Frozen (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Despite its icy title, 'Frozen' (directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee) is actually a warm-hearted, enchanting & stunning animated adventure story that is perfect to watch this holiday season. Like The Little Mermaid, it's loosely based on a Hans Christian Andersen's faerie tale (The Snow Queen), updated with contemporary motifs, good music, appealing characters & overall Disney magic. The focal point of this movie is on sisterhood. Set in the mythical Nordic kingdom of Arendelle, we 1st meet little Elsa & her baby sister Anna, who are royal daughters in said kingdom. We see them as sweet little sibling playmates. Everything seems peachy keen. However, older Elsa has a magical condition she was born with that she cannot control ... the wild creation of snow & ice with one swipe of her hand.
When Elsa inadvertently injures Anna with her haphazard powers, their loving, but regretful parents quarantine her away. Anna is never told why her beloved older sister cannot leave her bedroom. Anna she grows up lonely, estranged from her sister, & longing for the fun childhood moments they used to share. They remain secluded in their castle; that is, til the day of Elsa's (now voiced by Idina Menzel) coronation as Queen. Amid the joyous celebration, however, things go awry. The kingdom becomes privy to Elsa's deemed-'black magic' powers, & she flees the city to build a secret ice palace on a faraway mountain. Ever loyal, Anna (now voiced by Kristen Bell) sets off to find her sister; trying to convince her people that she is NOT evil, just stricken. But because Elsa cannot harness her powers, her emotional exit from Arendelle causes her to unknowingly cast her kingdom under a spell of perpetual winter. Along her journey to find Elsa, Anna is aided by congenial mountain man, Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff), his sensitive reindeer named Sven, & a cheerful, goofball snowman, Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad).
Just as The Lion King told a tale of a father & son, the story here honors the strong, but sometimes tricky bonds of sisterhood. These sisters are more complicated characters than what has been the norm in Disney movies. See, Anna is devoted & fearless, with layers of emotional complexity. As for Elsa, despite possessing supernatural powers of which she cannot seem to control ... she can't really be considered a 'villain'. There's actually an empathetic quality to this character because she resigns herself to a lonely fate. It's just great to see strong female characters in ANY movie. As for the main male characters, well, they exist as 'love' interests. One or more of them may or may not bestow true love's kiss. But the real "act of true love" comes with a refreshing twist in this particular story.
Tony-award winning composer/lyricist Robert Lopez & his wife, Kristen, wrote 8 songs for this movie musical. They're all good. They don't quite reach the pinnacle of Disney tunes that littered the music charts in the early 1990s, but they capture the various moods of the film ... melancholy, heartfelt & humorous. "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" is a cute number that expresses Anna's emotional yearning for her older sister to come out from her bedroom. Olaf sings the funny "In Summer" (the humor there is that Olaf doesn't realize that he'd melt). And the epic ballad "Let it Go" (belted by the wonderful Idina Menzel, famous for her Elphaba in Wicked) captures Elsa's acceptance and embracing of her terrifying powers out in the wilderness.
Visually, the film is simply gorgeous. Rendering ice & snow with breathtaking variance, Frozen's glacial palaces, crystalline icicles & white-capped mountain-scapes are truly dazzling. Every hue of white, blue, purple & silver is on full display. You know, I really have very few complaints. There is a troll song that could've been scrapped. And mileage will vary on the character, Olaf; whose brand of humor can grate - but most kids will eat up his snowman silliness. But overall, 'Frozen' provides a thoroughly involving story that embraces Disney tradition, while also providing surprises (a rare Disney animated film that focuses on a relationship btwn. sisters, and not on romance). So with endearing characters, good-natured humor, pleasant music & amazing animation ... 'Frozen' utterly enchanted me.
When Elsa inadvertently injures Anna with her haphazard powers, their loving, but regretful parents quarantine her away. Anna is never told why her beloved older sister cannot leave her bedroom. Anna she grows up lonely, estranged from her sister, & longing for the fun childhood moments they used to share. They remain secluded in their castle; that is, til the day of Elsa's (now voiced by Idina Menzel) coronation as Queen. Amid the joyous celebration, however, things go awry. The kingdom becomes privy to Elsa's deemed-'black magic' powers, & she flees the city to build a secret ice palace on a faraway mountain. Ever loyal, Anna (now voiced by Kristen Bell) sets off to find her sister; trying to convince her people that she is NOT evil, just stricken. But because Elsa cannot harness her powers, her emotional exit from Arendelle causes her to unknowingly cast her kingdom under a spell of perpetual winter. Along her journey to find Elsa, Anna is aided by congenial mountain man, Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff), his sensitive reindeer named Sven, & a cheerful, goofball snowman, Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad).
Just as The Lion King told a tale of a father & son, the story here honors the strong, but sometimes tricky bonds of sisterhood. These sisters are more complicated characters than what has been the norm in Disney movies. See, Anna is devoted & fearless, with layers of emotional complexity. As for Elsa, despite possessing supernatural powers of which she cannot seem to control ... she can't really be considered a 'villain'. There's actually an empathetic quality to this character because she resigns herself to a lonely fate. It's just great to see strong female characters in ANY movie. As for the main male characters, well, they exist as 'love' interests. One or more of them may or may not bestow true love's kiss. But the real "act of true love" comes with a refreshing twist in this particular story.
Tony-award winning composer/lyricist Robert Lopez & his wife, Kristen, wrote 8 songs for this movie musical. They're all good. They don't quite reach the pinnacle of Disney tunes that littered the music charts in the early 1990s, but they capture the various moods of the film ... melancholy, heartfelt & humorous. "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" is a cute number that expresses Anna's emotional yearning for her older sister to come out from her bedroom. Olaf sings the funny "In Summer" (the humor there is that Olaf doesn't realize that he'd melt). And the epic ballad "Let it Go" (belted by the wonderful Idina Menzel, famous for her Elphaba in Wicked) captures Elsa's acceptance and embracing of her terrifying powers out in the wilderness.
Visually, the film is simply gorgeous. Rendering ice & snow with breathtaking variance, Frozen's glacial palaces, crystalline icicles & white-capped mountain-scapes are truly dazzling. Every hue of white, blue, purple & silver is on full display. You know, I really have very few complaints. There is a troll song that could've been scrapped. And mileage will vary on the character, Olaf; whose brand of humor can grate - but most kids will eat up his snowman silliness. But overall, 'Frozen' provides a thoroughly involving story that embraces Disney tradition, while also providing surprises (a rare Disney animated film that focuses on a relationship btwn. sisters, and not on romance). So with endearing characters, good-natured humor, pleasant music & amazing animation ... 'Frozen' utterly enchanted me.