Type: Romantic
Film: Frozen 1 and 2
Featured Characters: Anna and Kristoff
While the Frozen franchise features sisterhood at its core, the romance between Anna of Arendelle and Kristoff has its own meaningful weight to the story. They meet in the midst of chaos, and while things aren’t off to a smooth start, they eventually become a great team. For those who’ve known isolation for much of their life, Their story has a message of hope. They’re both caregivers who are often overlooked and become a pair that can be there for each other’s needs. The journey to evolving into the team that they are is full of twists and turns and, at times, feels relatable despite the fairytale setting.
A large part of the reason why Anna and Kristoff work is because what seems like an unlikely pairing actually makes perfect sense. While Anna grew up knowing what a loving family is like, the incident with Elsa forced her into a lonelier and more isolated place. Where she once had a sister and family, she only knows pain and confusion when we see her as an adult. Well into her teen years, Anna is desperate for companionship. She loves her family and sister, and despite how they’ve isolated her, she’s still steadfastly loyal to them. Further, while many of their actions might make sense to the audience, Anna is still very much in the dark until Elsa’s coronation day.
Yet, even amid all her loneliness, Anna is remarkably optimistic, which then inspires her to make some no-so-great decisions when it comes to love and companionship. She might not always think things through, but when it comes to her relationship with Kristoff, the pacing and quiet moments show why they’re so compatible.
How Anna and Kristoff Are Similar
Kristoff had a solitary life. He had an adopted family that took care of him and loved him, but he grew up mistrusting other humans for how they looked at him based on his class. By the time he meets Anna, his only companion outside his family of rocks is his reindeer, so seeing a literal princess of the kingdom with all her privilege is understandably jarring. Still, Anna’s loyalty is on full display as she showcases that nothing will stop her from saving Elsa. Here, Kristoff sees the same love for family that he has, as well as her naivety in the way she talks about Hans. Naturally, Kristoff pushes her buttons, and she pushes right back. It’s apparent during this banter that even while she’s a princess, they’re acting as equals.
Anna and Kristoff get to know each other quickly because of the stressors surrounding them, which then forces them to see each other at their best and worst. In the days they spend together, there’s a change in how they interact and believe in each other. Because they’re so used to taking care of themselves their whole life, it makes it easy to care for each other. Their loneliness calls out to each other. He’s drawn to her because Kristoff loves his family, and he sees Anna fighting for her own, so he can’t help but continue working with her.
At this point, Anna believes she’s in love with Hans and doesn’t question that. While yes, it is naive, it shows her trusting nature. Hans is at fault here, not Anna’s willingness to believe in people. Yet, she learns what truly caring about someone looks like when Kristoff comes back for her, risking his heart and his life. And when she sacrifices herself for Elsa, she grows, too, allowing her to shed some of her innocence while she learns how to trust in the right people.
During the second movie, I question how Anna and Kristoff’s relationship is portrayed, especially after the time jump that happens. But it’s what we have, and I understand where the writers are coming from. Anna is surrounded by love more than ever before, but Hans’ betrayal does affect her. Her anxieties surrounding Kristoff are never about questioning her feelings, but they’re fears that he would break her heart like Hans did while she is consumed with once again trying to save her sister. The first two times Kristoff tries to awkwardly propose, Anna worries that she isn’t enough. On top of that, Elsa’s determination to fix things on her own reminds Anna of how she felt while growing up, and she can’t go back to that loneliness.
Similarly, Kristoff believes in their love, but he isn’t fully confident in himself. They aren’t their best selves when they go into the enchanted forest, but they come out of it as stronger people, both individually and as a couple. Kristoff essentially struggles with the same things Anna does. He wants to secure their bond with marriage, but interestingly, Anna wants to hold on a little too tightly to Elsa. As a result of their anxieties, the miscommunication between them acts as their biggest conflict. However, when they find each other again, Kristoff is more mature in his feelings, acknowledging that he trusts in their love fully. At this point, Anna trusts him, but again, with Elsa preoccupying her mind, she jumps to the worst-case scenario with Kristoff as well. In the end, after realizing that his fears shouldn’t shake the foundation of the love he and Anna have built, Kristoff boldly asks for Anna’s hand in marriage.
It’s also in the second movie that Anna realizes she and her sister are equal in more ways than she thought, and they have to work together for the good of Arendelle and the enchanted forest. This realization gives Anna the confidence boost she didn’t possess before, and as the spare who felt like she had to try to keep everyone together, this is where Anna lets go of some of her demons. When Elsa empowers her, it helps relieve some of the burdens she’s carried, allowing her to believe in herself more while trusting Kristoff’s love.
As a ruler, Anna now knows that she has Kristoff to rely on entirely, and after seeing every side of each other, the support and respect are equal on all fronts. In the end, Anna and Kristoff find balance and have fun together, which is not something films often show. It gives them a realness, and as the audience, we get to see a snippet of life when they aren’t out on an adventure. They’re stronger because of the ways they love each other, and their love is built out of people who choose each other every single day.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Disney