Frozen – PG

Running Time: 102 min

Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Main Voice Actors: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad

Rating: 9

The first time, it’s a mediocre Broadway film. The second time, it’s a quaint story about sisters. But upon the third time of seeing it, I was officially captivated by Disney’s newest masterpiece, Frozen. Two sisters, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) and Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), struggle to find common ground with one another as Elsa holds a huge secret from Anna: Elsa has the power to create ice and snow. But when her powers grow out of control, Anna must find her and bring her back to her senses. It’s a story of family and love, appropriate for every age.

Sneaking past the cheesy compliments that this movie deserves, I’ll point out its biggest mistake. Frozen was not advertised as a Broadway musical, and it should have been hinted at. Many people, including me, were completely shocked at the sudden alteration from their original preconceptions about the film. The entirety of the movie had ten original songs, and each of them held the air of Broadway. Initially, I was pulled completely out of the movie because of the unexpected change, and the first time I saw it I wasn’t impressed. However, the more I saw it, the more it grew on me. If I had known before hand that the music would be completely different from all the other Disney musicals, I would have probably loved it the first time. I suppose it was simply poor advertising on their part.

Onto the pros, which this movie is full of. The characters were absolutely enamoring; even the villain (unfortunately)! Both Anna and Elsa were absolutely believable, relatable, and understandable. Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) was not only endearing, but personable and probably created to battle the stereotypical Disney plot. Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) was surprisingly wonderful; I was expecting an annoying comedic relief who would end up being a pain in the rear, but I was given a pure hearted perspective for each of the characters to learn from.

For a Disney movie, Frozen sure seemed to spend a lot of time making fun of Disney clichés. True love and “a true loves kiss” were romanticized by many of the characters, but ultimately none of these mattered as much as trust and love through friendship. Disney also has been known for the “damsel in distress who is saved by prince charming” tropes. In Frozen, however, the “damsel in distress” ends up saving herself. This completely captivated many girls in the audience, young and old. This movie is full of twists and turns, and strong women (unfortunately) are one of them.

Despite the music being an initial unpleasant surprise, I am delighted to report that the soundtrack really is a jewel. Not to downgrade Kristen Bell’s beautiful voice, but Idina Menzel has a voice of pure gold. She was absolutely stunning in the movie’s most popular song, “Let it Go”, as well as in all interpretations of the song “First Time in Forever”. In addition, I was spellbound by the opening song “Vuelie”, originally a combination of Saami yoiking and the Danish Christmas hymn, “Dejlig er jorden” or “Fairest Lord Jesus”. The theme of the hymn was removed from the film version because “they do not fit the context of the film” (from an article by Morgan Stradling on Frozen’s soundtrack). Adding to my heartthrob for the music, throughout the soundtrack there were various hints of Scandinavian themes such as kulning, a type of Norwegian yodeling that is hauntingly beautiful to say the least. To be honest, I was reminded of the soundtrack of Swedish game, Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons. I was chilled to the bone.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Just go in with a mind prepared for Broadway and focused on love.