205th G-View: Frozen

Not an anime but I’ve reviewed American cartoons before. Besides, it’s a movie about snow and ice and I like cold weather and a Disney adaption of the Snow Queen sounded interesting. While I did initially show cynicism toward it I went and picked it up anyway…especially because of one couple in particular. This is Frozen.

WARNING! This review contains spoilers. You have been warned.

Genres: Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Disney.

Running time: Around 90 minutes

G-Rating: 9/10

Plot Summary: Elsa and Anna are sisters born into a royal family. Elsa has ice powers and is not very good at controlling them. An accident happened that forced the king and queen to separate the princesses for years in order to keep Anna safe from Elsa and Elsa safe from society. Years passed, the parents croaked (as usual in Disney films) and Elsa’s next in line to the throne. Anna and Elsa were kept apart all this time until the coronation ceremony but one mistake by Anna ticked Elsa off enough to reveal her power causing all sorts of chaos. Elsa runs away and Anna feels she’s the only one who can bring her back. Oh, and Elsa accidentally created an eternal winter in the Summer so there’s also that little crisis to fix.

I like simple and to the point plots and this one does just that. Each character has their own moral and theme behind them. Anna for example is the sheltered princess who doesn’t know much about the outside world yet is thankfully not a pushover and has a bright outlook on life. She has the tools to be a cool lady, all she needs is some life experience. Elsa’s journey is to be true to herself while also being brave enough to face the world…which is not easy. Christoph needed to learn to trust people more, Olaf learned that fire is not good (and didn’t care because he’s awesome) and Hans is pretty much a “don’t judge a book by its cover” and “love takes time” character.

Not much else I can say about Anna and Elsa that I haven’t said above. Anna felt like a regular woman to me. She may have been sheltered for a long time but she wasn’t stupid…outside of getting engaged in one day but that can be credited to her being in the mood. Elsa also acted exactly how someone in her position would have. The parents did their best and after they croaked, she was all alone and had nobody to guide her so she followed the last of her parents’ guiding words as long as she could so that both her people and especially her dearest would remain safe from her unstable power.

Mascot characters have a bad rep on the internet. They are usually revolted. I admit that there are some that annoyed but Olaf is not one of them. His cheerful, optimistic and always look for a bright side attitude warmed my heart every time he’s on screen. I couldn’t help myself. He’s a lot of fun to be around.

The other mascot character is Sven and his human friend Christoph. I found the few scenes where Christoph talked for Sven amusing because it showed these two are best friends and can usually understand each other without words but Christoph still felt like giving the audience a narration. Nice guy. I liked the dynamic between these two more than Flynn and Maximus’ from Tangled. I Christoph being a nice guy and for the most part, he is. Unlike most male leads in Disney films, Christoph didn’t feel like a FRI (forced romantic interest). He wasn’t abusive like The Beast or shoved in at the last moment like 75% of princes in Disney movies. He also has one of the best lines in the movie: “You got engaged to someone you just met that day!?” I wonder if that was Disney’s attempt at bashing the cliche fairy tale trope or themselves? Whatever. It was funny.

The songs were all excellent and had a narrative to them. They each felt part of the story and were not just “let’s sing something catchy”. I REALLY wanted to have a different opinion and pick a different favorite song number but “Let It Go” is THAT…DAMN…GOOD! It must be seen on Blu-Ray or if readers have already seen it on the big screen, lucky you.

The special effects are just breathtaking! Elsa’s ice powers are as cool as Jack Frost’s from the also good Rise of the Guardians. Check out that movie as well if you want to see an Avengers like team led by Russian Santa Claus. Then again, Western CGI movies by big studios like Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks,

I know others noticed hints sooner but this is the scene that made me go “Oh yeah, I can see a fanbase revolve around this couple. I admit that I got hints from “Wanna build a snowman?” but most would easily see that as nothing more than sisterly friendship. I can’t help it. Blame Candy Boy and Binbou Shimai Monogatari for showing me and the rest of the yuri nation that sisterly love is also sweet yuri.

I know it’s Disney and Christoph won in the end but who cares! Elsanna’s way cuter. The whole Christanna thing’s just vintage Disney and part of the norm. On the bright side, like Tangled, it wasn’t a prince this time like it usually is. Anyway, Elsanna have earned a spot in the Yuri Hall of Fame for both the tiny sprinkle of subtext (I’d say it’s Grade 5) and the major fan support.

Overall, Elsanna aside, Frozen’s a really good movie. I haven’t watched a Disney movie I REALLY liked since Wreck it Ralph and the one before it being Toy Story 3. Frozen definitely deserved all the praise it got and was an enjoyable watch. The characters felt classic, yet modern at the same time and they were also likable (even Prince Hans for his cheesiness). The drama did not go overboard, the comedy was simple and effective, the mascot characters were likable, the CGI’s breathtaking and watching it on a laptop monitor does not do it justice. If any readers here are the few who have yet to watch this and do not have a grudge against Disney (T F O) then by all means a buy on Blu-Ray. It’s worth it for more than just Elsanna.