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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