I say it is …but not by much. Yeah, to disappoint certain corners of the internet, I have to say I think Frozen IS really great. Not only is it Disney’s best animated film in years, but I think it does what The Princess and the Frog and Tangled struggled to do. That is, to be the best of both worlds in terms of old and new Disney; both parts contemporary and classic.
Elsa, a princess of the kingdom of Arendelle, has magical ice powers that one night are accidentally responsible for an injury to her younger sister Anna. To save Anna, trolls who dwell in the forest are forced to remove her memories of magic, which due to Elsa’s growing abilities makes it necessary they be kept apart as they grow up. After their parents die at sea, Elsa is coronated Queen. But shortly after the ceremony, something goes wrong -she unintentionally freezes the kingdom and retreats to an ice fortress. While everyone in a frozen Arendelle figures out what to do about this Ice Queen, Anna embarks on a journey to find her sister and bring her home.
First off, this has got to be one of the best looking CG animated films I’ve ever seen. Strike that, it’s one of the best looking animated films period. There’s so much detail and depth to any given scene. The ice is absolutely radiant, Elsa’s fortress being a spectacle every time it’s on screen, and the snow looks beautifully tangible. This and the sound effects work on the blizzards really puts you in the wintry environment of the film. But in addition to that, the pacing of the animation with particular emphasis on character movement is wonderfully fluent and dare I say, graceful. I also appreciate the really smart details, like how Elsa and Anna have very close to the same freckle formation. And while this style is mostly the same as Tangled, the characters in this film are not as some Disney films may seem, the same basic design as previous characters. Elsa and Anna are not just Rapunzel with different hair colours. They have their own unique features and expressions.
Another thing Frozen does really well is its ability to subvert long-held Disney clichés yet still hold true to the spirit of Disney. We’ve seen plenty of mockeries of ideas like love at first sight and true love’s kiss in other movies. Hell, DreamWorks made a whole series of films that’s basic appeal was making fun of these Disney fairy tale tropes. But films that do this almost never capture at the same time the sense of Disney magic or the reasons why we still like these kind of films in spite of them. Frozen does. Because those observations have a place in-movie. They’re there to develop character while also imbue those messages with a subtext of moderation.
And let’s talk about character: Anna is a pretty great one. She’s enthusiastic and perky, has a shred of the “I want more” characteristic to her, not unlike princesses past. But she’s also goofy with a legitimately good sense of humour, and has unwavering faith. Kristen Bell is terrific, imparting her own likeable personality onto the role. She’s not the brightest of characters, her flaw being how she thinks mostly from the heart and she’s willing to give it away to anyone. But that just makes her all the more interesting and in a way, endearing. We’ve all known someone like that, driven by their emotions when it’s not always the best idea, and it does lead to rash decision making as we see in Anna. For her, a lot of the movie is a learning experience that that’s not the way of the world. Essentially this fairy tale movie is stressing it’s not the fairy tale world Anna thinks it is, where she’s destined to meet her true love on a big day and everything’s supposed to be happily ever after. But there’s more to Anna than this weakness, as she’s also fiercely determined, and we see the positive side of thinking with her heart as it leads her on her quest for Elsa.
Elsa is one of the most wonderful Disney characters, and I’ll tell you why. Her struggle is identifiable in a way no other Disney character’s has yet been. The way she shuts herself off from the world and Anna in particular, hides her powers and thereby her true identity, and how this affects her emotionally and psychologically makes her the most layered Disney princess (sorry, Queen) we’ve ever had. Yeah, it’s pretty obvious her situation and turmoil is an allegory for coming out (her phrase “conceal, don’t feel” especially has LGBT suppressive connotations, and it’s likely the reason there’s a campaign to make her lesbian), but it can also strike home for anyone who’s struggled to be themselves, or overcome a personal hurdle. I think everyone can understand her, if they don’t have first-hand experience of something like what she’s going through. And in addition to this powerful trait that gives her our immediate sympathy, you can feel every conflicted emotion she has: her pain to repress herself, her need to be closer to Anna, her fear of her own powers, her inability to control them, and the fact that every time she tries she inadvertently makes things worse. But with each mistake you’re all the more invested in her overcoming these issues because there’s so much passion behind her feelings towards them. Idina Menzel is absolutely superb in playing this, unsurprisingly considering she made her name playing a somewhat similar character in Wicked. Elsa is one of the most unique and fascinatingly characterized tragic figures I’ve seen in Disney, and of all the characters I’ve seen in Disney, she’s one of my favourites.
Another really great character is Kristoff, Anna’s guide on her journey. He makes for a good foil, often playing a similar role to Flynn’s in Tangled, complete with quick sense of humour. But I think I like him a little more than Flynn. His design is heftier which is a nice change from the usual and I like his genuine knowledge and expertise (Flynn seemed to just get by on bullshitting). His comradery with Sven his reindeer, comes across well and his rapport with Anna is just really delightful. It hearkens back to what I said about this movie subverting tropes yet holding to the Disney spirit. These two build a very believable relationship. The other man in Anna’s life, Hans is interesting too, though from a different standpoint. While he’s mainly a symbol of Anna’s hasty decision-making, his backstory allows you to understand his motivations. In some ways he’s the most historically realistic character in the movie. I also really like how Hans and Kristoff represent the two types of Disney prince: Hans being the formal, outwardly romantic one we see in Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, while Kristoff is the humble, down-to-earth one we know from Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. Olaf is okay though he’s certainly among the most blatant comic relief characters. He gets a few good laughs, some physical jokes, and Josh Gad has an energy in the role, but he’s the only character I think the movie would’ve been fine without. Also his design’s not really appealing. As for the minor characters, Alan Tudyk returns as the Duke of Weselton, Ciaran Hinds is in this as the king of the trolls, and for me there’s no mistaking Maurice LaMarche as the King of Arendelle.
I really liked the Danish influence in the architecture and the environment. The story after all is based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen (where “Hans” and “Kristoff” come from), but has quite a different focus from that fairy tale. The centrepiece of Frozen is the close relationship between Elsa and Anna, and as much as a Disney movie can, it delves into the sadness of these sisters having grown up apart. Anna remembers the fun times of her early childhood, the deep bond they once had but not the fact that her sister had magic or the incident that led to her memory wipe. Thus she hates not knowing what she did to upset Elsa, while Elsa hates Anna having to believe their alienation is her fault. Their mutual protectiveness of each other and need to repair this rift is the films’ touching emotional core and drives most of the action. Like many Disney fairy tale movies, Frozen is a love story. But not a conventional one -and relating to young audiences the importance of this I think is incredibly mature.
The music is great! It feels very modern while also partaking in the long-held tradition of Disney films incorporating songs that feel like Broadway musical numbers. Kristen-Anderson and Robert Lopez go all out with their compositions but the sequences themselves are really complimentary too. “Love is an Open Door” has a good fun energy, “For the First Time in Forever” introduces both leads’ personalities seamlessly, “Do You Want to Build Snowman” manages to be both upbeat and solemn bordering on heartbreaking; sure “Frozen Heart” and “In Summer” are just fine, and as is Disney tradition there has to be at least one awful song to offset the balance, with “Fixer Upper” being this films’ equivalent of “A Guy Like You” from Hunchback. And of course, “Let It Go” the song that was everywhere possibly even before the movie, and won every award there was. But I’m not knocking it, that is one powerful song! It’s the liberation of Elsa so of course I’d love that; however it not only enriches her character and acts as the focal point of her development, but the animation is captivating as hell! Watching her build this ice fortress with what I already acknowledged was gorgeous looking ice, may be the movie’s best moment. And this is a movie with a ton of great moments.
There are some not so great moments of course; like a late villain reveal I could see coming that seemed forced into a movie that didn’t need one, both the resolution to the state of Arendelle and Olaf was a little too convenient, and the trolls aren’t very funny (luckily they’re not in it much). But none of these seriously hurt the movie. Frozen is the best Disney film of recent years, and more than likely one of the best Disney films in general. We’ve seen plenty of ideas and prominent themes in this movie addressed before by Disney, but this film did them the greatest justice. Frozen is one of only a handful of recent movies that screamed “instant classic” the first time I saw it. Sure the attention and exposure it gets is superfluous, it would be for just about any movie. But when I see a kid watching the movie, singing “Let it Go”, or carrying one of the billions of Frozen merchandise, I can’t help but smile. There are far far worse movies they could be taken with, and the notion that this one’s left an impact is a very reassuring thought.
Next Week: Big Hero 6 (2014)
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