Frozen director responds to fans who think Elsa is gay
Frozen writer Jennifer Lee has responded to fans who want Elsa to be openly gay in the film’s sequel.
The popular Disney film eschews a traditional romance storyline for the ice queen, instead focusing on her internal journey to self-acceptance – with lead track Let It Go becoming an instant coming out anthem.
Following the film’s release, many fans interpreted Elsa’s journey through a queer lens – and have called on Disney to make it canon in the long-awaited sequel.
Frozen star Idina Menzel has previously hinted that she’d love a lesbian plotline for Elsa, and co-creator Jennifer Lee left the door decidedly open in an interview this week.
Speaking to Huffington Post about the rumours, Lee said: “I love everything people are saying [and] people are thinking about with our film ― that it’s creating dialogue, that Elsa is this wonderful character that speaks to so many people.
“It means the world to us that we’re part of these conversations.
“Where we’re going with it, we have tons of conversations about it, and we’re really conscientious about these things.
“For me … Elsa’s every day telling me where she needs to go, and she’ll continue to tell us. I always write from character-out, and where Elsa is and what Elsa’s doing in her life, she’s telling me every day. We’ll see where we go.”
Menzel previously teased her excitement that “the conversation is happening” about including a same-sex romance in the second film.
She said: “I’m excited that the conversation is happening. I can’t promise anybody that that’s what’s gonna happen.
“But deep down am I really happy that it’s causing people to talk about it and have these kinds of conversations? Yeah I am.”
Speaking to YouTube star Tyler Oakley, Bell and Menzel weighed in.
Bell said: “Whatever Elsa wants to do is up to her, and it’s up to us to support her.”
Menzel added: “I cannot confirm or deny… if I tell you I would have to kill you! I think in Frozen 1 she was young, so she’s still figuring stuff out.”
Asked which Disney character should be Elsa’s girlfriend, she replied: “Tinkerbell!”
However, the prospect of any overt gay plotline making it into the second film is slim, given the original film made millions in Asian and Middle Eastern markets, where there are heavy restrictions on LGBT content.
Disney has not allowed a major global blockbuster to feature LGBT content since Beauty and the Beast, which faced a tumultuous opening and was initially blocked from release in several markets because two men could be seen dancing together in one scene.
Reports of the scene, described as “exclusively gay” by the director, sparked a ‘moral panic’ in Indonesia and Malaysia that led to a hit to the film’s box office takings.
Following the saga, gay content has been mysteriously left out of several other Disney blockbusters – including Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther, both of which mysteriously left gay romances on the cutting room floor from the final edit.
Creatives on the Star Wars franchise similarly talked up the potential for a gay romance between characters Finn and Poe – only to hastily introduce a female love interest in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
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