Frozen Movie Review

Something amazing happened last night...I got to see "Frozen" in my local theater!! :D  

(Sorry about the "meh" quality of the pictures...I just had my cell phone with me.)

I happened to notice while browsing the Internet that there were two evening showings, one at 7:00 and one at 9:25 (both were in 2D...I didn't bother about the 3D showings since I don't care for 3D).  I knew that the earlier showing would be pushing it with Hubby's schedule, but I called to see how he was doing and whether he thought he'd be home in time to watch the girls so I could make the second showing.  He wasn't sure.  

By 8:30 PM, the online site showed that all of the tickets were sold out. :(  Hubby got home about twenty minutes later.  Since there were still about forty minutes before the show started, and since the theater was only about a mile away, I decided to go just in case.  I thought that maybe someone might have cancelled their ticket, or maybe someone wouldn't show up.  I knew I was grasping at straws, but I figured it was worth a shot. ;)

Imagine my surprise when I discovered I was the first one to purchase a ticket for that showing!!  (Obviously I need to ignore the ticket status on the website!) ;)  Here's what the theater looked like when I stepped in: 

There ended up being about twenty people there by the time the movie started.  It was great...enough people that I wasn't alone but not so many that it was distracting.  :)  

As you know, these past few weeks have been pretty crummy.  Having the chance to get out of the house for a bit, not having the continuous chorus of coughing children around me, and being able to see a movie I've been waiting to see for months made a HUGE difference.  I feel like I can cope with whatever this week brings now. ;)

Oh, and before I get into the review itself, as a fun little addition to this post, Disneystore.com is offering free shipping today only in honor of Frozen.  Just purchase at least one item from their Frozen merchandise and use promo code FROZEN.  You can see all of their Frozen items HERE.  

Okay, on to the review!!

I'd like to start with a little disclaimer, though.  Normally, I try to keep my movie reviews fairly spoiler-free.  That's not going to be the case this time.  Many of the points I want to discuss involve spoilers.  I will give warnings before any major spoilers, but if you're the type that doesn't like to know anything before the movie, you need to stop right here.  Here's a condensed review for you:  The movie was awesome...go see it now!!  That's all you need to know. ;)  If you want a few more details about content and such, you can read pluggedin.com's review HERE.  

So, what did I think of "Frozen"?  Let me just say that it completely lived up to my expectations in every way.  It. was. amazing. :D  I'd put it right up there with "Beauty and the Beast" and "Tangled", and as you know, that's saying a lot. ;)

The Story:

  The story of Frozen is, essentially, a story about the relationship between two sisters.  Elsa and Anna are very close as children, but due to an unfortunate accident, Elsa is kept apart from Anna, and they grow up in solitude.  I think everyone knows by now that Elsa has magical ice-making powers. :}  Because of the aforementioned accident, Elsa fears her powers and what they can do.  When her abilities are discovered on her coronation day, she flees from the kingdom, believing that the safest thing for her subjects is for her to be away from everyone else.  The rest of the story details Anna's quest to find her sister and return her to the kingdom.  Well, that's the very basic story...there's so much more:  love, family, sacrifice, comedy...you get the idea. ;) 

Okay, this is the section you're definitely going to want to skip if you don't like spoilers.  However, if you're like me and don't like having unexpected twists with characters thrown at you during a movie, you might consider reading it. ;)

The Characters:

   Frozen is full of colorful, well-rounded characters.  The voice actors chosen to portray them did a fabulous job giving them life and believability.  

      Elsa:  The older sister of the two princesses, Elsa keeps her distance from her younger sister, Anna.  What Anna doesn't realize is that Elsa stays away because she is trying to protect her.  Elsa is deeply burdened by the abilities she was born with.  She lives in constant fear of discovery and of what her powers might do.  Her fear keeps her trapped and isolated from everyone else.  Beneath it all, though, she is a sweet, noble person who deeply cares for her little sister and her kingdom.

     Anna:  Anna is the energetic, quirky younger princess.  She loves and looks up to her older sister Elsa, and remembers the fun they had as children with bittersweet longing.  More than anything, she wants her sister's approval and love.  She also longs to see the world and to escape from the solitude of the castle.  Anna is optimistic and willing to do anything to be reunited with her sister.  Through her love and bravery, she becomes a true heroine by the end of the film.

     Kristoff:  Kristoff is a mountain man who sells ice and has a reindeer for a best friend.  While he starts off grumpy and reluctant to help Anna in her quest to find her sister, he grows to appreciate Anna's spunk and determination.  He has a rather strange habit of talking to his reindeer (and providing his reindeer's voice).  In spite of his oddities, we grow to love this guy with a gruff exterior who's really just a big softie. ;)  

     Hans:  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Oh, Hans...why?!?  This seemingly sweet and handsome prince has something else up his sleeve.  So this is the huge twist in the plot that I've been keeping inside for the past month or so.  Some of you might remember how excited I was when I found out that Santino Fontana, who is currently playing the prince in the Broadway adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella", was playing Hans.  Well, just a day after I discovered this bit of information and got all excited, I found out that Hans SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER was the villain. :(  While I appreciate the break from the traditional "love at first sight and then everything is hunky-dory" plot, I wish they hadn't gone so far as to make Hans evil.  He seemed so sweet and sincere throughout the whole movie up until the transition point.  It was so hard to believe he was completely lying through his teeth the entire time.  This is the type of thing that would have really upset me and possibly ruined the movie for me if I hadn't found out about it ahead of time.  I would have hated "Love is an Open Door".  Thankfully, since I knew ahead of time about Hans, I was prepared and was able to enjoy the movie without getting too attached to him. :}  I know not everyone is like that, but I certainly am! END OF SPOILER 

     Olaf:  I'm sure everyone knows who Olaf is by now, with all of the marketing. ;)  But for those of you who don't know, Olaf is a magical talking snowman that can fall into pieces and recover from just about anything.  I wasn't sure if I would like this character when I first saw him featured in the commercials and trailers.  He seemed a bit goofy and uninteresting, simply there for comic relief.  But here's the deal.  This guy is actually pretty hilarious...and what makes him even more endearing is that he's so much more than a random source of comic relief.  He ends up having some real depth to his character...in a completely clueless, lovable sort of way. ;)

     Sven:  Sven is Kristoff's trusty sidekick and faithful friend.  He is similar to Maximus from "Tangled" in that he doesn't speak (except when Kristoff speaks for him), but his facial expressions and physical acting let you know exactly what he's thinking.  He makes you want a pet reindeer of your own. ;)

   

The Animation:

   I couldn't get over how absolutely beautiful the animation was on this movie, from the gorgeous landscapes, to Elsa's stunning ice palace, to the intricate details of the snowflakes in the sky.  The facial expressions and movement on the characters were perfect, too.  Disney keeps getting better and better. :)    

The Music:

   All sorts of people have been raving about the music, and I absolutely have to agree with them.  The songs move the story forward beautifully.  All of the actors have excellent singing voices.  I have to say, that was one drawback for me on Tangled...no offense to Mandy Moore fans.  Mandy had a sweet voice, but in my opinion, she didn't have the power, quality, or breath control of Idina Menzel or Kristen Bell in this movie.  The entire soundtrack, both score and songs, is wonderful...the type of old-school Disney songs that will be stuck in your head for weeks. ;)    My four very favorite songs were "Do You Want to Build a Snowman", "For the First Time in Forever", "Let it Go", and "Love is an Open Door".  

   "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" is a heartfelt, poignant song sung by Anna.  It shows Anna's progression through the years, from a little girl to a young woman.  Aside from being lovely, at times humorous, and wistful, it does an excellent job of moving the story forward in a way that grips your heart like only music can.  

   "For the First Time in Forever" is sung by Anna, and Elsa joins her towards the end of the song.  This is Anna's "I Want" song, so popular to the Disney musical, and expresses her excitement about the fact that she's finally going to meet people and have the perfect day. By contrast, Elsa sings of her nervousness about her coronation and whether she'll be discovered.

   "Let it Go" is the song that was released by Disney earlier, and is Elsa's power ballad.  I love Idina's take on this song.  To be honest, if I was choosing a singer to listen to on a regular basis, I would be more likely to choose someone with a softer, purer tone like Kristen Bell.  However, for this particular type of song, Idina has the type of voice that really makes it work.  She can belt something out with amazing power and yet still convey all of the conflicted emotions of her character.  "Let it Go" is what Elsa sings after fleeing her coronation, and is her "this is who I am and I'm not going to hide it anymore" song.  SPOILER   SPOILER   SPOILER  When taken by itself, it sounds rather selfish, even though most of us have probably had a time in our life when we felt like we couldn't be ourselves and were tired of pretending to make other people like or accept us.  However, when the song is put in the context of the movie, we see its real brilliance.  Elsa comes to realize that she isn't truly free or happy by running away from her problems, throwing off her restraints, and isolating herself from everyone else.  It is only when she allows Anna's love to come back into her life and finds a way to use her power healthily that she finds true freedom.  END OF SPOILER

  "Love is an Open Door" is just a super fun, upbeat love song between Hans and Anna.  It's a typical, love-at-first-sight situation, but this couple is anything but typical.  They're both cute and quirky.  You can't help but smile when you hear this song. :)  Besides, it's Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana singing.  What's not to like? ;)  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Of course, I would have enjoyed this song a lot more if the ending of the movie was a little different. :{  END OF SPOILER

  Really, I could say something about every song ("Fixer Upper" and "Frozen Heart" are both wonderful, and "In Summer" is hilarious), but then this post would be a lot longer. ;)  If you're interested in checking out the soundtrack for yourself, you can purchase it in stores or on Amazon.  It's also available for download on iTunes and is on Rhapsody.com as well (I'm listening to the soundtrack on Rhapsody as I type). :)

One of the great things about the soundtrack is that it has some deleted songs with introductions from the song writers (my favorite was the deleted song for Jonathan Groff). :}  There are also several score demos, as well as karaoke tracks for "Let it Go" (both Idina and Demi Levato's versions), "For the First Time in Forever", "Love is an Open Door", and "In Summer".

Objectionable Content:

   There really wasn't much I had to object to in this movie.  All I can think of is a reference to "tinkling in the woods" in one of the songs and two uses of the word "butt".  (I realize this word is not a big deal for most people, but in my house growing up, "butt" was a big no-no word, and I still don't really like it.) :}  Anna mentions in one song that she's not sure if she's elated or gassy.  Kristoff makes the claim that all men pick their noses and eat their boogers (even princes), and there is a humorous disclaimer from the Disney company about this in the credits.  Anna also gets hit in the face with Kristoff's spit when he's spit-shining his sled (most of us saw this clip in the trailers).  In a clumsy moment, Hans and Anna fall on top of each other.  It is not done in a sensual way, you just feel their embarrassment at the awkward situation.  And honestly, that's it.  Depending on your type of humor, most of the objectionable things might not even be objectionable at all.  Certainly nothing like "Shrek" or some of the other animated films that rely on adult or crude humor to get their laughs. 

For those of you who have more sensitive kiddos, there are a few intense chase scenes, one with wolves and one with an over-sized, scary snowman.  They're not overdone in the scary department, but it would still be enough to freak out my five-year-old. ;) 

  

This is another major spoilery section, so you might want to skip this part, too. :}  Sorry to do this, but in order to share what I want to share, I have to go into a little detail.

The Message:

    I think what I loved the most about this movie were the beautiful, simple messages it portrayed.  It really has a genuine, down-to-earth feel to it, but the things it teaches are lessons we can all take to heart.  

    SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER  First off, contrary to the typical animated Disney story line, this movie puts aside the "love at first sight" tradition and instead opts for a more realistic approach to love.  In this story, the handsome prince who instantly sweeps Anna off her feet and asks her to marry him is actually NOT the charming stranger he appears to be.  Meanwhile, Kristoff, who is not conventionally handsome, with his stockier build and rather large nose, ends up being the one who shows Anna true love.  

     

     STILL PART OF THE SPOILER The movie demonstrates the fact that the truest love is seeking the best for the other person (Olaf actually states this basic idea when talking to Anna), and is cultivated through friendship and over time, not the warm, fuzzy "connection" you make with someone at first sight.  Granted, Kristoff and Anna pretty much learn to love each other in a day, but I appreciated the fact that they don't get married at the end of the film.  Much like Tangled, it allows you to imagine how their relationship will grow and develop over time. :)  I think this is an excellent message for the kiddos (and single girls) watching this movie.  As fun as it is to watch movies like "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty", it's so important to keep in tune with reality and the dangers of immediately giving your heart to someone you don't truly know.  I also appreciated the fact that the movie specifically mentions (in the song "Fixer Upper") that people don't usually change (striking down the idea of "I'll marry him and change him"), but that showing love to someone can help bring out their best.  END OF (THIS) SPOILER

   The other thing I love about this movie is that the "true love" that is emphasized in the movie is NOT the love between a man and a woman, but the love between sisters.  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Anna selflessly sacrifices herself to save her sister, and through this action, she breaks a spell and also frees her sister from the fear that holds her captive.  END OF SPOILER

   This message leads right into the next one.  There will be some *gasp* spiritual application here.  You've been warned. ;)  Throughout the film, we see how Elsa is completely controlled by her fear.  She lives with the constant dread that she will harm someone with her abilities.  Every time she gets worried or lets her emotions get the best of her, her ice gets even more out of control.  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER It is only after Anna's love breaks a spell and Olaf mentions "Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart" , that Elsa realizes her love for Anna can help her control her powers.  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER  

This instantly brought to mind the first part of I John 4:18:  "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..."  In the context of the chapter, this verse is talking about Christ's love for us, and how when we abide in that love, we can live without fear of His judgement and can also reach out to others with the love of Christ.  Still, I think there is something that can be applied here.  

In our world, there is a lot to be fearful about.  It would be easy to curl up into a fetal position and let our worries and fears completely consume us.  It is only through "letting go" of those fears, ;) trusting and resting in God's love for us, and opening our hearts to love from those around us that we can finally be free. :)

As you can probably tell, I LOVED this movie and would highly recommend it.  Just go see it...you won't regret it. ;) 

And it's official:  I have a third favorite Disney movie. ;)  How about the rest of you?  Has anyone else had a chance to see Frozen?  What did you think?   

P.S.  If you're not a fan of spoilers, I would suggest not reading the comments on this post, as I can't add spoiler warnings to other people's comments. :}