YMMV / The Steadfast Tin Soldier

• Alternate Aesop Interpretation: Some have interpreted the original fairy tale as a critique of the Tin Soldier's titular steadfastness, pointing out that if he'd just at any point done or said anything instead of merely standing at attention he might have prevented his and the Ballerina's ultimate fate. He never actually speaks to the Ballerina, making it questionable if she even knew of his existence, he never makes any attempts to save himself by taking direct action when he falls out of the window, even though he can move just like the other toys and he doesn't even try to get himself or the Ballerina out of the stove and lets them both burn to death instead. In short: Being The Stoic and just taking whatever life throws at you isn't always good.
• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Not really on character, but in most translations the villain is called a troll and he hides in a box during the day. Some illustrations take this to mean that he is a jack-in-the-box rather than an actual troll hiding in a box. The Fantasia version clearly uses a jack-in-the-box as the villain. Which one Andersen meant is not entirely certain, since living inanimate objects and magical creatures both appear often in his work.
  • Also the original story leaves it intentionally vague as to whether the troll was actually responsible for any of the Tin Soldier's hardships, making him either The Chessmaster or a Villainy-Free Villain whose idle threats were only met by dumb luck.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: A stoic toy soldier has a perilous adventure after being accidentally thrown out of their owner's window, supposedly part due to a jealous other toy. Sound familiar?
  • The connection gets stronger when you consider how the third movie almost ended.
• It Was His Sled: The Tin Soldier and the Ballerina burning up and being Together in Death is the most well-known part of the story.
• Stoic Woobie: The Tin Soldier, of course.
• Tear Jerker: The ending, where the Tin Soldier and Ballerina both burn up in the fire. As the Ballerina was made of paper, she would have perished within seconds, while the Soldier would be Forced to Watch before eventually melting down over a longer period of time.

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