by Mo Shaunette
Above: Concept art from the film
In 1991, Disney released “Beauty
and the Beast”, and introduced one of the most unique additions to what would
soon be called the Disney Princesses. Belle was unlike any female protagonist
the House of Mouse had introduced before: smarter than Snow White, more active
than Sleeping Beauty, and more independent than Ariel. In Belle, Disney had
released their first really feminist character, and she helped make “Beauty and
the Beast” the classic it is.
As groundbreaking as “Beauty” was, 2013’s “Frozen” almost
seems to be one-upping it at its own game, and in the
process becomes one of the most subversive and self-aware Disney features of
all time (without being the self-parody that “Enchanted” was). It’s also one of
the best animated features that Disney has ever released.
Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow
Queen”, “Frozen” has a pretty
front-loaded plot, so bear with me here. Ahem: In the land of Arendelle are the
young princesses Elsa and Anna. The two are inseparable as children, but when
Elsa’s innate ice and snow magic nearly kills Anna, King Dad and Queen Mom
decide it’s best to wipe away Anna’s memory of her sister’s powers and isolate
Elsa so she can learn to keep her abilities under control and not hurt anyone.
And then they do what all parents in Disney movies do, leaving the sisters
alone together but still apart.
Cut to years later and the sisters have reached
adulthood. Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) is wide-eyed, naïve, enthusiastic, and
has no idea why her sister locked her out all those years ago, while Elsa
(voiced by Idina Menzel) is reserved, introverted, barely able to restrain her
powers, and about to be coroneted queen. That night, however, an argument
between the sisters over Anna’s sudden engagement to her true love - all-around
nice guy Prince Hans (voiced by Santino Fontana) - leads to Elsa revealing her
powers, being labeled a witch, and running away to the mountains. There, she
finally unleashes her magic to their full extent and builds her own very well-designed
ice castle, and in the process inadvertently blankets Arendelle in a nuclear
winter in July. To save the kingdom and get her sister back, Anna sets out to
talk Elsa off the mountain with the help of disgruntled ice salesman Kristoff
(voiced by Jonathan Groff), his dog-like reindeer Sven, and Olaf (voiced by
Josh Gad), a snowman brought to life by Elsa’s magic.
If that seems like a lot for just Act 1, it’s because it
is, but it works for a few reasons: first, because the songs help the plot move
forward at a brisk pace, and second, because the real meat of the flick is the
road movie of the second act as Team Anna makes their way through the frozen
forests. That’s where the movie really lives, in the back-and-forth between
these people, and that’s where “Frozen” has
its funniest moments and best songs.
The
actors all bring their best, particularly the two female leads as the
contrasting royals, but a special mention has be given to Josh Gad as Olaf the
snowman (even if it’s just because he’s given the most to do in terms of
comedy). Mr. Gad is a performer I’ve been a fan of for years since seeing him
in “The Book of Mormon” on Broadway and he brings the same energy to Olaf as he
did to Elder Arnold Cunningham – he’s simple, awkward, but charming and funny
in his own way. He’s also well-animated, waddling around like a toddler and
fixing up his body made of snow whenever he falls apart. He doesn’t quite steal
the show, which is good, but he’s a high watermark for comedy sidekicks in
Disney pictures.
As I
mentioned, Mr. Gad was in “The Book of Mormon”, whose music was co-written by
Robert Lopez, who also wrote the songs for “Frozen” with his wife, Kristen
Anderson-Lopez (Segway bonus!). Now I’m not a music critic, so take it with a
grain of salt when I say that the songs in “Frozen” are all a ton of fun, the
actors are singing their hearts out, and Elsa’s big number “Let It Go,” sung as
she embraces a life of snowy hermitage with just her and her unbridled powers, destined
to become a breakaway pop hit.
The
flick isn’t perfect – the central romance feels a bit underdeveloped and some
character traits regarding Kristoff are brought up and then swept aside, but
then again, the focus of the story is (unusual for a Disney flick) on the
relationship between the sisters Anna and Elsa. With its fun, energy, novelty,
dynamite animation, great songs, and a really interesting third-act development,
“Frozen” is a fantastic time at the movies and comes highly recommended.
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