Frozen 3D Review

Rated PG (Some Action and Mild Rude Humor)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 48 Minutes

Cast (voice)-

Kristen Bell-Anna

Idina Menzel-Elsa

Jonathan Groff-Kristoff

Josh Gad-Olaf

Santino Fontana-Hans

Alan Tudyk-Duke of Weselton

Ciarán Hinds-Pabbie the Troll King/Grandpa

Maia Wilson-Bulda

Stephen J. Anderson-Kai

Edie McClurg-Gerda

Chris Williams-Oaken

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Disney's "Frozen" is by far the best animated film of the year.

Note: Screened on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at AMC Loews Village 7.

I've lost count of how many times I've watched Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" as a kid. If you were to ask my mother, her answer would be an exasperated 'must've been close to a hundred times.' It's not just a great animated film; it's a great film, period—the kind that redefines the word 'timelessness.' I grew up during the so-called 'Disney Renaissance' and many of the films that were released during that ten-year period, such as "The Little Mermaid," the aforementioned "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," and of course "The Lion King," mean a lot to me. These are films that have withstood the test of time, transcending age groups and becoming true classics in the process. Besides having great stories, lovable characters, and colorful animation, one aspect that made the Disney Renaissance films stand out was its music. They were like full-on Broadway musicals and it was what gave them that timeless 'Disney magic.' Unfortunately, the rise of Pixar and CG animation led to the decline of the Disney musical and with it, traditional hand-drawn animation. For the last decade or so, Disney has struggled to adapt to a markedly different playing field. Between Pixar's countless award-winning achievements and DreamWorks' continued global box office dominance, not to mention increased competition from upstarts like Illumination and Blue Sky, the house that Walt Disney built looked like it was slipping into irrelevance. The answer to their revival was surprisingly simple: go back to their roots. What began with 2009's "The Princess and the Frog" has culminated with "Frozen," a CG animated film with big musical numbers, just like the ones that Disney used to do during the 1990s. It's too soon to label Disney's latest as a 'classic' but "Frozen" is by far the best animated film of the year, a dazzling technical marvel that's backed up by memorable music, wonderful voice acting, and a story that cleverly subverts its own princess fairy tale tropes. This is Disney acknowledging its own past while forging a bright new path for its future.

"Frozen" is preceded by a hilarious seven-minute short film titled "Get a Horse!" Starring Mickey Mouse and all his friends, it celebrates Disney's rich heritage in a witty and inventive manner. Living in the idyllic, Nordic-like kingdom of Arendelle, royal sisters Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) used to be close, but a childhood incident involving Elsa's burgeoning ice powers forced their worried parents to isolate their older daughter while her younger sibling's memories were altered. The two are eventually orphaned when their parents meet a tragic accident on the high seas. Locked away in her room, Elsa's attempts to control her abilities strain her relationship with Anna, who grows up confused at her sister's sudden emotional distance. When Elsa finally comes of age, she is crowned the queen of Arendelle during a summertime ceremony attended by many. Meanwhile, Anna falls in love with a handsome prince named Hans (Santino Fontana), with the pair hastily agreeing to get married despite it being their first meeting. Elsa, however, refuses to give her blessing to their marriage, leading to an argument between the two sisters. The emotional distress causes Elsa to accidentally unleash her powers, plunging Arendelle into an eternal winter. With the community turned against her by the arrogant Duke of Weselton (Alan Tudyk), Elsa decides to go into self-imposed exile up in the mountains, where she resides in a massive fortress made of ice. Desperate to make things right, Anna sets off to find her sister and is eventually joined by an unemployed ice cutter named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and a strangely cheerful living snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad), who dreams of experiencing the delights of summer.

Although it shares the same title as Adam Green's 2010 psychological thriller, Disney's "Frozen" obviously has nothing to do with a group of people who suddenly find themselves trapped on a ski lift and forced to survive against sub-zero temperatures. Rather, the film is loosely (and I must really emphasize this word) based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic 1845 fairy tale The Snow Queen. Development on the film that would eventually become known as "Frozen" stretched as far back as 1943, with the project being halted on-and-off for close to seventy years due to the difficulty in adapting the Snow Queen character into someone that modern audiences could relate to. The critical and commercial success of 2010's "Tangled" inspired Disney to give it another shot and the solution was to rewrite Anna, who was based on the Gerda character from the original fairy tale, as the Snow Queen's younger sister. Establishing this family dynamic finally allowed the project to escape development hell and move forward. You really have to admire Disney's persistence here. What studio today would stick with a concept for close to seven decades in order to make it work?    

What sets "Frozen" apart from previous Disney films is that the female characters aren't defined nor are they entirely dependent on the men around them. However, this is still a princess fairy tale, a fact that directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee fully embrace without apology. There are love-at-first-sights and happily-ever-afters but the screenplay from Lee also includes a subtle modern touch, with the writer cleverly subverting the story's princess tropes without fully resorting to the winking self-awareness of Disney's competitors, namely DreamWorks with their "Shrek" franchise. While the pairing of Anna and Kristoff is reminiscent of Rapunzel and Flynn from "Tangled," "Frozen" recognizes the fact that 'true love' comes in different forms and so the focus is always on the sisterly bond between Anna and Elsa. Anna doesn't understand why her elder sister has grown emotionally distant due to her memories being altered and is hurt by this loss while Elsa, afraid and filled with self-doubt, just wants to be left alone. Arendelle's initial condemnation of her mid-way through the film not only stands as a potent homosexuality parable, it also provides a rich feminist subtext of a woman being punished for not conforming to a man's definition of how females should behave. You could even argue that Elsa's long isolation in her room is symbolic of a male-dominated, repressive society that forces women to hide who they truly are.

In addition to playing with genre conventions, the CG animation in "Frozen" is absolutely gorgeous and sublimely captures the magic of its wintry setting. Even small details like the freckles on Anna's face and shoulders shine through. The only complaint is the 3D, which is fine but fails to really add much to the experience. It's the only element in the film that feels obligatory and workmanlike. However, the real standout is the music. Written and composed by the husband-and-wife duo Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the songs push what is already a great film into something truly special. Hell, the first thing I did when I arrived home from the advance screening was to download the soundtrack off Amazon. Unfortunately, I was faced with disappointment when the order page revealed that its release was still a week away. Catchy and exceptionally well-written, each song encapsulates the characters' emotional states wonderfully but the most unforgettable, show-stopping number is the power balled Let It Go performed by Idina Menzel. I've already listened to it close to twenty times since I brought the soundtrack and it still continues to send chills down my spine. There's a cover version from Demi Lovato as well which is just as good, even if it is a little too 'pop' for my tastes. Other memorable songs include the delightful Love is an Open Door, a duet from Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana, and the hilariously endearing In Summer from Josh Gad's Olaf. The music pretty much defined the Disney Renaissance and I'm glad that the Lopezes went to such great lengths to recapture that 'Disney magic.'

The voice acting is excellent, with Kristen Bell delivering a lively performance as the plucky and adorably charming Anna. The way Bell conveys her character's optimism and bubbly personality is infectious, and I immediately fell in love with her. Anna may just be my favorite Disney princess yet. Idina Menzel, who's had a long and successful career on Broadway, beautifully captures Elsa's inner fear and vulnerability despite the great power she wields. Not only do they shine in their vocal work but both actresses are outstanding when it comes to their music numbers. I have no doubt that "Frozen" will be walking away with at least one golden statue in the Best Original Song category. Jonathan Groff is affable and down-to-earth as mountain man Kristoff while Josh Gad, who honed his singing chops on Broadway's "The Book of Mormon," is consistently hilarious as the naïve yet kind-hearted snowman Olaf. It's hard not to laugh as he longingly voices his wish to experience summertime, completely oblivious to what the heat will actually do to him. Santino Fontana brings an appropriately princely appeal to Hans and finally, Alan Tudyk disappears into another voice role as the shifty Duke of Weselton.

Released on November 27, 2013, "Frozen" has received overwhelmingly positive reviews with 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Noting that it was 'beautifully animated, smartly written, and stocked with singalong songs,' critics hailed it as 'another worthy entry to the Disney canon.' Given its prime Thanksgiving release date and its position as the last animated film of the year, "Frozen" is pretty much a guaranteed box office success and should easily cruise to $200 million domestic by the time it exits theaters. Disney has had its fair share of ups and downs over its ninety-year history but the house that Walt built has proven to be surprisingly resilient as the animation studio continuously adapts to new trends while embracing its rich heritage. As Forbes' Scott Mendelson so eloquently puts it, "Frozen" is 'both a declaration of Disney's renewed cultural relevance and a reaffirmation of Disney coming to terms with its own legacy and its own identity. It's also a just plain terrific bit of family entertainment.' Of all the films I saw this year, this is the one that left me with the biggest smile on my face.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"Some people are worth melting for."

There's a fun little scene after the end credits if you choose to stick around.