(IF YOU ARE HERE FROM THE NON-SPOILER POST, YOU HAVE ALREADY READ EVERYTHING UP UNTIL THE BOLD CAPTION BELOW.)
So I went and saw Frozen :) I know, right? Finally! Well, I am here to tell you what I thought of it now that I have actually seen the darn thing.
Before anything, I will say that the short before it was fabulous! It was called "Get a Horse". It starts out like an old Mickey Mouse cartoon (you know, Steamboat Willie, that type of thing), but then Peg-leg Pete comes along and literally throws Mickey out of the screen. So the rest of the short kind of plays along with that concept of the characters going in and out of the screen, flipping it around, etc. They actually used the original voices from the old cartoons. That means Walt Disney was voicing Mickey! :D I highly recommend getting to the theater early so you can watch this short. 10/10.
OK, moving on to the movie itself...
First off, for those of you who are ignorant, let me just give you a brief overview of what it is about: Fearless optimist Anna teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.
TRAILER
That's basically it in a nutshell. It was inspired by Hans Christen Anderson's fairytale The Snow Queen. OK, on with my review!
I'll admit, when I first saw it I wasn't sure what to think afterwards. I certainly didn't think it was bad, but I was a little hesitant to call it amazing (I just said it was out of principle as a Disney lover). I had to think about it a little bit and go over everything. Then I decided I had to see it again to make up my mind. I think my problem was that I had gone in expecting... I don't even know. But then I left the theater, not disappointed, but just... confused? So, I saw it a second time. And I left the theater that time completely blown away! Like holy cow that movie is fantastic!
It definitely had a very magical, fairytale-esque feel to it which I loved! Disney is certainly getting back to its roots. The plot was great, the characters were great, the music, the animation, the humor, EVERYTHING! (But that doesn't been it didn't have flaws, but I'll get to that in a little bit.)
First, let me address the thing I loved most: the music. Yes, yes, YES! It is a rare thing when I actually like every single song from a musical, and this is one of those times. When I bought the soundtrack and heard those songs, I fell in love with them. Not just the songs, but the voice talents singing them. They are all broadway singers! And then the score! *swoons* It's the same composer who wrote the music for the short, Paperman.
Now as for the animation, it is fan-freakin'-tastic! I thought Disney was taking a break from hair animation after Tangled and Brave by putting both the heroines's hair into braids or buns, but wow. The way their hair moves while it's up like that is amazing! And then the snow! Wow. It just looks so REAL! They have
every type in there. Powder, ice, falling, blizzarding, and all the phenomenons that are created from Elsa's powers. It's all breath-taking! And then any time Elsa uses her powers 8D. Like the whole "Let It Go" sequence when she's building her ice palace. Holy guacamole! Just... that whole scene is worthy of admission within itself! Even the little like 3-year-old kid next to me was like "whoa. Thats awesome!". The combination of that dazzling animation and Idina Menzel's epic, goddess-like voice= one phenomenal scene!
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
OK, now on to the characters! (A key part to what makes a movie good for me)
Olaf. I was actually really surprised by this guy. I mean, he was being bashed by so many people before the movie even came out like "he is annoying in a Jar-Jar Binks kind of way" or "he's so creepy looking" or whatever. And then Disney was insisting that he was hilarious and used him in their marketing any time they could. I defended him from the haters using my philosophy "don't judge before you've actually seen it". I went into the theater expecting him to be kind of funny and just a cute little sidekick who tags along with the other characters. But nope. He ended up being HILARIOUS! He seriously had like all the best lines, and he was actually pretty relevant to the plot and useful at times (also how he thought both Kristoff and Sven had the same name for like half the movie was great). I ended up liking him even more than I thought I would.
Anna was adorable and absolutely hilarious! She wasn't your typical princess, like she was so hyper and awkward and her mouth was quicker than her head. But she was such a happy positive person, you couldn't help, but love her. She would try to act confident and in charge, especially when she was trying to tell Kristoff what to do, but couldn't really do it. She was just too awkward and nice. What I actually really loved (and I'm sure all those raging feminists did too) was that in the end, Anna saved herself. With the whole "an act of true love will melt a frozen heart", she was the one who committed the act of true love and saved herself. I did not see that coming. I knew it wasn't going to be Kristoff's kiss, it just seemed obvious it wasn't going to be romantic love. However, I thought Elsa was going to do something. But nope. PLOT TWIST! Anna does it! It was great!
I liked Elsa too. She was such a sympathetic figure. I wish I could have a lot to say on her, but she didn't do a whole lot except for stress over containing her powers. However, she brought so much emotion to the film. You could just feel how much it hurt her to push Anna away, or how happy she was when she finally uses her powers full blast during "Let It Go", or her pain when she realizes she can't stop the winter, or her grief when she thinks Anna's dead, etc. Plus, she is gorgeous! I loved her design! Now, I just wish they could have explained her powers a little bit more. Like really all they said was that she was born with them. And it just seemed so normal to her parents. Like is this a common thing for kids to be born with powers? I guess that's being nit-picky, but still.
I loved Kristoff. He was a great character. He was such a grumpy loner in the beginning, but as time goes on, you realize, as the trolls say "you'll never meet a fellow who's as sensitive and sweet". He's a little quirky and awkward. Like he does the funniest things like almost cries at the sight of Elsa's ice palace, or shares carrots straight out of Sven's (his reindeer) mouth, or "talks" for Sven and has a conversation basically with himself, but using "Sven"'s voice, etc. He's a simple working man set in his ways and apparently smells really bad. On the other hand, like Anna, he has an adorably earnest approach to life. And he cares so much for Anna that he rushes her to her “true love” even though that man isn’t him. Seriously, you can't not love him.
He has a different build than the traditional Disney leading man. He's a lot larger and bulkier, and I believe he's the first blonde (in a princess movie).
OK. I can't talk about the final main character without addressing the major plot twist. I went into the movie expecting a plot twist because everybody had been saying there was going to be one and said that it was a good one. So I was even expecting one and it still completely threw me off guard! (Not that I knew where or what it was going to be, I just knew there was going to be one). Ever since I heard about Frozen and its characters, I wondered about Prince Hans. Disney was so vague about him and never revealed much info about him except for the fact that he was a visiting prince for Elsa's coronation and befriended Anna and was a "nice guy". Then when the soundtrack came out and I heard "Love Is An Open Door", I began to wonder how the love triangle was going to be resolved, because I knew that Anna was going to end up with Kristoff (that was the spoiler I read. The one I was whining about a while back). Several things went through my mind: they could pull an Enchanted where they just realize that they aren't meant for each other, or Hans could die, or Hans could end up with Elsa, but then lastly Hans could end up being a villain. When that last one crossed my mind, I thought it a plausible possibility at first, but then pushed it aside thinking Disney would never do something like that. Then as I watched the film, that thought never even entered my
head. He was way too nice and perfect! Then it got to the part where Anna comes to him and asks him to kiss her. He's just about to kiss her, their lips are just about to touch... I think it's going to be like Enchanted where they kiss and nothing happens, so they realize they aren't each other's true love. But nope. PLOT TWIST! He says the most cold, horrible thing: "Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you." AHHHHHH!!! Seriously, it was jaw-drop worthy! He is the human form of that saying "if something seems too good to be true, it probably is". However, once his true colors are revealed, he becomes SUCH a cliche villain, it is almost painful!
I was upset, when I first heard the soundtrack, that there was no villain song, because those are usually my favorite songs. But then I realized that "Love Is An Open Door" IS the villain song, because Hans is just manipulating Anna that whole time! (And wouldn't you know it? That's one of my favorite songs on the album). Also, I love how Anna just totally socks him in the jaw and takes him out at the end. Some people wanted like a death or something for how much of a jerk he was, but I thought that punch was perfect! People actually applauded and cheered during my second viewing (including me).
The duke of Weselston (or "Weasel-town" XDD) was hilarious at the beginning with his floppy toupee and his weird, crazy dancing. But then he becomes the main antagonist, just to kind of serve as a threat until Hans's intentions are revealed. He's just acting out of fear, really, unlike Hans who is all about power, so I don't really despise him. He was funny mostly.
Disney took a different turn with this movie by not really focusing on romance and focusing mostly on the sisters. As I said above, it was sisterly love that saved Anna in the end rather than romantic love. And then it was that same love that ended the eternal winter (that moment was great. THE MUSIC!!!). The bond between Elsa and Anna... it was just so beautiful. It felt so real. Like when they're geeking out over the chocolate at Elsa's coronation, or giggling over the duke's toupee, or when Elsa has the duke dance with Anna and is just watching smugly from the sidelines. And when they were little kids, playing together, it was the cutest thing!
As I said, romance was not a huge focus in this movie, but it was still there (it just wouldn't be Disney without it). I know love triangles are not everyone's favorite, but this one was remarkably well played out. I thought at first that Anna and Kristoff did not have a lot of chemistry, but that was because their romance is a subplot. My second time around, I took that into consideration, and they were perfect! They're both so quirky in their own ways, it just made them compatible. Also, you see something you don't ever see: the guy asking the girl's permission for him to kiss her (I'm sure the feminists were ecstatic over that too). And then the way he trips over himself as he's asking XD. Except
the one thing that was a little off for me was the way Anna realized she was in love. It was because Olaf was like "oh Kristoff loves you" and she was like "oh really?" and then she decided he was her true love. Yeah. A little sloppy there, Disney. (And while we're on the subject of romance, I have to mention the trolls. They were great. When I first heard "Fixer-Upper" on the soundtrack, I could not stop laughing. I knew it was the trolls singing and I thought they sounded like embarrassing parents trying to hook up their geeky son with the prettiest girl in school. Come to find out upon watching the movie, that's basically what they are XD).
Now, I did not really cry during this film. I know! I can't believe it either! There were some definite heart-shattering moments though and I got really close to tears, but I never actually cried (but that's just me). I think the closest I got was at the beginning when the parents died, and then when Hans tells Elsa that she killed Anna and she just crumples to the ground in despair.
The comedy was just perfect. There wasn't a surplus of it and the jokes weren't stupid. They all fit in perfectly, were well-timed, and some were absolutely hysterical. Like I said, Olaf had all the best lines, but that doesn't mean the other characters didn't have some great stuff too:
Kristoff: "Have you even had a meal with him yet? What if you hate the way he eats? What if you hate the way he picks his nose?" Anna: "Picks his nose?" Kristoff: "And eats it." Anna: "Excuse me, sir. He's a prince." Kristoff: "All men do it." Anna: "Ew!"
or Kristoff: "Your hair. It's turning white." Anna: "Does it look bad?" Kristoff: "...no." Olaf: "You hesitated." Kristoff: "No. I-I-I didn't."
or Anna: "I'm Anna." Olaf: "And who's the funky-looking donkey over there?" Anna: "That's Sven." Olaf: "Uh-huh. And who's the reindeer?" Anna: "...Sven."
or Hans: "I mean it's crazy." Anna: "What?" Hans: "We finish each others--" Anna: "Sandwiches." Hans: "That's what I was going to say!"
or Elsa: "You look beautiful." Anna: "Thank you! You look beautifuler. No, not fuller. You don't look fuller. Just more beautiful."
or Anna: "This is awkward. Not you're awkward, but just because we're-- I'm awkward. You're gorgeous. Wait, what?"
or Olaf: "There's your act of true love! Riding across the fjord like a valiant pungent reindeer king!"
or Kristoff: "Meet my family!" Anna: "They're... rocks." Olaf: "He's craaaazy. I'll distract him while you run. (to a rock) Hi, Sven's family! It's nice to meet you. (to Anna) Anna, because I love you, I insist that you run."
or Olaf: "Oh look at that. I've been impaled."
or Duke: "She tried to kill me!" Hans: "You slipped on ice."
or Anna: "Trolls. They're trolls!" (Trolls look at Anna) Trolls: *blink blink* Bulda: "He's brought a girl!!!" (Trolls cheer)
I thought the pacing seemed a little fast at first, but second time around, it was a little better, still seemed a bit fast, but better. But it's a kids' film, it can't be too long. Besides, that's what I thought about Tangled at first, now I think it's just fine.
It wasn't a perfect movie, I will admit, but it was really, really good. Do not make me compare it to Tangled! They were very different movies! So I will just say, I really liked it and I would happily see it again and again! My final rating is 9/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment