I like Elsa but her personality is .... non existent. She's more a caricature of someone with anxiety/depression than a well-developed character

Her character wasn't all that developed actually. I wish she had more development but she lacks in development and her personality is well bland. I mean all we could really tell about her was that she had anxiety and/or depression from the whole ice power thing and worrying about hurting her sister. But that's about it. She's really not that interesting.

Elsa.. oh Elsa. Besides her ice powers and mental issues, what do we know about her? She's about as interesting as a Popsicle stick.

PL said it really well but simply... I never thought of it but I guess she IS a caricature of a person with anxiety. No wonder I cannot relate to her at all in that way, despite my own social anxiety problems. It seems more forced than how a real person with those issues would act naturally. Anyway, while I like the IDEA of Elsa (the mysterious snow queen was an awesome fairy tale character!), I wish we knew more about her. But it's mostly her hypocrisy with Anna and that overplayed song that I dislike. One, Elsa is just as if not more sheltered than Anna so how would she know anything about love either, especially with all that pessimism clouding her judgment? Two, Let It Go is all about being selfish and saying screw you to your duty. I dislike the defiant tone and how she suddenly doesn't care about her kingdom, even her own sister. it seems wildly OOC- she had been so anxious all her life to protect Anna and now in five minutes she suddenly doesn't care?

I hate to add to the comments because it Elsa already does get some criticism from this place, but at the same time I don't mind- everyone praises everything she does outside of FP.

Elsa was the most platonic and boring character ever. I honestly hated her and the movie. She was nothing short of selfish and cruel. Not only did she abandon her sister, but her kingdom for the sake of her freedom. They were powerless, freezing, and starving to death because she released her powers. And then she gets to be queen after all that just because she unfroze the kingdom?! Sorry but that spells failure in any lifetime. Elsa was made to be reckless and too scared to rule. That means trouble. She lacks class, sociability, the support of her people, EMOTION, and sentiment.

Elsa made a lot of mistakes. She ran away from her kingdom in fear of not just her PEOPLE but herself as well. But who was to blame for this? Most likely, her mother. If she hadn't screwed up raising a child who had some issues, Elsa would have been perfectly calm. Instead, she couldn't mature fast enough to realise that she SHOULDN'T have been locked in a castle all the time. The same thing happened to Rapunzel, and nobody blinks an eye. "Elsa was made to be reckless and too scared to rule. That means trouble. She lacks class, sociability, and the support of her people." That's the thing with all the princesses. That's the thing with all of US. When we were little, we all screwed up here and there. But in the end, we've learned to be forgiven, and to forget. If Merida practically POISONS her mother as a form of brainwashing and says a simple "Sorry" and a little empowering speech in the end of the movie, everyone forgives her. *cougcoughTumblrcoughcough* But why not Elsa? Elsa was introverted, mature, intellectual, realistic, and perfectly fit to be a ruler. She listened to her subjects, unlike Anna who always danced to the beat of her own drum, carefree and in no thoughts of others. Elsa knew her entire life that she would rule one day, and only her powers were keeping her down. If the PEOPLE weren't afraid of Elsa's powers, Elsa wouldn't have been afraid of her powers. And that means she's an excellent ruler. She experiences the exact same emotions of her people. An introverted princess doesn't just hear someone else, they listen. I look up to Elsa for being labelled as shy, or quiet, or WEAK. Or even friggin' boring, because even though everyone underestimates us, we're awesome. And if Elsa proved that to little kids, why can't we see it? In fact, in a country where they sell ICE, imagine how well Elsa boosted the economy. Another thing is, when we were all little we had a thirst for freedom. When we finally grasped it, we didn't wanna let it go. That's completely understandable with EVERY princess, but more with Elsa. Another user, silverrose, I think pointed out in the debate forum how Anna was always free, but Elsa was always trapped. When Elsa finally "let it go" her dress was more unconservative, symbolizing how it felt to be free and confident. Elsa worked so hard to please everyone while she was still stuck inside a room with a secret, so when everything came crumbling down, she taught us a lesson. That's why I'm glad that when she finally found herself, she didn't hide it. My only complaints are that we should see more of her smart, selfless side than her side that's labelled with anxiety and ice powers. Disney screwed up in that part, but I see Elsa for who she really is. She's an awesome character, underdeveloped, but flawed, real, and cool.

I'll just sum it up with my Elsa section from my Frozen review.

"I just know that no matter what I say about her I'm going to start some kind of argument. But it looks like I'm going to get a lot of hate from the Elsa lovers and a lot of praise from the Elsa haters. I don't hate or dislike Elsa but that's mainly because I don't feel like she has a personality for me to judge her as a character. She's just a plot device and something for Anna to chase after and be an obstacle. Now a plot device can have personality and be a good character; just look at Jasmine and Eric. Aurora is a plot device but she still has some personality, not a lot, but she still has some personality. The problem with Elsa is that we never really got to meet her. All we know about her is that she has a lot of anxiety, has ice powers, and is Anna's sister. People have listed personality traits she has like being shy, timid, reserved, mature, and so forth. However, that all just relates back to her anxiety, so she basically only has one trait and it doesn't give her personality. She's a non-character in this story and is only there to keep the plot moving. We don't know what her are her likes or dislikes. What are her interests, her desires (besides wanting to be free), her hopes, her dreams, and what does she do in her spare time. She can't just sit in her room and be nervous all day doing nothing. Rapunzel had a power she had to hide and was isolated but she had several interests; she painted, read, studied the stars, cooked, played music, and several things to keep herself occupied. It helped us get to know her but we don't get to know Elsa. All we get from her is her anxiety and nothing else.

A lot of people agree that she's a plot device with no personality and yet there are just as many people who love her. Why is that? A simple answer, having no personality makes her a blank slate. Everyone has anxiety in their life and don't know how to deal with it, just like Elsa. But Elsa also has powers, which makes her life more exciting. So basically she's just a skin for the view to put on and relate to her anxiety problems but also have powers and be able to enter a world of fantasy and excitement. Yes, I got this idea from the Nostalgia Critic with his video "Is Twilight The Worst Thing Ever" where he talks about Bella. Now Elsa isn't as bad a character as Bella, but it doesn't change the fact that there are people who want to be like Elsa. It's the same reason why the original Power Rangers and superheros (Superman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, etc.) had no personality. If they have distinct personalities different from the viewer's, they couldn't fantasize about being them and imagining that the character had their personality. Kid would be upset if the Power Ranger that was their favorite character wasn't like them and same with their favorite superhero. However, as time went by, the Power Rangers and Superheros have evolved and developed distinct personalities and identities. The reason for that is because it doesn't matter if a character has a personality different from your own because you can still find something admirable about them. Which is why a character like Elsa, who has no personality and is a blank slate, has nothing to offer because they don't have any traits about them that is admirable. I mean, I'm nothing like Cinderella but I admire her strength and patience. She has been through a lot but is still kind and has plenty of personality. So it shows very poor effort on Disney's part that they're so afraid of a character not being like that they don't even try to give them a personality. When I first saw the movie, I actually felt nothing for Elsa; but I put her in my top 5 favorite Disney Princesses because I felt obligated to because of her anxiety. But a character needs more than that to be a memorable and a well-written character, of which Elsa is not. I can't feel anything for Elsa because she is a non-entity that is only there for plot reasons and for the audience to imagine that they are and that she has their personality. It's very disappointing because this could have been a great character.

I think Elsa is really hurt in this story by not having her be the protagonist or the antagonist. I know the creators of Frozen wanted to make her a misunderstood character but they could have done that and still made her both a hero and a villain. How many Disney movies do you know of where the main villain becomes a good guy? They could have made her a complex character that started off the way she is in the film and became a villain but thanks to Anna's love, she becomes good. I think it would be cool if Elsa got her powers and her parents saw it as a way to conquer other kingdoms and got Elsa a teacher to teach Elsa how to use her powers. That would actually explain how she was so skilled with her powers during Let It Go, which is never explained. They needed to make her a lot like Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender, someone who always had to perform her skills perfectly to please her parents and if she didn't she was shut out and and felt like a failure. But also make her have a heart and love her sister, who was her way of having a childhood, like Ty Lee was for Azula. And maybe have her parents die because of an accident caused by Elsa, which causes her to shut people out because she's afraid of hurting people, especially Anna. This would also help with what I said about Anna being neglected by her family, but I digress. Eventually Elsa's powers would be revealed to everyone, they'd think of her as a monster, and Let It Go is what makes her decide that she'll be the evil being that everyone thinks she is and make everyone suffer under his frozen, iron fist. Now that would be totally badass, though I know everyone is going to disagree with me on this because they don't like things that are this dark. But it would've made Elsa complex as a character and a kickass villainess. It would actually be doing something new, which Frozen really didn't do a lot of. Elsa was really a complete waste of potential.

As for her character development, she doesn't really have any. She never faces her problem, she keeps running away from them. When Anna gets struck, Elsa just sends Anna away and doesn't even think of telling her of the trolls that could help her. She does realize that she made a mistake but she never tries to fix it until Anna risks her life for her, which again, we will get to later in this article. She never tries to unfreeze the land until that whole "love" thing happened. She just kept running away from her problems. She doesn't even realize that when she isn't afraid that her powers are under control. ELSA WILL YOU GET A FREAKING CLUE ALREADY! However, I will defend that she does realize the problems she causes, just like how I believe that about Ariel. But the difference is that Elsa had the power to stop all of this, Ariel didn't and there was very little she could do, even though I wish Ariel had defeated Ursula. Anyway, Elsa's character development isn't there at all. They didn't even develop her personality or the back story of her powers, let alone how she developed and grew as a character. I'm neutral about her but there is a lot of problems with her."

I don't care if it's too long! Let the rant rage on! Not having my comment in the article doesn't bother me anyway.

I understand what other people are trying to say. However, something about her does make me love her. She is very relatable and somehow pretty unique, I know people will see her as boring and underdeveloped and I understand, however she does have such a great personality that I love. I love her playfulness and her maturity.

One thing however that does bother me about her is the way she solves her anxiety problem. Suddenly she just discovers "love". It's just so black and white to me and incredibly fake. If discovering "love" was that simple than I think nobody would be depressed. Although I do adore Elsa that does kind of bother me.

As someone who has delt with anxiety for a very long time I really like Elsa. I can relate to that feeling of running away. I believe her success is because so many people feel they have inner demons and could relate. People say she runs away from her problems but she is young and was taught that by her parents! Her character development only seemed rushed because the whole end of that movie was. I honestly think a lot of the Elsa hate comes from her popularity. I wouldn't call her a role model but so many people can relate to her struggles that she is an important figure. Plus role models are over rated.

I absolutely adore Elsa! One of the reasons it took me so long to join this club is the comments about her, and I'll just say I simply don't agree with them...

Elsa is a great character in my mind through and through. People say she's simple but I think her character has many layers and is very complex with a dark side, caring side, loving side, and more.


People fault Elsa for the mistakes her makes? Well, I got to say not only do I love her for the mistakes her makes but that her character is naturally developed. We start off seeing Elsa as a little girl happy with her sister, playful, energetic, and caring. While she's playing with her sister she messes up and it throws her life down the drain for something she didn't cause. Her parents never got her help and stashed her away and never really cared about her. I love how when she gets out of her room for the coronation she's so selfless as to swallow her pride and do everything for the sake of the kingdom. At the party she shows many layers. Loving, compassionate, prideful, and has a fun side with her sister. Elsa is mature with her sister but fun at the same time. Elsa fucks shit up sometimes but always keeps trying with a smile. Let it go wasn't a selfish song. Elsa finally gets a taster of freedom after mental abuse and she didn't leave for her own sake, she left because she was scared something would happen to her kingdom that she cares deeply for.

@RobinLove You didn't watch Frozen did you? "Leaves her kingdom when they're freezing? Are you kidding me? Could you not tell she didn't KNOW what happened in Arendelle?! Elsa fails at things but always gets back up trying, and she always shows love for her sister whenever she can, Elsa just had to put her walls up.

Elsa is remorseful, selfless, warm, regal, and more. She's not just her powers. Elsa was socializing with the party so she does interact and shows kindness.

In my mind Elsa goes through great character development from a bit closed out from people (And she was only closed out because she had to be, she was not a coward at all. She came back anyway and fixed the day) to strong women who finally gets to be them-self, and then to the caring sister she always wished to be but needed someone to open the door for.
Elsa is able to admit when she's wrong and I think her crying scene shows that, and when people say she doesn't know about love I'd strongly refer them to when Anna SAYS that Elsa doesn't know about love, showing the movie is playing on her flaws and at the end she'll develop from them.

Overall I adore Elsa and everything about her and I always will. Everything about her appeals to me from her flaws, to her great attributes, her complexity, her compassion, her fun side, and more. Greta job Disney, you did a fucking amazing job with Elsa.

I second all the negatively opinioned comments about Elsa here. I'm too tired to go on my own little tirade. :D

^Me too. We see a lot of emotion, little personality from her.

I do adore Elsa, though she is only my 3rd favorite DP. One thing that makes me love her is that she was willing to lock herself away and basically toss away her own life so that Anna could be safe, but I also think she is a victim of bad parenting. Seriously, who would tell their child to hide everything bad about themselves? But she was willing to do it because it would keep Anna safe. I wish she had a bit more personality, but I like the direction Disney was going with her character.

I feel like she's just a plot device and her personality doesn't exist.

She has no personalíty at all!!! I mean: I listened to Let it go before I watched Frozen. Iloved it. Then I watched only that scene. Iloved it too. But in the movie... After the trailers and Let it go I wanted something badass or at least some character development or anything! I can tell that I had some really difficult problems with finding friends and being who I am but except that few minutes in Let it go I just can't relate to her. Elsa is my second least favourite princess. The least favourite is Anna. I really don't like Frozen because they were just so annoying. The only thing that made this movie familiar to most people is that when you first hear Let it go you just feel that "oh my god! I justfeel that they are talking about me! It just makes me remember for all of my bad feelings! I just ensures me to fight against them!" which is not bad at all. The meaning of that song is clearly amazing. But it has no real reason as it's character dvelpoment is just simply forgottne in the rest of the movie. I think if people would have enough time to calm down after Let it go (for example a few days) and wtch the movie only after that as I did I am quite sure that you will find the movie much less awesome or even boring and tideous.

It's not like I dislike her, but I think she would have worked better if they had given her an actual character arc, preferable one which included her becoming "evil" and finding back to good later on. And I just don't see what is so "empowering" about her when she spends the whole damn movie hiding from herself. She basically stops hiding in the palace and instead starts hiding in the ice palace...how is that empowering.
Plus, I honestly don't get how she can miss that Arendell is in deep snow (she can overlook more or less the whole landscape from her balcony! how can she not notice that everything she sees is white?) and that he hit Anna?

You know what? Eff it, I wasn't going to comment because I've ranted on and defended Elsa a million times before but since I see very few people ever have anything good to say about her I'll just do it. I'm so damn tired I'll just copy and paste stuff. Funny that the club still insists Elsa is somehow popular on here. Yeah, I feel the love. *Rolls eyes*

Why Elsa was caring of Anna and was a good sister through and through


Shut Anna out-She shut out Anna not only against her will, but for very selfless reasons. Let's see. You're a naive eight year old who's a bit of a trouble maker and like's to play around with you're sister. One day a bunch of clueless parents separate you an your sisters rooms, make you wear gloves for the rest of your days (*plays Hakuna Matata*) and tells you to conceal don't feel because you are different from society and it's all of a sudden HER fault?!
Said for Anna to leave- Anna said she didn't enjoy it their and it wasn't like Anna was a queen like she was, plus Anna was SO excited for her husband, why doesn't she leave? How is that rude? (I'm not bashing Anna though <3)
Everything in let it go? Like I said, Anna was excited about her new husband and wouldn't listen to Elsa's warnings. Elsa left so she wouldn't, I don't know, KILL anyone at the party, or kill her, maybe? If she left and just sat in a corner I highly doubt anyone would be faulting her like they are. So if she enjoys herself it makes her selfish, I see.
The freaking guy ended up being evil! Are we not just sure Elsa is a genius!? If Anna would have listened to her their would have been no conflict in Frozen.
She didn't "refuse" to help Arendelle, Anna comes up to the ice castle saying the problem in Arendelle is all of Elsa's fault and she's 100% to blame, Elsa was trying to calm down her powers, she didn't refuse. Saying she doesn't know how isn't refusing.
SHE-DIDN'T-KNOW-SHE-STRUCK-ANNA-HEART. Was Anna wearing a sign or did she say anything that said, "Hey Elsa you struck my heart" The trolls couldn't tell, and her hair didn't turn white till after they left.
NO. The Snow Monster's complete purpose was just to leave Elsa for a while so she can settle the situation by herself. The Snow monster just chased them away and then stopped. When Anna throwed a snowball at him he started attacking, but even when he had Anna and Kristoff in his grasp he didn't hurt them.
"Showing she's always right" let's go back to the line: "I can't control the curse" Elsa in not afraid to say what she can or can not do. She was right about Hans, but Elsa knew then that her parents were wrong all those years.
Elsa didn't shut her sister out for 21 years, her parents didn't shut Anna always from Elsa till they were eight, before then they played together and had fun.

Last but not least, Elsa's fear isn't above all else, her family is. When Hans told her Anna was dead she dropped to the ground, rather be dead that have to live without Anna. Elsa spent her whole life caring about her family and never forgot about her parents. Sure she messes up along the way, but once she found where she went wrong she got right back to responsibility and said she'll never close the gates again, she genuinely cares, whether introverted or not.

If I had a sister like Elsa that would take away her happiness to make sure I don't DIE, I would definitely want her.

Why Elsa was not selfish during let it go

(Sorry if it doesn't make sense, like I said I'm just copying and pasting things)

Be the good girl you always have to be- Now your complain about this is understandable, BUT I think she's referring to her parents always keeping her trapped. If you listen to the original cut for Frozen, Elsa sings a song about how she doesn't like being a princess and how she does stuff that she shouldn't do. I'm happy they took that song out, as I've heard the same song millions of times before. Anyway, she breaks the rules, goes to play with Anna and has fun. When Elsa realizes she could kill Anna her parents take away any chance she has of fun. Elsa is seen looking out the window wishing she could have fun again, but her powers get the best of her and her parents pull her down again. Elsa wants to eat chocolate, play with her sister, have fun again but she was told her whole life she can't because she's a monster.

Can't hold it back anymore- she almost kills everybody in the ballroom, no she CAN'T hold it back anymore. It's the emotions she's been feeling for years, no matter how hard she tries she can't change who she is.

I don't care what they're going to say- there is a WORLD load of difference between not caring what they say and not caring about their emotions. If Elsa said, "I don't care, how my sister feels." It's a lot different than caring about when the people of Arendelle call her a monster.

They'll never see me cry- THEY don't see her cry. We see her cry from behind a door for a split second, but the only time Elsa ever cries in public is at the coronation, ad then she tries to repress her feelings, she doesn't want anyone to see her cry.

That perfect girl is gone- I actually almost completely agree with you on this line, it always bugged me to. But even so it was her parents who expected her to be queen and stay inside when she wanted to go out and play.

How did nobody ever attack her? Right before the song she had the duke of weaseltown asks his guards to attack her, and after she had guards shoot darts at her and kill her with a chandelier. Hans tried to kill her by slicing her in half right after to get the throne.

The tradition of being an outcast has come back since the fricken little mermaid, and has also been done on BATB and even my favorite Mulan (I add Mulan to show I am NOT biased) And I think Let it go did it a lot better then those three:
The Little Mermaid- She really has no reason not to fit in, she's been a mermaid her whole life, and it makes no sense to me. Why does she relate more to humans? Humans are the same as mermaids and it's the whole sea that she can't relate to. I'd be crazy if I said there is nobody in the WORLD that I relate to. Chances are, there will be someone.
BATB- Again, it makes little to no sense to me. She complains the whole movie about people not liking her but people are seen admiring her. And she never gives them a chance where as Elsa in the coronation is seen socializing with everyone.

How on earth did Elsa say that Anna did all this? I never remember her saying that, Please tell me what you mean. All she says is that she wants her sister to go back home so that Anna is happy, telling her to go open up the gates as she didn't want her sister to suffer. For the most part Elsa feels it's entirely her fault, while I still believe it should all be pinned on the never again mentioned parents. She says, "You'll be safe from me" NOT the other way around.

And I still believe that Elsa leaving isn't selfish and it really sickens me/ disgusts me when people say it is. SO what your trying to say is if somebody pin points how your entire life should go when your only eight you should listen and obey them forever? *Bats eyes* she left because she felt like it's for the better sack of Arendelle, she was going to be queen for the rest of her life if she didn't almost kill everyone. Hhm, lets see: Leaving Arendelle and letting your sister be queen or staying at Arendelle while risking the lives of hundreds just for your damn spot at the throne. YEP that sounds better.

Once again, I completely disagree. I understand the grease thing, it was completely out of nowhere and smoking just to fit in was stupid. But Elsa never did what she did to fit in, she did it for herself. She never expected anyone to come again, so how is it bad I she just wants to dress for herself? Oh, no, Bad Disney! Bad, bad, Disney! I can't BELIEVE that you had a girl show half her leg in a dress that leaves almost everything for the imagination! You should know that 21- year old virgins aren't aloud to ever express themselves!

What Elsa did doesn't stoop nearly to what celebrities do. Elsa never peed in a bucket, beat anyone up, take drugs, etc. But APPARENTLY when she shows half her leg it's just as bad. <This right there, sounds like what a feminist mom might say, and I have no respect for those people. But I do have respect for you!

And BTW Elsa's and Anna's message are completely different messages. Elsa can't be who she wants to be without the love of her sister first, and Anna can't get love from her sister until Elsa accepts herself. See the difference?

Alright, I'm done talking. *Waits for Elsa haters to attack me by throwing bullets and stampeding me*

Why Elsa does have a character and why she does have a personality and other things I need to rant about

You think that telling your own daughter conceal herself and locking her in a bedroom with no human companionship only qualifies you as a bad parent? And I completely disagree, I personally see Elsa with a character. She's mature, a hard-worker, pessimistic, caring, selfless, dutiful, a bit of a jokster, nurturing of family, developed, regal, devoted, smart, creative, and when she wants to be, a bit bad*ss.

At the coronation she messed with Anna and made her dance with the duke so she wouldn't have to and was seen getting a good kick out of it, she was just joking around with her, of course. Hence, "A bit of a jokster."

How does saying she's developed correlate with her, "running from her problems" (Which is weird you'd say that, since you just said that she was doing it out of fear of hurting people) in the beginning she said that they could never open up the gates, and then in the end she says she will never close the gates again, showing she developed as a character and decided to right her wrong. Whether Anna saved the day OR NOT, or whoever showed her the way she still solved the cities problem, so what if she needed help getting there?

She goes to the FRICKEN CORONATION even after TEN years of being told that everyone will think of her as a monster. She was obviously not happy to have to go but she did it anyway knowing it was best for her people, and she didn't run away until she caused a havoc at the coronation, if she was running from her problems she would have ran away a long time ago, she was "running" afraid she would hurt everyone.

NOT running away from her problems, but whatever. (Heard you use that card before) As soon as she realizes how to unthaw Arendelle, she right away lifts it all up into one little neat- Snow flake and goes right back to her responsibilities. Kicking the duke out, throwing Hans in jail, fulfilling Anna's wish and buying Kristoff a sled, building a ice-rink for the city, keeping the gates open, etc.

Your idea of intelligence is far different from mine. She broke out of the dungeon she was in by using her resources, created the ice-castle having a place to stay, "running off" was in my opinion SMART, she didn't end up hurting anymore people, did she? Telling Anna not to marry Hans (If Anna listened to her their really wouldn't be a villain) And whether you want to believe it or not, she figured out love will thaw in basically 5 seconds after Anna saved her.

HOW ON EARTH IS TELLING ANNA HER SECRET GOING TO FIX ANYTHING! With the circumstances you named, their is no chance.

She was just knocked out cold by a chandelier falling to her death almost crushing her, and then right away ran out into the freezing cold blizzard she made to face the music and make sure her sister was okay.

If Elsa revealed her secret to Anna it would have demeaned the whole reason for her to hide her secret. Anna obviously can't take news well, look how she reacted when she couldn't marry Hans! Anna would have still been love hungry and Elsa would still say no to her marrying him. When Anna goes to get Elsa she still has Hans on her mind. If Elsa said no to marrying him after revealing her powers the whole controversy would have started over anyway and the people at the coronation would still want to kill her.

Whether she had her people on her mind or not is debatable, but I still am going with that she did. The duke of weaseltown OBVIOUSLY has no power there, and she knows it because she kicks him out of Arendelle in the end. Her powers were getting out of control and she ran away so she didn't hurt anyone at the party.

(Again, never seen ATLA) If you honestly think Elsa is only her anxiety (Which I don't) then losing her anxiety in the end IS character development in my mind.

She's definitely not Einstein. She had no where in the movie before Anna's sacrifice to have a clue about who to un-thaw Arendelle, as soon as Anna gave her a hint she figured it out right away. And I'd counter that, "Concealing and not feeling" DID work. She didn't end up killing anyone just like she wanted.

Frozen is plot holes in a plot hole, filled with another plot hole in another plot hole. But seriously who says she can see Arendelle from up there? It took Anna TWO DAYS to get there. That's like if I can see Wisconsin from where I live.

Why Elsa is complex

(Credit to the amazing Dclairmont and his fabulous writing skills)

Undergoes an Important Change as the Plot Unfolds

It's undeniable that Elsa goes through character development. At the beginning of the movie, she's such a scared, distant character. She doesn't accept who she is and keeps herself in isolation because of it. As the movie progresses, she has some bumps in the rode, but by the end she's a new person, but in a realistic way. She finally accepts herself and her powers and is a more open person.

Change Occurs Because of His/Her Actions or Experiences

Elsa's character development from distant and withdrawn to accepting and open occurs mostly from Anna's actions, but Elsa's play a role as well. If Elsa would've never frozen Anna's heart, she would've never hugged Anna and figured out that love was all she needed.

Changes in the Character Can Be Good or Bad

Although Elsa's main change is at the end of the movie, she also goes through a change earlier on. She changes in Let it Go, and then she also changed in the scene afterwards, when she's once again afraid of her powers. That change is for the worse, since she goes back on her word and starts to fear herself again. I think her change from accepting to not accepting is realistic, since it's impossible to do a complete 360 shift after just one song.

Variety of Traits and Different Sides

We can see that Elsa is mature, yet playful too, well-spoken and can keep a level head, yet can lose that level head too and get scared and nervous. Elsa also has a tough times facing her problems head on. She often runs away from them instead of seeking a solution. She's also very selfless, yet can be unintentionally selfish. She's quite elegant too, but can let her hair down and have a good time. She is also very sweet, but can get borderline aggressive when pushed.

Character Traits Create Conflict

Well, Elsa undeniably creates conflict. Her running away from her problems due to her lack of experience in dealing with things. Also, her aggression definitely creates conflict, since she nearly kills two men!

Displays Strengths, Weaknesses, and a Full Range of Emotions

In the movie, we see Elsa joyful, reserved, "letting it go", sad, scared, angry. We basically see every emotion possible on Elsa's face. We also undeniably see her strengths and weaknesses. We see how creative she is through building her ice sculpture, how she's well spoken and respected, but also we see the weaknesses that haunt Elsa in her everyday life. Her sadness, her fear.

Significant Interactions With Other Characters

Well, we see her with Anna, multiple times, with Hans, with the towns people (how she reacted when she was trying to escape, it was clear she doesn't like large crowds), the Duke (revealing that she doesn't like dancing), Olaf, her parents, and a bit of Kristoff, so I'd definitely say this is a "check".

Develops A Theme

Elsa is the main driver of one of the main themes of Frozen, accepting yourself for who you are. Elsa shows that you can go from hating who you are, being scared of yourself, sad with yourself, to becoming a new person. A happier person, a more content person. All and all, Elsa is definitely an amazing character, and definitely deserves the title of a "complex character".

Again, why I don't find Elsa selfish and why I actually find her a quite selfless person

(This credit goes to the amazing Annabethandco, sorry I'm so lazy I'm just so freaking tired)

"in the beginning part when she forbids Anna to marry him, it's just because she doesn't want to see Anna have fun with others while she is alone in her own sadness....".

Is there actually any evidence to support this? She says "you can't marry a man you just met", which to me is a piece of sensible advice to PREVENT HER SISTER FROM GETTING HURT. Hans is a complete stranger. If Anna had listened to her sister and not trusted Hans so easily in the first place, neither of them would end up almost dying at the end of the movie!
LISTEN TO HER ANNA!
LISTEN TO HER ANNA!

Elsa has never at any point said she doesn't want her sister to be unhappy while she is miserable. When Anna says she isn't happy living the way she is, Elsa says she is allowed to leave. Elsa also tells Anna to go back home and have fun and enjoy the Sun later on in the film while Elsa herself is still in nervous isolation. In fact, all Elsa seems to care about is Anna, Anna's safety and her happiness. To say she is being selfish for stopping Anna from marrying Hans because she Elsa is too sad to let it happen... Is completely without evidence.
If Elsa didn't want Anna to be happy while she was THIS upset... Why did she allow her to leave?
If Elsa didn't want Anna to be happy while she was THIS upset... Why did she allow her to leave?

Another point is: "She is also selfish by running away to the ice palace and doesn't want to remove the eternal winter by saying "I can't". What proves she can't remove it? She's just lazy to think although Anna has already encouraged her."

There is no evidence that she "doesn't want to remove the eternal winter". All she ever says is that she "can't" remove the winter. She doesn't "know how". She never says she doesn't want to. In fact, she nearly has a complete breakdown because she is horrified that she can't reverse what she has done.
Look how upset she is!
Look how upset she is!

Also, what you don't seem to understand is that Elsa is completely insecure and DOES NOT THINK SHE CAN CONTROL HER OWN POWERS. She doesn't think she can remove the winter not because she is too "lazy", but because she has never been able to control them.

The trolls told her she was dangerous and she believed them. She thinks the winter is just part of her curse, something she can't control. She feels completely powerless and is too busy to have a panic attack and is far too panicked to think logically and really TRY to remove the winter. She is plagued by self-doubt. She doesn't have enough self-belief or optimism to reverse the winter. No amount of "encouragement" from Anna was going to change that. SHE IS NOT BEING SELFISH.


Then came: "She made an ice castle and lived there, brought cold weather to Arendelle (people didn't like cold weather) and did not care what was going to happen to the people if they're going to freeze or not."

Elsa "did not care what was going to happen to the people"? Where does anything support that? She did not know what she had done to her kingdom, so you can't really use that as an argument for not caring about her kingdom. She ran away from her duties and responsibilities as Queen, but I think that was so she didn't hurt her subjects and she was terrified that they would judge, not because she didn't care about them.

Also, she cared a lot about all the damage her ice was causing. Remember how horrified she looked when she said: "Everywhere?".
This is her not caring?
This is her not caring?

She absolutely would have reversed the winter IF SHE BELIEVED SHE COULD. However, as I have already said, Elsa was far too shocked and insecure to do that. If insecurity is selfish, then I most be the most selfish person I know.

And finally there was this: "During the fighting scene she was about to kill one of the man, just to protect herself she could explain to them."

Did it look like the group of men ATTACKING AND TRYING TO KILL HER were open to explanation to you? If trying to protect yourself from dying at the cost of another persons life is bad, then Prince Phillip is selfish for killing Maleficent and Mulan is selfish for killing Shan yu.

So I hope you can agree, Elsa is NOT selfish. She does things that could be considered selfish, but under it all she is either being too insecure or trying to protect her sister. And when you compare that to all the selfless things she does (most of which I haven't had time to mention) it become blindingly obvious that Elsa is not selfish.

Blah blah more defending on Elsa sorry if this doesn't make sense it was again copied and pasted.

Elsa's parents

(First part since this was a debate and in debates I get countered)
First, Elsa:
"She should have more to rely on than her parents word"
I disagree on this. She did have more to rely on than her parents word. In-fact, her first word wasn't even from her parents but from the trolls. she hears it first from the trolls and then she has it passed on to her parents who have to be with her for thirteen years. Her parents don't just tell it to her once but her entire life about until she is 18. Which means anytime she has to be a kid was used to make her suffer. When she finally tries to come out for the sake of others she quickly learns that 3 years of mental abuse didn't help her. She was told as soon as she was exposed to everyone that she was a "monster" So not just her parents but a whole civilizations of trolls and her whole city was telling her her "word." Just look at this:link A mother went from holding out her baby to Elsa with trust to pulling it back in because she didn't care anymore. Now that is truly heartbreaking. Also here's another bonus thing I have to add from a different discussion:
I still feel like it's their parents who need to take full blame. It's not like they die when Elsa was five and she decides to separate herself for the rest of her life. NO they don't freaking pass away till she is 18! That is 13 YEARS of mental, verbal, physiological abuse! I can tell that Elsa wants to be with her sister. She cries every time her sister wants her to come out but her parents destroy any chance she has. They separate their bedrooms, tell Elsa to stay in her room, and they won't even let them touch each other! Plus it wasn't just like she accidentally destroyed her doll or anything she almost God Damn kills her! And it not like any one from there made it better, no, they make it worse! Constantly tearing her DOWN saying she's a monster for something that she can't control. And the so called "wise" trolls are very blunt about everything. The trolls practically tell her what her life will be like. "Hey guess what Elsa fear will be your enemy and you have no control over it because will tell you your destiny and that destiny is to be a monster ahahaha!" Elsa: "well don't I have a different choice in the world like couldn't I just learn to control my fear and you could not scare us for life?- "NO FEAR WILL BE YOUR ENEMY NOW DEAL WITH IT YOU DIRTY FREAKING DEVIL!!!" Elsa: *Shivering* Okay...." I'd actually think Elsa was a monster to want to be so selfish as to just play with her sister after what everybody told her all her life as she would be risking her sister's life!

(Part two after getting countered)

Anna really never tells her differently till' she's 21 and at the coronation. As Elsa grows up, Anna doesn't know what's going on with her because the trolls and her parents absolutely forbid them being in the same room together (I.E. separating bedrooms) or talking about any problems she's going threw (The parents are seen ignoring Anna and going straight to Elsa as to just say, "were not telling you, deal with it." which is problem best because Anna's a curious kid, who would probably try to figure out what's going on to her best ability.) Since Anna never knows that Elsa has been going threw some stuff, she is never able to tell her how much she loves her. Anna is only ever there to tell her she loves her after her parents, the trolls and the citizens of Arendelle say she is a monster. When she is socializing with Elsa at the party it's not, "Elsa I understand completely what your going through but I'm here for you" It's, "I wish it could be like this everyday" which wouldn't help. Elsa is seen having flashbacks of her childhood and wishes the same, but with a more logical look at things she would much rather have her sister alive then have her own happiness. Elsa tries her best at childhood to enjoy life I.E. seen when she is looking out the window and having fun, but her powers ruin that for her and her parents destroy than chance of happiness by giving her gloves. That was a big part in the story showing that around 12 she still tried to have fun, but her parents still absolutely being closely messes that up too. I understand what you mean about her trying new things, but her sister's death (She could have died, so I'll treat it like it did) Is traumatic. The trolls say you got lucky this time if it happens again your sister will die. Trying new things wouldn't work. It's like being on a rocket-ship and losing control of the engine, what are you going to do? Push a bunch of random buttons and HOPE one of them will save you? No, because you might end up pressing the self destruct button getting everyone killed. Elsa saw what her parents were saying as WORKING, because as while her greedy bastards of parents did have everything wrong, them and the trolls were right. All Elsa cared about was keeping her sister alive. When she leaves Arendelle it's not so her sister would be upset but that her and Hans could be married together without her, be happy, and so that she wouldn't be worried that something ,might happen to her, like she was when she said she wanted to marry Hans.

(Part three)

I never said she thinks on her own, I said that when she was a kid she was still a bit rebellious, fun loving and caring like we see in the first part. When her parents buckle down on her, she still tries to have fun and make the best of it because she knows that's the only way to protect her sister. When she is in her room looking out the window she is enjoying herself, but her powers or more her parents get in the way of that. That's what I was trying to say, I don't know what you were referring to when you said that but this was the part that seemed to make the most sense. I disagree about her taking it farther than her parents. Her parents shoved her in a room with nothing to do but be sad and obey. Elsa went to her coronation for the goodness of others, instead of what her parents would have wanted her to do. She ventured out a but when she went to the coronation from her parents words because 1.Her parents wouldn't have let her go anyway 2.She took of her gloves 3.She socialized with Anna and the guests. She never took it farther than what her parents say. She steps back from them a bit and here lives her own life. But when I say that, I don't mean that she thinks logically on her own. I mean that she tries her best to be different for everyone around her and so she can finally have a life, but she knows that the next day she will put back on the gloves and she will have to stay away from her sister so no one is harmed and so she can keep doing what her dead parents would have wanted. And like I just said, she does interact with Anna. She talked to her at the coronation and still likes to kid around with her, it's that unlike her sister she knows that if she keeps spending time with her Anna will get attached. Elsa was embarrassed to be with her sister again as she never was able to explain what was going on. The people that she socializes with never knew anything about her before, so she had nothing to lose. Elsa is able to talk to everyone on THAT day, the problem is she would have to stay in the kingdom for at least another 3 years with Anna so it makes sense that after the party was over, she would keep her distance. Unlike during her childhood, Elsa would have to be out and about more become she takes responsibility of being queen. If you see how much I repeated myself, it was because I might not have made myself clear enough last time.

Sorry if you disagree with me and sorry for my laziness, but I'm in a hurry right now so I'm not in the mood to be in a debate on this. :)

I absolutely adore Elsa! She is a perfect role-model, a regal and elegant ruler, and a selfless (no, I don't think she was selfish) and loving sister.

I think Elsa is a really great example for little girls and for older girls too. She sends a message to everyone that you should be yourself, and that you shouldn't hide your feelings. Elsa also deals with anxiety throughout the movie, and there are many people who deal with the same problem daily. There are many people on Tumblr who say that Elsa has helped them deal with their issues and that she effected them, which is amazing.

Second, I love Elsa's personality. She is very regal, poised and elegant which are qualities that I admire. But Elsa is not like most characters who are just mature and they do not show their fun side that much. Elsa does show that she has a fun and childish side, like when she was playing with Anna when they were younger and how she encouraged Anna to skate with her. I think these are some really great characteristics.

And lastly, I think Elsa's love for Anna is very strong. Elsa would give up anything for Anna, because she obviously loves her. Elsa didn't want to hide her powers from Anna, but her parents told her that it was for the best and it would keep Anna safe. So she obeyed them. Even after her parent's death, Elsa still shut Anna out but that was because her whole life the only way she knew how to keep Anna safe is through isolating herself from the world, and from Anna.

There is so much more that I want to write, but I have highlighted the main points and I'm very tired. So, that's my opinion about Elsa :)

I agreed so much with MissAngelPaws. Elsa is actually a great character. But peoples often bashing her for being coward that running away from problems. I don't denying that Elsa has a lot of mistakes. She leave her kingdom in danger. But it's not completely her fault. She spends most of her life with fear and anxiety with her ice power. And the one that have to be blamed are her parents. Her parents told her to conceal her powers that's why her life is full of anxiety. They never told her how to control it, if she can she would stay calm and not shut Anna out. Surviving towards anxiety isn't as easy as you think.
I disagree that Elsa is selfish. She's actually selfless with isolating herself and stay away from Anna to keep her safe.
If Elsa wasn't being anxiety with her powers she would be a good sister and definitely a good Queen. As a Queen she can take a responsibility, being regal and poised. Then as a good sister she has good sense of humor and playful side.
Also I'm sure Elsa learns from mistakes she does. She shown thay you have to showed your feelings and her love brokes all the negative feelings. She's not a perfect role model, but she's definitely a good role model.