Almost everyone I’ve met has seen the movie Frozen. With catchy songs, heart-warming tales and scenes that make you smile, Frozen immediately became a family favorite. Parents and children alike were captivated by the magical world of Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven. Besides the wonderful display of colors and characters, Frozen can actually teach us important life lessons.

1. Family is important.
The whole film runs on the theme of the importance of family. The relationship between Anna and Elsa is a clear example of family love. Separated at such a young age, Anna longed for the company of her sister. Given the fact that she lost most memories of Elsa, she wanted to build a relationship with her even more. When Elsa ran away from the castle after freezing Arendelle, Anna embarked on a journey to retrieve her sister. She wouldn’t stop at any cost until she got the only family member she had left, Elsa. This shows that treasuring your family is very important. You might not agree with some of the things your family might say or do, but it’s important not to allow that to affect your relationship with them.

2. Be unapologetically you.
Elsa was never part of the popular club. With the magical powers she had, she was an outcast and was eventually exiled when people found out. Elsa finally realized that there’s no point pretending to be someone she isn’t anymore. She left for the mountains and established her ice castle there – the part where viewers were introduced to the song that would be stuck in their head forever: Let it Go. Sometimes there is a part of us that we do not embrace because we try to fit in – the part of us which isn’t a problem to begin with. However, we try to be like others, losing the essence of who we really are. It’s time we embrace our uniqueness and stop trying to fit in. When you realize that you should keep being you, you automatically become a more beautiful person, just as Elsa did.

3. Stop bottling your emotions.
The ability to share your emotions with others is an amazing thing. Unfortunately, for Elsa, due to her isolation, she had no one to share her emotions with. In the end, it ended up pretty messy when Elsa met the real world. Imagine if she was allowed to be exposed to the real world bit by bit. Surely she would have developed control of her emotions better than what happened in the film. If you’re happy, share the joy with the world and if you’re down, sharing it with the right people will help you feel better. Emotions are better shared; sometimes you just have to let it go.

4. No one is an island.
Anna tried to save Elsa; Kristoff needed help with his ice business; and Olaf needed a nose to become a legitimate snowman. In all of these tasks, none of them were accomplished on their own. Anna could not have saved Elsa without the help of Kristoff and Sven. Kristoff would have remained out of business if the whole of Arendelle remained frozen, and Olaf got his nose from Kristoff’s carrot. It’s funny how we think that we can accomplish anything by ourselves. But the truth is, more often than not, we need the help of others. The characters of Frozen helped one another to accomplish the goal of restoring Arendelle. In the end, all of the characters benefited from it. We can’t do everything on our own and sometimes, asking for help doesn’t mean you are weak – it simply means you are not going to let your ego stop you from achieving your goal.

5. Don’t believe things that are too good to be true.
There’s a saying that goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and I think it applies to this situation. This is especially true when it comes to meeting people. Most of the time, what you know about someone is what they want you to know about them. When you meet someone for the first time, it’s pretty foolish to take everything they say for gospel, especially if it’s too good to be true. This applies to both people and material goods. Sometimes when you find someone or something that’s too good to be true, adding some skepticism can prevent you from getting into the kind of trouble that Anna did with Prince Hans.

6. Dream big.
Olaf had a dream of enjoying summer, and it’s no doubt a crazy dream. A snowman enjoying summer is like throwing ice cream into a microwave and hoping it doesn’t melt. It just doesn’t make any sense. However, Olaf never let that bother him; he remained cheerful and happy hoping to achieve that dream one day. We all have big dreams and sometimes phrases like, “Are you crazy?” or “That is impossible,” can really hurt us. When you feel that way, remember the happiness that Olaf had, and keep chasing your dreams. Never give up because others say your dream is too big. It might sound crazy, but the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are often the ones who do.

7. Love can change the world.
Arendelle was about to be covered in Ice, and Anna was dying because of a frozen heart. The only cure was true love. Instead of Anna getting kissed by a Prince Charming, it was her gift of sacrifice that unfroze Arendelle. In the end, that sacrifice melted the “ice” in her heart as well. This speaks a lot about how true love requires sacrifice, an element that is so often forgotten. If everyone sacrificed some of their time to exhibit love and kindness to the people around them, we could rid this world of the “cold” in the hearts of people. Replacing it with the warmth of love is something that can potentially change the world.

Frozen was a huge success, and it’s not difficult to see why. Besides the catchy songs and beautifully animated characters, Frozen teaches important life lessons. Sometimes, it takes a snowman, a reindeer, and two sisters to remind us all of these lessons.