Disney's "Frozen"

[...]

So who's seeing this movie tomorrow? I know I am!

 

I most definitely am! =D

[Thigolf]

I'll probably still see it this week, though I'm not sure exactly when. Really excited, though.

[Mega]

I saw an early premiere tonight, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Anna is a very dorky Disney princess with a lot of charm, Elsa is very sympathetic, Kristoph is definitely not Flynn Rider 2.0 and is actually a pretty huge dork in his own right, and Olaf is adorable.

The songs were really stunning in my book, and I think there were more than Tangled. A lot more choreography for these, too.

[iDEATH]

Starting to finally get excited about this. Still a couple of weeks before it comes out here though

[DarkLight]

So who's seeing this movie tomorrow? I know I am!

 

Probably will later this weekend since both my parents are still at work today and have a four-day weekend. I kind of got them interested to go see it with me.

 

Will probably get the soundtrack sometime as well since I believe it's been released today.

[...]

Oh yeah, and Treasure Planet's eleventh anniversary is today, so there is that.

[...]

So, yeah. I saw Frozen a few hours ago, so time for my full thoughts, and a little retrospective as well.

Ever since 2008 with the release of Bolt, Walt Disney Animation Studios has been on a rather significant streak of quality, a far cry from their dork age in the early 2000s (2000-2007 if we're going to be specific), whereas interest in the company was steadily dwindling due to growing interest in computer animation, and a massive successes of such films in that animation technique. This led to most of their films underperforming or outright flopping at the box office, some even being lambasted by critics or garnering mostly mixed reception. The only film to be both a critical and commercial hit in this dire era in the company's history was Lilo & Stitch, which became the company's biggest hit since Tarzan at the time. In this recent streak of quality being coined by some as the Disney Revival, all these films have been sizable critical and commercial hits and have successfully re-ignited interested in Disney Animation, these are The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Winnie The Pooh (though not so much a commercial success, only making a mere $33 million on a $30 million budget, but still garnering critical acclaim) and Wreck-it Ralph.

Now, we're in 2013, and we speak of Frozen, Disney's 53rd animated feature. I had mixed thoughts during my wait for this movie, especially being turned off by the mostly awful marketing and trailers, but as the weeks closed nearer to the film's release date, it had received widespread critical acclaim, with some comparing it favorably to films of the Disney Renaissance. With these words, you could definitely tell I was interested, and the trailer showcasing Elsa's subplot in the film was excellently done, furthering my interest even more. I walked into the theater with rather high expectations. Did the film live up to them? Let's see. Let me briefly talk about Get A Horse, the short that played before the film.

I'll say that it's one of the most inventive and fun animated shorts I've seen in my lifetime, the traditional animation (meant to resemble the Mickey Mouse shorts of the early 1900s, which it does without any fault) blends seamlessly with computer animation in so many great ways, you could tell they were having so much fun making it, it's a commendable tribute to the early days of Mickey & co., and it definitely shows. Hell, they even got voice clips by Walt Disney himself for voicing Mickey Mouse in this short, how cool is that? I literally had the most idiotic smile on my face throughout the entire thing, but nothing could prepare me for what was to come after.

Frozen, quite possibly, is the best film to come out of Disney since Beauty and the Beast, and that is saying a lot. First off, the animation and production design is beyond beautiful, breathtaking, even. The animators did their best to include every nook and cranny in showcasing the winter environment, especially regarding snow and ice. The textures on some of the characters' clothing and hair looks near damn photorealistic, it's a sure feast for the eyes. The animation, usual for any Disney movie, is lively and beautiful, so yeah. The storyline, especially the sister-sister relationship between Anna and Elsa is truly both gripping and moving, and the story actually keeps you guessing at times at what's gonna happen, and there's a few surprises throughout. The writing is all sharp, witty, and serious whenever it needs to be, courtesy of Jennifer Lee, who wrote Wreck-It Ralph. (She also co-directed this movie, the first woman to direct a full-length Disney animated feature, in fact!)

The characters all have infectious personalities, and all feel like as if they have a purpose in the story, even Olaf. Olaf was probably one of the most loathed films regarding this film prior to it's release, but I can safely say that he does no harm to the story, and his comedic moments are actually rather hilarious mixed with his lovable personality, makes him a welcome addition. Most of the characters get a healthy amount of development, the most needed anyway for a film with a running time of 108 minutes. Now, the music, good lord, the music, I want it inside me. Each and every one of the songs are catchy, fun, and move the story along perfectly. Christophe Beck's score is grand, and the many harmonies playing throughout the film make each scene, perfectly emulating the film's Scandinavian culture. My favorite of them all would be "Let It Go", which I can tell I'll be listening to for years to come.

Never before when watching a Disney film have I been so touched (I actually almost cried during one scene regarding Anna and Elsa, I actually saw one woman crying next to me, and I'm sure I heard some other crying/sniffling in the theater during that scene.), laughed so hard, and in general have been so pleased to have seen it. Frozen, in every minute, is simply enrapturing, it simply has that pure, unadulterated Disney magic. It'll be sure to live on through generations, as did The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. The standing ovation received at the end of the film was fully deserved.

Congratulations to you, Disney, for making such a wonderful film. May Walt Disney Animation Studios have a bright and successful future ahead of it. This is the best animated film of 2013, and one of my favorite films this year, period. If it doesn't win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, I'll be sorely disappointed.

Also happy eleventh anniversary, Treasure Planet.

[Sami]

> better than tangled

 

Well, now I have to see it.

[redhellc]

Ok I watched the movie yesterday.

 

I really liked it, it really is as good as people say it is.

 

Good work Disney.

[DarkLight]

Just got back. Terrific movie.

 

What I was expecting to love, I got.

 

Anna and Elsa's dynamic was very strong and you feel bad for both of them whenever they were apart. Kristoph and Sven were fun too. It was cute to see how Kris interpreted what Sven was saying based on his facial expressions. And Olaf was more funny and endearing then the trailers let on. 

 

Like that one "Some people are worth melting for" definitely plays during a pivotal part where Anna was getting close to dying and he puts on the fire to keep her warm.

 

If there was anything that kind of irked me was,

 

definitely thought Hans was rather weak as a villain. I did like there was more to his motive besides 'I want power' in that he was pretty much last in line to rule his own kingdom. But I dunno, it still didn't have really much 'omph' especially after his reveal.

 

 

As for the music, 'Let It Go' FTW. Though besides that, 'First Time In Forever' and 'Do You Want To Build A Snowman?' are tied for second place. Anything else was just okay.

 

Oh, and the short 'Get A Horse' was excellent. Totally didn't expect anything they did for it and it genuinely impressed me.

[Mogtaki]

With what everyone has said about the film...yep, I want to see it.

 

Shame it's not in the cinema here until the frickin 6th...

[nintega137]

Frozen, quite possibly, is the best film to come out of Disney since Beauty and the Beast, and that is saying a lot.

YOU LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

If that's really true then I have to see this movie. 

[Mogtaki]

YOU LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

If that's really true then I have to see this movie. 

 

Well that's what everybody's saying right now, even Boston critic Bob "Moviebob" Chipman of Escapist Magazine is saying it's pretty damn close to achieving what was achieved with Beauty and the Beast and he's a critic who's extremely hard to please.

[...]

 

Guys, Frozen now has the same score as Beauty and the Beast on IMDb, not to mention it has the highest score of any Disney film on the site since The Lion King: which has a rating of 8.4 (everything after TLK up until now has been in the 6s and 7s).

 

I believe we should like, party or something.

[nintega137]

Guys, Frozen now has the same score as Beauty and the Beast on IMDb, not to mention it has the highest score of any Disney film on the site since The Lion King: which has a rating of 8.4 (everything after TLK up until now has been in the 6s and 7s).

 

I believe we should like, party or something.

I brought the cake!!!

 

 

[...]

 

Disney made a Frozen ad for the Oscars, proposing for the film to be nominated in those categories. I must say, it looks really beautiful.

[Nepenthe]

Imagine if that were the theatrical poster. It invites curiosity in a "the fuck's wrong with her?" kind of way.

[Johnny Boy]

I think the chances of this movie getting best original song are very high. I would say the same for Best animated film but I got a feeling the academy is gonna kiss up to Pixar again like they did last year.

[Mogtaki]

Best original song is definitely possible, at least for "Let It Go". I don't see Pixar going away with best animated film unless it really is a corrupt industry.

[Thigolf]

Well, Brave won against Wreck it Ralph and Paranorman, so I wouldn't be surprised if Frozen lost against Monsters University.

[Nepenthe]

Pixar has lost Academies before, you know.

[...]

Pixar has lost Academies before, you know.

 

Nepenthe here has a point, they haven't won every single Oscar race. Monsters Inc. lost to Shrek in 2001 (lol) and Cars lost to Happy Feet in 2006. Cars 2 wasn't nominated at all in 2011, understandably.

[Milo]

I have a feeling Frozen could actually win over Monsters University because Monster's University is a prequel to Monsters Inc.. If you look back at past winners of the Best Animated Feature Oscar, Toy Story 3 is to date the only animated film that is an addition to an existing film/IP that won such an award.

 

Speaking of awards, Walt Disney Animation Studios has (surprisingly, IMO!) not won any Best Animation Feature Oscars since the award was established in 2001. They keep being beat out by companion Pixar, rival DWA, and on one occasion had not one, but two films (Lilo and Stitch and Treasure Planet) beat out by Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away.

 

All that said, it would be nice to see WDAS win an award for their films for once. The only other thing I could see pitted against it other than Pixar bias *grumble*IstillthinkBrave'swinwasunwarranted*grumble* is Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises.

[...]

This just in, y'all:

 

Frozen's made over $66.7 million on its opening weekend, making it the highest-earning opening weekend ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film. It made $92.6 million over its five-day Thanksgiving weekend, beating Toy Story 2's record set in 1999 (which grossed over $80 million in its five-day Thanksgiving weekend). With these numbers, it seems the film's set for a rather successful box office run, and it seems to be holding up rather well against The Hunger Games: Catching Fire!

[-blank-]

If this film is that good, I have to see it now.