"Frozen" (2013) movie review
- Anna, a fearless optimist, sets off on an epic journey - teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven - to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. From the outside Anna's sister, Elsa looks poised, regal and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret-she was born with the power to create ice and snow. It's a beautiful ability, but also extremely dangerous. Haunted by the moment her magic nearly killed her younger sister Anna, Elsa has isolated herself, spending every waking minute trying to suppress her growing powers. Her mounting emotions trigger the magic, accidentally setting off an eternal winter that she can't stop. She fears she's becoming a monster and that no one, not even her sister, can help her. Written by DeAlan Wilson for ComedyE.com.
- Originally, Queen Elsa was intended to be the villain of the story. However, when the character's major song, "Let it Go," was played for the producers, they concluded that the song was not only very appealing, but its themes of personal empowerment and self-acceptance were too positive for a villain to express. Thus, the story was rewritten to have Elsa as an isolated innocent who is alarmed upon learning that her powers are inadvertently causing harm and struggles to control her powers with Anna's help.
- "Our main focus was really to get the story right but we knew that John Lasseter is keen on truth in the material and creating a believable world, and again that doesn't mean it's a realistic world - but a believable one."
- Highest-grossing animated film of all time and the ninth highest-grossing film of all time, having so far grossed $1.09 billion in worldwide box office revenue, $398 million of which in the United States and Canada.
- The film won two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song ("Let It Go"), the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, five Annie Awards (including Best Animated Feature), and two Critics' Choice Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song ("Let It Go").
- Songs
- "Let It Go"
- "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"
- "For the First Time in Forever"
- "In The Summer"
- "Love is an Open Door"
My impressions
Wonderful animation and colors. Texture, lighting, three-dimensionality (even without 3-D glasses).
Excellent music.
The rules of the sick family are, "Don't feel, don't talk, don't trust." The way in which the parents coped with Elsa's suffering is an example of how not to deal with the difficulties of growing up.
Everyone but Hans and the Duke of Weselton have good intentions that go astray.
- The parents hide Elsa from everybody out of love for Elsa.
- Elsa separates from Anna out of love for Anna.
- Anna pursues Elsa out of love for Elsa.
- Kristoff leaves Elsa alone out of love for Elsa.
Amor dat oculos: Anna sees what is lovable in Elsa.
"Let It Go" is (I gather) a great song, but it is not a great way of life. It is rejection of love rather than acceptance in love. "Let go and let God" should heal relationships, not annihilate them. "The second time we saw the movie, this number was met with spontaneous applause."[1]
Anna is the savior of this world.
Little sister / big sister dynamics: love-hate-love.