Monday, June 2, 2014

Frozen (2013, PG)

 
I saw this movie when it was in theaters and really adored it.  Is it perfect?  Can the songs hold their own against those of the golden Disney era in the ‘80s and ‘90s?  Does it successfully navigate all the gender issues that threaten a lot of female-driven movies?  No to all three, but it’s still great and loveable, one that I can see myself watching a lot over the years.
 
If you haven’t seen Frozen (are there such people in the Western world?) it’s based very loosely on the story “The Snow Queen.”  Royal sisters Elsa and Anna have had a rather lonely life – Elsa can magically create ice and snow, and the girls’ parents shut the palace doors to the outside world long ago in order to keep her powers secret.  It’s even a secret from Anna, who’s been kept mostly apart from her older sister ever since a childhood accident involving Elsa’s abilities.
 
The palace finally opens for Elsa’s coronation, and of course, something goes wrong.  During an argument with Anna, Elsa loses control of her powers, inadvertently sending the kingdom into an eternal winter before fleeing in the hopes of isolating herself and saving others from danger.  Anna sets her off to find her, bring her home, and break the spell.  Along the way, she finds help in the form of Kristoff, a grumpy ice merchant, and Olaf, an enchanted living snowman. 
 
The major characters are all fantastic.  Far from being a villain, Elsa is an overwhelmed young woman who’s been taught to fear the power inside her.  I dare anyone not to feel for her when she sings “Let It Go,” a soaring Disney ballad that’s equal parts heartbreak and ferociousness.  Some may quibble about Anna; even though she’s the heroine of the piece, she’s not super capable and gets things wrong more often than right (although she comes through in the vital moments.)  I’m not bothered by it, though.  Anna is realistically immature for her age and sheltered upbringing.  It makes sense that she has half-baked, misinformed ideas about love and doesn’t know how to climb a mountain.  Despite her lack of experience, she rolls up her sleeves and soldiers on no matter what the circumstances are, and her motivations stem from her duty to her kingdom and her love for her sister.  Can’t complain there.
 
Plus, she’s adorable, awkward, and hilarious.  For a Disney princess, she’s incredibly real as a bright but naïve teenage girl.  She’s gung-ho and stubborn, she gets silly around boys, and when she plays the princess card, it’s clear how unused to it she is.  Her relationship with Kristoff, from squabbles to support to something more, has to be one of my favorites in a Disney movie (I’ll probably talk about this more later.)
 
What else?  The humor is surprisingly cheeky, the animation is stunning (especially in depicting Elsa’s powers,) and although none of the other songs match the epic-ness of “Let It Go,” they’re uniformly sweet and singable, and they grow on you immensely.  Some great voice actors with musical theater cred, including Idina Menzel as Elsa, Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars!) as Anna, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, and Josh Gad (from The Book of Mormon) as Olaf.  Ciarán Hinds and Alan Tudyk are also featured.
 
Warnings
 
A bit of bodily function humor, and scary sequences for littluns. 

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