Review on Disney's Frozen
Behold the next Lion King ?
For a while Disney has had plans to try and bring Hans Christian Anderson's tale of the cold-hearted, wicked Snow Queen to the animated big screen. At times they have failed, and have desired to bring The Snow Queen movie to the cinema, though they pushed it aside, believing that it couldn't be done.
Bring on 2011- 2010 when they have plans to do Frozen, about troll prophecy about a icy- cold-hearted ruler and a never-ending winter and the two main sisters of the story Anna and Elsa.
Early in development Elsa was the main villian, as it would be following the story, however they changed things, believing that Elsa's character would be a more powerful character as somebody who is misunderstood and struggles, and then overcomes her struggles.
And it worked well for Disney, and for the movie, as Elsa became a strong character and Queen.
ugh, run away Kristoff. Run away.
The movie begins with a charismatic and charming opening number foreshadowing about Elsa, and the main villian of the movie. There's a frozen heart worth mining, but beware the frozen heart.
It's a nice and exciting beginning to the movie and it brings you right into the movie. However things begin to slip for the movie pretty fast.
Why ?
The Trolls. Usually in Norwegian legends, these are creepy and untrustworthy creatures that steal young blonde children. However within Frozen, they instead take care of the young orphan Kristoff.
Though, they are still dodgy and one of the worst characters that Disney has ever created, because they just throw bad and awful messages all over the place. Frozen tries hard, really hard, to break away from old cliches that Disney gets torn apart on, so instead they do something much worse.
The Trolls are supposed to help and aid the Arendelle royal family, and heal Anna's head injury, but instead they give out a traumatizing and scaring prediction to a young eight year old girl, that if she's not careful, people will fear and destroy her, and the Father, oh the Father, basically says right in front of them, that he plans to lock out Elsa, in her room, like a canary bird, and keep her apart from Anna, and they don't do a thing ?
Hey King Dad, that sounds like a awful and terrible idea, and is actually abusive. Stop ? No, instead they don't stop King Dad at all, and they let Elsa and Anna grow up separated. These are supposed to be breaking the cliche and be good guys, right ?
Wanna build a snoooooowmmmmmaaaaan ?
The next song, Do You Want To Build A Snowman is simple, yet, heartbreaking and effective. It's emotional and it works. You can see the two young girls grow up, apart from each other. Poor Anna trying her best to get through to each other, and bond with each other as sisters should be doing.
However Elsa is so traumatized and frighted by what the trolls showed her, and her by mistake sending ice to Anna's forehead knocking her out, she doesn't want to make the same mistake again. She doesn't want to hurt or harm Anna, because she loves her, and she cares about her sister.
At the same time, you also feel for Anna and her character, growing up blocked from Elsa, and her having no clue or idea why. Anna grows up basically isolated, alone and bored.
ANOTHER SONG RIGHT AWAY ?
The movie skips to three years later, and Elsa is about to become a Queen. However the movie wastes no time, into skipping into a average and not the greatest song ever created. It's pretty average, though it's pretty much a necessary evil, as it shows what harm and effect that Anna's awful childhood as caused to her.
Princess Anna is alone, and isolated, and she's desperate to be loved and adored. She believes that a Prince Charming can heal her emptiness and loneliness. However it could of been explained or said, told to the viewer without bursting into a song.
The movie has already had 3 main songs, with no huge breaks, and it can be annoying. There's no breath of air between the storytelling and songs.
* Play Darth Vader Empire music here *
Next the movie basically throws Mr Prince Charming onto us, and well to be honest Anna and Hans do have some chemistry together, however Anna's massive crush on Mr sideburns shows. And he knows it.
They have a nice meeting together as he helps her up, after knocking her over with his horse.
Hans is nice, polite and shows Princely honor by bowing to her. It brings a few awkward laughs.
The next scene is Elsa's main coronation, she's now a main queen. However it's not too dull or necessary, you can smell, taste, feel, the awkwardness between the two main sisters, it's like they hardly know each other, and well, they don't, and the movie does a good job at showing this.
He's already loosing it
Oh wow, another song. And a love song right ? Well no. This song makes the movie worth watching again, and while lyrics within the song are a bit cheesy, there is subtle interesting hints that Prince Charming isn't so pure and innocent. It's my favorite song within the whole movie, and one of my favorite villian songs.
At first, by first viewing, it feels like a cliche and not out of place Disney love song. So this is the next Whole New World or Can You Feel The Love Tonight right ? Nope, it's the new To Be Prepared, but disguised as Can You Feel The Love Tonight.
You maybe be thinking what the smurf, but it suits the villian Hans and matches his character, because he too his something sinister in disguise.
Though I really think that I love and adore the visuals here. The robotic clock dancing, the sock sliding down the hallway, the wishing upon the stars together, the romantic flowers and dancing.
It's all very beautiful, though secretly dark at the same time.
Disney went fishing and they caught a big fish for that juicy Oscar
Next the story picks up pace as trout hits the fan, Elsa's powers are revealed as Anna and Hans beg for her to say yes, towards their quick marriage. She says no, as she's a sensible woman, and they have only met for like, a few hours.
However Anna pushes her, believing that Elsa wants her to be lonely and miserable, when in reality she only wants to protect her from harm and danger, and her powers are shown.
Elsa's big secret that she's keeping secret for so long is out.
People fear her and her powers, she is called a monster, and Anna chases after all. However she's scared, worried and afraid and flees to the Northern Mountain where she can't harm Anna or anybody else. If you haven't sorry for Elsa now, you will now.
Let It Go, is a nice song and it's inspirational, however it's never really worked for me personally. I really personally enjoyed the visuals again, of Elsa escaping from the kingdom, creating Olaf a important character later, and her beautiful and stunning ice castle.
I have heard that this song has helped those with social anxiety and depression, and that's nice.
Ice is my life
Anna heads off alone to find and to try and help her older sister, so she leaves Hans a total stranger in charge of the Kingdom. Hans does offer to help her, but as soon as she drops leadership roles on him, he quickly changes his mind. Hmm. Suspicious.
Anna shaken and cold, bumps into Kristoff the main lead of the movie. Unlike Anna and Hans, they don't get along at all, and it's extremely awkward and uncomfortable. While Anna and Hans had chemistry from the beginning, Anna and Kristoff have nothing.
Anna just wants her sister back, and Kristoff just wants to be alone. However Anna forces Kristoff into helping out her find Elsa, there is a song here, but it's quick, and not too important.
Just a sad quick attempt to try and give Kristoff some character, and it fails. Instead of giving him a proper and decent song, they instead give him a joke song, while gives hints about Kristoff's feelings on life, that Reindeer's are better than people, it's not much.
The next few moments are just Kristoff ripping Anna's naivety apart for her quick marriage plans to Hans. Disney clearly did this on purpose to show they no longer agree with quick marriages. Though it's so not subtle, in fact it's right in front of your face. What happened to the subtle ?
There is a exciting wolf chase, and Anna tries to show that she's not a weak or feeble Princess, and they are able to escape, without being wolf dinner. However what Kristoff says next, worries me.
Kristoff ( Sven voice )- She'll die alone
Kristoff- I can live with that
Kristoff- ( Sven voice ) But you won't get a new sled if she dies
Kristoff- I really don't like you sometimes
Wh-what- what- what- whataaat ? Isn't Hans supposed to be the villian in disguise here ? What the smurf Disney, that's just, what ?
Anna doesn't here this either, which concerns me even more. She had no idea that Kristoff couldn't be smurfed if she died from coldness, got eaten by wolfs or whatever and only tagged along for a new sled originally.
Next comes in Olaf, which makes up for what is going on, he's warm, funny, friendly, kind-hearted, and his song In Summer is pretty random and hilarious. Again it matches his character. Kristoff wants to tell Olaf that he's going to melt if he ever faces Summer, which Anna and him plan to bring back, however it's not really all that genuine until the end of the song as he wants to tell for the laughs. However good old Anna shuts him up.
Kristoff at the end of the song shows a real desire to tell Olaf that his ambition is dangerous, so I guess Kristoff isn't a huge douche after all.
Villain VS Villain time
The movie takes you back to Arendelle with Hans passing out cloaks and warm food, and making sure that he's getting people's love and praise. However the side villian the Duke, refuses to believe that Hans is doing a good job, causing Hans to snap. It's a interesting villian face-off, really.
Anna's horse comes back, as Hans calms it down, which is interesting, and the Duke whispers plans to his henchmen to "remove " Queen Elsa. The music has a rather creepy tune here, as the camera faces the Duke, and then heads back to Anna and Kristoff, giving you a sense of warning and danger, and making you believe that Hans is innocent and Duke is the lead villian.
Anna's plans to try and bring back Elsa back home fail as she pushes Elsa even more further to her limits, and Elsa strikes a ice-y spell to Anna's heart. Elsa is at breaking point, and sends her sister away and Kristoff with a giant snowman.
Kristoff shows quick changes here, as he helps Anna and make sure that she's alright. I would be like, Kristoff is just that douche that warms and changes into a better person, but Hans does this alot. Though I'm easier on Kristoff, because he really proves later that he does care about Anna. Though it just feels like bad-writing, either that or I have been traumatized and haven't realized it yet.
DUMP THE FIANCE GO WITH NEW MAN INSTEAD, IT'S OKAY HUN
Here comes to worst part of the movie. Hang on, I need to get a drink. Hm, no still doesn't do anything.
Anna and Kristoff's love song, is a smurfing Fixer Upper song. Disney is like " oooh noo quick marriages are bad and awful and we are good people now " but then they smurfing ruin it with this.
Kids, listen. Do not date a fixer- upper, because he can never be fixed, and fixer uppers are dangerous people, that can later screw you over. This is what smurfs me over with this movie. The nice guy, who gives out warm blankets and food, and shows care for Anna and chemistry is the sicko, and the fixer upper, WHO ORIGINALLY COULDN'T CARE LESS WHETHER ANNA LIVED OR DIED, is the boyfriend.
The trolls suggest that Hans should be pushed out of the way, and date our most likely stolen son instead. Unless the trolls have been stalking Hans, they have no smurfing idea of his plans, and it's just a bad awful message and extremely rude. Little kids are going to grow up with this, thinking that the Fixer Upper man is the man to go for and nice guy, is going to murder your smurfing family.
Nice job, Disney, nice job.
Not to mention that the trolls push Anna and Kristoff into oh, a quick wedding ! So this quick wedding is okay ? I don't understand. The movie was doing so well to teach children that quick weddings are awful.
You mean, nobody loves you Hans, you are a bit confused there son
The trolls actually give good advice for once and mention that Anna can be cured by true loves kiss, so it's back to Hans. However Hans is busy playing Game Of Thrones with Elsa, and has just tried to squash her like a pancake with her icy castle chandelier. When watching the movie the first time, you believe that Hans is just playing the hero role, the main male role, however he just have a savior complex.
Hans fails to take out Elsa, so he locks her in chains. I have no idea how he does this, being a upper class rich boy who loves sandwiches but he somehow manages too. I guess for prince lessons in the Southern Isles, it's sword-fencing, waltzing, manners, and chains designs. Damn, Prince Eric from Little Mermaid really missed out.
Anna comes back frozen and cold, and Kristoff realizes that he has to give her up to Hans, leaving to a emotional moment, but Kristoff knew from the beginning that she already had a lover ? Why did he let himself fall in love and so quickly ? I guess emotions cannot be helped, but you would think that you could control a crush on a girl that you have just met, just a little more strongly son ??
What happens next is what has broken the hearts of fangirls everywhere, boo-hoo. This is what made me love Hans, and his whole character and his villainy.
Instead of giving Anna the old typical true loves kiss, he instead in the most assface way possible, tells her that nobody loves her, and that he was just using her to get to the throne and he's gonna lock her in so she can freeze to death.
ouch
However it breaks a stereotype and a cliche of the Prince Charming and it's pretty damn evil. Disney villains are usually pretty dark and disturbing they have more fantasy and imagination put into them. Hans just feels more human and more real, and it's really disturbing and nightmare-fuelish for a movie aimed at 4- 7 year old girls who are going to dress in pretty Elsa and Anna outfits. It's just, wow.
However I still like and enjoy Hans as a character personally, due to him not growing up in a healthy home environment and he was abused and mistreated by a army of 12 brothers. Not growing up within a healthy home, and getting mentally abused by older brothers, I can relate.
I don't know what hurts more, Anna getting hurt and getting left to freeze to death, or a character that you would of understood and would of tried to befriend and hang out with, become a total monster.
Also Frozen is very family is love, kind and caring and will always be there for you. Hans shows that they always won't be, but instead of making him a interesting and complexed character that could of shown that toxic families are no good, and get the hell out of there children, instead they just drop the villian plotwist and label on him.
smurf you Disney.
True love thaws
The ending is pretty epic and well done I must say. It's pretty fast and exicting and has plenty of twists and turns, leaving you to guess what happens and occurs next and whether if Anna and Elsa are going to make it.
Throughout the review I have been harsh on Kristoff, however he completely makes up for everything he's done throughout the movie, and completely gives up everything, he even almost looses his best friend Sven's life, to make sure that Anna is alive and okay. Kristoff doesn't even know if Hans is a jerk. He just loves her so much, and wants to know if she is okay.
What a sweetie.
Of course it's a happy ending, Hans is stopped before he can behead Elsa, and is sent back home, most likely to be hanged or beheaded. There is a light punch from Anna, and it's awesome to see her stand up for herself and punch the bastard off the boat.
Elsa and Anna are now connected and Anna and Kristoff kiss, beginning a slow and new relationship.
It's a nice movie, though not without it's flaws. However I feel like, it's hugely overated.
7 .5 / 10
* How did I do for my first movie review, any tips ?
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Originally Posted by Shlup
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