(There are spoilers throughout this review)
Olaf, the magical talking snowman, is very excited to celebrate
the first Christmas of his life, and the first Christmas that the Kingdom of
Arendelle will Celebrate in many years. Queen Elsa and her sister Anna are
excited to ring the traditional Yule Bell to open the holidays, and they
anticipate sharing the festivities with their subjects, but they are surprised
to find that their subjects all return to their homes to participate in their
own family traditions. Anna and Elsa realize that they do not know what their
own family traditions are, and Elsa takes the blame on herself; her parents
were so careful to protect her during her difficult youth that the family did
not seem to celebrate any holiday traditions. Olaf is saddened to see his best
friends so sad at the holidays, so he and the reindeer Sven set off to discover
what other families do around the holidays; he intends to bring new traditions
back to the girls to help cheer them up. Although his efforts appear to be
unsuccessful, the girls realize that Olaf himself is their family tradition.
The Adoption
Connection
Anna and Elsa’s parents have died. Many people who have been
in foster care or adopted might be able to relate to Anna and Elsa, as they
realize they do not know what their family traditions are. They might also
rejoice when Anna and Elsa realize that family is their tradition.
Strong Points
Olaf is a supportive friend.
Anna and Elsa realize that their family is their tradition.
They can make new traditions, but being with each other and Olaf is already a
significant part of their life. Children might leave this short film able to find
peace in the good things that they have in their lives – in a way, it reminds
me of the Tigger Movie; Tigger still misses his birth family, but he also is
able to accept the people in his life as his family.
The film is long for a short (21 minutes), but the songs are
enjoyable, the sentiments are warming, and it is nice to be back in Arendelle
for a little while.
There’s a great line in a song towards the end of the film, “Tradition
is the family we’ve made. When we’re together, I have all I wished. When we’re together,
then my favorite gift is you. When we’re together that’s my favorite time of
year.” It’s actually a pretty good sentiment for any family; parents could feel
that way about their children, children could feel that way about their
parents; siblings or extended family members could echo it. It’s a really good
song.
Challenges
When Olaf’s plans to find new traditions for Anna and Elsa
appear to fail, he wonders if he should stay lost in the woods. Anna, Elsa, and
the whole community search for him and find him.
Olaf does get in brief peril, as he is chased by wolves. It
could scare some of the youngest viewers.
Recommendations
Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is the short film that plays before
Coco. Coco is worth seeing, and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure would be worth seeing
on its own, but is certainly worth seeing along with Coco. It captures the true
sadness that some folks feel around the holidays, and young adoptees might
relate to the sadness of feeling as though they have no family traditions. Olaf’s
Frozen Adventure provides some help; it’s positive, heartwarming, and perhaps
even profound to indicate that our family is our tradition. This application
could be hard for kids who have been cut off from their birthfamily, but for
others, it could be very helpful. This should generally be fine for kids of all
ages.
Questions for
Discussion
What family traditions do you already have? What new family
traditions would you like to make?
What makes the holidays sad for Anna and Elsa? What makes
them happy? Do you think they’ll usually be happy, sad, or both around this
time of year?
What makes Olaf such a good friend? Do you have any friends
like him?
Have you ever tried fruitcake?
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