Fig. 23). Anna convinces Elsa she can unfreeze it but Elsa disagrees and strikes Anna in the heart with her ice magic (see Figs 24 and 25).

Fig. 21: Arrival at the North Mountain.

Fig. 22: Anna enters the ice palace.

Fig. 23: Anna and Elsa reunite.

Fig. 24

Fig. 25.

The road back - On the way back to Arendelle, Anna Sven, Kristoff and Olaf visit the trolls to see if Anna can be healed again but Grand Pabbie says “Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.” (See Fig. 26) Meanwhile Elsa is charged with treason and is imprisoned for her actions (See Fig. 27).

Fig. 26: "Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."

Fig. 27: Elsa finds herself in prison.

Tests, enemies and allies part B - When Anna asks Hans to kiss her, he refuses (see Fig. 28), thus revealing himself as the villain. He leaves Anna to die (see Figs 29 and 30).

Fig. 28: Hans refuses to kiss Anna.

Fig. 29

Fig. 30: Anna is left for dead.

The ordeal - Elsa escapes from prison and when Hans confronts her (see Fig. 31), he pretends Anna is dead. He is just about to kill Elsa (see fig. 32).

Fig. 31: Hans approaches Elsa.

Fig. 32: Hans attempts to kill Elsa.

The reward - Anna blocks the attack and freezes solid (see Fig. 33). As Elsa grieves for Anna, Anna thaws (see Fig. 34). Elsa discovers that Anna has sacrificed herself when blocking Hans’s attack, which counts as an act of true love. (see Fig. 35).

Fig. 33: Anna blocks the attack as she freezes.

Fig. 34: Anna thaws as Elsa grieves.

Fig. 35: Anna sacrificing herself for Elsa is an act of true love.

The resurrection - Upon learning that love will thaw, Elsa thaws the kingdom (see Fig. 36).

Fig. 36: Elsa thaws Arendelle.

Return with elixir - Anna and Elsa become their closest since childhood (see Fig. 37) and the gates to the kingdom remain open (see Fig. 38).

Fig. 37: Anna and Elsa reconcile.

Fig. 38: Arendelle's gates remain open.

I have split two narrative stages into two. The archytypes I could Identify were the princess (Anna and Elsa), magical helper (Grand Pabbie), false hero (Prince Hans), the villain (also Prince Hans), genuine hero (Anna), dispatcher (Anna to herself when she sets out to find Elsa) and donor (Elsa when she gives Olaf his own snow cloud after thawing Arendelle in Fig. 39 and Anna when she gives Kristoff a new sleigh in Fig. 40). Leitmotifs I could identify with some of these archetypes are snow and ice (Elsa) and humour (Olaf, whose name sounds like "Oh, laugh!").

Fig. 39: Elsa helps Olaf survive in summer by giving him an ice cloud.

Fig 40: Anna replaces Kristoff's sleigh.

Here are the narrative stages from Vladimir Propp's Morphology, a narrative structure applied to Russian fairytales, I could identify in Frozen:

Initial situation - Similar to the ordinary world stage in Vogler's analysis.

Absentation - Elsa flees Arendelle in fear of hurting others with her ice magic and sets an eternal winter on the kingdom.

Interdiction - Anna decides to set out in search for Elsa and Prince Hans wants to accompany her. He also warns Anna that setting out alone could be dangerous.

Violation of interdiction - Anna refuses to let Hans join her and she leaves him in charge of the kingdom.

Counteraction and departure - Anna sets out in search for Elsa in a pledge to bring back the summer.

Acquisition and Transfiguration - Elsa gains her new-found freedom atop the North Mountain and uses her powers to build an ice palace and change her outfit.

Guidance - With the help from Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, Anna reaches the North Mountain where Elsa is hiding.

Return - Similar to the Road Back stage in Vogler’s analysis.

Reconnaissance - Hans, not yet identified as the villain, sets out to search for Elsa with his henchmen.

Claim and exposure - Similar to part B of the Tests, Enemies and Allies stage in Vogler’s analysis.

Punishment - Hans is locked up on board the ship returning to the Southern Isles for pretending to be innocent towards Anna and attempting to kill Elsa.

While the stages of Propp's morphology appear in a linear fashion in the original structure, they appear in a non-linear fashion in Frozen.

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