Cast:- Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad and Santino Fontana
Directors:- Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
I walked into the cinema expecting the usual amusing kid's stuff and to get a couple of hours rest and recuperation, but left feeling elated and uplifted having just witnessed the best Disney film in recent memory! I usually avoid the pedestal treatment but you can't help putting Frozen on the Disney top table with the Lion King and the Little Mermaid.
Frozen is Disney's reworking of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen". We follow the touching, heart-felt journey of Princess Anna (Bell) across an icy, desolate wasteland in pursuit of her sister, Princess Elsa (Menzel) who, unable to control her magical powers, has frozen her kingdom of Arendelle. Anna has snowman (Gad) and the lonesome Kristoff (Groff) for company as they set out to reverse the spell and 'bring back summer'!
Usually I will watch a film and at some point I start to feel bored until it picks up (or not!). With the excellently paced Frozen this never happened, keeping my kids' and my attention throughout. Stunning and spectacular, the visuals, backdrops and graphics were the best I have seen in an animation. Elsa's protective snowman was epically frightening and would have looked amazing in 3D. Disney have evidently spent big on effects and they are running on full cylinders here!
Not being a fan of musicals, I was a little wary of having to sit through what I thought would be endless crooning throughout the movie. To the film's credit, after just one number I found myself singing along and humming the tunes later on. The vocals were excellent, the songs strong, uplifting and allowed the story to move on rather than being needless space fillers. The vocals were not too long, and the studio included just the right amount of music so we weren't bombarded by warbling.
Princesses Anna and Elsa, separated since childhood proved an interesting dichotomy. Having been shut away for most of her existence, Elsa is a burdened and tortured soul, struggling to live with her secret, ice-creating powers. When the villagers set eyes upon her they are initially struck by her beauty, but as she leaves the kingdom in an ice terror they denounce her as a monster, bringing her worse fears to life. Anna plays out completely differently. She is untainted, innocent and completely unworldly, making her vulnerable yet playful and instantly lovable. Bell (Anna) and Menzel (Elsa) really play their parts well, simply becoming their characters. I found the snowman Olaf to be hilarious with is innumerable jokes, and Kristoff charming if a little too nice. A wondering loner would be a little more hard edged and craggier than this.
Some may argue that the plot was a little simplistic, but they ignore the fact that the film is aimed at children. That taken the plot doesn't take away from such a visual masterpiece complimented by an impeccable score and lovable characters. You could argue that Hans (Anna's initial love interest) was a little contrived considering the plot twist. Without wanting to give too much away, at no point are we led to this change throughout the film, and change seems as though it was included for change's sake instead of a viable plotline.
Since Shrek, Disney and Pixar (although separate studios) have at times managed to crack the code of this genre. They aim to offer the majority for the children, yet give something to the parents as well. Many a time I have seen parents tittering at the jokes that have gone right over their children's heads. Along with Toy Story, Shrek and Tangled, Frozen must surely stand amongst the best in the genre. I'll look forward to the DVD.
IMDB rating: 8.1 (41, 279 votes)
SuperMegaHybrid rating: 4 stars
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