Magic!

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2013)

While Pixar's animated movies are becoming more of a chore to watch, Disney has been making some good stuffs, be it the lovely Tangled or brilliant Wreck It-Ralph. With Frozen, they have surpassed their recent works. Frozen is a story of two sisters, one of whom happens to be in the possession of magical power. As they grow up and it becomes more difficult for the elder sister to control her powers, their relationship drifts apart, that once had been affectionate and loving. Disney has always been known for strong female leads in their stories. And Frozen is primarily a female driven story where the males are but in supporting roles. And its allegories to female empowerment and their vital roles in the society are touched with subtlety. In fact, one may very well reason that it is not about female empowerment at all. It is about sibling love and the burden of genius that is not to be feared, but embraced. But I beg to think differently. For me, Frozen is about how the society entraps the inherent power of the women by making them fear their own potentials. But then let us not talk about the message of the movie. Let each one interpret his own. Coming to the less subjective parts of the movie, Frozen has some of the best music that a musical has to offer. The songs are great. They are funny, witty and touching all at the same time. The one that plays in the beginning is quite reminiscent of The Lion King's powerful and intense Circle of Life. Secondly, the dialogues are a lot of fun. The animation is, as usual, colourful where ever it can be! Disney may be following the same old age formula of kings and queens, princes and princesses, magic and love, but it still manages to bring a freshness to its proceedings. Frozen may be inherently ancient in its setting, but in its tone it is very contemporary. This modernity is set up in its exchange of dialogues between the characters that manages to pick up the vibes and attitudes of our young generation. Actually, for once I thought they were going to do a Twilight here (I mean it in the good sense, not like the crap that the Twilight movie was), but they didn't. After all, it is essentially a kiddie flick and they need to keep things simple. Alas! The screenplay is fluid, moving at a comfortable pace with lots of fun, adventure and wit except for one place where I thought a revelation was bit jarring as it didn't seem to fit with what happened earlier. Frozen, a testimony to Disney's adaptability without sacrificing the soul, is your typical Disney musical fare, but let that not make you judge it poorly, as it contains enough of fun and innovation to keep you thoroughly entertained and the story relevant. This sibling love story is going to remain 'frozen' in your hearts for a long time.