Review - Frozen (2013)
Hey guys, Chuck here. Okay, here it is. My second review of the day, since there will be no Throwback Thursday review next Thursday due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Here we go, my review of Frozen.
Released in November of 2013, this movie by Walt Disney Animation Studios has become a powerhouse film, and went on to become the highest grossing animated film of all time, and winning several awards for Best Animated Feature, as well as winning the Oscar for best original song for the song "Let it Go." The story focuses on Anna and Elsa, two sisters who are the daughters of the King and Queen of Arendelle. Elsa, the older sister, has magic ice powers, and one night, while the two are playing, Elsa accidentally strikes Anna in the head with her ice magic. The King and Queen take them to a colony of trolls, where their leader Grand Pabbie heals Anna's head and erases her memories of Elsa's powers. As the years go on, Elsa secludes herself from Anna, and the two sisters grow apart from each other. One night, the King and Queen tragically die when their ship is caught in a terrible storm and sinks to the bottom of the sea.
Years pass, and Elsa, now 21 years of age, is about to be crowned Queen of Arendelle, and for the first time in years, the castle gates will open in honor of the coronation. Anna is excited, as this will be the first time she will get to meet people. One of those she meets is Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Anna is smitten with Hans, and the two seem to hit it off really well. Elsa, meanwhile, is concerned about people discovering the truth about her powers. After the ceremony, Anna and Elsa meet several of the dignitaries that have arrived for the ceremony, including the Duke of Weselton. After a brief reunion, Hans proposes to Anna, who accepts. However, the ever weary Elsa refuses to give her blessing, as she rightfully points out to Anna that she "cannot marry someone she just met." After a brief argument, Elsa's powers are revealed, and she runs away from Arendelle, unintentionally setting off an eternal winter in the process. Clearly concerned but unafraid, Anna sets off to speak with Elsa, leaving Hans in charge of Arendelle.
We then see Elsa letting loose with her ice magic, and building an enormous palace made of ice. Meanwhile, Anna runs into a trading post to pick up warmer clothes, more appropriate for the cold weather. It is here that we meet Kristoff, who collects and sells blocks of ice for a living along with his reindeer Sven. Kristoff agrees to take Anna to the North Mountain, where Elsa is. Along the way, they meet a living snowman named Olaf, who journeys with them to find Elsa. After confronting Elsa, which results in another ice blast striking Anna accidentally (only this time in the heart), Anna and the others are chased off by a giant ice monster called Marshmallow. After realizing what happened, Kristoff takes Anna to the trolls, in the hopes that Grand Pabbie can help her. Unfortunately, Grand Pabbie is unable to do anything, as he tells them that "only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart." Realizing what they need to do, Kristoff, Anna, and the others hurry off to Arendelle to find Hans, who himself has gone to the North Mountain to capture Elsa alive.
After Anna is returned home, she reveals to Hans that Elsa had accidentally struck her, and that an act of true love was needed to thaw the ice in her heart. However, Hans reveals his true colors, and leaves Anna to freeze to death, taking the throne for himself and sentencing Elsa to be executed for Anna's death. Olaf, meanwhile, helps Anna travel to the frozen lake to meet up with Kristoff, who is racing back to find her. While at the same time, Elsa breaks free from her chains and escapes. Hans catches up with her, and he tells her what she did. Elsa drops to the ice in sorrow, and Anna hurries to stop Hans from killing her, turning to solid ice in the process. However, Anna's sacrifice was an act of true love, and thus she was freed from the ice. As soon as she realizes that love is the key, Elsa removes all of the ice and snow from across Arendelle. Hans is arrested and sent beck to the Southern Isles, and Elsa and Anna decide that they will no longer make trade deals with Weselton, sending the Duke back as well. Elsa, now in control of her powers, creates ice on the palace grounds for the people of Arendelle to skate on, and she and her sister are reunited once again.
The success of Frozen is simply amazing. The film has led to several things, including amusement park meet and greets, a Broadway play, a story arc during the fourth season of Once Upon a Time on ABC, even a world based on the movie in the video game Kingdom Hearts III. Many cosplayers, including a few friends of mine in the cosplay community, have dressed up as Anna and Elsa at conventions and for other appearances, and the soundtrack is so popular that people are still playing the songs even to this day. The long and short of it is that Frozen has become so popular that Disney made it its own brand, as opposed to including Anna and Elsa as part of the Disney Princess line with the likes of Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, and Moana. Heck, if you go to any Disney store at any shopping mall, chances are that you'll see some Frozen merchandise everywhere. Now, when the movie came out, I didn't see it until really late in its theatrical run, as I was more focused on seeing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. However, I went to see Frozen in theaters, and it was really good. I really enjoyed it, and I picked up about a month later on Blu-ray. The movie, for me, felt like the classic animated Disney movies I grew up on, such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and so forth. I was amazed that Disney was making animated movies like they used to once again. Now, I did see Wreck-It Ralph in 2012, but I thought it was just okay. However, I really enjoyed movies like Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Moana. So, in truth, Frozen reminded me of the reason I liked Disney as a kid, and is one that I highly recommend. I also recommend the two short films Frozen Fever and Olaf's Frozen Adventure, which are available on Blu-ray as well. I'm really excited for Frozen II, which as of posting this review is set for its theatrical release tomorrow. I give Frozen a rating of 5/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.
Released in November of 2013, this movie by Walt Disney Animation Studios has become a powerhouse film, and went on to become the highest grossing animated film of all time, and winning several awards for Best Animated Feature, as well as winning the Oscar for best original song for the song "Let it Go." The story focuses on Anna and Elsa, two sisters who are the daughters of the King and Queen of Arendelle. Elsa, the older sister, has magic ice powers, and one night, while the two are playing, Elsa accidentally strikes Anna in the head with her ice magic. The King and Queen take them to a colony of trolls, where their leader Grand Pabbie heals Anna's head and erases her memories of Elsa's powers. As the years go on, Elsa secludes herself from Anna, and the two sisters grow apart from each other. One night, the King and Queen tragically die when their ship is caught in a terrible storm and sinks to the bottom of the sea.
Years pass, and Elsa, now 21 years of age, is about to be crowned Queen of Arendelle, and for the first time in years, the castle gates will open in honor of the coronation. Anna is excited, as this will be the first time she will get to meet people. One of those she meets is Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Anna is smitten with Hans, and the two seem to hit it off really well. Elsa, meanwhile, is concerned about people discovering the truth about her powers. After the ceremony, Anna and Elsa meet several of the dignitaries that have arrived for the ceremony, including the Duke of Weselton. After a brief reunion, Hans proposes to Anna, who accepts. However, the ever weary Elsa refuses to give her blessing, as she rightfully points out to Anna that she "cannot marry someone she just met." After a brief argument, Elsa's powers are revealed, and she runs away from Arendelle, unintentionally setting off an eternal winter in the process. Clearly concerned but unafraid, Anna sets off to speak with Elsa, leaving Hans in charge of Arendelle.
We then see Elsa letting loose with her ice magic, and building an enormous palace made of ice. Meanwhile, Anna runs into a trading post to pick up warmer clothes, more appropriate for the cold weather. It is here that we meet Kristoff, who collects and sells blocks of ice for a living along with his reindeer Sven. Kristoff agrees to take Anna to the North Mountain, where Elsa is. Along the way, they meet a living snowman named Olaf, who journeys with them to find Elsa. After confronting Elsa, which results in another ice blast striking Anna accidentally (only this time in the heart), Anna and the others are chased off by a giant ice monster called Marshmallow. After realizing what happened, Kristoff takes Anna to the trolls, in the hopes that Grand Pabbie can help her. Unfortunately, Grand Pabbie is unable to do anything, as he tells them that "only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart." Realizing what they need to do, Kristoff, Anna, and the others hurry off to Arendelle to find Hans, who himself has gone to the North Mountain to capture Elsa alive.
After Anna is returned home, she reveals to Hans that Elsa had accidentally struck her, and that an act of true love was needed to thaw the ice in her heart. However, Hans reveals his true colors, and leaves Anna to freeze to death, taking the throne for himself and sentencing Elsa to be executed for Anna's death. Olaf, meanwhile, helps Anna travel to the frozen lake to meet up with Kristoff, who is racing back to find her. While at the same time, Elsa breaks free from her chains and escapes. Hans catches up with her, and he tells her what she did. Elsa drops to the ice in sorrow, and Anna hurries to stop Hans from killing her, turning to solid ice in the process. However, Anna's sacrifice was an act of true love, and thus she was freed from the ice. As soon as she realizes that love is the key, Elsa removes all of the ice and snow from across Arendelle. Hans is arrested and sent beck to the Southern Isles, and Elsa and Anna decide that they will no longer make trade deals with Weselton, sending the Duke back as well. Elsa, now in control of her powers, creates ice on the palace grounds for the people of Arendelle to skate on, and she and her sister are reunited once again.
The success of Frozen is simply amazing. The film has led to several things, including amusement park meet and greets, a Broadway play, a story arc during the fourth season of Once Upon a Time on ABC, even a world based on the movie in the video game Kingdom Hearts III. Many cosplayers, including a few friends of mine in the cosplay community, have dressed up as Anna and Elsa at conventions and for other appearances, and the soundtrack is so popular that people are still playing the songs even to this day. The long and short of it is that Frozen has become so popular that Disney made it its own brand, as opposed to including Anna and Elsa as part of the Disney Princess line with the likes of Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, and Moana. Heck, if you go to any Disney store at any shopping mall, chances are that you'll see some Frozen merchandise everywhere. Now, when the movie came out, I didn't see it until really late in its theatrical run, as I was more focused on seeing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. However, I went to see Frozen in theaters, and it was really good. I really enjoyed it, and I picked up about a month later on Blu-ray. The movie, for me, felt like the classic animated Disney movies I grew up on, such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and so forth. I was amazed that Disney was making animated movies like they used to once again. Now, I did see Wreck-It Ralph in 2012, but I thought it was just okay. However, I really enjoyed movies like Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Moana. So, in truth, Frozen reminded me of the reason I liked Disney as a kid, and is one that I highly recommend. I also recommend the two short films Frozen Fever and Olaf's Frozen Adventure, which are available on Blu-ray as well. I'm really excited for Frozen II, which as of posting this review is set for its theatrical release tomorrow. I give Frozen a rating of 5/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.
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