Frozen – Disney’s new animated feature – feels like it comes from a company resigned to its fate. They’ve invested millions into development of action-adventure movies, high-concept family comedies and other silly ventures. Frozen is Disney’s bread and butter. True love, princesses and magic – a familiar formula they always return to for guaranteed box office success. And I can’t say I blame them. It’s what made Disney who they are and what will introduce them to a new generation of little rascals with delusions of glittery grandeur.
Elsa and Anna (voiced by Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell) are sisters in the magical Nordic kingdom of Arendelle. Anna is a normal girl who spends her days wandering the halls of the castle with wide-eyed wonder. Her sister Elsa is a bit different. For no apparent reason she was born with magical icy powers. The girls are inseparable at a young age, using Elsa’s powers to build snowmen, ice skate indoors and sing melodies about how fun it is to play in the snow. As she grows older, her powers grow stronger. It’s no secret to Anna but when an accident nearly kills her, the king and queen decide to wipe her memory using some magic from a group of forest-dwelling trolls so Elsa’s powers are hidden from Anna forever.
The musical interlude that follows as Elsa and Anna grow up and grow apart is one of Frozen’s strongest. Elsa is resigned to her room so she can’t cause any more harm as her powers strengthen. Anna can’t understand the gap between the sisters and is resigned to talking to paintings and literally staring at the clock. After their parent’s parish on the open sea Elsa’s coronation as Queen of Arendelle is quickly set up. Soon, thousands of people descend upon the Kingdom for the joyous occasion. Anna is over-the-moon to have actual human interaction but Elsa is less than thrilled. Her powers are still shaky and if she loses control the masses could be helpless against it.
Unfortunately for the kingdom, instead of attempting to harness her powers, poor Elsa has been locked in her room for 10 years and her emotions get the better of her. She accidentally triggers an eternal winter and retreats to the top of the North Mountain. It’s up to Anna, a reindeer named Sven, an ice-dealer named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff,) and a magic snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad) to scale the mountain and convince Elsa to bring back summer.
Like I said, this is well-tread territory. Luckily, it’s 2013 and Frozen is stunning to see on the big screen. Even the 3D sunglasses (at least in my theater) didn’t squash the vibrant animation. Everything from the snowcapped mountains to the icy waterways are brought to life with incredible clarity. Although it’s not in the tradition of hand-drawn animation, the new computer-generated effects keep Disney at the top of the animated mountain.
Another aspect that separates Frozen from the pack of standard children fare is the wonderful music. This is full-bore musical territory and the movie is better for it. The melodies aren’t the most memorable in the Disney cannon but there are several songs that you’ll be humming upon exit (the most memorable comes from the lovable snowman Olaf as he opines about what summer must be like for a snowman.)
When it comes down to it, Frozen is fine, serviceable family entertainment. Although it shares a bit too much with Pixar’s recent ho-hum effort Brave, the beautiful animation, fantastic music and loveable character will endear it audiences everywhere. It’s nice to see Disney back in its comfort zone because I think we can all agree none of us need to see another National Treasure.
Rating: 
