Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½ (out of ★ ★ ★ ★)
(Click here for more info on my rating scale)
Frozen opens up
with rhythmic chanting through the Disney and WDAS logos and the opening title. This is immediately followed by a scene involving
a group of ice harvesters slicing ice from a frozen lake and singing about ice,
fear, and frozen hearts, ending their song with the ominous line, “beware the
frozen heart…” This opening sets the right tone and foreshadows some of the film’s
underlying themes. This opening also has
something of an ambitious feel to it, as if this film were daring to try and be
on the same level as Beauty and the Beast,
The Lion King, and some of Disney’s
other best films. In my opinion, Frozen is
not as good as these films, and it is not a masterpiece by any means, and
frankly I think it’s overrated. But I
still found it to be a good movie, and with a gripping emotional core (in this
case, a sisterly relationship).
Frozen is the
story of sisters Anna and Elsa, the princesses of Arendelle. Elsa has magical powers to create ice and
snow. These two sisters were very close when
they were little, until an incident in which Elsa almost kills her younger
sister with her powers. Their parents,
the King and Queen, take Anna to a group of trolls who save Anna and erase her
memories of Elsa’s powers. After this,
the parents separate the sisters, who grow apart over the years, and Anna
cannot understand why Elsa is shutting her out.
At one point in the sisters’ teen years, their parents die at sea, and
three years after this, Elsa reaches the age at which she can become Queen.
On coronation day, Anna meets Hans, a prince of another
kingdom. She falls in love with him and
wants to get engaged – that same day.
Elsa doesn’t approve of this, an argument ensues, and Elsa inadvertently
releases her powers. She then flees, unintentionally
leaving the kingdom in a magically induced winter, and isolates herself in an
ice palace she constructs with her powers.
Anna sets off to pursue Elsa, along the way acquiring the help of an ice
harvester, Kristoff, and his trusty reindeer, the almost-but-not-quite talking
Sven (Kristoff does the “talking” for him).
Along the way, they also meet up with the slightly irritating but
overall reasonably amusing Olaf, a walking, talking snowman.
Now, despite the immense hype surrounding this film, some
not-so-positive reviewers have claimed that the film is shallow, simplistic,
messy, and empty. In my opinion,
however, not only is it not, but it’s
also pretty heavy with subtleties, symbolism, and subtext; and I found it to be
relatable and thought provoking to a considerable degree. I will admit that the storyline itself (disregarding its emotional layers) is
fairly simple and predictable, and not particularly spectacular. But overall, I found the story to be decent
and effective, with some valuable morals including, but not limited to, the
true meaning of love, overcoming one’s fears, and accepting people for who they
are.
The primary factor that makes the story work is the
characters. Elsa is reclusive and
emotionally distant from other people, including Anna. And has spent thirteen years as such, living
in fear of herself and her powers, and of how her powers could potentially hurt
others, especially her sister. But she
has a good heart under her cold exterior, and is very likable and
relatable. Her endearing strawberry-blonde
sister, Anna, the film’s protagonist, is a lovely contrast to her in many ways,
and brings a good balance to the movie. She
is bubbly and optimistic, if a bit klutzy and reckless, and eager to go out
into the world and meet people. Kristoff
is right in calling her “feisty pants.” Unfortunately,
she is pretty naive and gullible, which in some ways is probably as damaging as Elsa’s cold, introverted qualities. The
relationship between these two sisters is what constitutes the film’s emotional
core.
Even Kristoff is worth a mention. He is a bit gruff and rough around the edges
on the exterior, but warm and caring on the inside, and he has his own backstory
involving isolation. And I was able to relate to all three of
these characters to at least some degree. So, all in all, the characters do have some stereotypical qualities, and admittedly their development could have been much better, but they are still decently developed, with solid, well-rounded,
well-nuanced personalities, genuine emotional depth, and excellent physical
appearances; not to mention the superlative voice performances by the cast. The animators even paid excellent attention
to all of their mannerisms, tics, facial expression, and other details.
Another major strength of the film is the music. Christophe Beck did a good job composing the
score; and Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez did a good job writing the songs,
my favorites of which are “For the First Time in Forever,” “Let It Go,” “Do You
Want to Build a Snowman,” and “Frozen Heart.”
The songs are admittedly not excellent, but they are pretty good (a few
of them are even a bit catchy), and they help develop the characters and move
the story along pretty well (except for Olaf’s “In Summer,” which, while
enjoyable, is little more than comic relief). I do think there is a little too much singing
in the film’s first act, but this was hardly a problem for me, especially on
subsequent viewings. FTFTIF actually had
a lot of that old Disney feel, and that particular sequence in the film made me
feel like I was watching a scene from a Disney Renaissance film, despite the
newer CG animation. That famous Oscar-winning “Let It
Go” number is also worth a mention – it beats to the heart of some of the film’s
main themes, and the scene it’s featured in is one of the best and most
emotional scenes in the film.
Some modern filmmakers, especially Michael Bay, could really
learn a thing or two from movies like Frozen. I cannot deny that the animation in Frozen is very good, and the film would
not have worked without it. Fortunately,
however, directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee actually care about other things
as well: character development, relationships, heart, storytelling, and so
forth. The film actually has a warm,
genuine heart of its own under all of that digital snow and ice. Also, the animation in this film is used
properly: instead of just serving as a flashy distraction (a la Michael Bay),
it is actually used to service the script (not the other way around).
Now, again, I honestly think the film is good, and, again, I
disagree with some of the criticisms it receives, but there is still a lot of
room for improvement, even in its better aspects. In addition to myriad missed opportunities,
this film, unfortunately, has its flaws.
I have already mentioned the slightly excessive singing in the first
act. In addition, there are a few pacing issues. I also found the film’s second
act to be a bit insipid and a little too heavy in comedy. Sure, it was funny, but it occasionally upset
the balance between the comedy and drama, and thereby prevented the second act
from having the same emotional punch that the first and third acts have. Also, I felt that the story was slightly
rushed. In fact, the film actually contains enough material for two or three movies, or even a TV
miniseries. The film, despite its pacing issues, is solid and
coherent as it is, but I still think a slightly longer running length would
have done it a lot of good.
Another thing I want to mention about this film is the
villain. Yes, there is a bad guy, but he
is something along the lines of Gaston from Beauty
and the Beast – in other words, he is secondary to the primary conflict. Unfortunately, this film’s villain, while
effective, is a rather weak villain – contrived and paper-thin. And his incorporation into the storyline
could really have used some more work, especially his contrived (and slightly
amateurish) revelation late in the film.
Film critic James Berardinelli was right in calling him a “second-rate
Gaston.” So, in short, I feel that the film suffers a bit from pacing issues, a weak villain, and a slightly overly-comedic second act.
In our current Disney Revival, up to this point, we have had
The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Winnie the Pooh, Wreck-It
Ralph, and now Frozen. And personally I think Frozen is the best of the five, beating out Tangled by a whisker. Also,
Disney has successfully moved into the 21st century. They don’t have the full talent, magic, and
charisma that they used to have, but, for the most part, they have succeeded in
combining their older, “classical” elements (tone, storytelling techniques, character
attitudes, and so forth) with modern ones.
I felt this way about Tangled
as well, and now Frozen has made it
official for me.
Frozen has won two
Oscars, and its smashing success at the box office has made it
the highest grossing animated film to date.
At the same time, it’s also receiving the harsh backlash that films this
successful tend to receive. I personally
think Frozen is overrated, and not
without its flaws, but I still think it’s good – charming, heartfelt, humorous,
emotional, and overall entertaining.
Disney may not have the full charm and charisma they used to have, but
at least they still know how to make a good movie. Frozen
is one of my favorite films of 2013, and I award it an honest rating of three
and a half (out of four) stars. Up until
now, I have seen it six times (four times in the theater, and twice at home on DVD),
and all six times it thawed my heart.
