A feast for the eyes

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2013)

I have seen this movie yesterday in a preview in Vienna, and since there aren't much comments yet on IMDb.com, I would like to share my thoughts.
First of all: For the second time (following "Tangled"), the filmmakers managed to transfer the charm of the old Disney-movies to an up-to-date-CGI-picture. This movie has "Disney" written all over it; the technical perfection is remarkable and certainly one level higher than in the "Ice Age"-movies.
"Frozen" is inspired by H.C. Andersens "Snow Queen", in a similar way as Disney's "Jungle Book" is inspired by Kipling's book; i.e. there isn't much left of the original story. In the centre of "Frozen" there are two sisters, Elsa and Anna, princesses in the small kingdom of Erindell (?). The scenery is inspired by Norway, as we are told on the Disney-homepage, and, as I may add, Finland and perhaps a bit of Switzerland. The time may be somewhere between 1600 and 1800. Anyway, the scenery is gorgeous and done with much love for the detail.
The movie starts with an a-capella-choir, mixing Indian and modern style, and after that, we have a work song of guys cutting and storing ice for the summer. And much more singing and dancing will follow. I suppose there hasn't been that much singing in a Disney movie since "Beauty and the Beast". For my taste, it's a bit too much, and the songs are not always adequate; but the tunes are catchy, and the songs are quite well done and sung.
But now to my main objection: Living in Vienna, and being an avid reader of Sigmund Freud, the plot of "The Snow Queen" could have been a great chance to explore the psyche of the main characters much more penetratively than usual. And while Anna is basically the typical, feisty, charming Disney heroine (well done, but nothing new here), it's quite a different story with her sister Elsa. There has hardly ever been such a character in a Disney movie, though there are some parallels to the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast". Elsa is born with the gift (or curse?) to produce ice and snow at will, but only her parents and her sister know of that. After nearly killing Anna, when they were about 5, she is traumatised and basically closed away in the castle. Her parents die in a storm; therefore she has to take over as queen, and therefore the coronation is imminent, when Elsa is coming of age. Anna is beaming with joy, since the castle gates are opened again at last, and since she has forgotten that incident with her sister. Elsa, on the other hand, is frightened, because she has big trouble controlling her powers. And of course the coronation ends in a disaster; Elsa flees the castle and leaves Erindell in eternal winter. Of course, Anna will try to find her and to bring her back
I won't retell the rest of the plot. Some parts are predictable; others come as a surprise, but I had the impression that the first draft of the script might have been much darker; at least it should have been! There is so much potential in a character like Elsa, traumatised, with powers which are controlled more by her subconsciousness than by the consciousness, disappointed, disillusioned, but at the same time craving for love and affection  There are rudiments of that in Elsa, but there could have been much more! This is also causing problems for the plot: There is one point in the showdown, where everything seems to be too late (again, a bit as in "Beauty and the Beast"); here I asked myself: How will they resolve this? How will they reach the Happy Ending? Well, the solution comes surprisingly quick and seamless; it's too easy in my opinion, and you might ask yourself: If it was that simple, why all the fuss?
One last point: In many Disney movies there are annoying sidekicks, and this one is no exception. Here it's Olaf, the talking snowman. Being an Olaf myself, I felt a bit offended. But, well, I can live this that, and since "Frozen" is especially a feast for the eyes (especially in 3D), I will certainly see it again!