Frozen [DVD]

***This review may contain spoilers.***Most unexpectedly, Disney’s “Frozen” (hereafter “D’s Frozen”) subtly reconfigures and directs the seemingly tiresome tropes and conventions of their romantic “princess movies” into uncharted “Marvel comic” territory and themes. The main protagonist (AND apparently antagonist) Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel) is far more than your run-of-the-mill glamorous elder princess, then (Snow) Queen of the kingdom of Arondelle. She possesses nearly unlimited, almost magical power to control and shape ice and snow.In a Marvel comic, she’d be considered a mutant with the combined powers of Ice-Man and Storm. Unfortunately and tragically, she lives in medieval times and does not have the guidance of a Charles Xavier-like mentor to help her harness the power for mankind’s benefit. Well, there IS a (literally) stone troll king, Grand Pabbie (voice of Ciaran Hinds) who is aware of the extent of Elsa’s powers. However, all he can recommend to Elsa’s father (voice of Maurice LaMarche) and mother (voice of Jennifer Lee), King and Queen of Arendelle, is cruel, complete isolation from all humanity until she is mature enough to ascend the Arondelle throne.Part of the reason Elsa is held in quarantine is because in childhood, while using her powers to create a winter playground for herself and younger sister Princess Anna (adult voice of Kristen Bell), she accidentally injured her head. Although non-superpowered and “normal”, Anna heals with the Troll King’s help. Having no memory of the incident, Anna is distraught and perplexed as to why Elsa cannot come out to play. Still, the coronation day comes, and Elsa seems to be in emotional control of herself and her abilities. Not for long. Elsa gets upset when beautiful but impulsive Anna immediately intends to get hitched to comely Southern Isles prince Hans (voice of Santino Fontana), a guy she met only minutes before in a boating “mishap”. Already tense and anxious, Elsa unleashes an ice age on Arondelle and flees the shocked citizenry for the lonely refuge of the mountains.Anna may be a mere mortal, and a bit clumsy, but she is unswervingly determined to locate and reconcile with her sister and convince her to thaw out the kingdom. This sounds like a straight-arrow objective, but many complications come into play. One, Elsa finally finds peace and the freedom to be herself in the mountains, which is celebrated in the ubiquitous, destined-to-be ageless ballad “Let It Go”, and literally carves out an ice palace for herself. Two, although Anna teams up with loner ice-delivery man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his faithful, dog-like reindeer Sven, and a wacky snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad), they at first don’t seem to be much help. Kristoff, like Elsa, just wants to be left alone, and Olaf keeps falling apart and foolishly wishing he could move to the tropics. But, with Sven’s urging, Anna’s tenacity and persistence bring this odd duo around. Third, some in the coronation party, like the Duke of Weselton (‘Weaselton”) voice of Alan Tudyk) and others, consider Elsa a monster and want to eliminate her. Fourth, Elsa accidentally causes Anna to suffer a “heart freeze” that could prove fatal. Can Anna achieve this miracle and save both Elsa and herself? According to the Troll King, true love is the key. But what is this true love?“D’s Frozen” continues the Mouse House’s rise above older cartoon sentiments and happily-ever-after resolutions and marriages (mostly) and explores more advanced, modern emotions and themes. In Marvel Comics “X-men”, mutants deal with adolescent anxiety and confusion about their powers, their fear of losing control of their powers and causing death and destruction, and the prejudicial hostility of a society that can’t and won’t understand them. Elsa faces these same dilemmas. “D’s Frozen” moves beyond superficial, helpless romantic puppy love (like that of Anna and Hans) into more substantial love and friendship like the one within a family and between sisters. It also moves beyond conventional villains (although there are a few, and at least one unanticipated one) to show that our own worst enemies are our inhibitions and fears. “D’s Frozen” also continues the relatively recent Disney movement to create independent, self-assured women who do not automatically need men to face and overcome danger and obstacles. And naturally, most importantly, “D’s Frozen” helps us figure out what that true love is, with, amazingly, the help of that “wise fool” Olaf. True love is captured in the phrase that begins, “No greater love hath a man [person] for another than to….”.Best of all, “D’s Frozen” achieves the weighty themes mentioned above with excellent visually artistry, suspenseful and sometimes heart-thumping action, naturally funny slapstick and verbal humor, dazzling musical numbers, satisfying character development, and happiness that is not deus ex machina, but hard-won. Not bad for this Disney/Marvel collaboration. Not bad at all.P.S.: If you have the patience to wade through the end credits, you’ll find a funny disclaimer addressing Kristoff’s opinion about men and their noses, and the final fate of the abominable snowman Elsa creates to protect herself from attack.

I went to the theater expecting the usual dumb kids movie, and was blown away. I LOVED this film and instantly added the DVD to my wishlist. Honestly, my favorite movies are The Hunt for the Red October, Galaxy Quest, Pixar's Incredibles, Princess Bride, Ponyo, Sound of Music, and Lord of the Rings Extended Editions. I gravitate to no particular genre, but only to what I find are the absolute best movies. Frozen is up there with the best movies I have ever seen. Period.Why is this film so good?1. It teaches real love. Love is about putting the other person's needs first. Love is shown in your actions not your words. I am so floored that a kids movie actually taught this and even took the time to point out you never get engaged or married to a guy you just met. WOW... a Disney film not about being swept off your feet by a guy in 3 seconds? Its about time.2. The side kick characters are not annoying.... seriously!! Its like the difference between Jar Jar Binks and R2D2. These side kicks are more like R2D2 whereas past Disney sidekicks were like Jar Jar Binks. These side-kicks from the reindeer to snow monster were done exactly right. They add humor to the show and dimension without ever getting in the way of the story or you wanting to strangle them. Way to go Disney!!! Any way you can retroactively edit sidekicks in older films?3. The plot themes are serious yet with enough humor that it doesn't feel too serious AND without the humor taking away from the story line. What a great balance to hit just right. Ok so the story line is a bit simplistic because its a kid movie, but it still has twists and turns. I did not find the story predictable because I was expecting another one of those princesses falling in love movies.. and this was not typical. The story teaches important themes like what love really is, the weight of responsibility, how to use power rightly vs. wrongly, and empathy for others.4. Great music. The opening song grabs you and whisks you away to another world. Every song helps you connect more deeply to each character... and pulls you deeper into the story. I have never felt so much empathy in a musical since Fiddler on the Roof... and I'm not that emotional of a person.So if you have daughters, grandchildren, nieces, or work in childcare... get this movie. You will be able to watch it over and over without going insane. The kids will learn what true love really is and what to watch out for in love.... its not what all those other princess movies teach. So you can rest easy.