It's so maddening
I just don't believe that Disney wants to please its fans anymore, I honestly don't.
I can't see why they'd not want to take up an interesting and compelling storyline (that links links nicely to the first story, so no struggles trying to connect anything there cough cough F2) that would be A; a breath of fresh air from the stuff they've been making (cheap remakes and flops) and would please a significant portion of people who watched the original. We are some of the loyalist Frozen fans, we have our own stable section of the fandom, and there isn't a good reason why not to take the leap as far as Disney is concerned. They don't even have to dive straight into Helsa but if they just allow Hans to be seen in a sympathetic/understanding/redeemable light, that would be something.
I really think that Disney's response to Hans and the treatment they've given him post Frozen (giant snowball, Elsa crumbling his ice statue, the charades game) is very of this age. There are Disney villains of the past (Maleficent and Cruella got sob stories and 'rebranding', which I at least think was an odd stance to take on a spiteful witch and a literal puppy-murderer. Then that villain doll in TS4 got redeemed only minutes after trying to leave Woody voiceless and stuck in the antique shop, because we were super invested in that doll's eventual undeserved happy ending amirite) who have been treated with less derision and contempt than Hans, and I think it's in part because those villains were regarded as long enough ago that you can do what you want with them now (their evilness is regarded as "lessened"), and also that I think Disney is kinder to its female villains (that they must have some background trauma as to why they act the way they do, they can't just be evil) and finally that while Frozen is obviously magical and fantastical in most of its elements, it seems to try and attempt a 'realistic' approach to the interactions of the characters. I don't like this, it's inconsistent and an example of lazy writing - "Hans is bad just because he's bad", the writers don't even attempt to add any extra layers or facets to his character.
I feel like Hans is treated with a special vindictiveness and I think that is unfair and I don't understand why it seems okay to do this.
I desperately hope that someday (Frozen 3) our hopes will be realised by Disney and we can see Helsa (or even hints at Helsa, I'd settle for that) become canon, but honestly I am extremely doubtful. I suspect I know how F3 will play out and I'm already apprehensive.
