Frozen

Voices of: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Goff, Josh Gad, Alan Tudyk, Santino Fontana, Ciaran Hinds, Chris Williams
Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Elsa (Idina Menzel) accidentally blankets her entire kingdom in an everlasting Winter as she flees into the mountains. Her sister Anna (Kristen Bell) ventures after her, hoping to bring her home.

Review:
Tim: Frozen was one the biggest success stories of 2013. The movie received two Academy Awards, almost universal acclaim, and the good-natured ire of parents everywhere. The film might not quite be at the level of the greatest animated films of all time, but it's a very enjoyable, solid film. I really appreciated the movie and am not surprised at it's massive success.

I really like how the film focuses on Elsa and Anna. Disney has given us some memorable female characters over the years, but they are almost always either second fiddle to a male character, or partnered up with one 50/50 with a romance between them. Yes, this film features a romantic relationship, but it's secondary to the main story of these two sisters. I loved that aspect of the film. The movie gives little girls everywhere two heroines as role models. I loved the focus on family in this film, even when family members are difficult, distant, or do bad things. The relationship between Elsa and Anna is one of the strongest aspects of the entire film, and a big reason why it's so successful. I hope this film inspires more movies that present strong female characters whose sole purpose isn't to be a love interest to a stronger, male character. Hollywood is really, really bad at this, so I was excited to see this unfold on screen.

In addition to the incredible characters of Elsa and Anna, the movie did a good job of developing strong supporting characters. Kristoff was a very likeable, rough-around-the-edges rogue. I loved his interactions with his reindeer. Olaf is a character that I initially felt was a bit gimmicky, meant purely for comic relief. While he plays that role, he won me over as the movie went on. It would have been easy to shortchange this character, but the writers did a fantastic job of making him an integral part of the story. This film did a very good job of creating memorable characters.

The animation is pretty astounding. The film is truly beautiful to look at. I loved the depictions of the snow and ice throughout the film. The ice castle on top of the mountain peak was amazing. The ice as it descends on the lake, the reindeer, the snowman- it's all part of this beautifully painted tapestry. The animators deserve a great deal of credit in bringing this world to life. I also liked that this film was clearly not set in the United States. Even films that take place elsewhere often feel a bit "Americanized". That did not happen with Frozen, and the movie is significantly better for it.

The music was very good as well. The most famous song, "Let It Go" was so overplayed on the radio that I was rolling my eyes at it far before I watched the film. The funny thing is that within the context of the film, the song is pretty incredible. It marks a turning point in Elsa's character and it serves as this really cool, empowering song. It didn't surprise me that it took home the Best Original Song Academy Award- it definitely deserved it. "For the First Time in Forever" was very catchy as well. "Love is an Open Door" was entertaining, but a bit weird in hindsight. The music in the film was very good.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the film, I think there was a few things that prevented it from reaching the upper echelon of animated films. The movie certainly evokes emotions, especially in the early scenes. It felt like the film's climax was a bit rushed and generic. It certainly wasn't memorable in the least, and it didn't live up to the very-high bar the earlier scenes set. It felt like everything was wrapped up a little too conveniently. It also felt like the writers weren't exactly sure how to handle the character of Elsa. I know she was supposed to be the villain originally, and I loved the change of focus to make her this misunderstood character. The script needed to play up the villainous side a bit more, to make her redemption that much more powerful. The way it unfolds on screen felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic. The movie did have some good humor, but it could have used more.

While there's a few flaws, Frozen is still a very, very good animated film. It is certainly better than fellow contenders like The Croods and Despicable Me 2. Disney is really showing it can still create beautiful, memorable movies outside of Pixar. Despite the massive amounts of hype surrounding this movie, I can honestly say that much of it is deserving. This is a very, very good movie.

* Update- I watched Frozen for a second time about 5 years after my first viewing. This time, I watched it with my four year-old son. The movie really holds up and as I read my review, I found myself nodding in agreement with it. It was fun to watch him see the movie because the girls at his school love Elsa. It was great to see him discover the movie and really understand what they'd been talking about. Although it might feel like this movie is geared towards girls, he had a fun time watching the movie as well. I appreciated that the film never felt too frightening. It was fun for me to watch it again. It really is a good movie that touches on themes of family and forgiveness. I liked the movie the first time I watched it and the second time only furthered reinforced the strengths of the film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Tangled, The Croods