“Frozen”

Chris Buck

I’ll be the first one to say that I thought Disney had run out of the magic that made the films of the 1990’s so beloved and so critically ac­claimed. It could have been the fact that I no longer belonged in the target audience for animated movies, but let’s be honest; “Treasure Planet” did not leave any of us with much hope for the future. But luck­ily for the company and for the art of animation, Disney’s new­est masterpiece “Frozen” blows the failures of the past decade away with an icy wind.

Its superiority to the un­derwhelming family films of the 2000’s mainly rests with the movie’s impeccable animation and artistry most notably dis­played in the highly detailed ice castles and frozen terrain. Even the powdery snow mushed per­fectly beneath the characters’ feet. Disney outdid themselveswith the details, and this me­ticulousness succeeded in cre­ating a literal winter wonder­land that absolutely dazzles throughout the entire film.

I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I will say that one as­pect of the last scene did greatly impress me. In one of the final cuts of the movie, the Ice Queen Elsa does not end up with any male character but rather stands alone surrounded by adoring subjects, thus commu­nicating to the audience that she rules the kingdom by her­self. Especially when the writ­ers chose to follow a predict­able plot line and allow Kristen Bell’s character Princess Anna to “get” the guy, I found the snow queen’s role increasingly important and refreshing in the film. Though she does not appear quirky, innocent or carefree, the introverted Elsa reaches a level of reality thatno previous character from any animated movie has ever achieved. Not everyone can be the outgoing, assertive and pop­ular princess, and that’s okay.

I do admit that while the witty dialogue and comedic timing clearly took literary skill, the song lyrics did not sound as carefully constructed. Lack of rhyme and originality left me wanting more, and I felt as if one too many metaphors and themes had been placed in “Let It Go,” by far the most promoted song from the movie. And while it may be fun to belt in the car, it certainly won’t be winning the Oscar for Best Original Song any time soon.

But on the whole, I would not hesitate to give this movie eight out of four stars. I went into the movie with extremely high hopes from the hype and acclaim it had received. Despite the fact that it simply reusedDisney’s trademark recipe for a successful animated Princess film—a likeable heroine, talk­ing animal friends and several lessons to be learned—I left completely satisfied.

With the below freezing temperatures these past two weeks and the four day week­end off due to the snow, I had no trouble relating to the icy pre­dicament of the characters, and I don’t think anyone else will either. Thanks to the warmth of the plot and the personalities of the cast, “Frozen” can melt even the iciest of hearts.

– Katie Payne