Disney’s “Frozen” is, for my money, the best animated film of the year — you’ve probably heard that already, from the countless rave reviews the film has rightly received across the US and now in the UK, all punnily proclaiming (for good reason) that it will “melt your heart.” You’ve also undoubtedly heard that it’s Disney’s best since their Shakespearian mega-hit “The Lion King” in 1994, and as an admirer of their subsequent “Mulan,” as well as their more recent “The Princess and the Frog,” “Tangled” and “Wreck-It Ralph” I’m going to have to agree with that bold claim (incidentally, yesterday I happily rewatched “The Lion King” for the first time in years and fell right back in love with it, and straight afterwards I rewatched “Beauty and the Beast” cos, you know, it’s “Beauty and the Beast” and it’s awesome).
Watching “Frozen,” I got the definite sense that I was watching a proper Disney classic, like something from their great Renaissance period — and that, I have to say, is a great feeling indeed. Its story, which involves magic and princesses and a fantasy kingdom, feels like it’s been ripped directly from the pages of an old Grimm folk story or a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale (perhaps that’s because it’s loosely based on the latter’s 1845 work “The Snow Queen”). The story is that of a princess born with the uncontrollable power to turn all that she touches into solid ice, and it’s as enchanting a tale as the studio has ever told — it’s also quite possibly their most mature and human one yet.
The princess, voiced by Idina Menzel (“Wicked”), is named Elsa, and she’s kept locked away in her family’s Nordic castle after her powers very nearly result in the death of her little sister Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell — her frosty touch, she’s told, is far too dangerous and must stay hidden before someone else is put in harm’s way. But her true nature can’t be kept under lock and key forever, and indeed during her coronation ceremony her powers are publicly exposed in spectacular fashion: during a fight with Anna she accidentally freezes the grand hall and turns the water of a fountain to ice. Labelled a monster, she flees the kingdom and in a fit of rage, inadvertently plunges the land into a seemingly eternal winter.
It’s up to the excitable and naive Anna to find her beloved but distant big sis and convince her to reverse the curse under which she has placed the land. On her journey she meets three sprightly characters who tag along: Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), a hunky mountain man whose business of selling ice has significantly depleted since the sudden ice age (apparently he’s not so good he can sell snow to eskimos), Kristoff’s lovable reindeer Sven and a goofy, living snowman called Olaf, whose biggest wish is to finally see what summer looks like. As voiced by Josh Gad, Olaf is one of the most delightful supporting characters in Disney canon, full of life and innocence, and with body parts that move of their own free will. He even gets his own (hilarious) musical number, in which he fantasises about sunbathing on a beach (“I’m gonna tell him,” whispers Kristoff. “Don’t you dare!” barks Anna).
Yes, “Frozen” is a musical, and what a splendid one it is: the early “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" is an absolute, spirit-soaring joy, and there’s a marvellous midway number (“Let It Go”) in which Elsa constructs her own grand ice palace while belting out a show-stopping tune about embracing her powers rather than holding them back. Here, “Frozen” reveals itself to be a firmly feminist film, as Elsa passionately refuses to hide her real self from society and let her true nature reign free. It’s powerful, heart-soaring stuff, and along with “Tangled” shows Disney handling their female characters in a way that’s respectful, intelligent and fiercely liberating.
And of course we also get some truly splendid computer animation, as gorgeously assembled by Disney’s crack team of artists: the snow-dappled land of Arendelle is beautifully rendered. Is “Frozen” Disney’s first truly great computer animation? I think it is: “Tangled” was terrific fun, but it didn’t quite have the nuance or the poignancy on display here. What I’m certain of is this: “Frozen” is spellbinding, and not only is it absolutely worthy of the timeless Disney classics it has been compared to, it’s a timeless Disney classic all on its own.
Rating: 9/10
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