K-SCORE: 52
Writers/Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad
Spoiler Level: Moderate
“takes a big swing and a miss on the hot/cold dynamic”
Frozen is a beautiful Disney movie about the love of two sisters, Elsa and Anna. Elsa from a young age has mysterious powers to manipulate the cold that grows more intense as she ages. Her stern father encourages her, after an accident playing with her sister, to always stay in the castle under his careful watch and protection. As a result she grows distant with her loved ones and never learns to temper her powers leading to fear of change and the world beyond her home.
Anna on the other hand, has a warm spirit, bringing smiles to even the most downtrodden of folk with her wild energy. Her parents cast her aside as too reckless to rule the kingdom and though she is content to live among her people instead of above them, she always feels slighted and saddened by Elsa’s magic and the attention it draws.
One day her parents go to war in a far away land and years pass without their return. Despite Anna’s suggestions that they go out to look for them, Elsa insists on staying hidden. At a ball one night, an argument breaks out between the sisters and Elsa plunges the kingdom into everlasting winter. Anna then has to embark on a quest alone to learn the fate of her parents and the secrets of their family they took with them when they disappeared, so as to determine how to end the permafrost.
At the end of her quest, Anna learns it’s the warmth she’s had in her heart all along that has the power to thaw the land. Inflamed by sisterly love, Anna undoes the damage caused by their argument, so she and Elsa can rule happily together, bringing both strength and love to their kingdom. It is the magical balance, the perfect formula that their people have always needed and that they’ve needed of each other as well.
…
Oh. Wait. Frozen didn’t tell that story. That’s merely a sensible direction for the story given the characters and themes the filmmakers were trying to develop. Instead it’s a confused, sloppily plotted musical with a couple good songs, a lot of unnecessary characters, and even more horrible dialogue. There’s no need for the annoying snowman, the gnomes, the bar of quirky rural men, the horse - really anyone who isn’t Elsa or Anna. The whole film feels like it just cares about taking the “lovers magical kiss” moment away from the handsome prince and saying, “we don’t need men for magical love that saves everything because we have sisterhood!” which would have been fine had the rest of the film been well-conceived. It isn’t. They are still driven by male characters, be it their fuddy-duddy partners or motiveless, evil antagonists, and Frozen takes a big swing and a miss on the hot/cold dynamic between the sisters. I liked Elsa creating an ice castle (though her powers are inconsistent to say the least) and her song about freedom. That’s about it.