Frozen
After some insistence and with a desire to do something with my afternoon, I went to see Frozen. No regrets there. Disney had me with their releases for several years, but I got older and it became less of a given. This one isn't perfect, and the music doesn't measure up to most of the "big" animated movies that come to mind, but I generally find the characters and messages vastly more appealing. I do think it's worth seeing, though to say more gets into...
As a story of tragedy and emotion and the power of love, it calls to mind Beauty and the Beast. But where that one may have a more memorable score, it also ends up rewarding the prince for Belle's emotional journey. Not so in Frozen. While it teases the "true love's kiss" trope, Anna isn't saved by a prince. Heck, for a section of the movie, I was expecting her sister's kiss to be the one to break the spell - though I can see how that might raise some incestuous undertones that might be a bit too much. But I'm happy with the end result, as Anna saves herself through an act of love on her own part. I think that's an absolutely fine message, that one can love well and truly without the validation of a prince or a marriage, or technically even a display of that love in return.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the handling of Prince Hans. The experienced (jaded) moviegoer in me knew he was too good to be true from the get-go, but there really wasn't any sign of duplicity until his abrupt evil speech. That moment wasn't quite so contrary as to invalidate his earlier characterization, but it came very, very close. And I sort of wish they hadn't gone that way. I suppose it would be overly complicated for a mainstream movie under two hours, but I actually would have liked to see him continue on as an okay guy trying to make the best of a situation. Though I would have chosen to have his kiss not break the spell, raising the point that he and Anna don't share a "true love" after one evening together. That would make for a more complicated final act, though, as they try to resolve the situation while coming to terms with that, but not having an obvious villain - I could see Hans still attacking Elsa out of desperation, but you don't get a "good triumphing over evil" thing then.
The standout song was definitely Let it Go, and I really like Elsa's struggle throughout the story. The scene is somewhat abrupt, but good and powerful in itself.
As a story of tragedy and emotion and the power of love, it calls to mind Beauty and the Beast. But where that one may have a more memorable score, it also ends up rewarding the prince for Belle's emotional journey. Not so in Frozen. While it teases the "true love's kiss" trope, Anna isn't saved by a prince. Heck, for a section of the movie, I was expecting her sister's kiss to be the one to break the spell - though I can see how that might raise some incestuous undertones that might be a bit too much. But I'm happy with the end result, as Anna saves herself through an act of love on her own part. I think that's an absolutely fine message, that one can love well and truly without the validation of a prince or a marriage, or technically even a display of that love in return.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the handling of Prince Hans. The experienced (jaded) moviegoer in me knew he was too good to be true from the get-go, but there really wasn't any sign of duplicity until his abrupt evil speech. That moment wasn't quite so contrary as to invalidate his earlier characterization, but it came very, very close. And I sort of wish they hadn't gone that way. I suppose it would be overly complicated for a mainstream movie under two hours, but I actually would have liked to see him continue on as an okay guy trying to make the best of a situation. Though I would have chosen to have his kiss not break the spell, raising the point that he and Anna don't share a "true love" after one evening together. That would make for a more complicated final act, though, as they try to resolve the situation while coming to terms with that, but not having an obvious villain - I could see Hans still attacking Elsa out of desperation, but you don't get a "good triumphing over evil" thing then.
The standout song was definitely Let it Go, and I really like Elsa's struggle throughout the story. The scene is somewhat abrupt, but good and powerful in itself.
To me, best part? Elsa and Anna's relationship. Worst part? The Troll love song. Good message: Love isn't at first sight, but takes time to flourish, you need to know someone to love them. Refrigerator horror: The Trolls and what they are in relation to Kristophe (and Sven). Olaf wasn't that annoying a comic relief character, all in all. This was probably a solid follow up to Princess and the Frog.
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