FROZEN is a return to form for Walt Disney Studios. It's got modern sensibilities mixed smartly with a bit of nostalgia from Disney's Golden Age blended to icy perfection.
And no I'm not selling a Starbucks drink. Watching FROZEN brought me back to the time when every Disney movie would guarantee a huge return in the box office. Typical of all Disney movies, it's boy meets girl with some family values strewn across thanks to the strained relationship between the two newly minted Disney princesses Elsa and Anna. I liked this new dynamic in the film. It's been a while since we saw any kind of sibling relationship tackled in a Disney feature lenght film. The whole romance thing is quite refreshing as well. It's not overly done here, in fact, the trope here is subverted. Instead of having a wedding at the end of the movie we are led to believe that there would be a wedding at the middle with princess Anna finding her true love and all that in the person of Prince Hans (a play on "The Snow Queen" author Hans Christian Andersen). Of course I don't want to spoil what happens next so you got to see it for yourself. Another great thing for me about FROZEN is a more concentrated amount of Disney-ish songs. Tangled had a few memorable songs while Brave had barely any. FROZEN on the other hand followers the former. Not only do we get Disney-fied songs, we get them sung by such an amazing singer in Idina Menzel.
They also made Kristen Bell sing which is something to look forward to. And the songs, oh my gosh, they're just feel good. Hell, even the intro songs is reminsicent of past Disney films we've all grown up with and loved. I have this gut feeling that Disney designed FROZEN to be play-adaptation friendly. Remember this wasn't the case with some of the more recent stuff that Disney has put out. The characters from FROZEN are easily relatable, well some of them anyway like Christoph who is pretty much the everyman character thrust into Anna's daring rescue mission. Olaf the iceman is just plain funny and adorable which makes him really likeable. Even Anna during the first half can be relatable. So far, the only ones that are hard to connect with are Hans and Elsa (both for specific reasons).
One of the best things about FROZEN is the fact that it's not what it looks like. The trailer is not really telling us everything which was nice. That clever little surprise gave me something to look forward to. Really nice touch not telling us everything from the trailer.
Oh and watch out for the following: a PLOT TWIST, the standard animated short at the beginning featuring Steamboat Mickey era Mickey Mouse and a so-so post-credit scene. And there's a couple of plotholes here but to hell with the plotholes, it's got classic Disney stuff in it. VERDICT: FROZEN is a nice movie. Kids will love it because of the story, the humor and the 3D. Parents and even non-parent adults will enjoy it for the reasons mentioned above especially because of sentient snowman that wants to experience summer...
Suck in the songs, enjoy the visuals and just let your inner child reminisce about the good old days when Disney used to do traditional animation; they've already perfected 3D/ CGI animation anyway. FROZEN opens November 27 and is distributed locally by WALT DISNEY STUDIOS PHILIPPINES
In Walt Disney Animation Studios' “Frozen,” fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. “Frozen” features the voices of Kristen Bell as Anna, Idina Menzel as Elsa, Jonathan Groff as mountain man Kristoff, and Josh Gad as the lovable snowman Olaf.
The voice cast also includes Santino Fontana as Hans, a handsome royal who catches Anna’s eye, Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton, Chris Williams as Oaken, and Ciarán Hinds as Pabbie. “We wanted the movie to be both timely and timeless,” says director Jennifer Lee. “We were going for something contemporary that everyone would understand and we realized that fear is so often the very thing that gives us a negative outlook, that threatens our relationships. Every single scene, in its own way, supports our themes of family and love, and real love versus fear. And it’s fear that drives Elsa.” Elsa’s inability to handle her power to create snow and ice is revealed when she and Anna are playing as children. Elsa’s magic delights young Anna—the girls build a snowman they name Olaf and play amidst wild slopes of snow inside their home. But the magic gets out of Elsa’s control and injures Anna. Elsa lives each day thereafter in fear she’ll hurt Anna again, and as a result, avoids the one person she loves most. “Anna, who has no memory of the event, grows up trying to reach out to Elsa,” says director Chris Buck. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and husband and writing partner Robert Lopez, who worked hand-in-hand with the directors and story team, were struck by the image of Anna getting shut out by her sister. “What could get you more on that girl’s side than seeing doors slam in her face all throughout her childhood?” asks Anderson-Lopez. “We needed to tap into Anna’s emotions,” continues Anderson-Lopez. “We needed to understand her and show what’s missing from the world of this goofy, optimistic young woman. That moment in the film when we see the two sisters on either side of the closed door is one of the most revealing moments in the movie.” The filmmakers realized that the morning of Elsa’s coronation would represent a new beginning for Anna. The story team wanted to introduce the now-grown-up Anna with a song, but it proved to be a tall order. “This particular song was a tough nut to crack, because it had to do a lot of things,” says Anderson-Lopez. “It had to introduce Anna as an optimistic, active person, but also as someone with a need to be filled over the course of the movie.” The solution—and title of the song, “For the First Time in Forever”—came from a story-room conversation when someone said the words ‘for the first time in forever’ as part of a story point, catching the ear of president of Walt Disney Music Chris Montan. “I said, ‘That’s it! That’s Anna’s song!’” says Montan. “It was just one of those moments. ‘For the first time in forever, I'm going to be free. I might meet somebody. I might live my life.’ It was really exciting.” The song ultimately illustrates Anna’s desire for connection, while showcasing just how far apart she is from big sister Elsa. The story of broken family bonds takes a turn when Anna confronts Elsa, inadvertently setting free her sister’s stifled emotions and sparking a wintry outburst that reveals to everyone Elsa’s long-kept secret. Elsa flees Arendelle, leaving a cold and icy kingdom in her wake—and finding the freedom she’s craved. The realization of Elsa’s long-kept secret inspires Anna to take drastic measures to make things right. Her journey to find Elsa leads her to seek assistance from Kristoff, a rugged mountain man who’d rather not join the adventure. Kristoff and Anna face fierce weather, wolves—and a strangely familiar snowman named Olaf, who takes them—and the audience—by surprise. “When Elsa flees Arendelle,” says Lee, “she starts playing with the very magic she’s been hiding for so long. The snowman she creates comes from memories of the happy times she shared with Anna when they were young. Olaf represents that pure innocence and childhood joy. The minute we imbued him with that, he just took off. He’s funny in a way that children are funny. He’s completely unaffected by the world. He’s the one character who isn’t struggling with fear versus love. He is love.” According to producer Peter Del Vecho, Olaf exemplifies the real beauty of “Frozen.” “It’s chock full of left turns. Though it has everything that audiences will expect from a Disney film—it’s fun and full of heart—it also takes you in unexpected directions. That’s what I love about this movie.” Opening across the Philippines in 3D and 2D on Nov. 27, “Frozen” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.
