Best Disney Film Ever

Today we look at one of my favorite movies of 2013. Let me put this in perspective for you, my dear readers. I hate cutesy Disney films with fiery burning passion that spends its time clubbing baby seals. Most of Disney’s older generation( late 1980’s to 1995) of animated films are lacking in merit from the perspective of a critic. The few I enjoy are Beauty and the Beast, The Rescuers, Oliver and Company, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Even these movies, I don’t classify as good. In fact, an entire post could be devoted to tearing down the old generation. Due to the nature of Disney animated films, my enjoyment as an adult is limited. However, within the last two decades, the trend has changed. Disney’s decision to buy Pixar was a partnership destined for Greatness. Even as early as Toy Story, animated Disney films started to develop more complicated narratives where characters existed in a grayer world than their predecessors. A recent string of these films has caught my eye: Tangled, Wreck It Ralph, and Frozen. The best is always saved for last, right? Well, not in this case since Frozen is the first to be reviewed. The amount of time I have already gushed about this movie is sickening; grown men should not sing Disney songs in public. But, as some would say, “some people/movies are worth melting for…”

Some info:

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

Concept:

Frozen is a game changer. As I stated early, D.A.F (Disney animated film(s)) have started to grow up. Like many cartoons in the early 90’s, humor diversification has occurred in D.A.F. Meaning, that the kids are amused and their parents see the subtle, non-pornographic, adult humor. One could argue that D.A.F always had this element, but I think it is less obvious in the older generations. However, that is not the why Frozen upsets the status-quo. We have two princess in this film. That alone opens a plethora of new narrative routes. Almost every other D.A.F lets its focus rest on main heroine. It pleased me to no end that finally films for children are becoming more complex. Ambiguity has increased as well. Elsa isn’t not cursed by an evil sorcerer or witch. She has those ice powers from birth. These circumstances allow Frozen to explore concepts like: social alienation, fear of the unknown, fear of one’s own self, prejudice and the importance of family in one’s life. I’m not saying this movie creates an entirely new set of standards. It’s still steeped in Disney fantasy tradition, but uses those cliches to turn expectations. I’ll explain further in “story/plot” section.

Characters:

Elsa (Idina Mezel) is eldest of the two sisters and has ice powers. The sisters as a pair fascinated me because each one represents a different life perspective. They are not caricatured to represent any philosophies. Even at the beginning of the film , Elsa is the sister with responsibility resting on her shoulders. Her main conflict is the powers she can’t control. For a D.A.F Elsa’s struggle strikes a deep cord. Similar to King Midas’ golden touch, everything she touches turns to ice. That is truly terrifying to think about. She would never be able to have human contact ever again. Her mere presence poses mortal danger to those she loves. That’s existential crisis, yet it is presented in a kid-friendly fashion. Elsa’s crisis shapes who she is and how she interacts with people. By the time she is old enough to take the throne, Elsa has lost all of her meaningful relationships.

Ana (Kristen Bell) is the younger sister. Her and Elsa combined create a stark dichotomy. Ana is naive and optimistic. Due to Elsa shutting her out, she is self-reliant and willing to tackle problems head-on. Ana is best character foil for Elsa; though they are sisters, each has grown up in radically different environment. After being trapped in the Castle for most of her life, Ana seeks to explore the world, find love, and be happy. Between the two, Ana is focal point of the story. She is the character that the kids will relate to more because she is a kid. Her view of the world is unrealistic (in a Disney movie no less). Her naivety knows no bounds. This is a flaw, but one that makes her endearing to the audience.

Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) is an ice deliverer. He meets Ana on her quest to find Elsa. Out of the many male protagonists in D.A.F, Kristoff is one of my favorites. He is the most normal of the cast. I know that sounds strange, but stick with me. Kristoff is down to earth. His worldview is the middle between Elsa and Ana. He keeps Ana anchored to the ground and genuinely cares for her well being. His own insecurities about love show at the end which only makes him better. His only shtick is social awkwardness and Sven. Yet, he seems well adjusted for a loner. The guy is just trying to survive through the wacky plot. The audience likes him for what he isn’t, rather than a special-something that makes him “worthy” of falling for a princess.

Sven is Kristoff’s reindeer pet/friend. Thank God! Finally an animal companion in a Disney movie that doesn’t talk. I can’t tell you, my dear readers, how much talking animals infuriate me. D.A.F are saturated with them. It’s too gimmicky and cliched to the max. Sven is one half of the comic relief. He is amusing because even though Kristoff provides his voice, it’s like Sven is actually saying it. There are points in the film where Sven “encourages” Kristoff to reconsider a certain decision.

Olaf (Josh Gad) is a snowman who likes warm hugs and is inadvertently created by Elsa. He is the best comic relief I’ve seen in REALLY long time. Ninety percent of the comedy involves Olaf using situational humor.  His comedic relief doesn’t get in the way of the plot. They work side by side. Olaf begins the humor diversification. All of the jokes involving him are funny to young-ins, but even better for their parents. I won’t bring up a specific examples so watch the movie to find out. In addition to his hilarity, he brings character to the story. A snowman who is in love with summer? Sounds crazy, but that’s what made Olaf endearing to me. He has desires of his own beyond helping Ana and Kirstoff. As the film progresses, Olaf’s desires conform more to helping the pair. He cares about them.

Hans (Santino Fontana) is a Prince of the Southern Isles. He helps keep Arendelle running while Ana is away. Most of what I have to say regarding Hans is a spoiler, thus, only read ahead if you have seen the movie already.

Elation over-came me when Hans revealed himself as the villain. Narratively, it was not surprising. Most people saw his betrayal coming a mile away. His revelation to Ana was why this moment was golden to me. Disney participated in legitimate story telling with Hans. His motivations do not consist of an absolute evil. He’s not some creature from the abyss trying to steal Ana’s soul. Instead, he is a desperate prince looking for his own kingdom and sees Arendelle as ripe fruit ready for the taking. Hans is one of the first Disney villains that appeals to me as a character. There is no better villain for this film.

Story/Plot:

I can give basic plot without giving any spoilers, but there are some. Frozen is about Ana reaching out to Elsa whose ice powers cast the entire kingdom into a magic winter. That’s the foundational block that all other events stem from. As usual, I will jump to specific points within the story. When this movie begins, the audience knows they’re going on an adventure. The conflict of Frozen happens through an accident. No cosmic evil plots against the two sisters. As Elsa grows older she understands the dark side of her powers.

We first see the sisters as small girls, playing and being merry. Elsa uses her ice powers freely. Ana gets too excited and Elsa fires a blast to knock Ana to safety. This draws the attention of her parents. Ana is slowly freezing due to her freeze/blow on the head. Elsa and her family learn that an ice blast to the heart is fatal. The two sisters are separated but Ana is never told why.

Elsa’s fear of contact with other people spurns her away from Arendelle. Ice created by Elsa reflects her inner fear; when it escalates her ice becomes jagged, sharp and disjointed. Almost like her power will consume everything including her. Talk about showing and not telling.

Frozen attracts me through its comedy and narrative. Elsa runs away and Ana chases her. Ana loves her sister more than anything else (within the established world). She leaves her kingdom, duties, responsibility behind to find Elsa. This is a love story of two sisters way before Kristoff or Hans enters the film. As an aside, I think the romance between Kristoff and Ana develops well. It feels natural, organic and paced. The best example comes at the climax of the film:

In her attempts to bring Elsa back, Ana is struck in the heart with a beam of ice. Granted, it was by accident, but Ana is freezing to death. When visiting Kristoff’s adopted troll family, the crew find out only a sign of true love can unfreeze a frozen heart. The very cliched “a true love’s kiss” comes up. Kristoff takes Ana back to Hans because they both assume Hans is Ana’s true love. Two expectations are reversed. 1) Hans reveals himself as the villain. He’ll let Ana die and kill Elsa for treason and the murder of Ana. It’s a great moment. The kids don’t see it coming and older folk (like me) are satisfied because finally we are watching a D.A.F plot that makes sense. 2) Elsa escapes prison and wanders in the ice storm. Ana is looking for Kristoff because she realizes he is her true love. They meet each other, but Ana sees that Hans will kill Elsa unless she stops him. Right as Hans is about kill Elsa, Ana steps in the way of blade. It shatters as she completely freezes. I almost cried during this scene. You could cut the tension with a small kitten. Ana unfreezes because she made a sign of true love. Is there a greater form of love than sacrificing one’s life for a loved one? I don’t think so. No true love’s kiss, just honest love between sisters. That’s beautiful. The writers for

Frozen get a million thumbs up for me.

This was almost my first ten out ten, but unfortunately there are problems.

Problems:

Setting inconsistencies are riddled through out Frozen. Elsa’s and Ana’s parents die in ship wreck. I won’t classify that scene as “bad” writing, but it’s not “good” either. The story starts after that happens. I understand it’s necessity, however, it should have been done differently. Apparently, Arendelle has no political structure beyond Elsa being queen. Trade advisers from other nations run Arendelle with Hans while Ana is away? That makes no sense at all. Never has or will that ever happen in reality. There are scenes where Ana would freeze to death through natural means. Despite these problems, they don’t bother me as critic. This is Disney film for kids. The criticisms above aren’t legitimate because this film shouldn’t focus on them. It’s like accusing a slasher film of poor quality because there is no realism. Slasher films aren’t based in reality, thus, the criticism means nothing.

Similar to Her, the resolution of Frozen does bother me.

After Ana is brought back to life. Elsa realizes that love is the answer. Maybe she spend some time with the Beatles. Using “love” she unfreezes everything and everyone is happy again. This too easy. It stinks of the writers running out of time or struggling to resolve Elsa’s ice powers. If it was that easy, why didn’t Elsa try to not be a Debbie-downer? I wish the ending had been different, but at least it was happy.

Music:

Confession: not a huge fan of musicals and Frozen definitely falls into that category. Counter: this soundtrack is awesome. I like every song, except for the little opening bit at the beginning. All of the case have wonderful voices. Every character has a number of their own or a duet with another character. Here is my two favorite songs:

Score: 9/10

This movie is easily my top pick for 2013. You want a bundle of laughs, endearing characters, a smart narrative which is applicable to children, solid moral lessons and a multilayer love story? Frozen is your answer.