FROZEN

FROZEN Review

By Darin Skaggs

     Disney has been around and relevant for so long there are little who don’t know what it is.  They made the first animated feature film, Snow White and Seven Dwarves.  They also made the first computer animated feature film, Toy Story.  They have been churning out classics for decades.  There latest feature Frozen is cute, fun and at times unoriginal.

     The film begins with two sisters, Anna and Elsa.  Elsa is different than others; she has magical powers that let her form ice and snow from her hands.  While playing around with her powers Elsa accidently hits Anna in the head with her magic.  She is rushed into the middle of the forest where some trolls live.  They fix her and say that Elsa needs to learn to control her powers.  She cannot be near others while this is going on, so Elsa stays in her room for a long, long time.  Anna, whose memory has been changed to make it so she does not remember her sister has powers, is left to wonder why her sister is hiding and why the gates to the public have been shut.  Their parents are killed while away and the sisters are locked up until Elsa is summoned to be crowned the new Queen.  Her magic is accidently revealed at the crowning so she runs away upset while accidently causing a permanent winter in their land.  Anna then sets out to find her sister and save the town.

     Like many of the Disney classics this one has many songs. Other Disney musical songs are not as good because some of the song’s lyrics are too specific to detail going on in the story.  The songs in this film work in the story’s narrative and as really great songs on their own.  “For the First Time in Forever” and “Let it Go” will be stuck in your head for days after viewing the film.  The film nearly abandons the music a little over half way through the film but that is okay, there are fun adventures going on still.

Another good song “In Summer” sung by Olaf, a snowman that has come to life that Elsa has created and is from the sister’s childhood.  He is voiced by Josh Gad, who does a wonderful job.  His song is all about how he’s a snowman that wants to know how summer feels, but he is completely ignorant to what will happen to him when the heat comes out.  He is a really funny character; I bet he will be shoved down our throats with many short cartoons. 

There is a bunch in this film to love: the comic relief, a tale of love, magic, a giant snow monster and some nerve racking moments at the end.  The only real problem with the film is the stakes and lessons that are learned are small.  There are stakes that could be disastrous for the main characters, but at moments the problems are solvable.  At one point a character ask “How are we to fix this?” in which the response is “Oh, I’m just going to talk to her.”  The character says “Oh that’s it, you’re just going to talk?”  The characters have revelations that are obvious, which most Disney films frequently do, even the great ones. 

The film is very fun.  It has some of the better music put out in recent years.  It might not make any top list, but I think as a Disney musical it will last the test of time.