I grew up on a strict diet of Disney movies. Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Fox and the Hound — I loved them all. Unfortunately, I grew up as the period known as the Disney Renaissance (which basically covers The Little Mermaid in 1989 - Tarzan in 1999) ended, and the Mouse House turned to lesser fare such as Home on the Range and Atlantis. Pixar emerged as the leading animation studios, leaving this avid Disney fan with nothing more than old VHS tapes. However, in 2007, Disney released Enchanted, a partially animated and partially live action film that functioned as both a parody of and love letter to Disney’s classic features. It breathed new life to Walt’s brand, kicking off another Renaissance of sorts. This Renaissance continued with Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Winnie the Pooh (2011), and Wreck-It-Ralph (2012) — all critically acclaimed and well-recieved by audiences. Which brings us to Frozen, Disney’s latest foray into the fairytale canon.
Telling a (very loosely adapted) version of the Snow Queen, Frozen concerns Elsa (Idina Menzel, Elphaba in Broadway’s Wicked), a queen who was born with the power to turn everything she touches to ice. When Elsa goes crazy and accidentally enslaves her (strangely Norwegian) country of Arendelle in eternal winter, her younger sister Anna (Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars) must join forces with mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff, Melchior in Broadway's Spring Awakening) and friendly snowman Olaf (Josh Gad, original Elder Cunningham in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon) to stop the winter and teach Elsa to love. Oh, and there’s a prince too (Santino Fontana, currently playing Prince Charming in Broadway’s Cinderella).
By all accounts, the trailer was unremarkable, looking more along the lines of a crass, hyperactive outing produced by Dreamworks. Having now seen Frozen, I can thankfully say that it is no way indicative of the film as a whole. In fact, my first thought about Frozen when seeing it in cinemas, actually, was how DISNEY it was. From a mystical opening number, to madcap adventures ending inevitably in love, to even a royal ball, all the elements are there. As gentle as it is intense, as romantic as it is laugh-out-loud hilarious, Frozen is so stylistically classic that it somehow forgets to be snarky or ‘hip’.
And then there’s the fact that it’s a musical — not just a movie with one or two songs, but a full-blown, Broadway-style musical. This is mainly due to two factors, the first being the songwriting duo of husband-wife team Robert and Kristin Anderson-Lopez (The Book of Mormon, Avenue Q, Winnie the Pooh). Each of the songs serves to move the story along, with "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" (especially the last verse) and "The First Time in Forever" as the standouts. However, it is "Let It Go", Elsa’s emotional declaration to hide her powers no longer, that reaches the ranks of "Part of Your World" and "Beauty and the Beast". It will surely join those and other such numbers as one of Disney’s best. Of course, without a talented cast, even the most well-written of musicals falls flat. (*coughcarrieunderwoodsoundofmusiccough*) Luckily, Frozen does not disappoint. Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, and Santino Fontana all lend their theatrical vocals to grand performances. Even Kristen Bell, the only singer in the film with limited vocal experience, delivers a Disney princess-perfect voice.
And yet, for all of the Disney-ness encompassed in Frozen, it transcends most of the Mouse’s fare (especially as of late) by actually breaking away from the Disney mold!
First of all, there are two (count ‘em) princesses (Well actually one is a queen. You say tomato, I say tomahto) — both of them protagonists. Frozen isn’t as much a story of romance (we’ll get to that later) as it is a story of true love between two sisters. None of the lonely-princess-looking-for-a-prince shtick. Rather, Elsa and Anna’s relationship is full of an emotional depth surprising for even Disney. We feel Elsa’s pain of having to separate herself from her sister without telling her why, Anna’s sadness at being shut out from Elsa without reason, and finally their joint joy when both save Arendelle and are able to be sisters without reservation. They’re characters that many girls (my younger sister and I included) can relate to.
The other way in which Frozen sets itself apart is its romance. Yes, there is love at first sight between Anna and Hans (the aforementioned prince). They dance, sing a song, and then get engaged. Average Disney stuff, right? Wrong. Because Frozen actually MOCKS this tried-and-true mold used in every Disney movie in the history of ever. A scene in which Kristoff questions Anna about details of Hans’ life and personality (which she has next to no answers about) pokes fun at the very subject. Naturally, Kristoff falls in love with Anna — but only after getting to know her through multiple exploits and mandatory song-and-dance numbers.
Granted, Frozen is no perfect movie. The score itself is fairly unremarkable (especially when compared to the likes of Hans Zimmer’s Lion King score). Some jokes fall into the preteen boy urine-humor category. The eleventh-hour 'twist' isn't set up as well as it could have been. And I would have liked to see more of Elsa’s story. But these are all minor complaints for a movie that encapsulates the spirit of Disney while trying something new.
Indeed, Frozen, like most Disney films, is a love story. But it’s a celebration of more than just romantic love; the love between Elsa and Anna takes center stage. Furthermore, Kristoff and Anna’s love is well-founded. And then there’s Olaf, who depicts the love of friendship. He delivers one of the film’s best lines (“Some people are worth melting for”) and represents how Elsa’s powers can be used for good. All three facets truly set Frozen apart. Now, I doubt Disney will ever make an animated film as good as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, or Aladdin (John Lasseter, you may take that as a challenge). Frozen, however, comes pretty darn close. It simultaneously embraces the best of Disney animation and defies the worst. Time will tell if it becomes a classic, but this Disney-lover left the theatre with anything but a frozen heart. The humor, music, and emotional depth form a beautiful portrait of relationships. And that is something worth celebrating.
My Rating: 9/10
My Rating: 9/10
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