Frozen (2013)
In terms of modern Disney, there is no denying that 2013's Frozen is one of the biggest hits the company has seen. Realizing the potential and momentum established within The Princess and the Frog and Tangled, Frozen is a modern classic with Disney putting together all the needed pieces to make a compelling and charming animated feature. The story revolves around a conflict within Princess Elsa of Arendelle, voiced by Idina Menzel. Elsa grew up often in isolation due to the fear that she might harm someone with her magic ice powers. Even as those such as her sister Anna, voiced as an adult by Kristen Bell, tried their best to make Elsa feel loved, Elsa would shut herself away. This continues when Elsa is about to be crowned Queen but loses control of her powers, causing an eternal winter to plague Arendelle and Elsa to retreat into the mountains where she feels she can keep everyone else safe. Both worried about her sister and the safety of her home, Anna sets off to find her sister and bring summer back to Arendelle.
While the setup to this drama might be ultimately rushed, there is no denying the effectiveness of this conflict once the film really finds its footing. Both the main characters are compelling in their goals and fears with a lovely maturity being given to Elsa and her writing. Elsa is placed in the difficult position of being both the lead antagonist for much of the film and being a sympathetic figure of moral innocence with her reaction being understandable yet unhealthy for both herself and those around her. While Elsa can lash out, she does so out of a desire to keep everyone safe and it is hard not to sympathize with the complexities of her character. She also represents a blank canvas that the audience can paint on to relate to their own fears of identity with some lovely perspectives coming out surrounding the film and possible interpretations such as a queer reading. The best Disney films give a compelling dynamic like that of Elsa and allows the audience to define the specific connections between themselves and the character. This allows far deeper and more personal relationships between audience and viewer to form and goes to show how strong of a base layer the actual film ends up being.
However, Frozen is far from a single act show. Anna is also incredibly likable with a lovely performance by Kristen Bell bringing her frustrations to life. There is also a wonderful juxtaposition between the sisters that show the dangers of vulnerability with Elsa being hurt due to being closed off and Anna risking being hurt for being too open at times. This is a complex dynamic that gives light to an important lesson that isn't always expressed in kid's media. The side characters are also all wonderful. Josh Gad is of course iconic as Olaf, a talking snowman brought to life by Elsa's powers, with his comedic timing and actual writing being genius. At no point is Olaf too overbearing and his comedy is often genuinely funny. Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) is incredibly likable as another companion to Anna along her journey and also plays a key role in being a reminder of the larger effects this drama is having on the community who is suffering due to this eternal winter. The other characters and creatures met along the way are also memorable and fun with strong iconography and presences that never drag on for too long while also never feeling rushed.
The only real character to stand out as particularly polarizing is Hans (Santino Fontana). Introduced early on as a love interest for Anna, Hans is quite awkwardly shoehorned into the story only to be made extremely relevant again towards the end in a manner beyond obvious and ultimately unneeded. Not only does the character quickly become an afterthought, but there is just no point to his presence at the end other than to raise stakes in a rather cheap way that threatens to undercut the more mature melodrama being captured at the heart of the film. This is the one part of the film that really feels like the feature is being forced to add a narrative element for the sake of meeting a Disney requirement rather than because it actually fits and serves a larger purpose.
The film’s music is also used as a pillar of strength for the film’s narrative. Unless one has been living under a rock since 2013, the songs of Frozen will more than likely be known word for word simply on how overplayed they ended up being. From "Let it Go" to "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?", the songs of Frozen are nothing short of iconic but also are narratively used incredibly well. Rather than just playing in the background or being used randomly to give the film a musical element, the songs are used to push narratives and connect with the characters on a deeper emotional level that speaks to the strength of the genre as a whole. Rather than requiring forced dialogue to explain how a character feels, the songs give a natural outlet to these otherwise unspoken truths.
The animation is also some of Disney's best. Fully understanding how to use and push computer-animation, Frozen is revolutionary for how it handles the animation of snow and winter to stunning results. Both the snow and ice have a real texture to them and the film contains some of the most beautiful shots of winter ever seen. Ice crystals create unbelievably elegant designs and visual foundations as the film embraces iconography unique compared to anything seen in animation before. With their money and resources, one of the best aspects of Disney is their ability to change and push the animation medium along with Frozen being a prime modern example of this.
Frozen still holds up today just as it did back on release in 2013. While the film might not be perfect, the overall thematic weight of the narrative still hits hard and the technical backbone of the film is one of the strongest in Disney history. Frozen might sometimes get overlooked or disregarded considering the commercialization of the franchise, but its base film is still a strong success
While the setup to this drama might be ultimately rushed, there is no denying the effectiveness of this conflict once the film really finds its footing. Both the main characters are compelling in their goals and fears with a lovely maturity being given to Elsa and her writing. Elsa is placed in the difficult position of being both the lead antagonist for much of the film and being a sympathetic figure of moral innocence with her reaction being understandable yet unhealthy for both herself and those around her. While Elsa can lash out, she does so out of a desire to keep everyone safe and it is hard not to sympathize with the complexities of her character. She also represents a blank canvas that the audience can paint on to relate to their own fears of identity with some lovely perspectives coming out surrounding the film and possible interpretations such as a queer reading. The best Disney films give a compelling dynamic like that of Elsa and allows the audience to define the specific connections between themselves and the character. This allows far deeper and more personal relationships between audience and viewer to form and goes to show how strong of a base layer the actual film ends up being.
However, Frozen is far from a single act show. Anna is also incredibly likable with a lovely performance by Kristen Bell bringing her frustrations to life. There is also a wonderful juxtaposition between the sisters that show the dangers of vulnerability with Elsa being hurt due to being closed off and Anna risking being hurt for being too open at times. This is a complex dynamic that gives light to an important lesson that isn't always expressed in kid's media. The side characters are also all wonderful. Josh Gad is of course iconic as Olaf, a talking snowman brought to life by Elsa's powers, with his comedic timing and actual writing being genius. At no point is Olaf too overbearing and his comedy is often genuinely funny. Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) is incredibly likable as another companion to Anna along her journey and also plays a key role in being a reminder of the larger effects this drama is having on the community who is suffering due to this eternal winter. The other characters and creatures met along the way are also memorable and fun with strong iconography and presences that never drag on for too long while also never feeling rushed.
The only real character to stand out as particularly polarizing is Hans (Santino Fontana). Introduced early on as a love interest for Anna, Hans is quite awkwardly shoehorned into the story only to be made extremely relevant again towards the end in a manner beyond obvious and ultimately unneeded. Not only does the character quickly become an afterthought, but there is just no point to his presence at the end other than to raise stakes in a rather cheap way that threatens to undercut the more mature melodrama being captured at the heart of the film. This is the one part of the film that really feels like the feature is being forced to add a narrative element for the sake of meeting a Disney requirement rather than because it actually fits and serves a larger purpose.
The film’s music is also used as a pillar of strength for the film’s narrative. Unless one has been living under a rock since 2013, the songs of Frozen will more than likely be known word for word simply on how overplayed they ended up being. From "Let it Go" to "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?", the songs of Frozen are nothing short of iconic but also are narratively used incredibly well. Rather than just playing in the background or being used randomly to give the film a musical element, the songs are used to push narratives and connect with the characters on a deeper emotional level that speaks to the strength of the genre as a whole. Rather than requiring forced dialogue to explain how a character feels, the songs give a natural outlet to these otherwise unspoken truths.
The animation is also some of Disney's best. Fully understanding how to use and push computer-animation, Frozen is revolutionary for how it handles the animation of snow and winter to stunning results. Both the snow and ice have a real texture to them and the film contains some of the most beautiful shots of winter ever seen. Ice crystals create unbelievably elegant designs and visual foundations as the film embraces iconography unique compared to anything seen in animation before. With their money and resources, one of the best aspects of Disney is their ability to change and push the animation medium along with Frozen being a prime modern example of this.
Frozen still holds up today just as it did back on release in 2013. While the film might not be perfect, the overall thematic weight of the narrative still hits hard and the technical backbone of the film is one of the strongest in Disney history. Frozen might sometimes get overlooked or disregarded considering the commercialization of the franchise, but its base film is still a strong success