“Nobody who says, ‘I told you so’ has ever been, or will ever be, a hero.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Language of the Night
“And then.
“The great connective, the thread that binds the patchwork fabric of stories. And then this happen. And then that. One thing after another, until the end of the story. And then it stops. And then everything stays the same forever and ever, because a story once told is unchanging, everlasting. Imprisoned in amber.
“As if like was like that …”
― Richard Grant, Rumors of Spring
“What exactly are you here for?”
“To see with eyes unclouded by hate.”
― Hayao Miyazaki, Princess Mononoke
“Well, what is it?” I cried. “What is his crime?”
“Cruelty,” whispered Snout.
I felt my stomach tighten. “Cruelty?” I asked, wondering if I had heard right.
“In the civilized galaxy, cruelty is the greatest of all crimes,” said Madame Pong. “Of course, life always involves some suffering, and there are times when painful things must be done for life to continue. But an intelligent being who takes pleasure in causing pain to others–well, such an individual is considered dangerously bent.”
“You must understand,” said Tar Gibbons, “that empathy is the heart of civilization.”
“Empathy?”
“The ability to understand what another feels,” said Snout. “It is the trait that lifts us above the animals.”
― Bruce Coville, Aliens Ate My Homework
That is, Disney’s (loose) retelling of The Snow Queen:
– It passed the Bechdel test within the first five minutes–in the opening post-credits song
– It replaced the traditional wedding scene with a coronation scene–one where a female character doesn’t need to get married to claim power
– The acknowledgement that first love isn’t always true love
– The acknowledgement that there’s more than one kind of world-altering love in the first place
– The fate of the world hinging on the relationship between two women–two sisters
The dynamics of magic and power and how to work with (and fail to work with) and control them were fascinating, too, and played interestingly to some of my own fictional concerns, so I loved that as well.
Ursula Vernon has more spoilery thoughts about Frozen here, to do with the dynamics of women and magic and the keeping of power that also resonate strongly for me.