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Molly Driscoll
Professor Maria Marinara
ENC 3315
October 21, 2014
Rhetorical Concepts Used in Frozen
Add not one, but two princesses, a talking snowman, an adorable reindeer, and some
killer ballads and youve got yourself a movie! Yes, Im referring to the animated film that
constantly asks if I want to build a snowman you guessed it, Frozen! In my opinion Frozens
success has to do with three very important things: it is a Disney made movie, a love story, and
was the highest grossing film in 2013 (Frozen Becomes Fifth-biggest Film 1). Each of the points
I just made all involve the use of Aristotles rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos. Without
the use of these three rhetorical appeals the beloved film Frozen may not have been such a
success. Throughout this essay I intend to explain how the rhetorical concepts of ethos, pathos,
and logos use their strengths to aid in the persuasion of getting audiences to watch the movie
Frozen.
Firstly, let us discuss the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle was a student of the great
philosopher Plato, and he a student of the great philosopher Socrates, therefore gaining
knowledge from a long line of great wisdom (Rapp 1). Aristotle spent the majority of his time
studying in the libraries of Athens, and various places around Greece (Rapp 2). He was very
interested in dialect and would often talk out loud to his students, requiring them to take notes on
the ways he was talking to them. It was with these notes from his students, and his constant
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study of language and persuasion, that Aristotle produces a collection of works called The
Rhetoric (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos 1). In this collection of works Aristotle discusses the tools
used in topics of persuasion by grouping the three most important tools, calling them the
appeals. Aristotle explains that there are three appeals and names them ethos, pathos, and logos
(Ethos, Pathos, and Logos 2).
Before I begin to explain how Aristotles rhetorical appeals are involved in the movie
Frozen, I feel it is necessary to explain the storyline of the movie. The tale originates from the
story The Snow Queen, written by the famous writer of the 19
th
Century, Hans Christian
Anderson (TheSnowQueen). In the movie there are two sisters, Elsa and Anna who are
princesses in the kingdom of Arendelle. Anna sets off on an epic journey with rugged
mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have
trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. (IBDM) At the end of the movie love
conquers all as Anna sacrifices herself for her sister, only to be unfrozen moments later, again by
the power of love.
The first appeal of Aristotles that I will discuss is ethos. Ethos refers to the
trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos 3). We tend to
believe people we respect, people of authority who have shown to never let us down. I would
say that the appeal of ethos when used with the movie Frozen could be the fact that the movie
was made by Disney. Disney has proven time and time again to be a good wholesome family
oriented company, whose movies teach children life lessons and good morals. When someone
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merely mentions Disney to me the first thing I think of are the cardinal virtues of faith, hope, and
love. Disney embodies all these virtues and teaches not only children, but adults too, that with a
little faith and hope anything is possible, especially when we love others and ourselves. The fact
that Frozen was specifically a Disney movie about princesses further proves their credibility on
the subject when referring to their past princess movies and how successful they were, such as
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and this list goes on!
Another appeal that Aristotle stresses is that of pathos. Pathos is persuading by
appealing to the readers emotions (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos 4). Disney is assuming by using
pathos, that everyone will have the same emotions and reactions as they predict. This may seem
like a risk, but again going back to the companys use of ethos, Disney is allowed to have an
assumption like this since all their previous movies have done so well. The ideas that bring up
emotions in Frozen include that of family, friendship, courage, strength, faith, and of course
love. Between all snowstorm-like conditions the characters sing amazing ballads, making it not
just an animated movie, but a musical too! By making the film a musical the viewers are now
able to be included in the movie by singing along with their favorite characters. I think we all
know the feeling of our emotions rising enormously when we are able to sing at the top of our
lungs. In fact the song Let it Go, sung by Idina Menzal as Elsa, won the movie an Oscar for
best original song (RollingStone). Disney is hoping to tug at each and every persons heart
strings as Elsa belts out the lyrics Let it go! and again when Anna sacrifices herself for he
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sister. I remember seeing that moment in the theatre and hearing loud gasps all around me. I
think it is safe to say, mission accomplished Disney.
The final appeal that is used in Frozen is logos. Logos is persuading by the use of
reasoning (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos 5). By using facts to support our claims we become more
convincing to our audience. Bottom line is that you cant debate a fact. The movie Frozen makes
use of logos merely by bringing up the box office sales. Frozen is the number 5 highest grossing
film of all time, and is the highest grossing animated film in history (Frozen Becomes Fifth-
biggest Film 2)! The movie also had the biggest digital release ever, selling 3.2 million
DVD/Blu-rays in just the first day (WashingtonPost 1). The soundtrack for the movie has also
done fabulously, again by winning an Oscar, and selling more than 1.4 million CDs
(WashtingstonPost 2). The film won another Oscar for best animated feature, making it the first
film to receive an Oscar for Walt Disney Animated Studios (Frozen Becomes Fifth-biggest Film
3). How can you not trust a company who were the first ones to put animated film on the big
screen? In 1937 Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out and surprised everyone by
being the bestselling movie of the year (CogersonMovieScore)! From that point on Disney has
not looked back and continuously produces great movies. In regards to Frozen, the nationally
acclaimed Forbes magazine said, Its a film that opened well and then kept on chugging
because audiences loved it, and because the market craved it (Forbes). In my opinion, this
quote not only can apply to Frozen, but Disney in general.
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Overall, the great philosopher Aristotle did us all a huge favor by putting definitions to
the way we persuade. Aristotle has forever helped a variety of people make an argument for
something they believe in, people such as lawyers and politicians, students and teachers, and any
company with the hopes of selling an idea, such as Disney with Frozen. Without these three
appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos all American dreams might as well be lost, for no one would
find any reason to do anything.

Works Cited:
"Box Office: Disney's 'Frozen' Tops $400M." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
"BOX OFFICE: Frozen Is Officially Your Biggest Animated Film. Ever." Washington Post.
The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
"Ethos, Pathos, and Logos." Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
"Frozen." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
"Frozen Becomes Fifth-biggest Film." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
"Oscars 2014: 'Frozen' Track 'Let It Go' Wins Best Song." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct.
2014.
Rapp, Christof. "Aristotle's Rhetoric." Stanford University. Stanford University, 02 May 2002.
Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
"The Snow Queen." By Hans Christian Andersen. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.