Disney did it again; they managed to create an animated powerhouse, full of beautifully crafted scenery, hilariously strong characters and songs that will be stuck in the heads of millions for years to come.
Very loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Snow Queen, “Frozen” is set in the small, sunny Nordic town of Arendelle.
The movie begins with the two princesses, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) as a youthful and close pair. Born with powers that allow control over ice and snow, Elsa enthusiastically creates a winter wonderland in the middle of their castle for Anna. Here the animation shows just how far it has come with wintry, glittery, detailed snow and ice.
In the midst of their gaiety, Anna falls and in trying to save her, Elsa accidentally hits her sister in the head with a bolt of ice. In a panic, the royal family rushes the injured princess to a colony of trolls in order to heal her.
After the incident Elsa is told that she must conceal and control her powers and the castle is closed to all visitors. Because of Anna’s injury a rift starts to grow between the two sisters, this rift is growing through the song “Do You Want To Build A Snowman.” This adorably youthful song, sung by Anna, perfectly portrays her witty and youthful charm.
Years later, the death of the king and queen means that Elsa, as the oldest, must take over and become queen of Arendelle.
Overwhelmed by the thought of becoming queen and still having to hide her powers, Elsa is thrown over the edge when Anna reveals that she has fallen in love with a prince that she met just that night. In their argument, Elsa loses control and reveals her powers to everyone and storms up the mountain, leaving Arendelle in the middle of a huge snowstorm.
Here is where the singing talents of Broadway star Idina Menzel come to play. As Elsa escapes to her freedom on top of a blizzard-ridden mountain, she belts out the ballad “Let It Go” while she builds herself a snowy ice castle and creates her own, new frosty wardrobe.
Anna shows her strength by chasing after Elsa on her own, and entrusting the castle in its wintry state to her recent fiancé Hans (Santino Fontana). On her way she meets Kristof (Jonathan Groff), his goofy, reliable reindeer Sven and a childhood snowman friend come to life, Olaf.
“Frozen” is different from other Disney princess films in that the relationship focus is not romantic, it’s actually a sisterly relationship. Although there do happen to be some wooing and lovey dovey scenes made complete with catchy songs.
Undoubtedly, little girls all over will be in love with the new princesses and these two are worthy of being described as aspirational. Not only are both of the women in “Frozen” strong enough to go out and survive in the wilderness on their own, but they show independence and faithfulness that manages to get them out of frosty situations.
“Frozen” is a movie that Disney, I’m sure, is very proud of, and they have every right to be. It may not be the next “Lion King,” but it is worth watching over and over again.
Leave a Reply