Last year, I was pretty certain that
"Wreck-It Ralph" was Disney Animation's best film since the days of “Beauty
and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” A short year later, I find myself having to
retract that statement. "Frozen" is most definitely Disney's best
film in an entire generation, and given the studio's recent string of hits
("Enchanted", "The Princess and the Frog",
"Tangled", and the aforementioned "Wreck-It Ralph"), that's
saying quite a lot.
A long overdue adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale "The Snow Queen", "Frozen" follows the two princesses of the mythical land of Arendelle, Anna (Kristin Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel). Elsa was born with the power to control snow and ice, which she uses to amuse herself and Anna as children. The fun quickly goes awry when Elsa's powers almost kill Anna, which results in the king and queen isolating the two so Elsa can learn to control her power while Anna is left with no recollection of her sister's power.
Through the first of several excellent songs,
we see Anna and Elsa live their lives separated, until the king and queen pass
away and Elsa is to become the new queen of Arendelle. Unfortunately, Elsa
hasn't completely gotten everything under control, and her insecurities (along
with an argument with Anna) lead her to accidentally unleash her power upon
Arendelle. Elsa retreats to the mountains to protect her sister and the
kingdom, but leaves the land in an eternal winter as a result of her loss of
control. Anna takes it upon herself to go after Elsa and bring her back,
enlisting the aid of Kristoff (Jonathon Groff), and later the living snowman
Olaf (Josh Gad) along the way.
"Frozen" is a prime example of classic Disney storytelling at its finest, perfectly blending familiar and fresh elements, and the messages it offers the target audience are among the best in the studio's entire history. The biggest surprise of “Frozen” is probably how it breaks the mold of the stereotypical Disney fairy tale. For example, “Frozen” tackles the stereotype of rushed romance, something that was also addressed in "Enchanted", but that was as a satire of the classic Disney films. Here, it's not only addressed, but the message is even more poignant since it's in an actual Disney story and not just a satire of one. The trolls of Arendelle give the film's other message that "everyone's a bit of a fixer-upper", something that kids today absolutely need to hear in a time when people are constantly ostracized for being anything less than perfect, so kudos to Disney for these messages.
The characters are also excellent, and among some of Disney's finest. Elsa and Anna have a dynamic relationship, despite growing up on opposite sides of Elsa's bedroom door, and it's their relationship that drives the movie. Elsa’s inner-turmoil makes her one of the most interesting Disney characters, if not one of the most interesting Disney princesses in recent memory.
Anna has spent most of her life in isolation as
Elsa refuses to let her in because of what happened when they were children.
Because of this, she rushes into an engagement with Prince Hans (Santino
Fontana), even though she doesn’t know that true love takes more than a day to
discover. Despite Anna's questionable life choices in romance, her never ending
optimism and determination to get through to Elsa is commendable. I don't think
most Disney die-hards will have any problem if both Anna and Elsa are added to
the Disney Princess line, as both serve as good role models in their own ways.
Kristoff is a nice romantic interest for Anna, and his strange and unusual connection with his reindeer Sven is often hilarious. However, it's Josh Gad's Olaf that steals the show when it comes to the film's comedy, and "Frozen" is very funny mostly due to his character and Gad's performance and delivery. Olaf is a perfect example of comic relief done right and for Disney to accomplish that is really saying something.
The original songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are simply excellent. Elsa's power-ballad "Let It Go" is a real showstopper, and Menzel absolutely nails it. All of the other songs are a ton of fun, and there isn't a bad one among them. Listening to the soundtrack, it's very hard to distinguish "Frozen" from a Broadway show, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes to the stage in the near future.
"Frozen" is an all-around excellent film from Disney Animation. The story, characters, songs and animation are all top-notch, and the poignant and mature messages make "Frozen" more than the average Disney Princess tale.
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