Does 'Frozen' Have 'Pro-Homosexual' Agenda? Christian Film Critic Blasts Pastor's Claims, Says Movie Has 'Responsible, Family Friendly' Message
A Christian film reviewer says that contrary to one pastor's claim that Frozen has a "homosexual agenda," Disney's popular film actually offers a "responsible and family friendly" message.
Paul Asay, who screens films for Focus on the Family's Plugged In ministry, said that in his eyes, the hit film was one of the best he'd seen from the studio for some time.
"When you think of a Disney cartoon, you tend to think of true love, love at first sight, love's first kiss, all that sort of stuff," Asay told The Christian Post. "Frozen really plays around with that but in a really delightful way to turn it around and say 'This romantic love isn't the only one that is available.' You have this really strong love between sisters, between family members and even when things go wrong between them, they still find, in the end, that they would really do anything for each other."
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For all that Asay sought to praise, Pastor Kevin Swanson, the host of a weekly program on the Colorado-based Generations Radio, strongly censured the film - even though he admits he had not seen it - suggesting that it was a tool of Disney, which he described as "probably one of the most pro-homosexual organizations in the country."
"Friends, this is evil, just evil. I wonder if people are thinking: 'You know I think this cute little movie is going to indoctrinate my 5-year-old to be a lesbian or treat homosexuality or bestiality in a light sort of way'," said Swanson. "I wonder if the average parent going to see Frozen is thinking that way. I wonder if they are just walking in and saying, 'Yeah, let's get my five-year-old and seven-year-old indoctrinated early.' You know they're not, I think for the most part they're oblivious. Maybe they do pick up on pieces of it but they just don't get up and walk out."
Swanson's co-host Steve Vaughn, who has also not seen the film, added that Satan would likely "start making all these nice little movies that throw little things in there that make sin look enticing, in fact some of the worst of sins, make it look enticing or at least to start to indoctrinate slowly, turn the heat up on the frog in the pan."
In contrast, Asay, who reviewed the film for his site, said that "you would really need to push" to suggest that the film's empowerment message "could be taken as some gay-friendly metaphor."
"I think you have to remember that these messages - that 'it's okay be different' - far predate the sort of drive for gay equality that we find now — far, far predate it," said Asay. "When I was growing up these were the sort of messages that encouraged me to read when others were playing football. I think that when you look at Elsa's story, I took it not as any gay metaphor but really talking a lot about what almost all kids feel as they go through adolescence."
Asay also addressed Frozen's now viral song, "Let It Go," which he argued in context of the film had an interesting twist from when it was appreciated in isolation.
"There's a line that goes on 'It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me,'" said Asay. "While the song is beautiful, I think the writers also were trying to suggest something a little bit uneasy about the whole 'let it go' in terms of when Elsa's singing it she's actually running away from the community that she has been sworn to protect."
"She's running away from her family to go up on the side of this hill…You see that a lot with teens where if they feel like no one understands them, they tend to lock themselves up and metaphorically freeze people out. I think that's very common thing for people to do," said Asay. "When you look at Elsa on this journey, she literally freezes people out."
Asay said that Elsa in isolation does subsequently figure out more about herself, but ultimately finds value in the institutions and people whom she previously disregarded.
"Then the story goes on and she needs to be pulled back to her ice castle, back to the community and back to the people who love her. There's a balance between that desire for the individuality and the responsibility that you have for your community and your family and for those who really about you. That's what I think that the family was really stressing," said Asay.
Asay also found a strong message that was applicable to Christians from the film.
"When you're talking about these messages of 'being different'....in a way, for me, that's a message that is really core to the message of Christianity," said Asay. "Christianity was never about following the culture. Christianity has always been very counter-culture, where within the realm of following God, following Jesus, we're able to find ourselves in a way that never would have been possible by following culture as it was."
"I think being Christian is about being different."
Frozen has generated over $1 billion the worldwide box office. Last month, it won two Oscars, for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for "Let It Go."
