Movie Reviews: Frozen

Frozen is a Disney film that came out roughly a week ago (and a few days). I only just got to seeing it recently because of scheduling reasons. And it’s a shame because it was really good and I wish I could have been there from the beginning with everyone else saying how it is really good. So good that you should just drop whatever you’re doing and go see it as soon as possible.

How will you know if you’ll like Frozen? Let’s do a quick questionnaire to see if this is a film you can, indeed, have fun with.

First, did you ever enjoy Disney movies as either a kid or as an adult? Yes? Then clearly this will be worth your time. It takes the best aspects of all the older Disney movies but applies the same coat of paint Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph got in past years. And when I say best aspects, I mean everything. The animation is among some of the best work I’ve seen, even compared to Pixar. The musical numbers are all great and memorable, especially one by Elza (more on that later). If any part of you loved classics like Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin or Lion King then you owe it to yourself to check this out as well.

Second, do you have kids and do they enjoy watching Disney movies? If you have kids, odds are they will probably enjoy this like they enjoy other Disney films. That said, if your kids haven’t seen a Disney film yet, you are a very weird parent. If it’s the fact you don’t like big corporations, fine, but don’t shelter your kids from fun entertainment as a result. That just makes you kind of psychotic. Much like Elza’s parents in the movie. Sure, they’re only around for a few minutes (movie length wise) but locking your kid away because she has magical powers she can’t control is kind of shit. Granted, she voluntarily went along with it because she didn’t want to hurt her sister anymore, BUT they pressured her to a point where accidents were inevitable to happen.

Third, do you like good movies in general? I’ve ranted before about movies like Spiderman having big issues of trying to incorporate too many characters into one film and cutting the time of characterization down to a point where we get bland caricatures instead. I’ve even said the same of Batman and the upcoming Man of Steel looks to be in the same boat. If they want to really shove as many cool characters into their respective films as they can, then I invite them to look at Frozen and say they did it right, follow their lead.

Frozen starts off with two sisters, princesses. They get along perfectly until an accident happens. Elza, the elder sister, has magic powers that let her conjure and manipulate ice. While playing she hurts her sister and the only cure is to erase her memory of magic, including Elza’s. After this, Elza voluntarily locks herself away so she can’t risk hurting anyone else. This, however, puts a literal wall between Elza and her sister, Anna, who just wants to play with her sister and have a friend.

The thing is, Elza’s powers get more powerful and more difficult to control as she gets older. And only her parents are there to help give her some stability. But, like in all Disney films, the parents are killed, leaving the family to just be Elza and Anna. Elza, being the oldest, is then pushed into the role of queen, meaning a coronation has to happen and she has to socialize with people once again. Anna is excited for this because she’s been secluded from the world as well (for reasons I never fully understood, but I went with it).

Anna, being the extrovert, goes off to meet with everyone she can, find “true love,” and just enjoy being able to leave her house after years of being stuck in it with no one to talk to and no one to have fun with. Enters Prince Hans, a nice looking guy who immediately clicks with Anna where the two even get engaged in only a handful of hours (which the film will poke fun of later). Needless to say, this is also the first time Anna and her introverted sister, Elza, speak to each other in years. Misunderstandings occur, fighting happens, and Elza reveals her powers (which she has managed to keep secret for years) not only to her sister, but to all of the biggest names in her kingdom.

She’s labeled a monster for almost hurting people. She runs away into the mountains to seclude herself from the world. In the process of doing so, her ice powers get out of control again and blanket the whole kingdom in ice. Realizing she made a mistake, Anna sets out to make things right by going on a quest to literally talk her sister down from the mountain. She meets some fun side characters along the way, which ultimately makes this a big but fun cast with many memorable characters.

And that’s all just in the first act. There’s still two acts to go in this somewhat short, but very concise and fun movie. But it all looks so damn good and the story is just so much fun I can’t help but enjoy every minute of it.

As far as actual critique goes, I don’t really have all that much to say. It’s not that the movie is “flawless” but that it’s hard to pick flaws out when they seem like minor issues in a film that’s otherwise great. Some have argued about the lack of songs in the third act, but I would counter with how the first act is rather song-heavy with there being a song every four minutes. Not that they’re bad or ruin the movie, I’m just saying such criticism isn’t that big a deal in the long run.

All that said, this movie does borrow from the classic film trope of how the problem could be solved if the main characters would just talk their problems out instead of freaking out and refusing to communicate. This same problem happened in Aladdin twice when Aladdin would tell lies about who he is in order to get into Jasmine’s pants when she loved Aladdin for who he is and not what he pretended to be. Here is more understandable, however, as Elza is trying to maintain peace and keep her sister safe from her uncontrollable ice powers. Less a selfish goal and more of a self-sacrificing goal.

I also still don’t get why Anna had to remain in the castle with Elza after their parents died and she was old enough to cross the street on her own. Elza ice-o-lated herself from the world for the aforementioned reasons, but why did Anna still hang around? Yes, she loved her sister and would have done anything to be with her, but that doesn’t stop her from being able to experience the world or at least the town around their castle. What was physically keeping Anna from just going down to the Burger King or the GameStop to find something to do instead of talking to herself like a looney in the castle?

Like I said, these are all minor issues in a film that is otherwise amazing. It’ll stand out as one of the best films of this year and one of the better films in Disney’s entire pantheon. Some of the best musical numbers, the best animation, the best story, and, hell, the ending is something I didn’t expect, but it shows that Disney is finally willing to embrace change as it crafts new stories for a modern age. All-in-all, this is a movie well worth your time and if you HAVEN’T seen it yet, stop making excuses and go see it right away. There’s nothing else (maybe Thor) that could possibly be more engaging in theaters right now.