"Frozen" Review

Title: Frozen

Directed by: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Screenplay by: Jennifer Lee

Year: 2013

Disney's Frozen was a critical and box office success when it came out in December 2013. With fantastic visuals, great characters, memorable songs, and more, this film has often been hailed as one of the greatest Disney films ever made. But is it?

The story tells the tale of two sisters, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell), the former of whom possesses cryokinetic powers. Further along in the story, Elsa's powers come out of her control which causes an eternal winter in the kingdom of Arendelle. 

Frozen is quite simply a really great film. The voice acting is solid, with all the actors giving a good performance. The characters of the film are fun and enjoyable (what else did you expect from Disney?) with Elsa being a very revolutionary character and Olaf (Josh Gad) delivering the funniest lines of the film. The visuals of the film are no less than spectacular and prove how far digital technology has come over the past few years. The music acts as one of the highlights of the movie, with most of the musical numbers being memorable and reminiscent of older Disney films, with "Let it Go" easily being the standout. The "Let it Go" sequence is undoubtedly the highlight of the entire film, as it shows the transition of Elsa's character from a restrained and introverted person to a free and open one. This is not only seen in the song lyrics but also in Elsa's clothing. At the start of the song, the dress she is wearing seems very tight and restraining, but by the end of the song, she has changed into a more flowing and open dress. 

What really adds to the film is its sense of charm. The film has incredible heart and its charm just ensures that it will age well. But one of the greatest parts of the film is the way it betrays the now exhausted Disney formula. 

*SPOILERS AHEAD* Okay, so the way this tried and tested formula is changed up is that while the typical "love at first sight" and "act of true love" are brought up, these are both not what they seem to be. In the case of the former, Hans (Santino Fontana) turns out to be a villain, only wanting to gain the throne of the kingdom knowing he never would at his home kingdom. So love at first sight is shown to be a mistake because you can't get to know a person within a day, so you should't trust them enough to get married upon a first or second meeting. For the latter, though a "true love's first kiss" is mentioned, this is not the act of true love that saves Anna's life at the end of the film. What saves her is a hug from her sister, Elsa, which constitutes as an act of true love. This is clever and aims to stray from the typical and predictable Disney formula. I mean, how often does the prince charming of the story turn out to be the villain?

*SPOILER FREE* However, as great as this film is, it is not flawless. The main source of its issues is the film's structure. Anna is really the star of the show, as we follow her for the majority of the film. The film treats her as the main character.....but this is supposed to be Elsa's story. Elsa is the character with the main conflict, but she doesn't receive nearly as much screen time as she should. Anna, though a very likable and energetic character, backed with a great performance by Kristen Bell, does not undergo any character development at all in the film, which begs the question: why is she treated as the main character? Just look at the poster above. Elsa has been pushed to the back of it along with Hans. Just...why? The only thing Anna learns is to not fall in love so quickly, but her character doesn't change as a result. She has simply learned a lesson. Having Anna as the main character detracts from Elsa's character arc. However, the writers wrote themselves in a bit of a corner. If the screenplay was changed to focus more on Elsa, the film would still suffer structural problems. 

*SPOILERS AHEAD* The time we spend with Anna is time used to develop her relationship with the character Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) who later becomes her love interest after Hans proves to be the villain of the story. So if Elsa were given her appropriate time in the film, we would lose a bit of development in this relationship. But there really needed to be a moment where we saw Elsa exhibiting her newfound freedom. No such scene exists and this takes away from her breakthrough as a character. Another structural issue lies with the villain. For the first two acts of the film, who is the villain of the story? You could argue the townspeople and the Duke of Weselton, but even then it would be a weak argument supporting weak villains. Though the twist that Hans is in fact the villain is brilliant, it also detracts from his character as the villain of the story. This revelation is near the end of the film and, as a result, Hans lacks the evil presence that a villain needs.

*SPOILER FREE* Frozen is simply a really great film. It has great characters, astounding visuals, and songs that will resonate with the audience long after the credits have rolled. Though it has structural issues, Frozen still holds its own and its magnificent charm will make the film last a long time. Though it's not the greatest Disney film ever made, it is still a fabulous film that I recommend watching.

Grade: A-