Frozen
This is probably the first time I've ever written a review on a Disney film, and I'm glad that the first is on one that has impressed me so much. If you've talked to me in the past week or so since I was sick then you probably know what I'm taking about. If not, that's ok, but the topic for today is the brand new Disney animated feature (not Pixar), Frozen.
The story of Frozen revolves around two main characters, two brand new Disney princesses, sister duo Anna and Elsa. Elsa, the older sister voiced by the amazing Indina Menzel, is the Snow Queen; she has spent her whole life hiding from the world and terrified by own powers in the hopes that she'll never hurt anyone. She has control over ice and snow, and we get our best insight into just what she can do during her signature musical number Let it Go (this is probably my favourite song of the movie and it's already one I belt out in the car on the way to wherever). Indina Menzel was by far the perfect choice for the role, her Wicked voice fitting the tone of the songs she sings and is sure to bring a little emotion to your eye like it does mine. And anyone a fan of Defying Gravity will be sure to enjoy it. But just like Elphaba, Elsa's story is hard-going and tragic as she must learn to control her powers and fear before it's too late. And she gives herself a pretty killer makeover in the process.
But whilst Elsa's character is probably the most kick-ass, my favourite is still the clumsy, endearing Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell (did you know she can sing?). Anna is the younger sister, impressionable and lonely after spending her childhood trying to understand why her sister would never see her or talk to her and all but desperate for her life to begin, kind of like Rapunzel in Tangled. But whilst Anna is kind of young and naive in the beginning, she really turns into the star of the show and ultimately the hero in the end. She is the one who saves the day, teaming up with the dishy but kind of odd, Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff, or Jesse St James from Glee as I know him), and his Reindeer sidekick, Sven. I guess with only a Reindeer to talk to, you'd probably be a little loopy, too. You probably already know what happens there, it's Disney after all, but I liked the twist in the tale they threw in based on Anna's determination to marry the equally pretty Prince Hans, voiced by Santino Fontana. Just like Ariel and Rapunzel, and plenty of the other Disney heroines before, Anna and Elsa both impressed me greatly - Good job there, guys! (Side Note: Anyone with something to say about Anna being a boring character design, or looking too much like Rapunzel, can shove it where the sun doesn't shine. She's a different personality, and if you want physical mass difference then let me direct you to Elsa. Direct your Disney-hating pessimism somewhere else.)
Before I move on to music, themes and design, I wanted to take a second or two to talk about Olaf the Snowman. Voiced by Josh Gad, Olaf is the comedic relief of the film and whilst he's adorable ('Hi I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs') and funny, he's also a little tragic in the way he valiantly jumps in to help Anna and Kristoff bring back Summer... unfortunately unaware of what happens to Snowmen when it's warm. Whilst the subject matter is actually kind of dark, the ongoing joke on whether or not they should break the harsh truth to the happy little snowball becomes a running gag throughout the film. As does the penchant Olaf has for breaking into bits when falling over or impaling himself on ice. But I loved him anyway, he is a beacon of light and hilarity in what becomes a sometimes rather serious and dark storyline, one that is sure to entertain both adults and children (or someone in between like me).
What was also really refreshing was the use of some pretty dark themes in Frozen, that seems to be on par with Tangled in a new kind of villain that fits in with the modern world. Whilst old Disney films had openly evil villains like Maleficent, Cruella De Ville and the Evil Queen, new Disney films have much more insidious and deceptive baddies like Mother Gothel (from Tangled) and the real villain of Frozen. I won't give the game away by telling you who that is, but when you see it you'll get what I mean. The rise of this more new age kind of villain is interesting and begs questions about the way the world has changed over the last hundred years (almost) since the release of Disney's first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1939. The lines between good and evil aren't so black and white in film any more, and the rise of this modern grey area or attractive villain is starting to become the social norm; I guess people don't like to know from the beginning who's in the wrong any more, and being surprised by someone who doesn't look the part is as insidious and scary as it is shocking. It's the vampire thing, really: the idea that someone beautiful or nice-looking on the outset can be a monster on the inside. Whilst this idea had probably been brewing before Dracula, the translation of it into mainstream fairytales, usually untouchable by complicated and multi-dimensional villains, is a new one. Frozen has this in spades and whilst the result is pretty dark and at first kind of unsettling, I found it effective and powerful. It's fair I think to teach children that attractive people can be horrible, too, and being a good person on the inside is not dependent on what you look like on the outside. The trolls, for example, display the same thing as our resident villain does albeit in the reverse. While they're not particularly attractive, they're warm-hearted and kind, and do their best to help out in a crisis. It all just goes to show that you shouldn't judge someone by the way that they look - you can always be surprised.
Now from the moment I heard about Frozen coming out I was excited, probably more so than I was with either Tangled or Wreck-it Ralph although I love those both, because there was something just so appealing about the way it looked. For those of you not in the know, Frozen is adapted from the Hans Christian Anderson story The Snow Queen. The original story is actually rather different and like most fairytales pretty damn depressing, so it's no surprise to me that the creators of Frozen changed up the plot line from that hot mess to give us a much happier, definitely Disney story.
The story of Frozen revolves around two main characters, two brand new Disney princesses, sister duo Anna and Elsa. Elsa, the older sister voiced by the amazing Indina Menzel, is the Snow Queen; she has spent her whole life hiding from the world and terrified by own powers in the hopes that she'll never hurt anyone. She has control over ice and snow, and we get our best insight into just what she can do during her signature musical number Let it Go (this is probably my favourite song of the movie and it's already one I belt out in the car on the way to wherever). Indina Menzel was by far the perfect choice for the role, her Wicked voice fitting the tone of the songs she sings and is sure to bring a little emotion to your eye like it does mine. And anyone a fan of Defying Gravity will be sure to enjoy it. But just like Elphaba, Elsa's story is hard-going and tragic as she must learn to control her powers and fear before it's too late. And she gives herself a pretty killer makeover in the process. But whilst Elsa's character is probably the most kick-ass, my favourite is still the clumsy, endearing Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell (did you know she can sing?). Anna is the younger sister, impressionable and lonely after spending her childhood trying to understand why her sister would never see her or talk to her and all but desperate for her life to begin, kind of like Rapunzel in Tangled. But whilst Anna is kind of young and naive in the beginning, she really turns into the star of the show and ultimately the hero in the end. She is the one who saves the day, teaming up with the dishy but kind of odd, Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff, or Jesse St James from Glee as I know him), and his Reindeer sidekick, Sven. I guess with only a Reindeer to talk to, you'd probably be a little loopy, too. You probably already know what happens there, it's Disney after all, but I liked the twist in the tale they threw in based on Anna's determination to marry the equally pretty Prince Hans, voiced by Santino Fontana. Just like Ariel and Rapunzel, and plenty of the other Disney heroines before, Anna and Elsa both impressed me greatly - Good job there, guys! (Side Note: Anyone with something to say about Anna being a boring character design, or looking too much like Rapunzel, can shove it where the sun doesn't shine. She's a different personality, and if you want physical mass difference then let me direct you to Elsa. Direct your Disney-hating pessimism somewhere else.)Before I move on to music, themes and design, I wanted to take a second or two to talk about Olaf the Snowman. Voiced by Josh Gad, Olaf is the comedic relief of the film and whilst he's adorable ('Hi I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs') and funny, he's also a little tragic in the way he valiantly jumps in to help Anna and Kristoff bring back Summer... unfortunately unaware of what happens to Snowmen when it's warm. Whilst the subject matter is actually kind of dark, the ongoing joke on whether or not they should break the harsh truth to the happy little snowball becomes a running gag throughout the film. As does the penchant Olaf has for breaking into bits when falling over or impaling himself on ice. But I loved him anyway, he is a beacon of light and hilarity in what becomes a sometimes rather serious and dark storyline, one that is sure to entertain both adults and children (or someone in between like me).
Speaking of, the film's design equally fits that bill as well. The story is set in a pseudo-Scandinavian kingdom known as Arendelle complete with Reindeers, warm clothing and the kind of wooden architecture that would be home in Finland or Sweden. It's kind of comforting, really, and gives the whole film that subtle hint of Christmas without actually any of the baubles or décor of the festive season. It's refreshing, also, that the film gives such an explicit Scandinavian taste to design both in said décor, character names and landscape because it is probably one of the best Disney animated films, alongside The Princess and the Frog set in 1920's New Orleans and Pocohantas in 17th century Jamestown, to give the story a definite time and place. As a history nerd, I kind of like that and I find I like trying to fit Disney films into a real world timeline. The Scandinavian approach is different and kind of original in comparison to the usual Enchanted Forest or Kingdom Far Away setting that the majority of fairytale stories use, and whilst I'm usually a fan of that sort of escapism, I found Frozen's setting really refreshing.
What was also really refreshing was the use of some pretty dark themes in Frozen, that seems to be on par with Tangled in a new kind of villain that fits in with the modern world. Whilst old Disney films had openly evil villains like Maleficent, Cruella De Ville and the Evil Queen, new Disney films have much more insidious and deceptive baddies like Mother Gothel (from Tangled) and the real villain of Frozen. I won't give the game away by telling you who that is, but when you see it you'll get what I mean. The rise of this more new age kind of villain is interesting and begs questions about the way the world has changed over the last hundred years (almost) since the release of Disney's first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1939. The lines between good and evil aren't so black and white in film any more, and the rise of this modern grey area or attractive villain is starting to become the social norm; I guess people don't like to know from the beginning who's in the wrong any more, and being surprised by someone who doesn't look the part is as insidious and scary as it is shocking. It's the vampire thing, really: the idea that someone beautiful or nice-looking on the outset can be a monster on the inside. Whilst this idea had probably been brewing before Dracula, the translation of it into mainstream fairytales, usually untouchable by complicated and multi-dimensional villains, is a new one. Frozen has this in spades and whilst the result is pretty dark and at first kind of unsettling, I found it effective and powerful. It's fair I think to teach children that attractive people can be horrible, too, and being a good person on the inside is not dependent on what you look like on the outside. The trolls, for example, display the same thing as our resident villain does albeit in the reverse. While they're not particularly attractive, they're warm-hearted and kind, and do their best to help out in a crisis. It all just goes to show that you shouldn't judge someone by the way that they look - you can always be surprised.
Music, on the other hand, wasn't a surprise. I'm a musical kind of girl so anything with show tunes is usually hard pressed to disappoint me and I found that with Frozen I had the soundtrack uploaded to my iPod before the credits even rolled. From the film's first number Frozen Heart, to the bigger scores like First time in Forever, Let it Go and In Summer, there is pretty much a little bit of something for every one. The musical numbers include:
Frozen Heart
Do you want to build a snowman?
First time in Forever
Love is an Open Door
Let it Go
Reindeers are better than people
In Summer
First time in Forever (Reprise)
Fixer Upper
The only thing that was missing from the whole thing was probably the usually obligatory villain song, but singing one probably would have just given away the surprise too soon and ruined the tone of that half of the film anyway. But I guess I'm old school and I'd still like to see one.
I definitely recommend Frozen to anyone a fan of Disney or just generally interested in something feel good for the holidays. Take your kids or go with friends, either way I'm sure you won't be disappointed even if it's just for the magnificent job that Indina Menzel and Kristen Bell do of singing and the darker lining of the pretty villain. This was well worth the wait and definitely one of my favourite films to come out this year.
I can't wait to see what they're going to do next.
Frozen hits theatres in Australia on Boxing Day.
Merry Christmas
Sam xox
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