Have you listened to the demos of songs that were cut from Frozen? They're up on YouTube. All of them together give a pretty substantial idea of the original plans for Frozen, with a much more aggressive Elsa and combative sisterly relationship. Life's Too Short in particular is hilariously huffy and self-righteous. If you have heard, what do you think of them?
Yeah, i got the Deluxe Soundtrack. =)
I am very relieved they took out “Life’s Too Short.” I feel like it totally defeated everything positive about the movie. Elsa striking Anna out of anger is just so out of character. I think that song must have been from an earlier concept stage where Elsa was still being referred to as “the villain.” The whole idea of there being a “prophecy” about snow bringing the kingdom to ruin and stuff… I just think it was so predictable and made her very uninteresting! She has so little control in her life, why take away her last shred of autonomy? But original concepts and first drafts often leave a lot to be desired.
(old concept art of Elsa and Anna, from the “The Art of Frozen”)
There was no need for them to have a “combative” relationship. They already had enough drama from being forcibly separated from childhood, from Anna’s hurt and fear of rejection, and from Elsa’s deep-rooted fears and guilt. I think one of the reasons the movie is so well-received (and for me personally, the biggest appeal) is that every action the sisters take is out of love for each other, not anger or petty catfights.
Too often, when women are put together in a story, the authors reduce them to catfights for the “drama” value, and there are precious few stories about women who take strength from each other and support each other unconditionally. In “Frozen,” they still managed to craft a very interesting conflict between the sisters without taking that love away for a second. It’s still a story about healing and angst and hurt/comfort but their love is never questioned, and Elsa is never vilified. Rather, she has become a very relatable and sympathetic character.
As far as the song demos go, “We Know Better” is my favorite and one that I think would have still fit perfectly in the context of the movie. I really hope we see some storyboards or something of it for the DVD/Blu-Ray release, although some Tumblr users have already taken a crack at it.
