Is it as good as people say it is?

Rating: 7/10 (4 June 2014)

And now, Disney's highest grossing animated film to date since The Lion King, Frozen. Disney decided to go back to the princess fairy tale formula with musical numbers. When it came out, people went NUTS. It was a huge hit. Critics loved it, audiences loved it and it crossed over $1,000,000,000 worldwide. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I think it's kinda overrated. But that doesn't mean it's a bad movie; I just don't think I'd say this is one of Disney's greatest projects ever made. Ironically, Frozen has been in the works since Walt Disney himself was alive and the project was canceled numerous times, with scripts being rewritten, film crew shifting around, it just couldn't get out to the public until now. And now here it is. Here's the story.
Sisters Anna and Elsa are the children of the king and queen of Arendelle. But it turns out, Elsa has cryokinesisâ€”the ability to create snow and ice at her will. One day while playing, Elsa accidentally injures Anna with her powers and the king and queen decide that in order to save her, they need to erase Anna's memories of Elsa's power with the help from some trolls, who then tell Elsa that if her cryokinesis gets out of hand, it could mean disaster for all. The king and queen lock the gates to the castle so no one would know about this and try their best to teach Elsa to control her powers. Anna tries to connect with Elsa, who constantly blows her off to keep her safe. A decade later, the king and queen die due to Disney Parent Syndrome, leaving Elsa to rule as queen. At Elsa's coronation, her cryokinesis is discovered and everyone thinks she's a freak. Elsa runs away and decides to start a new life. So now, it's up to Anna to reconcile with her sister and save Arendelle from being eternally frozen while coming across colorful characters along the way.
So yeah, pretty big story, huh? Yeah, everyone was totally digging this story and so was I. Okay where exactly does it fall flat? I can tell you in one word and this going to be a shock for some of youÂ…Elsa. I found Elsa to be selfish. I mean, yeah, I get it. She's tortured by the fact that her powers are getting unstable and she's worried about killing Anna. Fair enough, but when she runs away and builds her fortress of solitude, she's also saying goodbye to Anna, her only FAMILY LEFT. FOREVER. And does she ever mention her? Nope. She's so absorbed in her own troubles, she doesn't care about anything. And when Elsa sees her own sister again after so many years of shutting her out, what does she say? A casual "hi". And when Anna finds her to tell her to take responsibility and face her fears, not only does she refuse, not only does she freeze her heart, she builds a giant snow monster to that NEARLY KILLS HER! Yeah, sister of the year, everyone! What also bothers me is that a lot of people say that Elsa is so inspirational and a great model. I think people got that mixed up with Anna. Yeah, ANNA is the great model. Anna is a very likable character. She's clumsy, but she admits it. She makes mistakes, but is willing to take responsibility for them. She cares for her sister so much and was willing to put her life on the line just for her. Hell, SHE was the one who saved all of Arendelle, when we should want Elsa to overcome her hardships, but she never did until she saw her sister sacrificed herself. Wouldn't it have been SO much more interesting if Elsa said "you know what? Screw this. Anna's my sister and I'm going back?" I'm sorry, but this is a HUGE flaw.
Alright, so Elsa's character is a mess. How are the others? I think Kristoff is bland. The minute we see him, we know who he's going to be. He's going to be the love interest for Anna and that's it. He doesn't advance the story, so what's the point of him? Cut him out and you won't miss anything.
What about the songs? They'reÂ…okay. Frozen Heart, Do You Wanna Build a Snowman? and For the First Time in Forever are good, but the others don't do much for me. Love is an Open Door? Hated. Fixer-Upper? Hated. Let it Go? It'sÂ…nice to listen to. Not a huge fan, but I'd give it a pass.
Okay, I'm done bashing on it. What DO I like? The animation. Praising animation by Disney is typical, but really the animation is GREAT. Look at the ice, that really does look like ice. And the entire Let it Go sequence is GLORIOUS. Watching the ice forming the castle is just breathtaking. Also, the snowman, Olaf, is a likable character. He's lighthearted, he's optimistic and he's actually funny at times. And he's willing to die for the main characters That's awesome. Go snowman.
So in conclusion, Frozen can be a bit of a mess, but I do have a soft spot for it. I think the strong moments are really good. The first ten minutes of the movie are really solid. Like when Elsa yells for her parents for help at the beginning; that was really good. I do like this movie, I just have my own personal problems with it. I don't hate it, but it does pretty damaging flaws. When it comes on again, I'll check it out again. If you see it on DVD and Blu-Ray, give it a viewing and see for yourself.