Hello, Movie Buffs!
In the Kingdom of Arendelle, newly-crowned Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) has the power to create and freeze ice and snow. But when she runs away to the mountains after accidentally cursing her kingdom with an eternal kingdom, her sister Anna (Kristen Bell) teams up with a mountain man (Jonathan Groff), his playful reindeer, and a snowman (Josh Gad) to save summer, her kingdom, and Elsa before it’s too late. Can true love save a kingdom? Or will fear reign?
Disney’s first renaissance period first started with The Little Mermaid in 1989 and then ended abruptly in the late 1990s when it was replaced with the Pixar era that could seemingly do no wrong. Now returning to the musical renaissance style that was explored in Tangled (2010), Frozen (2013) - directed and written by Chris Buck (Frozen II) and Jennifer Lee (Frozen II) - is the loose retelling of the classic story The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson. Although Tangled was an excellent return to Disney princess films, I believe that it is with Frozen where Disney truly recaptures the magic and takes it to a whole other level. Like most Disney films based on stories by Hans Christian Anderson or the Grimms Brothers, Frozen is very loosely based on its original source material, which is substantially darker and has no moral to the story, in order to appeal to a much younger audience and please their parents. After going through countless script changes and re-writes what Disney delivered was an inspiring film filled with humor and wit and touches on the bond between siblings. It demonstrates that even when you and your sibling(s) have different points of view, even when your butting heads, at the end of the day you are each other’s greatest strength and ally. The story also shows how our fear will take over our lives if we do not learn how to control it.
In addition to the witty, humorous, and inspiring story, the musical numbers are charming from beginning to end. From the charming character-building numbers like Do You Wanna Build a Snowman and For the First Time in Forever to funny and catchy numbers like In Summer to grand-scale numbers like Let it Go, Frozen provides enough music to please the whole family. However, despite being great the soundtrack suffers from that one great song, specifically, Let it Go, that overshadows both the story and the rest of the songs. Nevertheless, this a forgivable issue since the soundtrack as a whole is one of the best since the last Disney Renaissance era.
Unlike most films of the same nature, Frozen allows for the characters to drive the story and this difference makes for a more interesting story. In addition, the characters are surprisingly well developed for an animated film, especially Anna, who takes up most of the screen time and is the most well-developed lead animated character I have seen yet. Aside from her detailed backstory and forward-thinking nature, she is far from being flawless. She’s clumsy and awkward, and desperate enough for human connection that she is willing to marry a man she just met. The latter is seen as a cliche trait that is expected for most Disney princess films, however, the film acknowledges that flaw and gives her the freedom to develop throughout the rest of the film. Josh Gad (Frozen II) as Olaf is an incredibly hilarious character. He provides both the most comic relief and also some deep meaningful conversations that help carry the story along. The chemistry between the main characters, both the sister dynamic and the friendship Anna develops with Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf, is very well done. As for the voice acting, the filmmakers could not have picked a better cast of characters.
Overall, Frozen (2013) is a great addition to Disney’s filmography and contains enough elements for the whole family to enjoy. The story is fun for the younger kids but also inspiring for older kids because it contains some valuable lessons about the bond between siblings and what true love really means. The musical numbers are fun, exciting, memorable, and on some occasions, grand-scale. The characters are surprisingly well developed for an animated film and the voice acting is spot on. All in all, I highly recommend that you check out this film, especially if you have plans to watch Frozen II (2019) which is now in theaters.
Final Vote --- 7 of 10 stars
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Movies Similar
Brave (2012)
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Frozen (2013)
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Wreck-it Ralph (2012)
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Zootopia (2016)
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