Disney's wintery new musical fairytale is as timeless as it is modern.
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Any fan of Disney or animation in general would agree that The Walt Disney Animation Studios has been on an upward creative streak in the past few years. Their recent animated output has improved in quality with every subsequent release, from Meet The Robinsons, Bolt, and The Princess and the Frog to Tangled, Winnie the Pooh and, most recently, Wreck-It Ralph.
Disney's latest animated feature- Frozen- has everything that made those movies great, and it does so with finesse, class and elan.
Frozen is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's folk tale, The Snow Queen. You probably wouldn't be able to tell from the gender-neutral promotion, but Frozen is, at heart, a story of two sisters, Anna and Elsa, princesses of the northern kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa (voiced by Broadway legend Idina Menzel), the older and more introverted sister, was born with the power of creating ice and snow with just a wave of her hand. An unfortunate accident in their childhood which involved Elsa hurting Anna, caused the king and queen to separate the sisters for their own safety. Elsa grows up learning to conceal her powers, for fear of hurting her sister once again. When the time comes for Elsa's coronation, her powers accidentally let slip and the entire town begins to fear her. Branded a monster, Elsa escapes to the mountains where she lives in isolation in a grand ice place she builds herself, leaving Arendelle plunged in a severe winter right in the middle of July.
Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), ever the bubbly optimist, decides to find her sister and help reverse the perpetual winter. Teaming up with a gruff mountain man named Kristoff (voiced by Glee's Jonathan Groff), his loyal reindeer Sven and a lopsided snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad in his most endearing role yet), Anna strives to find her sister and put an end to the eternal winter, before it's too late.
It's obvious that snow is the star of a movie called Frozen. No surprise then, the animation is impressive. Ice and snow effects are gorgeous, probably the best way winter has been represented in animation. The way ice sparkles, shimmers and casts reflections is beautiful. The translucence of Elsa's towering ice palace is a marvel to behold. Snow looks almost real, the way it crumbles, falls and sticks to hair, clothes and even faces. No doubt, this is the best looking animated snow ever (sorry, Ice Age). And it's all in wonderful widescreen.
Character animation is another great feature. Main characters Anna and Elsa display a wide array of expressions, and it's evident that the animators did their homework when it came to characters' acting. If you thought Rapunzel in Tangled has big eyes, then Anna and Elsa will probably freak you out a little bit. It gets a little distracting (and unnerving) having those huge, bug-like eyes blinking through the screen, but despite that, the female characters are well drawn and look great, with personalities to boot.
Animated characters would be lifeless without a voice, and that's where the speaking/singing cast come in. Kudos to the creators for assembling a stellar cast. There's no double casting, meaning the actors speak and sing for their own characters. Kristen Bell single-handedly steals the show as the quirky and hyperactive Anna. Anna delivers some of the movie's best quotes and Bell's fresh and active personality lends a certain magic to Anna. In fact, Frozen becomes Anna's movie through and through. I couldn't imagine more perfect casting. Idina Menzel brings a lot of her Wicked character, Elphaba to the table, playing the misunderstood Elsa. Her speaking and singing are pitch-perfect, and although it initially takes some effort to imagine Menzel's huge singing voice coming out of dainty little Elsa, it seems quite alright when Elsa gets a makeover.
Josh Gad (from Broadway's The Book of Mormon) voices the immortal character of Olaf, who isn't as annoying as I thought he'd be. In fact Olaf is endearing and delivers some of the film's genuinely funny moments, and even gives surprisingly deep advice. Olaf is destined to join the likes of Timon, Pumbaa and Sebastian the crab in the list of best Disney sidekicks of all time.
The presence of Broadway stars like Menzel, Groff and Gad naturally mean that Frozen is a musical. Yes, people, Frozen is a musical. And what a musical it is. The songs in this movie are some of Disney's all time best, and definitely the most epic we've heard since the Alan Menken days of the 1990s. Credit to Disney newcomers, husband and wife songwriting team Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez. The Lopezes successfully produce eight fine songs, which are smartly written (with the slightest bit of tongue-in-cheek edginess) and which work well to advance the story. The grandest and best song is Elsa's anthem Let It Go, which is stirring and fierce. Let It Go should certainly win the Oscar for Best Original Song next year, it's that good. Idina Menzel's performance is one for the ages, and one that today's children will be singing for the next few decades. This is their A Whole New World.
Other standout songs are the touching Do You Want To Build A Snowman?, Anna's poignant plea to her shut-away sister over the years, and Anna's "I Want" song, For The First Time In Forever. Kristen Bell delivers a surprisingly solid vocal in every song she's part of. Olaf's In Summer is a fun song too, just picture a snowman dreaming of the sun. The movie opens with a "Fathoms Below" style song called Frozen Heart, and also features a traditional Norwegian Vuelie- tribal chants accompanied by a choir. Musically, this is Disney's best effort since the 1990s heyday. Sure, Tangled had it's share of hits too, but Frozen delivers a solid knockout set. Also notable is the animation set to the songs. The characters don't just sing, they emote. They react. Watch as Elsa cowers while singing a reprise of For The first Time In Forever. See the delight on Anna's face in Love Is An Open Door. Frozen is the perfect marriage of CGI animation and song, all done with a modern Broadway finish.
The story in Frozen is unfortunately, not the movie's strength, but for what it is, it's great. It doesn't have the layered complexities of Tangled nor the heart-pounding drama of The Lion King. Especially towards the end, I couldn't help but find it thin and flimsy. It just seemed too rushed and desperate to wrap up neatly. Still, writer and co-director Jennifer Lee does a great job introducing twists and turning well known fairytale formulas on their head. I was pleased to see that the film's focus remained the sisters' relationship till the very end. The entire movie is carried by Anna and Elsa, making this Disney's most feminist film to date. In fact, the men are all relegated to the background while the princesses do all the heavy lifting. Both Anna and Elsa, are strong, vulnerable yet flawed, not afraid to fight for what they believe in. These princesses don't need men, they need each other. The feminism in the story is apt, since Frozen is co-directed by Jennifer Lee, the first woman to direct a Disney theatrical animated feature.
I was captivated by Frozen from the time the first snowflake sailed across the screen, to the very end. Everything in the movie comes together in spectacular fashion, creating a Disney classic that feels modern and current but will be loved for generations to come. Is this as good as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin or The Little Mermaid? Maybe not. But this is Frozen. And it is superb.
RATING: ★★★★
Related Disney Movie Reviews: *Tangled
*Wreck-It Ralph
*The Little Mermaid
*The Lion King
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Disney's latest animated feature- Frozen- has everything that made those movies great, and it does so with finesse, class and elan.
Frozen is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's folk tale, The Snow Queen. You probably wouldn't be able to tell from the gender-neutral promotion, but Frozen is, at heart, a story of two sisters, Anna and Elsa, princesses of the northern kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa (voiced by Broadway legend Idina Menzel), the older and more introverted sister, was born with the power of creating ice and snow with just a wave of her hand. An unfortunate accident in their childhood which involved Elsa hurting Anna, caused the king and queen to separate the sisters for their own safety. Elsa grows up learning to conceal her powers, for fear of hurting her sister once again. When the time comes for Elsa's coronation, her powers accidentally let slip and the entire town begins to fear her. Branded a monster, Elsa escapes to the mountains where she lives in isolation in a grand ice place she builds herself, leaving Arendelle plunged in a severe winter right in the middle of July.
Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), ever the bubbly optimist, decides to find her sister and help reverse the perpetual winter. Teaming up with a gruff mountain man named Kristoff (voiced by Glee's Jonathan Groff), his loyal reindeer Sven and a lopsided snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad in his most endearing role yet), Anna strives to find her sister and put an end to the eternal winter, before it's too late.
It's obvious that snow is the star of a movie called Frozen. No surprise then, the animation is impressive. Ice and snow effects are gorgeous, probably the best way winter has been represented in animation. The way ice sparkles, shimmers and casts reflections is beautiful. The translucence of Elsa's towering ice palace is a marvel to behold. Snow looks almost real, the way it crumbles, falls and sticks to hair, clothes and even faces. No doubt, this is the best looking animated snow ever (sorry, Ice Age). And it's all in wonderful widescreen.
Character animation is another great feature. Main characters Anna and Elsa display a wide array of expressions, and it's evident that the animators did their homework when it came to characters' acting. If you thought Rapunzel in Tangled has big eyes, then Anna and Elsa will probably freak you out a little bit. It gets a little distracting (and unnerving) having those huge, bug-like eyes blinking through the screen, but despite that, the female characters are well drawn and look great, with personalities to boot.
Animated characters would be lifeless without a voice, and that's where the speaking/singing cast come in. Kudos to the creators for assembling a stellar cast. There's no double casting, meaning the actors speak and sing for their own characters. Kristen Bell single-handedly steals the show as the quirky and hyperactive Anna. Anna delivers some of the movie's best quotes and Bell's fresh and active personality lends a certain magic to Anna. In fact, Frozen becomes Anna's movie through and through. I couldn't imagine more perfect casting. Idina Menzel brings a lot of her Wicked character, Elphaba to the table, playing the misunderstood Elsa. Her speaking and singing are pitch-perfect, and although it initially takes some effort to imagine Menzel's huge singing voice coming out of dainty little Elsa, it seems quite alright when Elsa gets a makeover.
Josh Gad (from Broadway's The Book of Mormon) voices the immortal character of Olaf, who isn't as annoying as I thought he'd be. In fact Olaf is endearing and delivers some of the film's genuinely funny moments, and even gives surprisingly deep advice. Olaf is destined to join the likes of Timon, Pumbaa and Sebastian the crab in the list of best Disney sidekicks of all time.
The presence of Broadway stars like Menzel, Groff and Gad naturally mean that Frozen is a musical. Yes, people, Frozen is a musical. And what a musical it is. The songs in this movie are some of Disney's all time best, and definitely the most epic we've heard since the Alan Menken days of the 1990s. Credit to Disney newcomers, husband and wife songwriting team Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez. The Lopezes successfully produce eight fine songs, which are smartly written (with the slightest bit of tongue-in-cheek edginess) and which work well to advance the story. The grandest and best song is Elsa's anthem Let It Go, which is stirring and fierce. Let It Go should certainly win the Oscar for Best Original Song next year, it's that good. Idina Menzel's performance is one for the ages, and one that today's children will be singing for the next few decades. This is their A Whole New World.
Other standout songs are the touching Do You Want To Build A Snowman?, Anna's poignant plea to her shut-away sister over the years, and Anna's "I Want" song, For The First Time In Forever. Kristen Bell delivers a surprisingly solid vocal in every song she's part of. Olaf's In Summer is a fun song too, just picture a snowman dreaming of the sun. The movie opens with a "Fathoms Below" style song called Frozen Heart, and also features a traditional Norwegian Vuelie- tribal chants accompanied by a choir. Musically, this is Disney's best effort since the 1990s heyday. Sure, Tangled had it's share of hits too, but Frozen delivers a solid knockout set. Also notable is the animation set to the songs. The characters don't just sing, they emote. They react. Watch as Elsa cowers while singing a reprise of For The first Time In Forever. See the delight on Anna's face in Love Is An Open Door. Frozen is the perfect marriage of CGI animation and song, all done with a modern Broadway finish.
The story in Frozen is unfortunately, not the movie's strength, but for what it is, it's great. It doesn't have the layered complexities of Tangled nor the heart-pounding drama of The Lion King. Especially towards the end, I couldn't help but find it thin and flimsy. It just seemed too rushed and desperate to wrap up neatly. Still, writer and co-director Jennifer Lee does a great job introducing twists and turning well known fairytale formulas on their head. I was pleased to see that the film's focus remained the sisters' relationship till the very end. The entire movie is carried by Anna and Elsa, making this Disney's most feminist film to date. In fact, the men are all relegated to the background while the princesses do all the heavy lifting. Both Anna and Elsa, are strong, vulnerable yet flawed, not afraid to fight for what they believe in. These princesses don't need men, they need each other. The feminism in the story is apt, since Frozen is co-directed by Jennifer Lee, the first woman to direct a Disney theatrical animated feature.
I was captivated by Frozen from the time the first snowflake sailed across the screen, to the very end. Everything in the movie comes together in spectacular fashion, creating a Disney classic that feels modern and current but will be loved for generations to come. Is this as good as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin or The Little Mermaid? Maybe not. But this is Frozen. And it is superb.
RATING: ★★★★
Related Disney Movie Reviews: *Tangled
*Wreck-It Ralph
*The Little Mermaid
*The Lion King