A trend in magic use throughout Disney's history suggests an alternate explanation for why Elsa's powers were hidden from the public in story of Frozen 3 remains as yet unknown, but if it's anything like the first two films, audiences are likely to see another strong focus on Elsa's magic. Disney films have a long history of magic and magical characters in their films, but by and large, these characters trend more toward villainy than heroism.
As far back as Cinderella. While Disney's storytelling has changed over its decades of production, the use of magic in its animated properties has remained relatively consistent, with only a few outliers.
While not solely used for villainy, magic in Disney is frequently wielded by its villains against the movie's heroes or princesses. This suggests a dangerous quality to magic in Disney properties—a quality that makes it attractive to any character who might want power, control, or wealth even if it may come at the expense of others. Looking at Frozen through this lens, the decision to hide Elsa's powers from the public might be more sensible than at first glance.
Magic Is Often Used For Evil In Disney Movies
Names like Maleficent, Ursula, Dr. Facilier, and Jafar conjure images of dark sorcery and villainous intent. They are part and parcel of Disney's storytelling model: villains are big and bad and scary and defeating them is difficult because the heroes are generally individually weaker than they are. Villains are more willing to practice dark arts that regular people might find objectionable—things like mind control, poisoning unsuspecting women, or making deals with malevolent spirits.
While there are examples of good magic s—Pinocchio's Blue Fairy, Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, and Aladdin's wish-granting Genie being among the most famous—they are usually inhuman or live apart from the prying eyes of the public, suggesting some need for privacy or even a potential threat from regular folks. Even if the average Disney citizen held no issue with these figures, they remain largely unknown to the general public. Magic would by and large be known as something villainous and used for mischief.
Are Disney Animated Movies Connected?
If it's true that the general public would only associate magic with villainy, they would have to know of examples of such things happening. The question, then, is whether Disney movies have a shared universe where such knowledge could be available to the general public. Easter eggs abound in Disney movies and it appears that it's possible that Disney movies take place in a shared universe. Perhaps the most obvious example of this idea comes from Frozen where Rapunzel and Flynn Rider are seen attending Elsa's coronation. This suggests some cultural exchange and perhaps even foreign relations among different Disney kingdoms. It's not a far leap to think that perhaps gossip and stories would also be shared between these connected lands.
Frozen Theory: Elsa Was Hidden Because Of Other Disney Magic
All of this lends itself to a the future Queen of Arendelle might lead her future subjects to mistrust Elsa or even revolt. In Frozen, it's shown what happens when she accidentally uses her powers at her coronation—she is immediately called a sorcerer and, when she flees, is pursued by people seeking to kill her. Instead of merely being afraid of her powers or that she can't control them, this theory proposes that her parents had some foresight or knowledge of the public opinion of magic. In locking her away, they were trying to keep her safe from people who would assume her a villain merely because she has powers. This paints Elsa's parents in a wholly different light than what the film might suggest of them on a first watch.
How This Frozen Theory Changes Elsa's Story
This theory changes Elsa's journey in the first Frozen movie dramatically. Instead of simply being a story of self-acceptance and growth, it's a story of changing a nation's mind and breaking known conventions down so she can live authentically in a world that is unkind to her reality as a magic-. That she was born with her powers and didn't seek them makes her very different than characters like Jafar, Dr. Facilier, or Ursula—all of whom seem to be seeking power. Elsa is reluctant to use her powers because she's internalized this same fear that exists among the citizens of Arendelle: magic is scary and bad. Overcoming those feelings and thoughts is something even grander than just coming to with herself and her truth—Elsa is actively changing the status quo of Disney. Heroes can be magical and powerful and good, all at the same time.
The Problems With Frozen's Disney Magic Theory
There are some key problems with this theory about Elsa's powers in Frozen. While it has a nice ring to it and adds depth to Elsa's struggle, it hinges a lot on the idea that Disney movies share a universe. Easter eggs are fun and they litter Disney films, but examining them through a lens that makes them plot-bearing is perhaps overburdening what they are meant for: fun reference to other works. Another issue with this theory is that Elsa freely uses her powers until Anna is hurt in the opening scenes of Frozen. This wasn't something done in secret. Frozen 2 shows her parents looking in on the two playing with Elsa's magic and smiling. If her parents were aware of a public stigma against magic and used that as the basis for their decision to sequester Elsa away, it doesn't quite follow that she was allowed free use of her magic until Anna was injured.
The revelation that Disney movies exist in a shared universe is almost requisite for this theory to pan out and the evidence doesn't quite add up to that point.
