Frozen – 4.5/5 – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Frozen – 4.5/5 – Disney; a name that gives fondness through its own enchantment.  When it comes to anything Disney, there is a certain wealth in the worlds they create that delve deep within the imagination.  This is especially found in their films.  When it comes to animation films from Disney, they may not be realistic upon the surface, but within the depths of their story, you come realize that there is always some kind of heart.  The ability to strike that kind of cord, through the use of riveting dialogue and musical atmosphere, I can say that Frozen (with minor setbacks in the beginning) is one of the best Disney films made in quite some time.

Premise: There is nothing stronger than a Sister’s bond, even between Anna and Elsa, royalty of Arendelle.  As their world gets turned upside down, Anna will travel on a peerless journey to save her Elsa.  On this quest, she will prove that their bond will never be broken, even with the everlasting winter she has brought upon their home.

At the heart of this film are the two main characters, the sister’s of the throne of Arendelle; Anna and Elsa.  Anna (younger sister) is voiced by Kristen bell and Elsa (older sister) is voiced by Idina Menzel.  These two provide a unique form of familiar enchantment to being sisters, as well as provide a real emotional bond that can only be found between siblings.  Even with just providing voices to animated characters, there commandment through dialogue as well as musical quips helps provide an essences of purity that helps define the fragile balance of their bond.  The one twist in this bond is the fact that Elsa has a curse; magical powers that allows her to call upon the cold of winter.  This distinction drives a dividing wedge between the sisters, as well as invokes the main conflict for the film (explained later).  With the added twist to their relationship, it helps bridge the gap between imagination and realism, creating characters you care about, from beginning till the end.   When it comes to the rest of the cast, you have as followed:

Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer Sven

The Prince Hans (Santino Fontana)

The snowman Olaf (Josh Gad)

These supporting characters play pivotal roles to the story, as well as provide wealth, in their own unique value.  The Prince Han is depicted with some obvious clichés of a typical Disney ‘prince’. But there is enough there to have him stand out in the film.  His suave behavior helps provide an intriguing layer to the film’s climax.  For Kirstoff and his reindeer, they provide a good contrast to the overall ‘sister’ relationship, as well as inject a more friendly but fun loving companionship to Anna.  Kristoff also adds a character that provides a pseudo love interest to Anna, but it is done in a way that it is charming in a subtle way.  The slow threading of that ‘love’ between them is done smoothly that the slow development helps add depth to the relationship without superseding the sisterhood bond.  The snowman Olaf is basically there for comedic purposes, but his whimsical dialogue is so on point; the archetype unfolds as something purposeful to the film.  The comedy feels genuine, which makes him another character worth loving.  With the rest of the cast in the film, they are more of ‘background’ to the main characters above, but are just as colorful to the film as the main characters.

The direction of the film is very linear, to a certain point in the film.  Once it gets to that point in the film, it changes into a more dynamic output of magical entertainment.  Before then, the film’s first half is where is defined by its linearity.  In the beginning, we are provide with a deep prologue, where we are introduced to the sisters at a young age.  They are very close sisters, and love to play a lot.  This is also where we learn about Elsa’s powers, and how they can have a positive and negative impact on people she loves and the world.  There is a moment here that drives a wedge into the loving bond between the two girls, causing an obvious rift.  As the film progressively moves through this prologue, we get the typical nuances of a Disney film.  You have the wits of ‘fairy tale’ mantras with the sisters, and their ‘royalty’ heritage as it combines with moments of musical-esque scenarios, cheesy comedic situations and Disney style love interests.  The film induces you with these common clichés, but it does move quickly through this part of the film so it doesn’t get dragged down a predictable path.  Once the film moves forward in the Sister’s life, we come to the first pivotal moment of the film; the coronation of Elsa to becoming the Queen of Arendelle.  The castle is open up to the citizens, as well as other visitors from around the world, including Prince Han.  Once he gets brought into the fray, his ‘manly’ presence provides another tipping point to the sister’s fragile relationship.  Anna falls in ‘love’ and wants to marry Han.  Once Elsa gets word of this, she is driven further into her anxiety with being around people (and her powers), which forces her powers out into the public.  Elsa’s powers then evolve into something dire, enveloping the world of Arendelle with an everlasting winter.  With her feeling the pain of showing her powers in public, it forces Elsa to run away to the northern Mountain and live alone.  This also drives an obvious strength of heart for Anna, who will do what it takes to prove to her sister that her powers aren’t a bane to the world, and use it for good.  This is the moment when the film breaks from all the clichés and linearity nuances, and provides a change of pace to the direction and story development for the rest of the film.  This is where you begin to the see the purpose of the Sisterhood, or lack thereof.  Anna wants to save her sister, but Elsa doesn’t want to be saved and wants to be left alone to her obvious isolation.  Anna feels it is her job to bring her Sister back, and Elsa feels she just needs to be left alone.  The confliction found in both girls and the hardship of innocence, love and compassion are swirling strong thematically, providing depth to the creation of this film and its world.  Through the realism of the situation, you get that wondrous amazement that molds through the film’s continual musical numbers, comical situations and poignant moments.  That attraction of realistic is profound, and the sister’s deep love and despair for each other helps the film break commonalities and define a genuine purpose.  As Anna goes on this personal quest to find and save her world and sister, she teams up with the Kristoff, his reindeer and Olaf.  As the she does this, we also (along with the sisterhood depth) get a feeling of a sweeping adventure of redemption.  Through this added ‘adventure’ theme with the rest of the ‘realistic’ tones, you get multiple layers where:

There is meaningful purpose that is charming for adults

Imaginative and lively worlds that will entertain children

This is what defines the heart of a classic Disney film.  As the film moves along, the whole define of Anna’s journey and Elsa’s isolation shows a contrast that is defined by the same purpose, a rekindling of a lost loving bond between sisters.  Once the film hits certain plot driven devices that affect both sisters, there is a race against time to protect Elsa from her fear as well as save Anna’s life from this frozen world.  In the last half of the film, you feel the tension of the fervor as you also cheer on the saving grace that will be brought upon Anna.  In this last half, you also get introduced to some unique twists that will bring both pleasure and shock to the audience.  Once the film hits its climax; that ‘ever after’ ending has a shift, and the touching moment upon the heart will provide a wholesome feeling that makes this film a masterpiece in its own right.

The visual of this film is a treasure chest of majestic sensations.  Through the creation of Arendelle and the characters, you get a colorful and vast painting that is very pristine allure.  The raw vividness of both the regular and frozen worlds created provides a fragile contrast that breaks barriers of imagination, and soothes with an emotional appeal.  The amazing visuals provide defines that invoke comparative value to certain situations in the film, no matter if they are between the sisters, Anna and Kristoff, or the citizens of the town.  You are drawn into the intimate moments, and believe in the value of those emotional tides. The score is another great define to the whole experience of the film.  From the musical score to the overall surrounding sounds of the world, it adds to the epic appeal of the scenes and situations that happen throughout the story.  From the darkest despair to the ultimate triumphs, the music hits perfectly to draw out the essences of those moments.

Overall, Frozen is one of the best films created by Disney.  It has that old ‘Disney magic’ you find in the classics, but also gives us amazing visuals through the CGI world.  If you’re a fan of Disney and their animated films, this is one for you.  Take out the family; it is a worthy experience.