Frozen (2013) Review

Yay the actually review is out! Didn’t really anticipate this film all that much, the story didn’t hook me from the trailers or anything but the film actually surprised me. The story is fun and unique at parts especially for a Disney film and the music is brilliant, something I am saying more and more about Disney films of late than Pixar films. Disney have really impressed me with their recent animated features Wreck it Ralph and Tangled where very good films and this is a great continuation of that. It’s enjoyable for kids and adults and if you like musicals I am sure you’ll walk out singing. I’ll go into much more detail below but for now bookmark this if you are waiting to see the film, leave any comments below, if you have seen the film then check out the spoiler sections and I will look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts.

“Only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you dear. You and this fellow.”

Plot:

Featuring the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, “Frozen” is the coolest comedy-adventure ever to hit the big screen. When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna, a fearless optimist, teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff and his sidekick reindeer Sven on an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, the Snow Queen, and put an end to her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, a funny snowman named Olaf, Everest-like extremes and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.

Tim’s Film Reviews Recommended

Story: 85%     Acting: 90%     Characters: 85%     Dialogue: 85%

Disney/Musical: 85%     Style/Sound: 100%     Visuals: 100%

Total: 90%

The story starts in typical Disney princess fashion with sweet sibling story turned dark; it was done very well and interlaced singing pretty smoothly even if the first half used singing to replace talking a lot. However as a musical its hardly an issue. The latter half of the film starts bringing in fresher narrative and surprised me by the end, more in the spoiler section. The story did seem to follow a Disney formula but there was enough new content to make the film fresh. And who doesn’t like the Disney formula? I think this film handled the empowered princess/queen story better than say Brave because it focused on the very serious reason for Elsa wanting to be free, fear of hurting those she loved.

The voice acting was great. With an all-round impressive set of vocals which is really needed in a musical. The Queen Elsa played by singer Idina Menzel was especially good, her voice did seem a little older than the character but some people just have older voices. Kristen Bell was also very impressive as Anna, didn’t know she could sing. The sisters powers where very interesting as a plot point, it meant there was a no real need for a villain. Love it when power cannot be contained, it gives a character a real internal struggle to overcome. If you don’t keep check over everything you do people die, works really well. Whilst on the subject of characters Kristoff was an interesting lead male because he is a man child and I think that works best in kids films with romance, does the right thing but in the least gentlemanly manner, it’s just funny. The snowman wanting to experience summer, but with no realisation as to what would happen. Yeah that did make me laugh. That and the Swedish shop keeper, oh and that toupee wearing break dancing king.

The music was great, had some really great sing along songs. I especially liked ‘Let It Go’ just after she leaves the town and goes into the mountains; Idina Menzel just went for it. It did at times feel like there were few spoken words between songs, but it’s a musical so I can’t really complain about too much singing. The princess Anna was also pretty funny; she had a very ill contained zaniness which was just great to watch. I remember the specific scene where she sang ‘For the First Time in Forever’ dancing around the castle, the lyrics and actions where very funny and displayed the character really well, you just got her.

The visuals in this where great, on par with the best of them, and it has become really hard to tell if they are improving anymore from film to film. The visuals are the same style and quality as Tangled and Brave. The use of Elsa’s powers was interesting and snow can be tricky but it all looks great. I’d especially like to point out the opening scene with the Ice Men cutting and removing ice from the water, that looked really well crafted.

SPOILER SECTION!!!

Leave this section if you haven’t seen the film, do it now! Didn’t quite see that ending coming, I knew something was off about Han’s but didn’t expect him to be quite as evil as that. I liked the Nice guy, Ice guy twist even if it was predictable they didn’t let on until right near the end. So they shocked some kids (and most of the adults). But what I really liked about the ending was that it didn’t repeat a snow white. I liked that the sister saved her rather than Kristoph, its fresh to see a non-romance love relationship save the day, especially in a Disney film.

Trailer:

The best reviews I found would be these:

“We’ve finally been given an instant classic that will stand the test of time just like those from Disney’s good old days. Magical & beautiful, a great story, classic songs, strong female characters, lots of genuinely funny humor & hilarious characters – Frozen gets everything so incredibly right. Thank you, Disney! You’re back!” Cinema Parrot Disco. Full Review

“I really do recommend this film, as it has that special Disney touch which has looked lost in recent films. I think the ice and snow fit very well with winter and the build up to Christmas as well, so what better time to go and see this film? Don’t be mistaken though it’s not a Christmas film. ” Let’s Go to the Movies. Full Review

“I’m sure glad I saw this on the big screen. It’s one of the most enjoyable and emotionally-gratifying movies I’ve seen all year. My hubby had a great time watching this as well and we both agreed we will be buying the Blu-ray once it comes out!” Flix Chatter. Full Review

“Frozen is a fun family film that I’m sure will become a classic. Now, it is known that not long after a new Disney princess film release the princess gets to join the Disney princess hall of fame. Clearly Anna will join as the lead in this film, but I hope that Elsa doesn’t get missed off the list.” Sci-fi Drama Queen. Full Review

“What I think is really great about this movie, is that even though it has themes that Disney has used before – love, accepting oneself, sisterhood, all those great themes that help improve the narrative – it still has the ability to surprise and mesmerize, manage to solve conflicts in refreshing ways, and make classic themes feel original – and that’s quite an achievement.” Daniel’s Film Reviews. Full Review

Spoiler

My favourite scene would have to be ‘Let It Go’ scene, had great music, great visuals, you finally saw Elsa’s powers used on a big scale. That damn song stuck in my head for far too long, doesn’t help that it’s on YouTube. And here it is: