‘Frozen’: A Unique Disney Snowflake to Delight

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Said to be the “best Disney” film since The Lion King, the slim pickings at my theater of choice around Christmas made seeing Frozen even easier. Since finally I saw this, it’s time to share thoughts on this snowy animated movie.

Frozen (2013) Disney Film Review

Young princesses, Anna and Elsa are the best of friends. They are more than just sisters; their relationship is one without turmoil… until Elsa’s magical powers destroy that. Born with the ability to turn anything at her touch into ice, Elsa and Anna’s midnight winter playground frivolity goes wrong when Anna is hurt at Elsa’s hand and for the next many years, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) confines to her room in the hope she will come to outgrow or control her powers.

Three years after the death of their parents, Elsa’s coronation day arrives and with it Elsa’s worry over being able to manage secreting her powers, and a fear that Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) may learn the truth.  

It’s hard to look back at Disney’s record and actually pull out films that are “bad.” Sure, like anything there are certain ones that are less than memorable yet through it all, they’ve maintain enchanting, adventurous and (mostly) family friendly entertainment. For this, the creative Disney minds were inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ice Queen. I cannot recount all of the social media mentions that popped up on timelines for this movie. The result of all of this is that I walked out of the theater with a smile quite as big as Olaf’s.

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In addition to being pure entertainment, this also frames a realistic portrait of sisters; the young closeness contrasts with growing apart as time passes. Something that’s an accurate­ portrayal of life with sisters, and to be honest, this film actually made me tear up once or twice. The progression of this script is brilliant and I had a great appreciation for the guessing game it engages us in. I wavered between the outcome of relationships though didn’t doubt everything would end tied up in a pretty package. 

‘Frozen’: A Unique Disney Snowflake to Delight. Review of the 2013 film with Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. #Movies #Disney #Frozen Click To Tweet
‘Frozen’: A Unique Disney Snowflake to Delight. Review of the 2013 film with Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. All review text © Rissi JC

Elsa’s character is probably the most complex; she’s one of those characters we root for to choose good over bad. Anna is the pure counterpart to Elsa; she’s open, warm, adventurous, and truly desires a relationship with her sister. It’s this that makes Frozen so precious. As always, the supporting characters are just as good. Kristoff is a fun personality; and seriously, I’m not sure there’s a more adorable side-kick than Olaf the snowman. Things don’t get funny until that little guy shows up midway through the movie. I dare you not to fall in love with this little guy. Aside from spontaneous bursts into song (which are beautiful by the way, I love Elsa’s ‘Let it Go’), the movie is brilliant. The animation gorgeous (the clothes, settings and characters themselves), and I adore the few moments that set up Anna and Elsa’s childhood.

If you hold Tangled as one of your favorite Disney movies or you’re looking for something to see, take all of the little girls in your family to see this! It’s irresistible. ❤

Content: PG is the rating for some mild “rude” comments and the “adventure” of the movie.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

47 comments

  1. I enjoyed this film very much, but I thought Olaf was a bit much. He didn't dampen the experience much for me, though. Loved Elsa — she reminds me of myself, and not always in good ways!

    1. Aw, sorry you weren't Olaf's biggest fan. :) I get what you're saying but I guess I was in the right mood or something – he tickled my funny bone every time he was on screen! Glad that didn't deter from the fun though and I loved both girls – they were quite different yet they loved one another unconditionally and it was a special relationship to experience. :)

  2. This reminds me that I *still* haven't written up my review for Frozen! :)

    I adored this movie. I honestly wasn't expecting to love it, because I thought that another awesome princess movie after Tangled (one of my favorites) would be too much to ask for. But Disney is really upping their game with their films again, and I'm so glad!

    I loved Kristoff. I want him to be a real-life guy instead of an animated character. :) And I wasn't expecting to like Olaf as much as I did…I was thinking he'd be over-the-top cheesy, but he was hilarious.

    Anyway, hopefully I'll write more soon in my own review. But needless to say, I loved Frozen. :)

    1. (Cannot wait to read your review, Kristin! I'll look for it next week… or whenever you have the time to write it. :D)

      Ditto! This movie was so sweet and equal to Tangled in terms of being "epic," yet at the same time, it was unique all on its own. Tangled is one of my favorites too and I suspect Frozen will find a place on the shelf with it.

      Tell me about it! I'd love to meet most of these characters – they would be fun to know and of course, I liked Kristoff being a "normal" guy. Aww, me, too! Olaf was the highlight of every scene… he was fabulous – those lines were just spot-on!

      Looking forward to Frozen's review – and thanks for stopping by to gush with me over this one!

    1. Neither can I, Ella! It'd better arrive to DVD soon because I want to see it again. ;) If you liked Tangled, I'm confident this one will make a good impression too – it's so sweet.

      Thanks for sharing – and your new profile picture? It's so cute! :)

  3. Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Rissi! I loved Frozen! I really appreciated how they focused on the sister relationship and they emphasized that "true love" isn't exclusive to romantic relationships. Definitely a new favorite Disney movie for me. :D

    1. Me, too, Rosie! I figured I would but one never knows. Seeing the focus shift to a more familial relationship rather than romantic was nice – I love it when writer's "get" the dynamics between sisters. There is always going to be disagreements (especially when you're 100% opposite) but at the end of the day, you're always going to protect each other.

      Disney knows how to make 'em; after Tangled and Frozen, I cannot wait to see what comes next!

  4. I've heard loads of great things about this movie and I'm pretty excited to watch it whenever it comes out on dvd. I have some curiosity as to whether or not I'll think it's as good (if not better than) as Tangled as everyone seems to be comparing Frozen to it. Either way, I'm sure that I'll enjoy it a lot! Great review Rissi!

    1. I'm confident you will like it, Sara. Even if you still prefer Tangled, this movie is equally good in different ways – the sister relationship is precious, Olaf cute and the animation SPECTACULAR!

      Hope you love it, Sara – cannot wait to know what you think!

  5. I saw Frozen two days ago and I loved it! I'm a big fan of Disney and thought they did very well with the movie. Olaf was hilarious. And like Rosie said above, I enjoyed the emphasis on the relationship between the sisters. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rissi!

    1. Yes! You liked it, too, Jillian?! So happy – after reading Amber's review, another friend saying she liked it and hearing my cousin talk about anticipating it, I figured it had to be a good bet. :)

      Olaf was my favorite… or today he is; this was one of those movies when I might switch between which character was the favorite. ;) Disney did an excellent job and yes, it was lovely to see a sister relationship as the focal point. That always "gets" me.

      Glad to get your thoughts, Jillian! :)

    1. Me, too, Evelyn! I'm so excited – it met my expectations and then some. Love all these positive reviews because Disney does provide us with wholesome family, and enchanting entertainment. So sweet. :)

  6. I'm glad you enjoyed the film, Rissi! It is indeed a film for ladies of all ages-and for young men(my teenage brother enjoyed it quite a bit, lol). I've gone back and listened to some of the music from it, and I've actually downloaded some of it- I must of just needed a second listening to appreciate the songs more than I did at first.

    Have a great weekend!

    1. Lovely. I'm glad your entire family – including your brother, enjoyed this movie, Grace. It is indeed a perfect family flick. All I've got is "Let it Go," though I suspect I'll buy more of the songs because they're pretty. :)

      Hope your weekend was wonderful, too, Grace!

  7. I'm so glad you liked this movie! It's so much fun. The music was superb! We have the soundtrack now. Olaf and Sven are a great team. I loved Olaf's song about summer. I liked Brave, but the kiddo was scared of it. This was a good mix of everything, but not scary. It was also a good story on not falling for the first guy you meet! haha.

    1. Ditto! It is SO much fun, Kate. I'd like to have the soundtrack and did take a peek when I was out shopping the other day though didn't see it. Perhaps I'll try again this week but I do have "Let it Go" which is beautiful. (Olaf's song was adorable!)

      All of the character's were great and each of the relationships are well rounded for an animated movie.

      Ooo! I forgot about Brave, Kate! That one was wonderful also though yes, I can see how kiddo would find it scary. Those bears!

      LOL, I love that, too, Kate – getting engaged with the first guy you meet isn't the wisest. ;)

      (BTW, LOVE your new profile pic. So pretty.)

  8. Just got back from going to see this–loved it! Though I'm not sure it's on par with The Lion King, I think it's the best Disney princess film of all of them. I loved Kristoff–he was so sweet. And I really liked Elsa, too :) I also loved "Let it Go" and "For the First Time in Forever;" "Love is An Open Door" I liked less, but it was still cute, in spite of the fact that SPOILER Hans ends up being a jerk (which I knew prior to seeing it, so I wasn't surprised).

    1. I probably like it better than The Lion King though I don't know production wise which is better; 'King' was never a favorite to begin with. :) Frozen is definitely the best princess film to come along in a long time. …Although I do ADORE Tangled as well. ;) Kristoff was the perfect (real) gentleman as were all the character's great; I liked that Elsa was a "good" character where some other movies may have used her "hiding" who she is as a starter for being a bad character. Great picks for songs! Those were all sweet – I'm hoping to get the soundtrack.

      SPOILER: I hadn't read who was going to turn out bad vs. who was good, however for an animated Disney movie, I figured it was okay not to know the spoilers. ;) END

    1. Agreed; no matter what, this is worth a ticket price. So glad you liked it, Rachelle. Not sure who my favorite princesses are (though I'm told I was quite fond of The Little Mermaid) however I like all you mention and of course, Anna and Elsa are now in the running. :)

    1. This movie is delightful, Cathy. I'm sure your daughter (and you!) would really enjoy it Hope you can see it soon.

      …Happy New Year to you as well – hope 2014 is a good one for you and yours. :)

  9. I watched this recently and enjoyed it.

    SPOILER! I knew there was something fishy about the prince. For all his kindness to Anna at the start, he seemed to be really pushing the love thing. And no wonder why!

    The songs are great (I really love Idina Menzel's voice).

    I like how the act of true love did not have to involve romantic love. For the past Disney Princesses films, it's always been about dreaming of a true love's kiss and Prince Charming's to sweep the princess off her feet and carry her into happy ever after. I'm glad this one showed about a deep, true kind of love between sisters. :)

    1. So glad it was one you liked too, Alyssa. :)

      Spoiler: Honestly, I figured when Kristoff came in that Anna wouldn't end up with the prince but I shifted between thinking maybe he would fall for Elsa or vice versa, so I thought it was fun how Disney tricked us. Overall, I just felt like the back-and-forth possibility was great. End

      The songs ARE great. Hoping to nab the soundtrack soon.

      Have you ever seen Penelope? The ending of that is similar to this movie though it doesn't involve a second person like Frozen does. I think this movie does it a bit better. I agree; true the sister relationship was fantastic. Disney deserves applause for this. There is something for everyone – excitement, romance, love and all that jazz. :)

    2. I thought that, too! Just like in Enchanted. :D Well, that was a great plot twist from Disney.

      I haven't seen Penelope yet. Is it a Disney animated film as well?

    3. …I LOVE Enchanted. It's been way too long since I watched it and now you've reminded me that I need to remedy it. ;)

      No, Penelope is a live-action film starring James McAvoy and Christina Ricci. It's very quirky but is one of my favorites. It's got a sweet message with plenty of cute rom-com moments. :)

    4. Me, too, Alyssa. Enchanted is well, enchanting. Plus I LOVE the cast. ;) Here's hoping Disney makes that long-rumored sequel.

      Hope you enjoy Penelope if ever you see it.

  10. I can't believe I hadn't already commented on this ;) I loved, loved, loved this movie. It's definitely one of my favorite Disney films now. My sister and I bought the soundtrack and haven't been able to stop listening to it!

    1. I LOVELOVELOVE the soundtrack, Hayden (minus the opening music) and am hoping to find it at the store next time I get out and about. This movie was a favorite for me too and is one I'm snagging on DVD. So good. :)

  11. This was a cute movie with a sweet story (I loved the ending), although I was a little bit jarred by the different style of music. It seemed to be shifting more towards a modern "pop" style of song than your traditional disney music – especially "Let It Go." But I had to love the movie. I'm a big fan of realistic sisters stories too. I admit I teared up a little at the beginning and end of the movie. Just too close to home for me.

    1. I think Tangled had some "pop" tunes, also, didn't it…? Not sure though I hadn't thought about the style of music being different. Other than the opening song (which just didn't fit), I enjoyed the music. 'Let it Go' was a favorite because it was so poignant whereas the other songs were just cute.

      Me, too! I am ANXIOUS for that March DVD release – like you say, the sister relationship was just lovely. :)

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