It's not entirely my fault,it's just I that my life has its ups and downs and I had to deal with both of them in the past days.Plus,considering how long my previous article was that I had to split it into two parts,I needed some break from that.
But enough talk,let's get into the article itself.
You may not have known this,but I'm also a big Steven Universe fan.Most of that has to do with the fact of,you guessed it,how much it resembles Frozen.
Now technically,Steven Universe aired about one week before Frozen came out,but the similarities between the two is so evident that I almost consider them sister show/movie.
In my "What I want the sequel for Frozen to do" article,I pointed out the similarities between them,but didn't go in-depth with it.I also said that it's my second favorite show running on Cartoon Network ( that is if the hiatus ends and doesn't get cancelled) next to Regular Show,however opinions have changed.I still love both shows to death,but I like Steven Universe more for the same reasons I love Frozen more than Wreck-it Ralph.
I wanted to make this article to show people,as swell as express my opinion on the similarities between Frozen and Steven Universe.
Now,as usual,this is opinion based,so if you disagree with me,more power to you.I'm an advocate of free speech,and I can respect everyone's opinions.
Without any further a due,let's begin:
1 The Characters:
This is probably the one I think where Frozen and Steven Universe share the most similarities,the characters.Both of them feature complex and likeable characters whom we can identify with.
I've already talked about Frozen's characters before,multiple times,but I'll try to explain them without seeming redundant or lazy.
What makes Frozen's characters work is that all of the main human characters,have dealt with loneliness in different forms:
Princess Anna lives her life alone with her thoughts,her hopes and her dreams.She's gives protection from the worlds hardships in her isolation.She sees the world through an idealized lens of Rose colored glasses.Beautiful paintings,statues become the normative vistas that converge to create her own ego-centric reality.Smiling faces are all she sees,so the outside world,one of untold mysteries,must be a place of beauty of place and wonder!She walks out amongst the people for the first time with no solid understanding of human interaction,and more importantly,of the malign intent that a hunger for power can cause.The world she lives in becomes tiresome and boring as she grows older,as she wishes to see the wold in that fleeting that the grass is really greener on the other side.
As Queen Elsa is exposed to the dangers of her magic,her magic begins to grow into an uncontrollable force that she fears will bring ruin to everything she touches.This vivid imagery not only presents the audience with an interesting story development,it actually exemplifies and alludes to what an individual feels when experiencing anxiety and depression.If we take Elsa's magic to be a physical representation of anxiety and depression her journey to learn to control her powers reflects well the journey many people undergo when they experience anxiety or depression.
Elsa is the direct cause of her sister's pain,and without a guiding hand to teach her how to come to terms with this,her fear begins to take route.Afraid to show the world for fear of rejection,she hides herself away.Afraid to hurt Anna again,she avoids her and locks herself in the room.Her isolation turns into a frozen wasteland from which she cannot escape.She wears gloves to cover it up,pretend it isn't there.She repeats her mantra,don't let them see.She knows she isn't in control,she feels her world fall apart before her when she is to be crowed queen.She fears their judgement,the prying eyes,the things that people would do or say when they find out.
During his first proper introduction in the film,Kristoff is presented as a miserly loner,with a lack of respect for those around him;specifically in terms of personal boundaries and sensitivity.This is a direct result of growing up with a family of mythical creatures and wildlife,as opposed to other humans.Though his upbringing included a large family,and at least one close friend,Kristoff tends to look out,mostly,for himself,and can be rather selfish from time to time because of this,with his focus primarily on his ice business and life up on the mountains.The ice harvesters spent a large portion of his early life within the mountains because of this,becoming a individualist and avid survivor in the wilderness,and constantly proving himself to be self-reliant and efficient when facing various perils throughout the course of the original film.In spite of his loner nature,and dislike for society,Kristoff has a loving heart,and at his core,is rather harmless,innocent,and protective.This is first evidenced by his relationship with his reindeer and best friend,Sven,whom he treats as his pet and closest friend,and is shown to value the reindeer's life above his own several times.Kristoff's inner softness and loving aura is further emphasized by his family,the trolls,who reveal Kirstoff to be,despite his various flaws and shortcomings,sensitive and sweet when given the same treatment,which he proves through his friendship,and eventual relationship with Anna.
Hans is a different story.It is unclear as to his precise motivation,if it is simple power lust,or if he genuinely craves respect and recognition,which he professes to being denied as a child under the burden of his dozen siblings.The book "A Frozen Heart" suggests Hans' power complex to be a combination of all of these,especially the lack of respect he receives from his father,coupled with a sense of selfish entitlement,believing a throne and status as king is something he deserves.
Now let's talk about Steven Universe's characters.
What makes them work so well too is that,while Frozen's characters dealt with loneliness,depression,anxiety,mistrust and anger,the same thing can be said for Steven Universe's characters,mainly,the main characters.
Steven is the lovable,half-human and half-Gem boy who is still figuring out to harness his power-the Rose Quartz gem he inherited from his mother.He's goofy,energetic and optimistic (Much like Anna). He takes his role as a Crystal Gem seriously,learning all his lessons,and taking his discipline with good humor when the situation calls for it.He is very much in touch with his emotions,and does not shy away from saying how he feels.He is as impulsive as any other boy his age might be,but counts on his Gem family to keep him safe.
As the episodes progress he becomes more emotionally mature as he displays that he's Wise Beyond His Years when dealing with the personal problems between the other Gems,but he's still,you know,Steven.By the end of season 1,he's gone beyond mainly seeing his Gem life as something cool or fun,seeing it more as a legitimate danger to himself and the people he cares about,as he,bit by bit,grasps the full gravity of the situation and his destiny to step into his mother's shoes.As season 2 progresses he becomes more of a core member of the team,often serving as the moral and emotional linchpin.
Garnet is the de facto leader of the Crystal Gems,having taken over after the departure of Rose Quartz.She's a powerful,strong and disciplined warrior.A Gem of few words,Garnet is the most aloof member of the team.However,when she does speak,everyone listens.She is usually very introspective,but living with Steven,she is beginning to come out of her shell a little.She's the fastest,strongest,biggest,toughest,and most unflappable of the Crystal Gems,and she always knows exactly what to do.
Amethyst is the Wild Child of the Crystal Gems.She loves to instigate pranks and act ridiculous even in the face of danger,which can sometimes result in innocents like Steven getting caught in the middle of her antics.She often chafes under the discipline of the two older Gems.
Because of her origins in Kindergarten and its dark legacy,Amethyst harbors a tremendous amount of self-hatred,which is also fueled by her perception that she is inadequate when compared to Garnet or Pearl.This leaves her feeling out of place among the Crystal Gems,thinking that she does not belong with Gems of their caliber when she was created by the very thing they sought to destroy.She thought that when Steven learned of her past,he would think less of her.She worries about Steven's and Garnet's approval in "Reformed", and Amethyst demonstrates that she has difficulty thinking for herself,regenerating multiple times in the episode with new forms that were all rushed or based on what she thinks Garnet and Steven will approve of.
A perfectionist and intellectual strategist,Pearl is the mental powerhouse of the Gems.She strives for structure and logic and gets easily flustered when things don't go as planned.She is driven to keep things orderly,and is most protective of Steven.The slightest hint of endangering Rose's son will immediately result in Pearl seeking to get him to safety.She also is a little nervous,has some trouble speaking emotionally when others are upset,and is a little quietly resentful that her strengths are not ones Steven considers admirable.
Despite her perfectionism and occasional bragging,Pearl suffers from low self-confidence and self-esteem.In "Friend Ship", she admits she is very dependent on others to validate her,which loops into a strong inferiority complex.According to Amethyst in "Reformed",she needs everyone's constant approval to feel secure.Without anyone to tell her what to do or to depend on her,Pearl feels lost and without meaning or value.Pearl admits she often feels extremely weak and/or useless when compared to others who appear better than her,going so far as to describe herself as ineffective on her own;always in need of a leader she can follow.Her self-destructive behavior stems from the Homeworld caste values,where pearls are viewed as property rather than Gems.This has led her to take drastic actions in order to prove herself-though,thanks to Garnet's encouragement in "Friend Ship",she has started to take initiative instead of letting others' words define Pearl herself.It appears Pearl has taken this to heart,as she asserted herself against Peridot when she treated Pearl in a degrading tone.Pearl even went as far as physically punching Peridot to show that she was an individual,not a piece of property.
Pearl is actually my personal favorite,not just being the one I relate the most to,but because she reminds me a lot of Elsa.She's emotionally weak sometimes,her elegance,strict nature,calm and beautiful voice,over-protectiveness,selflessness,independence,reminds me a lot of Elsa.
The reason why I explained the personality of the characters in detail is because I wanted to show you how much depth they have and how similar they are in terms of depth.
In didn't list off all of the characters of SU because it almost has the same amount of characters as The Simpsons or Family Guy.
All of them have backstories that are either depressing,intriguing or both.
Both Frozen's and Steven Universe's characters feel real,human and relatable to people.They have problems and themes that you wouldn't see in things targeted to children,but in my eyes it makes both of them feel unique,which brings me too...
2.The Themes:
As I said,the themes in both Frozen and Steven Universe is that both of them have themes that people relate to and they're treated with a lot of respect and maturity,but shown in a way that's both fun and interesting.
Both of them deal with themes of abandonment,anxiety,sexuality,inferiority,depression,control,love between family,prejudice,etc.
However,they have different central themes:
There are a lot of lessons to be learned from Frozen.I do feel that the central theme is about true love among family,but we can also get these messages as well:
-Don't rush love and never marry someone you just met.Take the time to get to know someone;
-After a certain period of time,the masks they wear will become thinner;
-If you have a child who has a special gift that might be seen as dangerous to some,don't stifle it and try to make them hide it.Nourish it and make sure they learn the proper way to use that gift;
-No matter how dark your secret,don't hide it from your family.You'll find they will probably be a lot more accepting than you think.(Usually.Close sisters are probably your best bet.);
-If you try to hide your emotions and isolate yourself,everything you've been holding inside will eventually blow up and cause a lot more harm than if you just learn to "let it go.".
Much like Frozen,there are plenty of lessons to be learned from the show,and also has the central theme of the love that a family has for one-another.I'm only going to focus on the central themes of the series:
-Any woman can be beautiful in their own way,and they don't need to live up to society's standards to be seen that way;
-That you can’t let others determine how you feel;
-That it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them;
-Being mixed-race is difficult and awesome.
As I said,you wouldn't normally see these kind of messages in media targeted towards,or appropriate for children.
I personally can identify with these themes an both Frozen and Steven Universe helped me a lot.
These shows how far children's entertainment has come.Which again,leads me to..
3.Empowerment for Women:
In my opinion,both of them are wonderfully empowering for women for showing in a respectful and realistic way that women (and other people) can relate to.
I myself am a feminist and I believe in equality,and both Frozen and Steven Universe do a wonderful job at that as well.However,in different ways.
Frozen is empowering for women because of its realistic portrayal of Elsa and Anna.
Let's start with Anna:
I first thought that Frozen was a movie that put romantic vs family love together,but romantic love in Frozen was more like a distraction,she used it as a substitute for her broken bond with Elsa,like how her walking away from Elsa sniffling at the party was the moment that Hans sweeps her off her feet.They're basically saying,romantic love at first sight is still possible,but what Anna needs is to fix her family bond first and feel secure with herself (Elsa rejecting her likely effected her self esteem and self worth.) before trying to make new bonds,in the end I didn't feel like romantic love was necessarily beaten because she still ended up with Kristoff,and the whole experience helped her grow up.True love isn't childish,but they say you should love yourself before you enter a serious relationship,most of the Disney princesses have confidence,they know themselves,they are fine even without their princes,the princes are like partners,complimenting them,while with Anna,she was like a broken bird,and she was using another persons attention and approval to pick herself up to make up for her sisters rejections.
And now with Elsa:
I absolutely HATE the entire Elsa ship thing! She is not supposed to be with anyone! If people cannot realize that they are missing the whole point of her character in the movie.She is very strong and independent.She loves Anna to the end of the earth and back,but when it comes to romance she has no time or interest for it.She is alone and she is happy with finally just being able to be herself and have acceptance.She is a free spirit and a symbol to show young girls and women alike that what is important is being yourself.You don't have to pine after men to be happy with your life regardless of the fact that society may frown upon it,but its your life and you make the best of it.Not everyone is meant to be with someone and some women are just happier on their own and nothing anyone does or says can change that.
Steven Universe is empowering because,much like Frozen,they show a realistic portrayal of women,not just the Crystal Gems,but human characters also.
Rebecca Sugar proves that she is both a great writer,and show creator.In fact,her work on Adventure Time proved that she was an excellent writer and composer (I actually consider her the modern-day Dwayne McDuffie). Steven Universe alone proves that she created something great.Plus,Steven is one of the best written child characters I have ever seen,and it's hard to create a well written child character like Steven.Also,what I really like about this show,is the portrayal of the Crystal Gems,they're not supermodels like most animated women are.These women are a variety of skin colors and body shapes.For instance:Garnet is tall and busty,Pearl is skinny and flat,and Amethyst is short and chubby.As a feminist,I find this empowering because it shows that any woman can be beautiful in their own way,and they don't need to live up to society's standards to be seen that way.
And the fact that Ruby and Sapphire (the two Gems who make up Garnet because she's a fusion) are a lesbian couple,but don't kiss or anything like that,but instead do it in a way that's both cute and appropriate for children.Plus,the reason why they're always fused together as Garnet is because they love each other so much,they don't want to be separated.Garnet is basically a representation of their love and relationship for each other (Which reminds me a lot of Olaf to be honest).
4.The Music:
Both of them feature great songs that people still go crazy over to this day,and I don't blame them.
I've already talked about Frozen's music before multiple times,so I won't spend to much time on it.
One of the things I love about the songs is that most of the time,the songs help the movie and tell the story.Most of the time,like I said,but the rest of he songs do actually help the story.That's what the Disney musicals did.They didn't just say "Let's get a pop star like Elton John to write 5 songs that honestly if you took the out,you wouldn't miss that much in terms of story". Or someone like Phil Collins who just sings in the backround that you could just replace with orchestral music and nothing would change whatsoever.Most of these songs actually explain what the characters are going through and move the story forward.And in my opinion,they're done fantastically.I'm still one of those suckers who plays it over and over.
Rebecca Sugar is already well known for her amazing compositions in Adventure Time,so it goes without saying her first animated series contains some choice tracks.The fact that most of the voice actors on the show are either professional singers or have decent singing voices,being cast with singing in mind certainly helps.Some fans got introduced to the music specifically as a reason to watch the show.A lot of the background music,primarily from composers Aivi Tran and Steven "Surasshu" Velema, is memorable and infectious;the fact that the composers release all the music for free in high quality on SoundCloud is just icing on the cake.
The similarity between the songs,as much as I enjoy them,is that they both sound like they're talking in rhyme to musical accompaniment,and while it does make them sound cheesy and forced sometimes,I honestly think this gives them more of a charm.
The background music for the two is very good,mainly that they're very fitting and catchy.Frozen's is more atmospheric while Steven Universe's is more upbeat.
I personally prefer Frozen in terms of music because I love broadway,but the similarities in terms of styles and in terms of quality is evident.
5.The Gorgeous Animation:
Both of them feature some really damn (sorry about that) good animation,gorgeous backgrounds,and beautiful cinematography.
For Frozen,the animation is absolutely gorgeous to see here.I saw enough of the advertising to know that Disney had achieved some great things with their computer animation department without having to resort to going to Pixar for help.And it's the same here.The characters look and move like 3D cartoons,as though traditional hand-drawn animation has been brought to life.The people move in a very fluid and realistic manner and many of the other effects,most prominently that of the snow and ice effects,were a joy to behold.
When animated films are made,I almost feel that directors forget that they are not bound by traditional camerawork conventions.They can show anything from any perspective,get any shot and any angle they want.Frozen takes advantage of this more than any other animated film I have ever seen.
The same thing can be said for Steven Universe.The animation is really cute and flowing,it kind of feels like a combination between Adventure Time and Gravity Falls.
And the backgrounds,oh my goodness the backgrounds.Much like in Frozen,the backgrounds and the shots they get with them are absolutely gorgeous! In fact,Rebecca Sugar's brother (who's also named Steven),is the background artist for the show,and it shows.(I guess art runs in the family.)
6.Silliness and Cheesiness:
Both Frozen and Steven Universe,while they can get depressing and dramatic at times,they can also get really silly and cheesy.
Let's start with Frozen:
One of the problems I originally had with Frozen,is that,while I did care and feel for the characters,it felt like the movie chose to be silly and childish instead of dark and serious like The Hunchback of Notre Dame,which dealt with similar themes.
I thought that Frozen,with it's silliness,didn't take it's audience seriously.Because of that,I became confused and asked people on Quora to help me out,and I got an answer that's honestly opened my eyes a little bit:
"Realistically, the movie "Frozen" was targeted more towards young children than adults and I can understand that adults might believe it is somewhat cheesy. But that is what children enjoy. I'm up there in age and I enjoyed Frozen more because of the fantastic personalities and facial expressions the animators were able to create than the story itself and the movie overall. But I was probably disappointed for a slightly different reason. That reason is the fact that I absolutely loved the movie that preceded Frozen (by the same movie company) named "Tangled." In my opinion Tangled may be the best overall cartoon movie ever produced. The animation was fantastic, there was a lot of under the table sarcasm and the humor was more tailored to adults. It also seemed to appeal to a wide age demographic of adults and children. So after seeing Tangled, Frozen was a bit of a let-down. But we shouldn't forget; cartoons are for kids, even though for several years the producers have been attempting to introduce sarcastic humor into the cartoons that kids can't relate to. You shouldn't take the story seriously. It's a light fairy-tale with a moral about love and a happy ending. Tangled was somewhat darker and more adult. Watch that one if you can get it and see if you like it better than Tangled. I did."
While Frozen's cheesiness can get annoying sometimes,I have to realize that times have changed.Frozen's depth and complexities are still there,but they had to make it more silly because it's Disney and they needed it to be more lighthearted so the younger audience wouldn't get scared or terrified of it.
Same can be said for Steven Universe.While it can get very silly,especially with Steven's childish behavior,the fact that the designs can look deformed sometimes,silly jokes and weird character moments;that doesn't mean that the complexity and depth aren't there.
They even made a crossover episode with Uncle Grandpa...yeah! However,that episode isn't canon.
I honestly prefer Steven Universe in terms of comedy then Frozen,because while half of the comedy in Frozen was really well-done,the other half was just forced.
But still,they share silliness and cheesiness,so this one counts.
So,while they both can get silly and stupid sometimes,remember that,while they have complexities,in order to appeal to the younger audience,they needed the cheesiness,otherwise the children wouldn't like them.
7.Backlash from people.
Both Frozen and Steven Universe got some backlash over the years.Some of the criticism I agree with,but other not so much.
I've already talked about the criticisms and backlash about Frozen and how unnecessary and undeserving it is for that hatred.
As I said,it has its flaws,but so do other Disney movies as well.
Some of the criticisms that I agree with are the bad pacing,the half-a-dozen plot-holes,the lack of screen-time for Elsa,the "Fixer-Upper" song,and how I wished there were more emotional moments,but that's as far as my complaints go.But the stuff that's good is so good that it makes me forgive its problems.
I don't know if using GCI allowed faster development time than hand drawn films,but this film had barely two years of proper development(Tangled had six,although much of it was to get the CGI good as it is),and even later before they solidified the characters.Keep in mind the Elsa was going to be the villain until late in the game.
So it's not very likely that they had much time to flesh out Elsa's story any further,when they didn't even know what Elsa is going to be for much of it.Elsa and Anna being sisters was a late addition.
Considering what happened during the production of this film,can you really be surprised that it had these flaws?
And Steven Universe,much as I love it,has it's share of problems and criticisms too,mainly the pacing (Another thing Frozen and Steven Universe have in common!)
The show takes forever to get to the Myth Arc;it isn't until around halfway through the first season that it even starts to focus on it,and it isn't until the end that it really comes to the forefront.Which is a problem,because I find that part by far the most interesting part of the show.It doesn't help that Steven spends most of the early episodes as The Load He grows out of it,but it takes a while.
However,as I said with Frozen,the stuff that's good is so good that I can't help but forgive its flaws.
8.Both premiered in November of 2013.
I think this is self-explanatory.
I've heard some people saying that Steven Universe is better,but I have to disagree.
I made this article as a demonstration to show how much these two have in common,since in my eyes,the similarities are evident.
However the only big difference I see between the two (Aside from one being a movie and the other one a show.),is that Steven Universe is an action series,and Frozen is a fairy-tale.While they both have their similarities,I can understand where the feud between fans come from.
It basically comes down to a matter of taste.
I love both Frozen and Steven Universe equally.There are things in either of them that I enjoy more,such as I love the music in Frozen more than in Steven Universe,but I like the comedy in Steven universe more than in Frozen.
I think many people can't look past the flaws of Frozen an instead see its problems while praising Steven Universe like it's The Second Coming,when really they're both almost the same.Both in terms of quality,depth,characters,etc.
As I said,I made this article as a demonstration to show how much they have in common,mostly because I thought it would be fun and interesting,but also as a way to show that,they're not beloved for no reason.
As always,Smell ya' later!
Concept Art
