Frozen (2013-Disney)

3.5 stars (out of four)

I have to make an apology to most people who saw this before me and I was dismissive of their opinions.  But in my defense, this movie has been horribly marketed because I thought it would be similar to the animated crapfest, Happy Feet.  But Frozen is truly a very good animated film.  It is not quite like anything Disney has done before.  It is very similar in tone and theme to the many films from Disney, but also vastly different.

The story is based on Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen.  The main story focuses on two  Norwegian sisters Elsa and Anna.  They are the heirs of a kingdom on a fjord and are inseparable as little girls.  It turns out the elder, Elsa, is born with an ability to create snow and ice.  She and Anna play together in Elsa's worlds of ice and snow until she accidentally injures Anna.  Their parents take them into the woods where trolls revive Anna but warn their parents that Elsa's ability will only get more powerful as she ages and she could easily kill her sister if she were to cast ice into Anna's heart.  Her parents immediately separate the two sisters from each other and close their castle walls to protect everyone until Elsa can learn to control her power.  Soon after, her parents are killed in a sea voyage, leaving the girls to grow up isolated from each other and the world until Elsa's official coronation.  When the big day comes, during an argument, Elsa plunges the kingdom into permanent winter.  When the people are terrified by this, Elsa exiles herself.  Anna tries to go after her to convince her to stay.  In another argument, Elsa accidentally injures Anna again, this time in the heart.  In order to save Anna, only an act of true love will heal her.  The rest, I will not reveal to avoid a spoiler, but it is great and unexpected.

At first glance, this appears to be another Disney princess-theme film, with princes included.  But this is a film under Disney's newest head of animation, John Lassiter, one-time head of Pixar.  He was one of the creative forces behind Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., A Bug's Life, Up, Cars, Wall-E, Ratatouille, and others.  Anyone even remotely familiar with these will also realize that Pixar never approached their material and subjects in a orthodox fashion.  They were always fresh, original and unexpected.  Since he has taken over Disney's animated department, Lassiter has helmed Tangled (which I haven't seen yet) and Wreck-It Ralph (see review).   Now Wreck-It Ralph was fun, but not too inspired.  I will be watching Tangled soon.  But Frozen was fun AND inspiring, but from an unexpected source.  Rather than romantic love, the movie focuses on the bond of familial love, in this case, two sisters.  Also, it focuses on the necessity being happy with yourself before you can be happy in anything else.  Both of these themes are much more positive roles for our sisters, nieces and daughters to live by.  What I loved so much was that the movie was not what I expected.  I am usually pretty good at picking movies, but this is one that slipped through the cracks.  This is why I love movies.  They always have the capability to surprise me, and Frozen is a prime example.  I recommend it to anyone at any age.  It is really good.