Frozen

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Isn't it a tad ironic that a movie about the cold can make you feel so warm inside? Well, Frozen has that power. With its aesthetically breathtaking animation and gleefully lighthearted atmosphere, Frozen charms enough to melt even the coldest of ice hearts.

Elsa, daughter of the king and queen, is born with the power to freeze anything and create snow and ice out of thin air. As a child, she accidentally freezes her younger sister, Anna. Fearing her powers will become too dangerous, Elsa's parents hide her away in her bedroom. Meanwhile, Anna grows up without the company of her big sister.

When it comes time for Elsa to take the throne, the coronation ceremony takes a bad turn when Elsa's powers are exposed. Fearing for her life upon being labeled a sorceress, Elsa exiles herself to the mountains, accidentally putting her kingdom in a permanent state of winter. Anna runs after her sister, leaving her new fiancé Prince Hans in charge of the kingdom. She is soon joined by ice salesman Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and a walking-talking snowman named Olaf.

As much as I hate to say it, Frozen was not without its flaws. One thing I noticed was the heavy borrowing from Shrek (which, to be fair, borrowed a lot more from classic Disney than Frozen did from it). Olaf was their attempt Donkey. Attitude wise, Anna was a bit like Princess Fiona, with the same outgoing personality and desire for familial unity. Elsa also took a piece from Fiona: her backstory of the King's daughter locked away in a tower for her own good. There was also turmoil over whether Anna will choose to love Hans or Kristoff, conveyed in a similar way to Shrek 2's Prince Charming vs. Shrek.

Hans' character shift towards the end of the movie was totally unforeseeable in the worst possible way, and it was obvious that the sudden change of heart existed solely to bring about the movie's cliché ending. Although I was extremely fond of Olaf the Snowman, it was clear by the way he was introduced that he was only in the movie for comic relief. And even though his character probably made me laugh the most, he deserved a better introduction to the story than a "Hey! It's halfway through the movie, and you don't have an oddball sidekick yet. Don't worry...here I am!" As talented as Idina Menzel is, her singing voice was too showcase for the timid Elsa, and during her solo "Let It Go," Menzel's voice became a distraction. The song itself is great (I bought it on iTunes earlier today), but the vocals were just too "big" for the character. Elsa herself was also undersold during the movie. Where the bulk of the screen time went to Anna, I needed to see more of Elsa since her character was so captivating.

Returning to the plusses, Frozen has a lot of things to say about family, love, commitment, rationality, and self-perception, and says them in quite the enjoyable way. The smart and witty screenplay keep things moving at a solid pace, as do the catchy songs and score compositions. While all of the characters have their merits (even the reindeer Sven), you never want to take your eyes off Anna. Her spunky and fearless approach to life is extremely uplifting. Kristen Bell was highly impressive with her voice work for Anna, as was Josh Gad for Olaf. While I don't think Frozen will enjoy the longevity of Disney greats like The Lion King or even Mulan, it's always nice to be reminded that Disney rarely disappoints.

Rating: 4/5