Frozen (Film)

My interest in Disney films has increased significantly over the last six months – largely due to a blog I am currently co-writing which chronicles every Disney animated classic, which has afforded me a fascinating insight into the history of such a famous film studio. If you have any interest in this, then follow this link to the blog: 

http://thedisneyodyssey.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/the-disney-odyssey-an-introduction/

It may seem strange, but the last time I saw a Disney film in the cinema when it was originally released was back in 2005 (and I wasn’t even aware that the film in question was amongst the ‘animated classics’ at the time). Needless to say I had much higher expectations for Frozen than I did for Chicken Little, and with my newly enhanced knowledge of Disney Studios I was pretty excited about seeing it.

The film adheres to the tried-and-tested Disney format of adapting a fairy tale – Hans-Christian Anderson’s ‘The Snow Queen’ – and uses the same animation style as 2011’s Tangled. Visually the film looks very impressive, and the use of ice and snow is both creative and believable (the image of snow covered clothing as characters hike through the mountains looks real). Having recently been watching films from Disney’s financially strapped package-film era of the 1940s, it is really great to see what the animators are capable of when given free reign over their resources. 

The characters are good as well; the story centres around two sisters – Anna and Elsa – which is actually quite a rarity (but the Princess-format tends to work well, so why not have two?). Anna, the protagonist, manages to come across as likeable and sympathetic without being too cutesy, and is given some amusing quirky moments as well. Elsa – the Snow Queen – is a more brooding and tormented character, but one who lets loose during a very impressive song-sequence, which could very well become a landmark scene for this film in years to come.

Speaking of the songs, they sound very impressive – like something out of a large-scale Broadway musical – although for me personally there was a bit too much of a  “like totally”-style to the lyrics, which jarred with me a bit and may prevent any of these songs becoming timeless classics. But I could be wrong about that. I will most certainly come to review this film in more detail, and will give everything (including the songs) a much more thorough analysis. The film actually starts with a good song-sequence, which certainly has a Les-Mis quality to it.

Perhaps something I’m a little ticked off about is the lack of a proper villain song, which is usually a highlight of many a Disney film (at least from the late 80s onwards). The film breaks quite a few of the established storytelling conventions with which the studio is synonymous, and this actually leads to a couple of genuine surprises, and culminates in a very impressive showdown, which doesn’t end in the most typical way. The storytelling can seem a little unclear at times, but praise has to be given for trying out something new and unexpected.

The film also manages to produce a few decent comedic moments, notably a very funny line from Kristoff (one of the two love-interests) when he loses his sledge. Kristoff actually gets quite a few funny lines, and shares a nice friendship with his reindeer Sven. I didn’t find Josh Gad’s snowman Olaf to be as annoying as I thought I would, although his voice did grate on me at times. I think I may have liked the character more with a different voice actor. 

The film also pays homage to a number of the studio’s previous classics, which leads to some very nice visuals – keep an eye out for them!

Overall I enjoyed Frozen and I’m glad I saw it in the cinema, breaking a lengthy streak of animated Disney films that have passed me by. I have heard people make comparisons with some of Disney’s most beloved classics such as Beauty and the Beast although I’m not sure I would go quite as far as that. It is however a very good film and I look forward to eventually reviewing it again as a part of my Disney blog.