Although many have argued that it isn’t reminiscent of “classic Disney”, ‘Frozen’ sets the bar high for animated films, especially with songs and voices like these.
Elsa (Idina Menzel), a newly-appointed Queen has powers to freeze anything in her path—including people—and has had to keep this secret from her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell) after a childhood incident. After Elsa freezes the entire town, Anna must try to convince her to turn everything back to normal with help from ice harvester Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and a talking snowman, Olaf (Josh Gad).
Given that it’s a Disney animated musical, it has to be beyond fantastic and with Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, and Jonathan Groff starring—three performers well-known in Broadway—you are guaranteed nothing short of spectacular. To start us off on our icy adventure, we’re treated to the sort of gruff, but booming voices of ice harvesters in “Frozen Heart” which sets the somewhat darker tone of the animated film relative to the recent Disney animated films before it. As we are first introduced to Anna, we are delighted with Kristen Bell’s playful (and lyrically amusing), “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” establishing the relationship between the two sisters. Although progressively sad as the song moves our sorrowful tale, Bell’s voice still leaves a sense of playfulness and optimism.
Not to diminish Bell’s great vocal range and performance, Menzel holds nothing back, particularly in “Let It Go”. Her singing is unmatched in this film as she emits emotion and power in a song about the freedom to be herself (see video link below). For the ‘Wicked’ fans, this number is sure to bring the same chills heard in “Defying Gravity”. Other highlights include “In the Summer” in which a lovable snowman (voiced by Josh Gad) sings about how he’ll spend his time in the summer. While regrettable for the snowman, there are several lyrics in the song that surprisingly make you feel otherwise. Finally, “For the First Time in Forever” is sure to please with a duo featuring both Bell and Menzel, which not only establishes each of their character traits further, but it also reaffirms the impeccable talents of these two vocalists.
“Let It Go”, performed by Idina Menzel
Where the vocalists abound, the story (and logic) lacks. Being that its demographic is that of small children, it shouldn’t make a huge difference. Nevertheless, the main plot should focus on getting the kingdom back to its previous state. In efforts to make the story more rounded, a love story (and semi love triangle) is added. If the story didn’t deviate too much from the main objective than this would be completely understandable, but what the story does is not only include this subplot but then make it somewhat pointless to include. In doing so, the love story seems a bit rushed between the two characters that end up together, which is a point that the songwriters make earlier in the film. As mentioned earlier, ‘Frozen’ is essentially a children’s movie, but for the adults accompanying them or attending out of sheer interest, this deviation from the story may make the film slightly less enjoyable than originally anticipated.
‘Frozen’ is definitely a film worth seeing for the singing, the amusing lyrics, and the hilarious (and adorable) characters. Its themes about being yourself, love, and family is sure to please and entertain both children and adults.
Jim’s Rating: 8/10