REVIEW: Frozen

"Olaf, you're melting!"
"Some people are worth melting for."

Based loosely on the story of The Snow Queen, Disney's latest animated feature film focuses on the powers of family, love, and acceptance.  This film was co-directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and stars some incredibly talented vocals.  Frozen is a massive success for Disney, and easily finds a place in the collection of Disney classics.

Frozen tells the story of two sisters, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel), who grow separate over their childhood.  Elsa was born with magical powers that enable her to have control over ice and snow.  One night, while she is playing with her sister, she accidentally harms her, and so her parents keep her isolated from everyone by keeping her in her room.  But, one day, Elsa comes of age and becomes Queen.  With the public finally allowed into the building, Anna meets a prince that she thinks is her true love, Hans (Santino Fontana).  During a dance at the royal castle, Elsa and Anna get into a quarrel, and Elsa accidentally reveals her hidden powers to everyone in the room.  She is condemned for being a witch, and so she flees to the mountains.  However, Anna is determined to find her and help her.  Along with Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), an ice salesman, and his reindeer Sven, this misfit group meets Olaf (Josh Gad), the happy snowman, and together they embark on the journey of a lifetime to find Elsa and end the eternal winter that has cursed the land.

I can't say enough good things about Frozen.  From the storyline, to the beautiful animations, to the extraordinary singing and soundtrack, everything about this movie is a success.

I realize that the storyline I just described may sound corny and cliched, but believe me when I say that this movie is neither of those two adjectives.  This film features a variety of different twists and turns that keeps the audience engaged in the story.  Also, I really like the new direction that Disney is taking with their movies.  Like Brave and Tangled, Frozen features a strong female lead.  Also like those two animated movies, the ending may surprise a lot of people.  But what really sold the story for me was the character Elsa.  Disney has managed to create a likable, complex 'villain.'  She's not the evil Snow Queen you might expect, and that makes the movie all the more enjoyable.

The animation in the film is simply fantastic.  Disney is getting better and better with their animations with each new film they put out.   The snow, in particular, is perfectly animated.  Also, the scenes when Elsa constructs her ice palace are animated in epic proportions and they feature some dazzling effects.  While Pixar is probably still the best in animations, Disney Animations without the assistance of Pixar is a close second with their attention to acute details.

And now, for my favorite part of Frozen - the singing and the soundtrack.  I can't recall a Disney soundtrack like this since The Lion King.  Not only are the tunes catchy, but the songs are good even when not attached directly to the movie.  This is especially true for the song Let it Go, sung my the immensely talented Idina Menzel.  This song has been nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Original Song, and I'm sure it will be nominated at the Oscars as well.  The lyrics are impactful and Menzel gives a powerhouse performance, knocking the song right out of the park.  It was with this song that many viewers, myself included, fell in love with the character Elsa.  In fact, Elsa has become one of my all-time favorite Disney characters.  That being said, essentially all of the songs in this movie are great and they are all sung by excellent singers.  Kristen Bell really surprised me with her amazing voice, especially with her charming performance of For the First Time in Forever.  Even if you don't get to see the movie, check out the soundtrack.  It's the best part of an already great Disney animated movie.

Featuring top-notch animations, a compelling storyline, and a spellbinding soundtrack, Frozen is easily one of the best animated movies of the year.  When the second trailer was released, a title card stated that Frozen would be "the greatest Disney Animated event since The Lion King."  When I reviewed the trailer on the blog, I wasn't happy and said that Disney shouldn't make a claim of that magnitude.  However, now that I've seen the movie, I can't help but agree.  Frozen is a near-flawless movie, and if its still in your local theater, I highly recommend checking it out this holiday season.

RATING: 5 / 5

This film is rated PG (some action and mild rude humor)