We solely received an advanced screening of this film. All opinions are our own.
Coming from Disney Animation Studios is their newest animated musical production Frozen. Frozen is a Disney musical done in the same tradition as Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast with strong female leads, powerful and unforgettable music, breathtaking visuals, and a human story.
Though the story is loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen,” Frozen really stands apart from the material. Elsa (Idina Menzel from Broadway’s Wicked) and Anna (Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars and Forgetting Sarah Marshall) are two princesses in the kingdom of Arendelle that, due to tragic events, have been locked in their castle for over ten years. Now that the elder sister Elsa has come of age, she is to take the crown and become Queen. Elsa’s coronation will be the first time in over a decade that the castle gates have been opened. While Elsa dreads this because of magical abilities which she treats as a curse, her younger sister Princess Anna is excited. Due to a supernatural accident caused by Elsa’s powers, Elsa has kept Anna at great distance from herself and the outside world. On the day of the coronation Anna falls in love with a handsome prince and Elsa’s emotions get the better of her which causes another supernatural incident. Elsa flees the kingdom out of fear of hurting others but unbeknownst to her, freezes the entire kingdom in her escape. To set things right Anna must journey to find her sister, bring her home, and set the kingdom right. Along the way Anna enlists the aide of Kristoff (Jonathan Groff from Glee and Broadway’s Spring Awakening) and his best friend a reindeer named Sven. Tagging along with Anna, Kristoff, and Sven is a living snowman Olaf. Together they must not only save Arendelle from the frozen curse but also treacherous forces that are secretly plotting against the sisters.
Hands down Frozen has the best music coming from a film this year. It features original songs from Tony® winner Robert Lopez (The Book of Mormon, Avenue Q) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (In Transit, Winnie the Pooh), and an original score by Christophe Beck (Oscar®-winning short Paperman). Songs like “Do want to build a snowman” and “For the first time” will be repeating in your head for weeks and Elsa’s “Let it go,” sung by Broadway star Idina Menzel, is a surefire frontrunner contender for Oscar Best Song. While it’s no surprise that Idina Menzel rocks every song she sings, Kristen Bell having an amazing voice is a huge surprise. No one I have ever met has heard Kristen Bell sing and she is beyond not bad, she is amazing! The other Broadway star Jonathan Groff (Kristoff) gets to sing a few notes but is sadly underused. After seeing the movie, I highly recommend buying the soundtrack and reliving the best music to come out of any cinematic musical in years.
Not stopping with great music, Frozen also has gorgeous visuals. A story that almost entirely takes place in ice and snow seems like it might be bland but the animators have found color through lights in the ice and add to the truly majestic and magical look of the film. For the brief moments when the kingdom is not frozen, the vibrant colors of the lush landscape fill up every frame with joy. This is where Disney animators prove their worth by providing a frameable picture in every shot.
Anna is the princess, and in true Disney fashion that makes her our heroine. Elsa is a queen, and in Disney fashion that makes her the antagonist but NOT the villain. That is what is so unique about the story. Instead of an evil queen putting a curse on the land, Elsa has no control over her power. She isn’t trying to hurt anyone and she is not a coward. Elsa simply wants to protect the kingdom and the one thing she loves in this world, her sister Anna. Unfortunately, the only way she knows how to do that is by keeping Anna at a distance. While Anna’s part of the story is an adventure and journey, Elsa’s is a tragedy. Keeping all of this in mind, the film is absolutely appropriate for children. While truly young children will enjoy the songs, Olaf and the fantasy of the story, older children and adults will likely relate to the sister’s relationship.
Disney’s Frozen is a sign that if we are lucky they are heading back in the direction of Disney films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. We can only hope that Disney will bring us more films like Frozen that involve production value and musical numbers equal to that of a big budget summer movie.
This winter Frozen is that film and should be the family movie of the holidays.
For More info on this film:
Like FROZEN on Facebook: https://www.
Tweet the official hashtag: #DisneyFrozen
Visit the website: http://www.disney.
Written by The King of Swag and Photos Courtesy of Disney Pictures
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I meant to take the boys to this before Thanksgiving, but we didn’t make it. Trying for next week now.
My kids are so excited about this film!
My kids can’t wait to see this. My sis and BIL are going to take them!
I took my daughter on Wednesday. It was a great movie. we both enjoyed it.
I adored FROZEN.
I don’t normally get into Disney movies but this one I really want to see!
This looks like a cute movie! I’d love to see it. 🙂
We had a chance to see this movie right before it came out, but unfortunately we couldn’t make it to the screening. I really need to make sure we get some time to see Frozen soon!
I haven’t seen this yet. Can’t wait.
I love how Disney takes a classic fairy tale, and improves it in such a way that makes it timeless, for the ages. I really hope this one becomes their next Disney Broadway success!