Frozen sees sisters Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) growing up as best of friends until an accident sees Elsa's icy powers (yes, she is magic) almost kill Anna. From that point on Elsa does all she can to conceal her abilities and leaves Anna, whose memory of the event, and her sister's powers, was wiped to protect her, wondering why her sister no longer plays or even comes out of her room. When Elsa comes of age and is crowned queen of the kingdom events cause her to lose control of her magic and she flees, leaving the country in the midst of an eternal winter. Anna sets out to find her sister, bring her home and bring back summer.
Disney has taken on the story of the Snow Queen and the first thing I have to say is whoever was given the job of cutting the trailers should get a serious education in how to sell a movie. From the initial trailer I was anticipating a run of the mill "madcap" Disney romance with an extra annoying talking snow man character. Well, I was definitely wrong on that score.
Frozen sets the relationship between the sisters very early on in the piece and just keeps on building on top of that. It certainly appears to be going down the "insert Prince Charming" line for the first couple of acts but ends up taking a very different, and surprising, tact towards the finale. This is a movie that takes the familiar Disney themes and finds new angles. It is refreshing, surprising and, above all, fun.
The cast of characters are fun and very likeable (even the bad guys) even though the male leads seem a little underdone. The real standout is Olaf the snowman (Josh Gad), an animate pile of snow who dreams about all the fun he will have when summer comes back. He actually has a whole song about it. It's great. He is also the warmest character in a movie that is largely about snow, which I am sure is a deliberate choice by the filmmakers and I applaud them for how well they pulled it off.
Speaking of songs, another thing that really did not come across from the trailer is the fact that this is a full on musical. The songs range from the whimsical amusing ones (In Summer, Reindeers are Better Than People) to the full on epic broadway style (Let It Go, For The First Time in Forever) and they are all enjoyable.
It is honestly very difficult to find fault with this movie. I am willing to stand up and say that this is the best Disney movie in recent memory and it is one that the whole family can enjoy. I can assure you it is not just for the girls as I was accompanied by my two boys (aged 6 and 9) who both loved it.
Add Frozen to your must see list. It is completely worth it!
Alternate Title - Comic Sidekick Snowman Steals Almost Every Scene He Appears In.
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