Puppet/Steff | 23 | Female | Aussie
Artist | Graduate | Games DesignAywas ID #6177
Life Ruined By:
Persona 5, Tokyo Ghoul, The Flash, Cow Chop, Monster Hunter, One Piece, Attack on Titan, Jurassic Park.
I feel you friend. I really really do. I know it’s a perfectly valid defense to say that Elsa’s ice (I’m not calling it frost because it’s never referred to that way and frost is Jack’s thing) doesn’t have to look natural, because it’s magic, and it’s Disney’s take on ice powers. But coming right on the heels of Rise of the Guardians, the entire aesthetic of Frozen is just so cheap and synthetic looking.
Never mind all the other incredible details in the film, but speaking of just Jack himself, his design may be simple, but the rendering is so detailed and lovingly meticulous. The many different shades and hues that make up his complexion. The texture of his skin, clothes, and hair. No detail was spared in making Jack as lifelike and realistic as possible while still keeping his design within stylistic margins.
Now, let’s take a moment to compare.
Of course, it comes down to the style, but considering that style and aesthetic is a great majority of what the medium has to offer, these elements are crucial to the end result. Everyone has their preferences, but in general, styles that are more evolved and lend more towards realism are often taken more seriously, and make it easier for the audience to invest in the characters. When you look at the two figures above, which one looks like a person, and which one looks like it belongs on the shelves of a toy store.
On the left you have Jack. His proportions are modestly exaggerated to give the character more life, and the color pallet that illuminates him and his surroundings is of muted, earthy tones. There’s a lot of nuance there, both in his features, and in the coloration.
Then on the right is Elsa. Her features are extremely exaggerated; the colors are loud and gaudy. Not that there isn’t a place for loud and gaudy when it comes to film, but if you consider that Disney wanted to make a serious tale of fantasy, politics, and human interest, the aesthetic doesn’t really help them in this respect. It’s glaringly obvious that these designs were taylor made to be reproduced as toys, as merchandising (particularly with the princess brand) is a huge contributor to Disney’s profits.
And as for the powers?
There’s actually quite a lot I have to say on this subject. Starting with how their respective powers are defined, what they mean to the character, and how they play into the story.
In Jack’s case, his powers are pretty well defined. We know, for the most part, what his limits and abilities are. As does he. We are given a sense from the beginning of the film that his powers come from a higher place, and by the end of the film the audience, as well as Jack, has found how and why Jack came to possess such power. Furthermore, the aesthetic is naturalistic, complex, and very beautiful.
Not so for Elsa.
Regardless of how you feel about the aesthetic of her powers, you can’t deny that the film does a poor job of developing them. The source of her powers remains a mystery to us, as does their nature. We know that she was born with them, and that it’s supposedly some kind of curse, but where did it come from? Who cursed her, and why? No explanation. And as far as her limits, her powers seem to range from whipping up blizzards, to dressmaking, to bringing inanimate objects to life??? And wether or not she can control these powers seems to vary at the convenience of the plot. Aesthetically, they’re…well…as generic as Elsa herself.
