Let it Ride

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2014)

After an incredibly slow first act and some below par and childishly written songs, Frozen actually finally takes off and left me pretty pleased by the finale.
What worked best here the original take on the age-old Disney Princess animated feature. There was no grandiose villain, the conflicts were real and the love did show despite what I had thought the characters should've/would've done. Oh, and the stereotypical sidekick goofball character Disney loves to throw in wasn't exactly an original idea, but thanks to incredibly hilarious writing and ideas, I loved almost every minute the tiny snowman, Olaf, was on screen.
Unfortunately, the movie was all ice capades for me. Despite the very long and sluggish start, my biggest problem was the music. For the majority, but one song – and that one, Let It Go, was just okay in the movie, the lyrics were so elementary and quietly frankly, unpleasant to my ears. These songs along with Olaf might have been there to please the younger audience, but not one soared to my expectations from these Disney Princess animated films.
Luckily, it's easy to get past the songs since the majority of them are in the first half and it's the second half of the film that makes this movie ascend.
After an accident involving a Princess's unexplained power to manipulate ice and cold, the King and Queen separates their two daughters from each other and the world for many years. Unrealistically, but then, this is a fantasy tale, the powerless Princess of the two clings to hope that she can be best friends again after many years of isolation and intentional avoidance.
Once the years of seclusion are over, hell literally freezes over by the unresolved issues from the ice Queen. Will her sister save her from herself and the kingdom? Will they all thaw out? Will it ever be explained how some have powers, some bodies can break apart and others can rock and roll?
Stick with the tale and it will, ah-hem, warm your heart by the ending. Not the best Disney/non-Pixar film in years – Tangled was much better, but still worth a watch. Just, bring a sweater.
* * * Final thoughts: It was nice for Disney to go back to its roots in their classic format, but it was even better that they shook the story up and modernized their filmmaking. This was a smart, and definitely profitable, move to keep up with the other studios. I don't always praise Disney, but they did right here for the most part.