Frozen - Re-Review

Once upon a time, I took a college class that taught me the basics of creating comics. One of my assignments was to take a famous passage or chapter from a published story, and one story that caught my attention at the time was ‘The Snow Queen’ by Hans Christian Andersen. I went with its second chapter, where the main characters, Gerda and Kay, were introduced, as well as what they did together before the Snow Queen left a shard of ice in Kay’s eye, resulting in him going all across the lands to meet up with her. That caught my eye, so I took that chapter and applied my own drawings and writings onto that passage. And because I was still new to writing, my first thought was to adapt it into comic form while keeping it as authentic and faithful to the story as possible. When, you ask, did I do this project?

The answer: several months before Disney threw in their own take on The Snow Queen. Because I was a fan of movies like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and my parents were fans of Tangled, I was genuinely curious to see how well Disney would do with their latest animated movie on the horizon.

And that movie was Frozen.

Tell me this: what is your definition of a bona fide Disney masterpiece? When I think of that kind of movie, I always picture it as having vibrant, almost groundbreaking animation and likable and/or interesting characters with many dynamics. It would also have clever, inventive writing that’d do a great job of telling a great story, and in so doing, could completely redefine a classic fairy tale as we know it. If it’s a musical, I can see it having some ingenious, riveting, powerful music that would only stay with you long after you’ve listened to it. Take such musicians as Rodgers and Hammerstein, the Sherman Brothers, Alan Menken, or even Lin-Manuel Miranda. These are all examples of great musicians whose touch left an indelible mark on cinematic history.

From the looks of it, Frozen looked like it was bound to carry all the basic elements of a Disney classic. Great animation, fun songs, witty characters, and as you’d expect, a streamlined, different approach to a classic fairy tale. And because Disney was hot on the heels of some of its own animated films, such as Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, I wondered what kind of magic Disney had in store for something like The Snow Queen.

As for what we ended up with? That’s a little hard to explain. I’ll admit that I didn’t go quite as wild over this movie as everyone else did, and I can think of reasons for it. However, over the 13 years since the movie came out, it has always been on my mind, and I began to think back on which parts truly resonated with me, if only in ways I didn’t anticipate.

For starters, let’s take a look at the story.

Set in the mystical kingdom of Arendelle, the princesses, Anna and Elsa, had fun as the best friends they were. One night, however, Elsa’s concern for Anna, as well as the unknowable control of her ice powers, left her to accidentally strike Anna in the head and leave her unconscious. Once her parents, King Ignarr and Queen Iduna, found out, they discovered, especially with the help of the trolls on whom they relied for help, that the magical powers that Elsa harnessed were quite serious and could have been very dangerous for Anna if struck in her heart. So, what they suggested was to wipe Anna’s memories clean of Elsa’s ice powers, and that Elsa keep her ice powers to herself and never reveal them to Anna.

That, combined with Elsa’s fear of hurting Anna again and the tragic deaths of their parents, caused a significant rift between them. And it led Elsa to become increasingly distant from Anna as she did her best to keep her ice powers hidden.

Years later, a coronation was about to unfold for Elsa’s ascension to the throne. Anna was as happy as can be, for it meant that opening the castle gates meant Anna had a chance to finally negotiate with the people of Arendelle. Elsa, on the other hand, uncertain of what her future might bring, just wanted to get it over with so she could keep to her own business without interfering with others’.

Meanwhile, Anna ran into a dashing young man named Hans, prince of the Southern Isles. Once they met, they hit it off really well. It left Anna swooning over him and convinced that she had found her true love. However, as Anna and Elsa proceeded with the coronation and Elsa learned what had occurred between Anna and Hans, they began to argue until Elsa snapped and accidentally revealed her ice powers to Anna and all of Arendelle. Panicked, Elsa fled, not knowing that her ice powers had expanded throughout the kingdom until it finally culminated in a never-ending snowstorm. Though she was shocked that Elsa had powers she had hidden from her, Anna set out to find Elsa, bring her home, talk some sense into her, and have her reverse the snowstorm she had created.

So, as Elsa made a home for herself in one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, Anna ran into a local mountaineer named Kristoff, who, along with his pet reindeer, Sven, looked around the mountains to harvest ice. While they did start off on the wrong foot, Anna and Kristoff got to know each other as Anna trusted him to lead her through the mountainous terrain and into where Elsa ultimately made her home, all while meeting some new friends along the way, including a talking snowman named Olaf, ‘who likes warm hugs’.

Would Anna have succeeded in talking Elsa into coming back home with her? Would Elsa have had what it took to reverse the ice powers that ran rampant throughout Arendelle? And what more would our heroes discover both at Elsa’s hideout and back at Arendelle that they had never anticipated before?

I knew that Disney had attempted to adapt the story of The Show Queen into a feature-length movie for decades. After all, because Disney had finally played its hand with Rapunzel – and I might add, Frozen shared an arguably similar design with Tangled – what’s stopping it from playing its hand on other such fairy tales that deserved such recognition? And it just so happened that Disney decided to throw its take on The Snow Queen several months after I threw mine at art school.

But as for what we got out of Frozen, there were clearly many things I found quite impressive, and others I thought were just a little flimsy or helter-skelter.

When my family and I first saw this movie, we felt a little turned off by Olaf’s design. After all, given his cutesy design and awkward charm, placing such a simplistic design among realistic-looking humans and animals left me uncertain about how this character would fit within the environment .

Let’s look at Timon and Pumbaa. They were cutesy sidekicks for The Lion King, but they fit because they were a meerkat and a warthog and would have lived within the confines of the African savanna. With Victor, Hugo, and Laverne from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as controversial as they were for being cutesy characters who likely distracted from the overall tone of the movie, kind of like how I initially thought about Olaf, I didn’t mind them because they were gargoyles first and foremost. And because Quasimodo was friends with them at Notre Dame Cathedral, it fit because these gargoyles came from the cathedral’s standard architecture.

With Olaf, a talking snowman, I didn’t know, at first, exactly how he would have come to be or how he would have fitted within Northern Europe. My parents and I even thought of that as equivalent to throwing Mickey Mouse into Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. Mickey Mouse had his childlike charms, but when you put him in a film brimming with realism and strong characters, it could result in a potentially inconsistent tone.

Even the monstrous snowman that Elsa would create later on, my family and I also dismissed as being a little too generic, if not overtly threatening. And it didn’t help that the design of this character reminded us too much of the Abominable Snow Monster from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Sure, this was a literal abominable snowman rather than a yeti, but regardless, we were torn about the general simplicities of the design of this character when everything else around them was as realistic as could be and thus should be given the story mechanics necessary to have them add to it, not distract from it.

And let’s talk about the song ‘Fixer Upper’, sung by the trolls. When Anna met up with them again, this time accompanied by Kristoff and Sven, the trolls noted how much Anna and Kristoff were seemingly meant for each other and how they must take the extra step and join in holy matrimony despite whatever imperfections Kristoff may have in Anna’s eyes or even Anna in Kristoff’s eyes.

And this was all occurring just as Anna was starting to get sick from the worsening effects of her frozen heart and begging them for help. So, that song almost felt like it could not have come at a more inappropriate time, especially since Kristoff tried to explain to the trolls how Anna was engaged to someone else.

And yes, the more I thought about it, the more I recalled how much this song felt like ‘A Guy Like You’ from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In both cases, the sidekicks were supportive of whatever chances at a relationship the main characters dealt with in the middle of a heavy crisis, ‘A Guy Like You’ in the middle of Paris’ arson and ‘Fixer Upper’ in the middle of Anna’s severe condition.

At least, I used to think so about this song until some details cropped up regarding it and the trolls, but I’ll get to that when I do.

Fortunately, the major discrepancies with the movie end there.

Also, to understand how affected Anna was from being struck with Elsa’s ice powers, a strand of her hair turned white after she was struck in the head. However, after being struck in the heart, the rest of her hair turned white. That was a sign of how serious her condition became.

Anyway, as I let this movie sit and revisited it, I realized there were other aspects of Frozen that I came to really appreciate, and it grew on me until I finally understood why this movie resonated so strongly with so many people.

So, let’s look at the story again.

The whole movie, with all its magic, snowstorms, and cuddly snowmen, was centered around the troubled turmoil brewing between two sisters who felt like the best friends in the world. But because of their differing dynamics, what Elsa tried her hardest not to do, and Elsa reliving one of the most harrowing experiences of her life, it led to them being continuously alienated and growing further apart until certain circumstances came about to test their relationship with each other, as well as each of them individually. So, it highlighted to an impressive degree what complications may arise from sisterly relationships that were left unresolved or messy, as well as all the twists and turns it would take for them to finally come clean about their insecurities and know when to be there for one another, Anna for Elsa, and Elsa for Anna. It’s a simple but very powerful, emotional turn of events blown into fantastical proportions, and it was done most effectively here.

But let’s talk about the elephant in the room that spurred this conflict.

What I found memorable about the royal family’s meeting with Grand Pappie, the elderly troll, was that he was somewhat knowledgeable of what kind of powers Elsa was capable of. And in a prophetic mode, he said to Elsa:

Your power will only grow. There is beauty in it, but also great danger.

But because King Agnarr and Queen Iduna were more horrified about what harmful effects Elsa’s ice powers could have, that’s what prompted them to reduce the castle staff and have Elsa and Anna separated, but mostly as a means to help Elsa keep her ice powers under control and Anna from further possible harm.

As much as I can understand why people complained about this fraudulent act of nobility, I saw it as more equivalent to what happened in Sleeping Beauty when Maleficent placed the curse upon Princess Aurora, in that she would die upon the prick of her finger on a spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday. What did Aurora’s father, King Stefan, do? He ordered all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burned to prevent this fateful disaster from ever occurring. Of course, the decision to evacuate Aurora and keep her away from the kingdom, and out of harm’s way, until she reached sixteen was Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather’s idea.

What occurred in Frozen felt quite similar, since it also centered on negotiations between royalty and mythical beings for their children’s welfare in response to life-threatening forces. It was Grand Pebbie’s idea to have Anna be unaware of Elsa’s ice powers, while what King Agnarr and Queen Iduna had in mind was what they thought would have helped Anna and Elsa, when, in their desperation to keep Elsa’s ice powers under control, they viewed her ice powers more for their potential for harm than for their graceful abilities. While the parents were technically at fault, you can’t deny that they did what they thought would do their daughters favors, especially in response to magical forces they might not have understood. This only lends truth to what people generally say:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Speaking of which, let’s address the characters.

Anna and Elsa were easily among the most iconic, recognizable princesses Disney had ever introduced, and it worked that each character had so many distinct characteristics that defined them individually and collectively.

Anna was basically the social butterfly in the kingdom. She was the kind of young lady who would have launched out and greeted other people with a warm, friendly smile. Not to mention, she would have done her absolute best to attempt to have some semblance of a connection after her many attempts to secure one with Elsa were in vain. That’s why she hit it off so well with Prince Hans when she first laid eyes on him. She was drawn to his agreeable personality, his dashing good looks, and his nobility. That’s why he stole Anna’s heart, and why she was so desperate to do something meaningful and have something meaningful both for herself and for Elsa, especially when the truth became known about Elsa’s ice powers.

Of course, her capabilities when she had other things to worry about, and other people to worry about, demonstrated her true character when she was not needy for some semblance of social connection. That’s why when Anna set out to look for Elsa, she showed that she had nerves of steel lurking beneath her fluttery, royal posture.

As for Elsa, if Anna conveyed the most gaiety and modesty, Elsa conveyed the most sophistication and insecurities. I keep thinking back to how Elsa tried to keep her powers under control and how her fear of hurting Anna, let alone anyone else, started to bubble up again, and all because of what she was afraid she could do with her ice powers and what her parents told her she must do. Obviously, as the eldest daughter, Elsa did whatever she could to honor her parents, but it was obviously at the detriment of her self-esteem. I could tell that Elsa struggled to maintain her regal image when she had so much emotional and magical baggage to deal with, especially when Coronation Day came along.

Of course, it wasn’t to the point where it left her not caring about Anna. For example, when they managed to have their first decent conversation in years, they did come across as the close siblings they once were before Elsa’s fateful mistake. That, and how about when Anna introduced her to Prince Hans and asked her for her blessing in marriage? When she turned down the proposition, I saw it more as Elsa exercising her position as Anna’s elder sister. I could tell that she still loved Anna, but didn’t find the healthiest way to express it for herself or Anna.

And when her ice powers became public knowledge, that’s when her true worth would’ve been tested, for she viewed herself as a monster, whereas people like Anna knew better and could tell that she needed help. So, that’s where their true worth as people or as sisters came to light as the scrutiny surrounding Elsa’s ice powers intensified.

As for Kristoff, he was a sarcastic but pretty no-nonsense guy who knew the lay of the land, especially those in which Anna would probably have never known until she traversed them for the first time in her life. He also kept a cool head about what he thought was pretty unusual, inept commentary from her about what went on back home or what went on between her and her sister.

Of course, despite Kristoff’s crassness, his friendship with his pet reindeer, Sven, revealed his more humane side, which only underscored how much of a borderline misanthrope he was, especially since he lived in the mountains far from the rest of human society. Of course, it wasn’t until Kristoff began to know Anna more that he began to appreciate just what values can be found in human connections. That’s when Kristoff opened up more and revealed the true man lurking beneath his rugged exterior.

As for Sven, Kristoff’s pet reindeer, he was a fun character as well. He never spoke, but every time he chipped in either for Kristoff’s sake or in response to something else, his facial expressions and body language still conveyed exactly what was on his mind. I remembered enjoying that out of Gromit, so it’s safe to say that I enjoyed Sven the same way.

Now, I already talked about Olaf’s design and how off-putting I found it in conjunction with the movie’s more realistic setting. But what are my thoughts on Olaf himself?

At first, I originally thought of him as just an obnoxious, bumbling side character with some good moments of his own. As I paid closer attention to him, however, he’s not quite as obnoxious as I always took him to be.

While I did find Olaf’s cutesy, childlike design a little jarring compared to the more realistic details, fixtures, skin tones, and expressions in his surroundings, there were moments when Olaf’s sense of humor was more subdued and mellow. There were times when he showed his more conscientious side and proved himself to be most helpful as an ally, far more than just some Disney sidekick, and the more I paid close attention to him, the more I began to realize just how downright funny he can be.

But there was one part of Olaf’s character that must be understood to be appreciated. As you may remember from the beginning of the movie, when Anna and Elsa were playing, and Anna was still knowledgeable of Elsa’s ice powers, Anna counted on Elsa for her icy magic tricks. One of Elsa’s major creations was a simple snowman, where she said, "Hi, I’m Olaf, and I like warm hugs." Which was exactly what Olaf himself would have said. That part of Olaf, where he served as a visual symbol of Anna and Elsa’s shared relationship, made him a far more touching character than he would have let on.

In addition, this made Olaf the closest thing that Anna and Kristoff could have found to a guide who would help them directly to Elsa. It also helped that such personal connections made the innate instincts to know where to find Elsa all the more memorable and appropriate.

And frankly, even when his moments of humor were at their most bombastic, they did not distract from the general drama and dilemmas of Frozen. They made for some good breathers when all the heavy drama between the sisters was going on. So it made Olaf a more welcome sense of levity in the picture.

Even the snowman that Elsa created, Marshmallow, she created him as a means to kick Anna and Kristoff out, not out of malice, but mainly after accidentally striking Anna in the heart. And because this brought back memories that were too painful for Elsa to re-experience, she did not want to deal with Anna or Kristoff again after hurting them, for she did the last thing she wanted to do to them all over again, this time, where she shouldn’t have struck Anna. And that’s what prompted her creation of Marshmallow: to kick them out of her ice castle and serve as her royal guard. Because of this, I saw Marshmallow as more of a visual manifestation of Elsa’s deep anguish.

And I will say this: while Marshmallow did have his moments of intimidation, look at him as he confronted Hans and the invading Arendellian troops after they found Elsa and her frozen castle. That felt more in line with what I envisioned of him: distinct, but less cartoony and no less formidably threatening. Even then, however, he could only have held them off for so long before the Arendellians overpowered him.

Let’s hop over to Prince Hans.

He clearly lived up to the name ‘Prince Charming’, for he was suave, well-spoken, fashionably presentable, looked like he could have charmed the pants off of whoever spoke with him, and expressed enough good natures to be seen as trustworthy enough to fittingly join Anna as the next successor in the Arendelle throne.

Normally, it would have made Prince Hans a very decent character since it seemed like he would have barely had anything to show for it outside of having a very respectable personality along with a few quirks of his own. Take, for example, his moments of goofiness that seemed to jive well with Anna’s. It honed the likelihood that they were meant for each other. The way I looked at him, Prince Hans would have generally been decent yet insufficient as a character if it weren’t for a certain detail revealed about him that I will reveal later on.

As for the Duke of Weaselton – excuse me, Weselton – he was a hugely pompous character who thought that Arendelle’s long-awaited opening of its doors was most crucial in his propositions of trade negotiations with the Princesses of Arendelle. Yet, it’s obvious that he was more concerned about taking advantage of Arendelle’s vulnerable position and using it for his own gain. Sometimes he maintained his bombastic image, like his hopeless attempts to win the princesses, especially Anna, over. But when Elsa unleashed her ice powers by mistake, the Duke was shocked, no doubt, but he decided to use it to his advantage and frame her as a sorceress because of her powers. And, he sent two of his own guards off with Hans to execute her as a means to stop the eternal winter. So, it did pose him as a bit of a threat underneath his wily image.

Oaken, the shopkeeper who ran his wooden shop and the sauna, was a generally pleasant guy who had a mellow personality, a family, and a general know-how in keeping his store under control, especially with something as unanticipated as the sudden snowstorm that Elsa had unleashed onto Arendelle and probably its surrounding areas.

While that says a lot about the characters, the voice actors were all in a class of their own, too.

Kristen Bell was already famous as Veronica Mars, but her role as Anna cemented her legacy in film, not just television. She gave Anna such a bubbly personality that she became even more irresistible as a character. But it wasn’t like she was all cheery and good. There were plenty of other times when she expressed her frustration and confusion about goings-on she did not comprehend, whether it’s with Elsa deciding not to have much to do with Anna or even with her ice powers. What’s more, despite Anna’s cheery attitude as well as her conflicts, the longer Anna took matters into her own hands in her attempts to reason with Elsa, that’s when she began to reveal an iron-willed, confident young woman who began to show more worth as a Princess of Arendelle than we’d expect out of her and thus demonstrate how she did not become that for nothing. Bell captured all those instincts like a pro, and it helped Anna feel more alive and natural.

Frankly, if James Earl Jones’ role as Mufasa was his other most famous role besides Darth Vader, Elsa might have been Idina Menzel’s most famous role besides her role as Elphaba in Wicked. And this was before she even made her breakthrough in film. What Idina Menzel provided to Elsa’s voice carried a high level of respectability as Elsa had to tend to her duties as the eldest Princess of Arendelle. But I could also sense in her voice Elsa’s apprehensions as she tolerated her inner turmoil over her ice powers and her fear of harming anyone else by accident again, especially Anna. What Idina Menzel managed to convey with Elsa’s character was enough to elevate her to a pure level of empathy, psychological hurdles, and uphill battles.

Of course, just like how Kristen Bell allowed Anna’s character to show a level of strength when she decided to own up to her determination to find Elsa and reason with her, Idina Menzel began to show more of a confidence in Elsa as she finally began to snap out of her self-loathing phase and know when to defend herself, defend someone else, or at the very least, show some support for Anna when she knew she needed it.

While I’m thinking about it, that’s probably one of the key things about Frozen that I think resonated with so many people. As I stated, it showed all the ins, the outs, the complications, and the hurdles Elsa and Anna had to go through because of their differing personalities. But all their individual struggles, why they mattered so much to each other, and what they could have done to support one another would show just how strong their bond really was despite all the hardships they endured for so long.

Simply put, both Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel went to town in bringing their characters to life in all their many facets.

Santino Fontana fully embodied the royal dignity, charming facets, and suave demeanor to emphasize Prince Hans’ sense of royal standing and power, while not being without some decent moments of his own. But what I found interesting is that he was an expert at maintaining that personality with Hans throughout the entire movie, even as one little detail came up that caught everyone with their pants down. Again, I will elaborate on that when I get to it.

Jonathan Groff honed Kristoff’s more grounded, casual, still no-nonsense vibe of someone who had lived in the mountains for so long that his social skills were a little on the mixed side. Either way, he made this character sound like he had known how humans did their thing and why there would be some people and animals that were far less trustworthy than others, only for that mindset to be tested when Kristoff ran into Anna as she confronted him and requested that he lead her to Elsa.

And of course, let’s get back to the Duke of Weselton. While he was definitely an enjoyably conniving character, what really brought him to life was Alan Tudyk’s voice performance. We know how great a job he did of playing characters like King Candy before him, not to mention who else he’d voice afterwards. And what he brought forth to the role of the Duke of Weselton provided some classy moments of accentuated boasts and accusations that made this character palatably obnoxious.

But probably the most memorable role in the movie would have to be Josh Gad as Olaf.

With his boyishly awkward voice tones, his comedic timing, and just what a good-natured vibe he gave out, he made Olaf sound like an absolute goofball. And an endearing kind of goofball, I might add. Everything he said in character just made Olaf sound more childlike than childish, while not being without some witty observations and zingers of his own. I can barely recall Josh Gad having had any breakthrough moments in film before this movie, and you can tell just how much of a knockout his role as Olaf was when you see Gad reprising his role as Olaf throughout the entirety of the Frozen franchise that followed. He was that good as Olaf.

If you ask me, here’s what I believe he shared in common with actors like Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Mary Wickes, Charles Kimbrough, Jason Alexander, and others. He knew how to add enough modesty and humorous zingers to Olaf to make him sound far more multifaceted than his comedic persona would suggest. And whenever the situation got serious, that’s when he stopped joking around and acknowledged the severity in front of him.

As for the most distinctive voice role in this movie, I would pick Ciarán Hinds as the voice of the Grand Pappie. Unlike the rest of the trolls in the movie, whose voices ranged from witty to childlike, even compared to Olaf, his voice sounded the most dignified, like he honed the mannerisms of a leader who was far more aware of all the human turmoils than the rest of his troll buddies would. As a result, he knew just what had to be done to keep things from getting worse. Besides, since he suggested that Anna’s memories of Elsa’s magic be erased, this highlighted how strongly he felt he had to do what he thought was right if it meant keeping Anna and anyone else out of harm’s way or from Elsa’s magic. But what’s interesting is that despite being a mythical creature himself, it seemed as if there were some aspects of magic that even he wasn’t aware of. And because he was in the same boat as Anna and Elsa’s parents in terms of figuring out what should be done to prevent any further harm, even accidental moments of harm, he was the most logical in his communications and suggestions on how to, at the very least, keep Elsa’s powers at bay.

See, this character was who I’d think of when I think of characters that would have felt like an adequately child-friendly addition to the movie’s surroundings without feeling excessively child-friendly. Don’t get me wrong, Olaf was not too shabby for how he was, but what Hinds threw in easily made Grand Pappie feel respectable even compared to Olaf.

The music, both Christophe Beck’s music and especially the songs by Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, was something else. Some of those songs were so creative, so fluid, and so emotionally experimental that they took the Disney formula to new directions than I anticipated them to do. At first, I didn’t think much of them outside of a few standouts. But not only did they grow on me over time, but some of the songs that I thought at first were a little weak began to surprise me upon further reevaluation.

Let’s go through them one at a time.

Christophe Beck’s music captured the elegance of Arendelle and its princesses at their most peaceful, but also the severity of the dilemmas that began to spring forth, especially in response to Elsa’s ice powers being revealed. But my favorite part of his score was the music theme entitled ‘Vuelie’. As part of a collaborative effort with Norwegian composer Frode Fjellheim, this melody captured the sheer atmosphere and tranquility of Frozen and, along with what I’ll elaborate on next, set the film’s mood.

The opening song, ‘Frozen Heart’, may have been brief and modest in its force. But its compelling vocals, as the mountaineers all harvested ice, also helped set the mood for what to expect throughout Frozen while cluing us into their general lifestyles. The main reason may have been that it carried a more local, cultural vibe than the other songs, and, as far as its locales were concerned, it captured the gist pretty effectively.

The next song that followed, ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman?’, I found memorable for how well it balanced childlike whimsy with the mounting desperation and sorrow of those who sought the attention of those they knew needed help. Sung by Anna throughout different stages of her life, the song was obviously a chance for her to get together with Elsa and play again, only to suffer frustration and even heartbreak the longer Elsa rejected her. And the older they got, the more depressing it became. I found this song to be very distinct and eclectic because of the differing ranges of emotions the song expressed through Anna as she went through all her stages in life seeking out her sister’s attention, before it ultimately culminated in the moment where Elsa and Anna were left to fend for themselves, and how, despite their separation, they were both in the same boat.

The next song I remember having a soft spot for, because of how strong the vocals were, was ‘For the First Time in Forever’. Much like ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman?’, this song also excelled in flipping back and forth between different emotions. In this case, the emotions were exercised to the nth degree. Elsa’s end of the song was more mellow, empathetic, conflicted, pensive, and clearly thoughtful of what must be done to ensure that the coronation would go as smoothly as possible, especially since she had to keep her powers to herself and keep them away from Anna. Anna’s end of the song, on the other hand, was soaked in all the ecstasies of meeting all the new people in town. And because Elsa would have come out for the coronation, this would lift Anna’s spirits even higher because it would have given her the chance to finally connect with Elsa after many years of isolation and being split apart from her. Both sides of the songs were executed very well by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, resulting in a perfect concluding note that seamlessly flipped back and forth between the two mindsets with a resounding finish.

The next song, which soaked in all the bubbly cheeriness that seemed to be shared between Anna and Hans, was ‘Love is an Open Door’. In this song, they both sang to their hearts’ content about what they shared in common, what they liked about each other, and how, because of that, it would have guaranteed that they had a most innate connection with each other and thus a possibility of seeing each other as the one meant for each other. It was not quite the romantic ballad I’m used to in other Disney songs, but its bouncy nature and the general giddiness that stemmed from how Anna and Hans felt about each other as they grew more acquainted made it a different kind of love song that suited Frozen. But it was also a different kind of romantic ballad for another reason, which again, I will elaborate on soon.

The next song, ‘In Summer’, I thought was probably both Olaf and Frozen’s music at their funniest. This was where Olaf revealed, in all his honesty, his desire to experience summer and the joys and wonders guaranteed of that season for Olaf. On its own, it can be interpreted as a simple ‘I want’ song that was emphasized by the character’s comedic nature. But what I found so memorable about this song was how Olaf’s biggest desire was the exact opposite of what he should even get involved with, and how everything that he said he would enjoy immensely would do him in fast. Because of that, there were plenty of lyrics sung out by Olaf that were so contradictory to what Olaf should experience as a snowman that I could not help but get a good chuckle out of them. Remember this lyric?

Winter’s a good time to stay in and cuddle, but put me in summer, and I’ll be a…happy snowman!

If you know what ‘cuddle’ rhymes with, then you already know why the song was so hilarious.

On top of that, it was just very fitting for Olaf’s character. He was hopeful to have summer, but his obliviousness and childlike aspirations cemented ‘In Summer’ as the oxymoronic and consequently humorous song that it turned out to be, especially for a sidekick song.

’Reindeers Are Better Than People’, sung by Kristoff while also impersonating Sven, was a cute, humble song. Kristoff’s verses demonstrated just how close a bond he had with his pet reindeer, and how much he viewed Sven as a best friend who understood him more than he thought humanity could. Of course, the fact that he was raised by trolls and had an uncertain family life may have played into this, too.

And finally, that leaves us with the ultimate, defining song that put Frozen on the map: ‘Let It Go’.

Sung by Elsa as she got comfortable in her own solitude, far away from what she felt was discrimination by her peers for not keeping her powers hidden, this was basically what many people jokingly described as a coming-out moment, where Elsa decided to fully embrace what made Elsa truly her without feeling the need to bother with what others would have thought about her, not even Anna. At a time when Elsa felt like she had to stay hidden, this was where she ultimately decided not to worry anymore about what others would have said about her after years of being told to keep her powers to herself. Much like how ‘Hakuna Matata’ taught us to not let whatever problems we face dictate how we live our lives, ‘Let It Go’ tells us to not let our emotions, secrets or whatever makes us feel insignificant to others dictate how we live our lives, like we should not bottle up our emotions or secrets for very long and instead let it loose if we are to move forward to a healthier future.

Of course, much like how ‘Hakuna Matata’ was misinterpreted as being about dodging responsibilities, ‘Let It Go’ was misinterpreted as being about not caring about what others would say about you, when clearly, the urgency for Elsa to go back to Arendelle and fix things would only have been step B when what she pulled off was step A. Despite the confusion in context from the song, it undeniably became one of the most popular songs in recent Disney history, a borderline empowerment theme, and a celebrated ode to freedom of expression for many who heard it and identified with it.

How famous was this song? Well, without us even realizing it, when my family and I looked at whatever went on with our family or our friends when they were struggling or overthinking something, we tried to reassure them to ‘let it go’ while subconsciously labeling it as the Elsa motto. That’s how popular the song became, and it became a modern Disney classic for the right reasons.

In fact, never mind ‘Hakuna Matata’. The only other song I can think of that’s comparable to ‘Let it Go’ is, of all songs, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from Titanic. It’s empathetic, it’s rousing, it’s well-sung, it’s well-written, but it is also everywhere. Regardless of how people interpreted them as songs, there’s a reason they have been celebrated alongside the classic Disney songs: they emulated the strengths and merits that modern Disney films began to achieve.

And let’s not forget the ending version of ‘Let It Go’ sung by Demi Lovato.

That song sounded nice on its own, with the rousing vocals that this time emulated more of the general ‘freedom of expression’ aspects that I sensed in the song. However, as nice as Demi Lovato’s vocals were in this version, there’s no contest. Idina Menzel’s take on the song was the one to beat. Thanks to her Broadway experience from Wicked, Idina Menzel managed to maintain her vocals with such prowess and launch enough longevity to deliver all the resounding natures of a woman who was finally coming to grips with what she had been hiding all along and what she was now on the verge of letting loose after so many years of suppression. That’s another part of Idina Menzel’s vocals that went hand in hand with what she conveyed in Queen Elsa. She drew on her musical talents to infuse the song with greater power and integrity as Elsa began to embrace her powers again after hiding them for so long. Demi Lovato’s version of ‘Let It Go’, as nice as it sounded, felt more like just a regular, everyday pop song.

Of course, the only other part of the music that I did not find up to par with the others was how the reprise of ‘For the First Time in Forever’ started out. I could tell this was meant to be a sort of transition from a general conversation into a musical number. But I still believe that the first half of the song could have gone through without such rapid vocals or tunes. I’ve heard plenty of songs or reprises in other musicals that began with the same regular spoken beats as the preceding conversations. But other than that, I did find the reprise a pretty decent return of the song with a surprisingly dark ending.

Now, let’s shift our attention to another defining aspect of the movie: its animation.

Because Disney’s computer-animated films continually pushed the envelope in what they could capture in animation, they perpetually pushed themselves to their limits to see what more they could flawlessly recreate with technological advancements to further redefine the visuals and story, especially those of Frozen.

For example, the surrounding areas of Arendelle, both in summer as well as in wintertime, felt like a most prestigious, pristine kingdom that you would have found in Northern Europe in the 15th or 16th centuries. With all its Nordic customs, the humble peasantry of its citizens, and the regal adornments of the castle, it’s shown in all its glory what merits there were to be gained and appreciated out of the kingdom.

And it got even better when it went beyond the kingdom of Arendelle and into its surrounding areas. While the forestry in the regular season was not explored enough to fully convey the beauty of those environments, the forestry and environments when they were shrouded in snow were where I truly appreciated the scenery in all its wintry majesty. The icicles, the snow, the glow, everything about these landscapes just made winter look downright gorgeous, especially when we’re so used to seeing spring, summer, or autumn as far more glorious seasons and winter as just the duller time of year to be alive. But with Frozen, it emphasized so much of the wondrous beauties to be gained out of winter when we’re not dealing with the roughness of such weather, that I ultimately ate it up because I was that drawn into its atmosphere.

Plus, while the designs of the human characters were all on point, as was the design of their clothes, the most groundbreaking achievement in the animation lay in the snow, whether it was regular snowfall, like when Elsa constructed her ice castle, or even in the middle of a huge blizzard. Much like how it may have taken the animators a long time to animate the spots on the Dalmatians in One Hundred and One Dalmatians and the bubbles in The Little Mermaid, I can only imagine how the animators had to make sure the snowfall was just right throughout the film. Every single flake of snow had to move just right and in a way that would have felt very appropriate to the weather and the environment. But it wasn’t just when it was even moving. Did you notice, when Elsa’s emotional pain reached its peak in the climax, that every single snowflake stood still mid-air? Imagine what it took for the animators to make that work!

That part of the animation, I believe, was where the movie truly demonstrated its true prowess in its development of the technology behind the animation.

I also admire the color schemes during the climax, particularly in Elsa’s ice castle. When she first constructed the ice castle in ‘Let It Go’, it started off as atmospheric, serene, peaceful, and beautiful. But because the entire ice castle was constructed from Elsa’s ice powers alone, it became clear that the more anguished Elsa became, the more fractured, uninviting, and even starker in its colors the castle became. I always found this to be a common thing in Disney films, where, once the situations became more hectic or the characters were more pained, the surrounding colors seemed to match what they struggled with, either through darker colors to reflect the solemnity of the situation or through brighter, harsher colors to reflect the heated situations at hand. And I remember it literally reflecting what Elsa felt in the ice castle very effectively. I especially like how there was a lot of heat in the colors of Elsa’s ice castle, whereas Arendelle was bathed in the murky, muted colors of the winter Elsa had unleashed upon them all. It’s a two-way expression that I thought most effectively captured what went on.

Also, minor detail, but I found it cool that one of the books that King Ignarr found about the trolls was written in Old Norse, just like, for instance, the Book of Dragons in How to Train Your Dragon.

SPOILER ALERT

Of course, this leaves us with probably the other most memorable part of the movie: Prince Hans’ revelation of his true personality and motivations.

There has been some evident debate as to whether Prince Hans revealing himself as a bad guy was called for and whether it did any favors to his character, the accompanying characters he spoke with, or even the film. But the more I thought about him, and exactly what he had done, especially with Anna, the more it emphasized in great detail just how shocking such villainy could be when you see it come from the least likely person to exhibit such nasty demeanors. Because then, when you feel like you’ve placed your trust in someone who looked like a worthy fit, only for them to reveal their true colors and demonstrate just how dastardly they could be in their attempts to seize something for themselves, it brings on a whole other level of shocking revelations that came with this reveal.

But it also worked for Anna’s side of the story.

Because Elsa secluded herself and kept herself away from other people, her biggest enemy was her own inner demons. Prince Hans, however, basically served as Anna’s biggest enemy personified. He represented the dangers of being too outgoing and social with other people. Because then, when you meet up with other people who you think are the right fit for you, there’s no telling whether the people you are getting along with meant what they said or were who they were, or if they were just playing you for fools all along in an attempt to get their hands on something that they knew was beyond reach through someone they decided to manipulate, like Anna.

Heck, unlike the Duke of Weselton, who tried to take advantage of Arandelle’s position by being his bombastic self, Hans tried to do so through clever means.

But for all the devious plots Hans achieved to inch his way closer to the throne after this revelation — look at how he plotted to execute Elsa for the monster that everyone viewed her to be, and also left Anna to die by freezing to death — was not like this revelation came out of nowhere or that there was no buildup to it.

One of the biggest examples I can think of was when Hans sang his verses in the song ‘Love is an Open Door’. Every time I hear the song, I can’t think of the lyrics…

I’ve been searching my whole life to find my own place.

…without thinking about his gestures towards the kingdom instead of Anna. So, there was a level of craftiness in Hans that hinted at there being more to Hans than meets the eye.

What’s more… I said this before in my original review, but I may as well say it again. If the contradictions in the song ‘In Summer’ revealed a humorous level of irony, the level of irony that ‘Love is An Open Door’ would have revealed would hit you like a ton of bricks, and you wouldn’t have seen it coming until it arrived.

And that’s another thing. Let’s hop back to the musical number ‘Fixer Upper’. As I laid out, I’ve always looked at it as the weakest song in Frozen. But while it definitely seemed that way, there was far more to the song than I gave it credit for.

For example, Kristoff always talked to Anna, Olaf, and Sven about how his family was love experts and that they were the reason Kristoff was fully aware of what true love was supposed to be. But when you carefully listen to what the trolls said in song, it made me believe that, yes, they really were love experts, especially when you find out exactly what would happen between Anna and Hans, as well as what they saw in Anna and Kristoff that seemed just right.

Part of it was because one verse from the song stood out to me and might have cemented the trolls’ instinctive natures as true love experts. As they sang:

So she’s a bit of a fixer-upper

That’s a minor thing

Her quote ‘engagement’ is a flex arrangement

And by the way, I don’t see no ring!

Frankly, I found that observation pretty sharp. If what Anna and Hans shared really was true love, then did Hans seal the deal with a ring during his ‘proposal’?

Let that sink in.

What was said in that verse served as a major clue to whether Hans was a man of his word before the bombshell moment came along.

This, among other things, did result in a few classic fairy-tale elements being turned on their heads in this movie.

As I said, Prince Hans lived up to the term ‘Prince Charming’, for he had a suave manner of doing things, as well as a keen sense of tactics when it came to getting something he wanted. But judging from the revelation and how he had been playing Anna like a violin all along, it highlighted how dangerous it could be to deal with a man who was very good at convincing people to do what he wanted, often for his own personal gain. That’s why Elsa’s statement...

You can’t marry a man that you just met.

…were genuine words of wisdom, because not only was that realistic, but it also tapped into the whole mentality of whether it’s smart or wise to pledge your love to someone you just met, even if it’s all because they rescued you. On top of that, it showed the dark side of the charm, as it could be used by those capable of tricking people into doing their bidding. Just because someone’s charming doesn’t make them wholesome.

On top of that, one of the most frequently repeated phrases throughout the movie was…

An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart.

And throughout the movie, the characters had questions about what that would be. They thought that because Anna and Hans demonstrated just how compatible they were, it made me believe that maybe an act of true love for Anna would have helped thaw her frozen heart. But as we had seen from Hans’ true colors, it was only a ploy to fool Anna into trusting him so he could have the Arendellian throne for himself.

So, by the time the act of true love was committed, how did that go?

Anna was suffocating from the coldness reaching throughout her body from her frozen heart, and also just inching her way closer to Kristoff when she saw Elsa about to be executed by Hans with his sword. In a last-ditch effort, even though she knew it would kill her, Anna lunged between Hans and Elsa to save her a second before she turned frozen solid. However, because she was able to do this act just before she froze, it was enough to thaw her frozen heart and then return her to normal, hence the whole notion of true love thawing a frozen heart. And in this case, it was an act of sisterly love.

CS Lewis went into greater detail about the different kinds of love there are, and he labeled them in four different categories: Philia (platonic), Eros (romantic), Storge (familial), and Agape (unconditional). What Anna pulled off for Elsa was clearly the Storge variant, and it reinforced the notion that true love doesn’t have to be only romantic, or, in this case, Eros. It could be conveyed in any shape or form.

SPOILERS END

So, with that in mind, what was it about Frozen that resonated with so many people?

Well, I understand that, just like with modern Disney, it was known for exploring several different avenues that had gone unexplored or were familiar in other territories, all given the exquisite Disney touch. And as I said, it explored the throes, heartbreak, and complexities of sisterhood and what must be done to set things right, especially for the betterment of those who dealt with it. So, the emotional angles through which the movie explored Elsa and Anna’s anguish were deeply honest, real, heartbreaking, complicated, and threw in many curveballs for the sisters grappling with it. And it did result in some of the most emotionally fulfilling storytelling anyone would ever have seen in a Disney movie, especially when both Anna and Elsa came to appreciate each other for who they were and finally worked through their problems to be there for each other.

There were many different aspects of Frozen that people, in today’s day and age, can relate to very well, whether it’s the fear of hurting others, hence shutting yourself away from others, or the need to socially engage with other people, while having to watch out who you trust in your attempts to intermingle with them.

Long story short, the biggest reason Frozen worked as well as it did is that it continued Disney’s innovative streak of revitalizing classic fairy tales while adding a more modern touch that only enhanced its timeless qualities. And I will say that’s probably what made some of Disney’s most revolutionary animated films so magical and what made this film the classic it became. I will admit that, as much as I don’t go as wild over it as everyone else, I think it’s more because it wasn’t quite the Disney classic my family and I had in mind. But that doesn’t make it any less remarkable.

It had all the terrific music. It had all the fascinating characters. It had all the beautiful animation. It had all the excellent voice acting. It had all the emotional storytelling. It had pretty much everything you’d want in a modern Disney classic. Like The Lion King, Frozen was probably one of the biggest gambles Disney ever took, and it obviously paid off big time, as it became one of the highest-grossing animated films ever. But more importantly, also like The Lion King, God is in the details, and that’s what’s helping me understand its ingenuity as a film and its ironclad legacy.

While I still stand by that movies like Aladdin, The Lion King, Ratatouille, and Princess Mononoke are among my all-time favorite animated movies, I still recommend this.

The cold never bothered me anyway.

My Rating

A strong A-