Abstract
This paper explores the religion-making potential of a particular secular institution, namely the Walt Disney Studios. Focusing on the animation film Frozen II that was launched in November 2019, the current article enters into debates about the manner in which indigenous religion is part of the commodity presented—how religion is produced, packaged, and staged. In the article I argue that contemporary media-scapes can be seen as agents of religion-making, of religious circulation, and renewal. As such, religion, as it is expressed in Frozen II, is outlined and produced by a particular media-form and shaped as a popular cultural formation. Further discussions about cultural appropriation are highlighted, focusing on how Disney’s reach out for cooperation with the Sámi community can generate new cultural policies and practices.
Highlights
Frozen II had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 7 November 2019, was released in the United States by Walt Disney Studios on 22 November 2019, and is ranked as one of the highest grossing animated movies of all time.1 The sequel to the 2013 film Frozen provides a reunion with the famous royal sisters Elsa and Anna and their friends, the high-spirited snowmanOlaf, the reindeer Sven and the ice harvester and deliverer, Kristoff who together embark on a journey from their kingdom Arendelle
Indigenous Religion In Frozen II, what is played out as religion relates to what Siv Ellen Kraft and Greg Johnson refer to as “indigenous religion” in the singular—a globalizing discourse “consisting of notions of an indigenous we and a flexible, but fairly standardized vocabulary of assumed similarities”
The Northuldra tribe is inscribed in a romantic image and portrayed as an ecological friendly and spiritual community. They are known for their magical skills and the name of their home, the Enchanted Forest, gives us hints of the magical power of the people and their ancestors, as a place where the natural landscape is bonded with the spiritual world. This type of representation of indigenous people as a community with shared religious values relating to nature, to the past, and to traditions, can be traced back to 1960s counterculture, and in particular to the interplay between the environmental movement and the New Age movement
Summary
Frozen II had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 7 November 2019, was released in the United States by Walt Disney Studios on 22 November 2019, and is ranked as one of the highest grossing animated movies of all time. The sequel to the 2013 film Frozen provides a reunion with the famous royal sisters Elsa and Anna and their friends, the high-spirited snowman. Frozen II expands the mythology behind its characters It dives into magic, nature worship, and the betrayal of indigenous peoples by Western society. Frozen II features religion as a founding element in the categorisation of the Northuldra people. They are characterised as a spiritual community as well as good stewards of the planet due to their understanding of the importance of the balance between the natural elements. Frozen II is not the first Disney film in which indigenous religion is thematised Films such as Pocahontas (1995), Brother Bear (2003), as well as Moana (2016) all include indigenous religious elements. A recent engagement is the Verdett cooperation with the Disney company where the Sámi Parliaments of Norway, Sweden, and Finland took part to ensure that the content of Frozen II is culturally sensitive and respectful of Sámi cultures
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