Credible Credits
Year: 2013
Director: Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad
Tagline: N/A
Synopsis: When Queen Elsa traps the kingdom of Arendelle in an eternal winter, Princess Anna must find a way to save not only her home and people, but also her sister.
Synopsis: When Queen Elsa traps the kingdom of Arendelle in an eternal winter, Princess Anna must find a way to save not only her home and people, but also her sister.
Review
Ah, Disney. It's good to see you returning to the style that you do so well: the musical fairy tale adaptation. Frozen is Disney at its best. It's breathtakingly beautiful, delightfully humorous, and earnestly heartfelt.
The animation is superb. I wish real-life snow and ice were always as beautiful as they are in the film. There's a gorgeous richness to all the scenery that makes Arendelle feel both parts real and magical. And it is almost mesmerizing to watch as Elsa, the Snow Queen, unleashes her power. In one particularly stunning scene she starts to fully understand just what she is capable of and creates an entire palace made of ice. But the ice and snow aren't simply beautiful. The film utilizes them in such a way that they help reveal Elsa's character. Each time her powers are used, the ice reflects her mood, whether it be excited, scared, or frustrated.
Speaking of character, it is the characters that really make the film wonderful. Anna is almost unflappably optimistic, and the film plays off that in different ways. Elsa, as I mentioned, is very much like the snow and ice she can create. Sometimes she can seem simply cold. But there is an intricate beauty to her. And the way the two sisters interact is what really ties the story together. Kristoff and Hans round out the main characters nicely. Which brings me to Olaf, the snowman. When I saw the teaser trailer with him losing his carrot nose and him and Sven the reindeer battling it out to retrieve it, I was a bit leery. He was cute in the short, but he seemed like he would get very annoying over the course of an entire film. I was totally wrong. Josh Gad, who voices Olaf, is perfect. Despite being a snowman, his voice has an endearing warmth to it. It doesn't hurt that Olaf gets some wonderfully witty lines and a terrific song of his own.
And speaking of music, the soundtrack and score for Frozen are catchy and beautiful. Olaf's song is very clever. And Kristoff gets a fun little song that tells a lot about his character. That's what's so great about the best Disney musicals. The music isn't just thrown in to add a number. It furthers the story or the character development or both. My favorite song in the film is Elsa's as she's harnessing her powers and building her ice palace. The visuals and the music work in harmony (pun intended) to create a dramatic scene that might otherwise fall flat.
I really did love Frozen and I look forward to seeing it again and owning it. That said, the film is not without its flaws. The chief problem, I felt, was pacing. The film just felt rushed at times. Instead of being able to savor moments, we were hurried on to the next sequence. I wanted a little more time to enjoy the breathtaking scenery or to understand the characters and what made them tick. And I don't feel like we got that. And while Frozen is a very, very good film and ranks among some of Disney's best, I think that pacing problem keeps it from being truly great. It's terrific. But it's not quite the same caliber as The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast. And the sad thing is, it came so close.
Despite its imperfections, Frozen is well worth seeing. And as soon as it is available it will join the ranks of Disney films that line my DVD/Blu-ray shelves.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I'll admit it, upon seeing the trailer, the posters, and the way the story was unfolding, I was totally expecting Hans to be a good guy who ended up marrying Elsa. Not so much. Hans has got to be one of the most intriguing villains in recent memory just because he does such a believable job at being the typical Prince Charming. He's handing out blankets during the eternal winter for crying out loud. The only giveaway I can think of was his being the youngest of 12 brothers. That did set off a little red flag, but I disregarded it. I was totally expecting a moment like Enchanted, where he kisses Anna but nothing happens because they are now in love with different people. Again, not so much. Talk about a villain with a heart of ice. Considering he was willing to let Anna die and prepared to kill Elsa, he sure got off light. Disney villains don't usually fare so well. Honestly, simply sending him off in chains felt a little weak to me.
In terms of what I said about pacing, the main moment that I felt was rushed was the climax. There were other moments, but that was the most important. Anna has just sacrificed herself for Elsa's sake. She was prepared to die, either from the sword or her frozen heart. That's a pretty powerful moment. But it felt far too rushed from that point to when she starts to thaw. Elsa needed more of a moment. She needed time to grieve. Her sister's an ice sculpture because of her. She needs to feel that.
Moreover, we as the audience needed time to settle. We needed a few seconds to truly process what Anna just did and what Elsa is now feeling. There needed to be a moment where we as an audience could wonder, is Anna really gone? Yes, it's a Disney movie and we already know the answer. But still. Both Beauty and the Beast and WALL-E have similar moments, moments where you start to wonder if the hero is lost. In both films, we get a moment with Belle and with EVE as they mourn. There is a tremendous power in those moments. They're part of why those two movies rank in my top 5 films. I wish Frozen had been brave enough to take that moment, to let the characters and the audience grieve.
I don't think I'm just being a nitpicking former film student. That moment was a powerful chance for the audience to empathize. Instead we get near-instant gratification. That's a bothersome trade-off.
Still, the things that Frozen did right outweigh what it could have done better. I heartily enjoyed the movie and look forward to seeing it again and again.
The animation is superb. I wish real-life snow and ice were always as beautiful as they are in the film. There's a gorgeous richness to all the scenery that makes Arendelle feel both parts real and magical. And it is almost mesmerizing to watch as Elsa, the Snow Queen, unleashes her power. In one particularly stunning scene she starts to fully understand just what she is capable of and creates an entire palace made of ice. But the ice and snow aren't simply beautiful. The film utilizes them in such a way that they help reveal Elsa's character. Each time her powers are used, the ice reflects her mood, whether it be excited, scared, or frustrated.
Speaking of character, it is the characters that really make the film wonderful. Anna is almost unflappably optimistic, and the film plays off that in different ways. Elsa, as I mentioned, is very much like the snow and ice she can create. Sometimes she can seem simply cold. But there is an intricate beauty to her. And the way the two sisters interact is what really ties the story together. Kristoff and Hans round out the main characters nicely. Which brings me to Olaf, the snowman. When I saw the teaser trailer with him losing his carrot nose and him and Sven the reindeer battling it out to retrieve it, I was a bit leery. He was cute in the short, but he seemed like he would get very annoying over the course of an entire film. I was totally wrong. Josh Gad, who voices Olaf, is perfect. Despite being a snowman, his voice has an endearing warmth to it. It doesn't hurt that Olaf gets some wonderfully witty lines and a terrific song of his own.
And speaking of music, the soundtrack and score for Frozen are catchy and beautiful. Olaf's song is very clever. And Kristoff gets a fun little song that tells a lot about his character. That's what's so great about the best Disney musicals. The music isn't just thrown in to add a number. It furthers the story or the character development or both. My favorite song in the film is Elsa's as she's harnessing her powers and building her ice palace. The visuals and the music work in harmony (pun intended) to create a dramatic scene that might otherwise fall flat.
I really did love Frozen and I look forward to seeing it again and owning it. That said, the film is not without its flaws. The chief problem, I felt, was pacing. The film just felt rushed at times. Instead of being able to savor moments, we were hurried on to the next sequence. I wanted a little more time to enjoy the breathtaking scenery or to understand the characters and what made them tick. And I don't feel like we got that. And while Frozen is a very, very good film and ranks among some of Disney's best, I think that pacing problem keeps it from being truly great. It's terrific. But it's not quite the same caliber as The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast. And the sad thing is, it came so close.
Despite its imperfections, Frozen is well worth seeing. And as soon as it is available it will join the ranks of Disney films that line my DVD/Blu-ray shelves.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I'll admit it, upon seeing the trailer, the posters, and the way the story was unfolding, I was totally expecting Hans to be a good guy who ended up marrying Elsa. Not so much. Hans has got to be one of the most intriguing villains in recent memory just because he does such a believable job at being the typical Prince Charming. He's handing out blankets during the eternal winter for crying out loud. The only giveaway I can think of was his being the youngest of 12 brothers. That did set off a little red flag, but I disregarded it. I was totally expecting a moment like Enchanted, where he kisses Anna but nothing happens because they are now in love with different people. Again, not so much. Talk about a villain with a heart of ice. Considering he was willing to let Anna die and prepared to kill Elsa, he sure got off light. Disney villains don't usually fare so well. Honestly, simply sending him off in chains felt a little weak to me.
In terms of what I said about pacing, the main moment that I felt was rushed was the climax. There were other moments, but that was the most important. Anna has just sacrificed herself for Elsa's sake. She was prepared to die, either from the sword or her frozen heart. That's a pretty powerful moment. But it felt far too rushed from that point to when she starts to thaw. Elsa needed more of a moment. She needed time to grieve. Her sister's an ice sculpture because of her. She needs to feel that.
Moreover, we as the audience needed time to settle. We needed a few seconds to truly process what Anna just did and what Elsa is now feeling. There needed to be a moment where we as an audience could wonder, is Anna really gone? Yes, it's a Disney movie and we already know the answer. But still. Both Beauty and the Beast and WALL-E have similar moments, moments where you start to wonder if the hero is lost. In both films, we get a moment with Belle and with EVE as they mourn. There is a tremendous power in those moments. They're part of why those two movies rank in my top 5 films. I wish Frozen had been brave enough to take that moment, to let the characters and the audience grieve.
I don't think I'm just being a nitpicking former film student. That moment was a powerful chance for the audience to empathize. Instead we get near-instant gratification. That's a bothersome trade-off.
Still, the things that Frozen did right outweigh what it could have done better. I heartily enjoyed the movie and look forward to seeing it again and again.
Quotable Quotes
- "Some people are worth melting for ... just maybe not right this second." -- Olaf the Snowman
- "You're gorgeous. Wait, what?" -- Anna
- "Somebody's gotta tell him." -- Kristoff
- "Oh, look at that. I've been impaled." -- Olaf the Snowman
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