Review of Frozen (2013) by Greatmartin — 03 Jan 2014

It looks like the whole world wants to bring the kid out in me between Christmas, Hanukah, Santa Claus, “Elf” the touring Broadway musical, the touring company of “The Wizard of Oz” not to mention the gifts and all the good wishes. How could you walk around without a smile on your face? Should none of that help run to see Walt Disney’s “Frozen”.

“Frozen” is loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen” going a few steps further with the modern animation available today. This is a movie ready for a big, wonderful Broadway stage. There are original songs written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez with “Let It Go” sung by Idina Menzel and “Tomorrow For the First Time Forever” sung by Menzel and Kristen Bell particular standouts.

The screenwriter Jennifer Lee, working on the story by her, Chris Buck and Shane Morris, present a princess, Elsa (Idina Menzel) who becomes a queen, and her sister Anna (Kristen Bell), adding two more memorable female figures to stand beside Cinderella, Snow White in the canon of Walt Disney’s loving, lovable and strong women.

What would a Disney film be without some lovable creatures? “Frozen” has them but I want my own Olaf the snowman (voiced by Josh Gad) and the reindeer Sven or I’ll even settle for one of the trolls.

The story is simple with Elsa having the power to freeze her country and Anna wanting to thaw her sister’s heart. Would it surprise you that love solves all the problems? I didn’t think so. We have a prince Hans (voiced by Santino Fontana) chasing after naïve Anna while Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff), the youngest of 13 sons and owner of Sven, who is an ice dealer and will lose his income if everything is frozen.

The production rates in the same class as “The Little Mermaid”, “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast” and it is not hard to see “Frozen” on stage. It is also not hard to imagine every little girl, and a few older ones, wanting Elsa’s blue ice gown.

This is an animated film for the whole family which will entrance the kids and hold the interest of the adults and more than one will be buying the soundtrack, including me, just to hear Idina Menzel belt out “Let It Go” along with her and Bell doing “Tomorrow For The First Time Ever” which is a song you sing walking out of the theatre and/or on the shower.

For the record Jennifer Lee is the first woman to direct an animated film, produced by Disney, along with co-director Chris Buck.