Disney's Frozen

[X Knight]

Yep. Not counting Pixar, I haven't seen an animated Disney movie in theaters since Mulan. And this is just as good. It is so refreshing. Though, I wish I had seen Tangled a few years ago in theaters.

yeah. me too.

 

[DACrowe]

Thinking about the film some more, I am having a hard time not placing it right alongside Beauty and the Beast and the best of Pixar in terms of American animated films. There really isn't a bad Disney/Pixar film imo. They are all good.

But Frozen has those little things that elevate these films. The smart writing, that plays with the formula while embracing it. Standard, almost stock characters, who are brought to life through the dialogue, voice acting and animation. Just look at Olaf.

Anna is something else. Little moments like "I was born ready", her chocolate eating during the song, "its not nice to throw people". It isn't complicated to create an attractive looking woman on the surface level in animated terms. But Anna's general movement and expressions blend so well with Bell's voice perfect. She is about as "real" as a Disney character gets .The same can be said about Elsa. The transformation is pretty stunning.

I agree that Bell and Anna are one of the best meldings of animation and voice talent in all of Disney's princess canon. While not quite up there with say, Genie and Robin Williams, the kind of subversive quirk that makes Kristen Bell so popular with her fans is all on display in the animation. There is just something charmingly "off" about Anna. As you mentioned the "It's not nice to throw people!" moment. But I would even ad the way she reacts to landing in that freezing river or her interactions with Kristoff in the sled when talking about her engagement or being weirded out by "Didn't your parents ever tell you about meeting strangers?"

As for the greater placement of it in Disney canon? I do not think it is as goo as "the Big Four" of the Disney Renaissance (Mermaid, B&B, Aladdin, The Lion King), but otherwise it is right up there. The music, animation and storytelling is all fantastic.

Between this, Wreck-It-Ralph and Tangled, I would say that Disney may even be surpassing Pixar these days given Pixar's last three films and their failing to meet a 2014 deadline. All very interesting.

 

[X Knight]

oh, and I was thinking. Would it have been more effective if

Spoiler

at the end, when Anna's frozen and Elsa's hugging her and crying, if Elsa sung a reprise of Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

It would be like she's answering her sister back after all those years. But this time, it's Elsa trying to communicate with Anna and Anna's not responding.

I actually think that would have been very touching and would have added even more emotion to that scene.

However, perhaps it would have been too similar to the end of Tangled when Rapunzel sings her healing song while crying over Flynn which brings him back to life.

 

[X Knight]

I agree that Bell and Anna are one of the best meldings of animation and voice talent in all of Disney's princess canon. While not quite up there with say, Genie and Robin Williams, the kind of subversive quirk that makes Kristen Bell so popular with her fans is all on display in the animation. There is just something charmingly "off" about Anna. As you mentioned the "It's not nice to throw people!" moment. But I would even ad the way she reacts to landing in that freezing river or her interactions with Kristoff in the sled when talking about her engagement or being weirded out by "Didn't your parents ever tell you about meeting strangers?"

As for the greater placement of it in Disney canon? I do not think it is as goo as "the Big Four" of the Disney Renaissance (Mermaid, B&B, Aladdin, The Lion King), but otherwise it is right up there. The music, animation and storytelling is all fantastic.

Between this, Wreck-It-Ralph and Tangled, I would say that Disney may even be surpassing Pixar these days given Pixar's last three films and their failing to meet a 2014 deadline. All very interesting.

Just like Mermaid started the 90s renaissance, I really feel that Tangled started a new, modern renaissance of 3d animated films where the Disney films have reemerged as the standard in animated films, surpassing Pixar and DreamWorks.

 

[X Knight]

oh, and you know what's freaky??

I'm looking at the concession stand receipt from the theater when we saw Frozen yesterday, and guess who's listed as the cashier??

Anna

yep.

 

[DACrowe]

oh, and I was thinking. Would it have been more effective if

Spoiler

at the end, when Anna's frozen and Elsa's hugging her and crying, if Elsa sung a reprise of Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

It would be like she's answering her sister back after all those years. But this time, it's Elsa trying to communicate with Anna and Anna's not responding.

I actually think that would have been very touching and would have added even more emotion to that scene.

However, perhaps it would have been too similar to the end of Tangled when Rapunzel sings her healing song while crying over Flynn which brings him back to life.

That actually would have been great. As unlike Flynn and Rapunzel, that is a point of constant connection repeatedly tapped on throughout the movie. Manipulative as ****? Yes, but this is a Disney movie. It would have been just so effective.

 

[jmc]

I gotta wait a month, what's the overall verdict folks?

 

[X Knight]

I gotta wait a month, what's the overall verdict folks?

if you like Disney animation and broadway musicals, you will love this!!

t:

 

[X Knight]

That actually would have been great. As unlike Flynn and Rapunzel, that is a point of constant connection repeatedly tapped on throughout the movie. Manipulative as ****? Yes, but this is a Disney movie. It would have been just so effective.

yeah......would have really brought it full circle.

Spoiler

That being said, the Do You Want To Build A Snowman melody was used in the finale music, when the sisters are skating together with Olaf. So, in that sense, it did bring it full circle.

 

[jmc]

Are we talking early 90's Disney good?

 

[X Knight]

Are we talking early 90's Disney good?

well, that's a matter of opinion.

but, a constant theme I've heard in the majority of the critic reviews is that, yes, Frozen ranks right up there with Mermaid, BB, and Lion King.

musically, some critics are saying it's the best music since Lion King.

personally, I think it does rank right up there with the classic 90s Disney films.

it's one of my all time favorites. Definitely top 3 or 4.

And it's certainly one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

 

[DACrowe]

Are we talking early 90's Disney good?

In the ball park. I do not think it is as good as Little Mermaid, Lion King or the two in between, but it is almost as good as those and better than ANY Walt Disney Animation Studios film released after, including the second half of the Disney Renaissance and even Tangled and Wreck-It-Ralph.

If you like the Broadway Disney mixture found ever since Ashman and Menken came to Disney, this will be right up your alley. See it.

 

[flickchick85]

Are we talking early 90's Disney good?

Definitely not, but the closest we've gotten to it since, imo.

 

[Still Wynning]

yeah. me too.

Thirded.

After watching it on DVD, I kicked myself in the foot, which is why I'm not making the same mistake with this film.

 

[jmc]

In the ball park. I do not think it is as good as Little Mermaid, Lion King or the two in between, but it is almost as good as those and better than ANY Walt Disney Animation Studios film released after, including the second half of the Disney Renaissance and even Tangled and Wreck-It-Ralph.

If you like the Broadway Disney mixture found ever since Ashman and Menken came to Disney, this will be right up your alley. See it.

Lion King is still the best for me. I saw Wreck it Ralph for the first time the other week, damn good film.

 

[X Knight]

Thirded.

After watching it on DVD, I kicked myself in the foot, which is why I'm not making the same mistake with this film.

Yeah. You really need to see Frozen in all of its glory in the theaters.

Plus, watching Elsa let hair down is more spectacular and sexy on the big screen............

And if you thought Rapunzel was adorable and cute, wait till you meet Anna!

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

This "When Will My Life Begin?" reprise was on the Tangled OST, but not in the movie. I just heard it for the first time. Wish they would have kept it, really tugs at the heart strings. Poor Rapunzel.

[YT]MXjH_vR-Tbk[/YT]

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Yep. Not counting Pixar, I haven't seen an animated Disney movie in theaters since Mulan. And this is just as good. It is so refreshing. Though, I wish I had seen Tangled a few years ago in theaters.

I didn't see Tangled because I thought it was just gonna be some mediocre movie like what Disney was putting out with Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, Brother Bear, Home on the Range, etc.

Back when I was in High School, my Spanish teacher put in Tangled because we didn't have any work to do and at first I was against the idea along with a few other people. Imagine how surprised we were(especially me) when the beginning of the movie sucked us in. I'm talking about a whole class of high school students that were genuinely loving the movie. So much that we actually booed when the bell rang and we had to leave a little bit after the "I See the Light" part. I think I prefer the way I saw it, because that's a memory I won't ever forget.




And this isn't really related, but Rapunzel is the best Disney princess. Hands down. Hands down, people! Rapunzel was unlike any Disney princess I'd ever seen before. Whereas watching some things that Anna does reminds me of Rapunzel. Things like clumsiness(although Anna's way more clumsier), using a pan as a weapon, seeming "airy" at times, and maybe a few other similarities that aren't coming to mind. Don't get me wrong, Anna was her own person, but she did remind me of Rapunzel in some instances.

 

[samsnee]

Spoiler

I thought it about it some more and I feel like Hans evil turn came out of nowhere. He was shown as being kind and caring for all the people and even helped save the queen. In fact, I thought they were going to pair them off at the end. It was as if they needed a real villain besides the old guy and made a last minute change. Really wish they had kept Hans a good guy all the way through.

 

[X Knight]

More than any other Disney princess, Rapunzel felt like a real girl to me. Like, you could meet a girl like that (minus the long magic hair ) at school or in your neighborhood or whatever.

The quirks, mannerisms, facial expressions, body language............they all brought life to the character and brought a level of relatable which I didn't experience with the other princesses.

Anna and Elsa continue that. And that's why I feel these 3d movies have the potential to be even more magical than the classic films. Or, at least, connect with the audience on a different level.

And up until I saw Tangled a few years ago, I was someone who was DEAD SET against these 3d films. I much preferred the classic hand drawn 2d animation. I had always felt the 3d animated films were "lifeless." I just couldn't connect with them.

In fact, that was one of the main reasons why I chose not to see Tangled in the theaters. When I 1st heard they were going to do a Rapunzel movie, I was excited, because it seemed they were going to do a traditional 2d film. Then they said it was going to be in 3d. And they changed the name to Tangled. And hired Mandy Moore to voice Rapunzel.

All of those choices sounded incredibly stupid to me. And the previews I saw in the theater made the film look incredibly stupid ( creepy stalker Rapunzel, anyone? ). As a result, I had ZERO interest seeing Tangled in the theaters.

It wasn't until I listened to some of the music on Youtube, specifically I See the Light. At first I didn't really like it, because I was comparing it to the classic songs like Part of Your World and Beauty and the Beast.

But then I watched the actual boat/lantern scene from the movie when they sing I See the Light. And when I saw the beauty of the animation, and the quirks, mannerisms, and nuances of Rapunzel and Flynn, that's when I started to fall in love with the song and the movie. Not too mention, I thought Rapunzel was really cute and adorable......lol

From there, I started reading about the story online. And I liked the story ( the ending reminded me of BB ). It was nothing like I imagined it from the previews. So I gathered up courage and bought the DVD.

And I fell in love with the entire movie. It captivated me like no other movie had in a long, long while. I felt compelled to watch it again, and again, and again, and again.......

I felt the same way when I watched Frozen. I was captivated, entranced, and enjoyed every minute of it. The animation. The colors. The music. The characters. The story. Elsa letting down her hair...........wait what?

That's why I feel Tangled started a new renaissance of Disney animation, and I'm hopeful for future films.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I never quite understood the Lion King love. Is it because it has a male lead? I watched it just as much as I watched the others growing up, but never had the same kind of affection for it. It is definitely harrowing and engaging. It is good, and at times great, but it never measured up to the other three films.

I'd take Frozen, Tangled and Ralph over it pretty easily. I'd personally enjoy watching Mulan, Hercules and Tarzan more though I'd say The Lion King is a better film then those three.

 

[X Knight]

I never quite understood the Lion King love. Is it because it has a male lead? I watched it just as much as I watched the others growing up, but never had the same kind of affection for it. It is definitely harrowing and engaging. It is good, and at times great, but it never measured up to the other three films.

I'd take Frozen, Tangled and Ralph over it pretty easily. I'd personally enjoy watching Mulan, Hercules and Tarzan more though I'd say The Lion King is a better film then those three.

I never got the Lion King love, either.

I'd take Mermaid, BB, Tangled, and Frozen over LK any day.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Lion King having a male lead has nothing to do with it being the best Disney movie, as far as I'm concerned. There are plenty of other Disney movies with male leads in them. It's just a damn good movie...the characters, environments, songs...everything just works and pops. And it was a very unique movie when it first came out. There had never really been anything like it. And there still hasn't been.

 

[X Knight]

but there were no hot princesses letting down their hair in Lion King.

just a bunch of cats and animals and stuff.........

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

But those flowing manes, though!