MovieChat Forums > Frozen (2013) Discussion > Anna is kinda a Mary Sue

Anna is kinda a Mary Sue


Don't get me wrong, I do like her, but I prefer Elsa as a character. Elsa was always, 'don't let people in,' 'dont let people aggravate me until I learn to control my powers'. Which is understandable for her.

She doesn't want to hurt anyone. Anna defies Elsas wishes in marrying Hans. This is obviously going to upset her. The whole kingdom is turned to ice as a result. Her choosing to run to find Elsa and bring her back was sue-ish of her. No-one was in any real danger at that point, but she just wanted to make herself look better to the kingdom.

Which is why I prefer Elsa as a character.



BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SMALLVILLE ANGEL

reply

I feel that the people of Arendelle were in grave danger once the fjord freezes.
Also, Anna did not marry Hans.
Anna has so many things go wrong and causes so many mistakes and problems. Anna may not be called a Mary Sue. Anna is a great example of how to create a solid character who is not a Mary Sue.

reply

Anna is quite flawed & her only real combar quality comes from reacting to wolves in ways anyone might.

reply

I think its fair to say that most Disney princesses especially since the Disney Renaissance in the 1990's are a bit Mary Sue personality wise.
Ariel, Jasmine, Belle,Pocahontas even non princess heroines like Esmeralda & Megara have apparent "personality flaws" that get them into trouble but by virtue of just being plain beautiful and slightly quirky could charm their way out/charm the love interest.

Merida and Tiana started the idea that being self sufficient and thus unpopular within their communities could lead to better character development. Even Rapunzel nearly falls in the Mary Sue trap for being impossibly accomplished yet naive and getting her own way by dint of quirkiness and beauty. Yet, there was an emotional journey on parental dependence and her own identity in the film which again speaks if slightly better script writing.

I liked Anna's emotional journey as she had to undo childhood misunderstandings of family and naïve concepts of love within a week. She still got her own way by being quirky and cute with Kristof but had to acknowledge that she doesn't know anything about real love in the end.

In conclusion, is Anna a Mary Sue? Partly yes,for taking on all the past Disney princesses personality tropes.
But the ending gives hope that she will wait and learn, repair her family relationships and discover her own identity and role.

reply

You're reaching. She's the ultimate anti-Mary Sue if anything, clumsy all the way to the end. Taking a hit for your own sister isn't even a Mary Sue act.

Her choosing to run to find Elsa and bring her back was sue-ish of her. No-one was in any real danger at that point, but she just wanted to make herself look better to the kingdom.


It's painfully obvious you don't have any siblings.

reply

It's painfully obvious you don't have any siblings.



Why do you say that? It was heroic of her to run off & try to save her, but she was almost killed. If it were real life, realistically she would waited till a better time to find her. Maybe when Elsa is calmer.


BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SMALLVILLE ANGEL


reply

The chick from Star Wars is a Mary Sue character I wouldn't call Anna that. A MS character describes a low ranking girl who ends up being perfect at everything and saves the day unrealistically.

Anna saves the day but she's a very flawed character who stumbles her way around. Sometimes her traits work for her sometimes against her.

reply

Anna is kinda a Mary Sue
And Elsa isn't? If anything, Elsa is closer to being a Mary-Sue than Anna is.
Neither are Mary-Sues, anyway. "Mary-Sue" is a term thrown around way too much these days. It should be reserved for ACTUAL Mary-Sues such as Bella Swan (the Twilight saga), Bloom (Winx Club), or Rocky Blue (Disney Channel's Shake it Up).

reply

Am I too late to weigh in on this? :P

I think Star Wars VII introduced a lot of people to the term "Mary Sue." Rey, one of the best examples of a Mary Sue, created a lot of buzz around that word, however, I don't think everyone understands its meaning.

Mary Sue is not a generic term for a character you don't like, it pertains to a character with a certain set of traits. They are usually well liked, unusually knowledgeable, successful in most everything they try, have few flaws, and rarely change or grow throughout the story. By this definition, Anna is the anti-thesis of a Mary Sue.

Firstly, she's not unusually knowledgeable. She's not street wise, at all. She needs Kristoff's help to get up the mountain. She doesn't know how to climb mountains/rocks. She needs help again to deal with the ice in her heart. She has to rely on others A LOT.

Secondly, Anna is not successful in everything she does. In fact, she fails repeatedly. She fails to mend her relationship with Elsa during the coronation party. She fails to find Elsa when searching for her and instead loses her only means of transportation and ends up lost in the mountains. She fails to convince her sister to return to Arendelle. She incites a giant snowman to violence. Etc.

Thirdly, Anna has many flaws. She is impetuous, overly trusting, stubborn, and naive, just to name a few.

Finally, Anna did change as a character. By the end of the movie she learned the true meaning of love and sacrifice.

Conclusion: Anna is about as far from a Mary Sue as you can possibly get.

reply

Elsa is the one who's portrayed overly idealistically with few to no flaws- and the few she have just make her so likable to audiences (unlike Anna's naivete, her brashness, her temper- which 1) all get her into trouble at some point and 2) has garnered her a LOT of criticism from people). Everything Elsa does is perfect. She's pretty, graceful, somehow way more knowledgable about love than Anna despite being a shut-in for years and seeing even less of their parents- an example of a very good relationship- than Anna, she's always presented as right (the cringy, infamous "true love" speech), she never has to apologize for anything she does (and she does a lot wrong), etc.

I think you're confusing niceness with being a Mary Sue. The only true Mary Sues in Disney are Esmeralda and Rapunzel, with Belle and Mulan close by.

reply