My Favorite Movies of 2013: Frozen (SPOILERS)

Right from the start of the movie I really enjoyed Frozen. With the unconventional start under the ice, as the saw begins cutting it into blocks for the townspeople, it had me hooked. Granted, the appearance of the northern lights a few minutes later helped as well. Through the sadness of "Do you Wanna Build a Snowman", the mixture of anticipation and dread in "For the First Time", the coronation, the bouncy fun of "Love is an Open Door", and the reveal of Queen Elsa's powers I was really enjoying the film. Had it just stayed at that level, I would have been pleased with the film.

However, what followed was the scene that would take the film from like to love. I'm talking about "Let It Go".






It isn't just that Idina Menzel sings the hell out of the song, or that the animation great. By showing (and doing some telling through the song), it moves Elsa from one set of problem (the great lengths she went to hide her secret) to another set (becoming detached from the kingdom she was sworn to protect, and the sister that she loves).

As the scene progresses, you go from feeling joy and sympathy for her being able to release the pent up frustration caused by having to keep her powers a secret. This is first shown by her making small flurries and recreating Olaf, the "snowman who likes warm hugs" (first seen in the early segment as Elsa and Anna are playing in the throne room). As she goes on, she lets go of the ceremonial cloak, which is her first step towards detaching herself from Arendelle (and Anna).

The next verse we are still with her, as she really gets excited about what her isolation from those who would persecute her for her powers allows her to do. She runs towards the gorge and decides to build an ice staircase to get across it. At this point some of the lyrics start hinting at her preferring to be detached from everyone else. The moment she runs up the staircase, finishing it as she goes so its no longer a rough staircase, but a glimmering architectural wonder, is one of my favorite moments of all the films I've seen in 2013. However, it is but a bridge to her next big project, which is on the other side of the gorge.

It is here where our sympathy starts to turn to concern, even as we are still awed by her growing powers. I love how she doesn't just build the the ice palace after stomping her foot to build the foundation, but actually takes a moment to think about how she's going to build it. As her magic builds the palace, you can imagine her hours of solitary education in mathematics, natural philosophy (physics), and perhaps even engineering has paid off, as she builds a freaking palace. Not some completely implausible building held together by magic, but a full blown ice palace, complete with support structures, domes, and other architectural features. Granted that's just speculation on my part, but it totally fits with her withdrawn character.

In the climax of the song, as her palace finishes it's magical construction, she rejects the crown of her kingdom, as well as the traditional hairstyle (which if you notice, is very similar to her mother's style) and clothing, in favor of wardrobe more suitable for an ice queen. At this point our awe starts to fade away, and instead we are left with mostly concern, and probably a little bit of fear of what she could do if she gets too detached from her fellow people. What she sees as a new dawn of possibility is a false promise, as Anna is on her way to let her know what her detachment from Arendelle was doing to it. The scene ends with another door slamming shut, as her transformation is complete. Sure, she may no longer be repressed and stuck in fearful concealment, but her situation has not really improved. By this point we hope Anna can bring her back, but we aren't sure if that's possible. Above all, we are scared of what she is capable of. This becomes more apparent when we realize Olaf is alive, and even more so when she creates the ice giant to act as bouncer and guardian of her palace. Finally, we are saddened, but not surprised, when she zaps Anna in the heart with ice. By the time the Duke of Weselton's cronies show up and try to murder her, she's on the brink of becoming the monster we feared she could become.

Now fortunately, that doesn't happen. For whatever reason Hans (more on him a little later) saves her life*, and then Anna makes the ultimate sacrifice for her as Hans tries to kill Elsa later. Anna's loving act shows Queen Elsa that love is the path to controlling her powers, and everything returns to normal. We get our Happy Ever After, unless you are the Duke of Weaseltown (WESELTON!!!) or Prince Hans.

The climax of the story, with Anna choosing to save her sister over kissing her "true love" Kristoff to save her life, shouldn't be so subversive and uncommon. Unfortunately, it is, particularly in Disney stories. Far too often, people looking for strong female characters in Disney films have had to look to partial victories such as Belle and Pocahontas, and overlook the ends of these films where they tend to rely upon a man to save them, or passively sit by as the men do the tough work**. The characters have gotten better during the Lasseter years, but they have a ways to go to be consistent. More films like Frozen will help.

The animation and scenery makes good use of the wintry setting. Granted, I'm a fan of wintry color schemes, so I'm predisposed to the look of the film. I love how the snow mixes with the Scandinavian inspired architecture. I also love the thermal moss covered realm of the trolls.

Above all, I enjoy how funny the movie is. Kristen Bell does a great job as Anna, conveying both her feisty nature and the pain and resentment she feels towards Elsa for her seeming abandonment of her. She has plenty of funny lines, as do Kristoff (Jonathan Goff), the Duke of Weselton (Alan Tudyk), and suprisingly Olaf (Josh Gad).

Seriously, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed Olaf. From his prominence in the posters and the teaser trailer, I assumed I was going to hate him. However, unlike many sidekick characters, he is actually quite soft-spoken, with very little "Poochie" in him at all. His song is hilarious, and he has some of the best lines in the film ("I don't have a skull...or bones").

And then there is Prince Hans. His seemingly instant connection to Anna seemed too good to be true, and it turned out that was the case. We've been conditioned to accept love at first sight stories in our animated fairy tales, so people bought it hook line and sinker. Even after hints are dropped by Queen Elsa ("what does she know, she doesn't love anybody") and Kristoff ("he doesn't know me or Hans, It's true love damnit"), Anna is insistent that Hans is her true love. I would have preferred a bit more foreshadowing of the twist, but perhaps that would have ruined the shock of the moment when he goes in for the kiss, but instead delivers the cutting line to Anna about nobody ever loving her.

Like all movies, not everything is perfect. I would have loved a bit more from Elsa's point of view***. I enjoyed the little bit of character work during the "For the First Time" reprise as Elsa rolls her eyes when Anna is slowly telling her about what happened to Arendelle. It shows how she views Anna as a bit frivolous, which is understandable given the hell she went through growing up. A bit more of this would have helped make her even more sympathetic, and made the payoff just that much more cathartic. In addition, some more polishing of the Hans arc would have improved it greatly. At times his motives seem contradictory, which a few strategically placed scenes would have helped. In the end, these are minor quibbles.

Frankly, I am happy that Walt Disney Animation has bounced back from the lows of Home on the Range and Chicken Little. The work that began with Meet the Robinsons seems to have finally paid off, as the last two films (Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen) have been at a level not seen since the early 90s. In addition, they are doing well in the short departments, with the sublime Paperman and the inventive Get a Horse also being great. The next movie on tap appears to be based upon a Marvel property. We'll see if they can keep the quality up.

BONUS EASTER EGG: When you are watching Frozen, be on the lookout as the gates open to the castle and Anna heads out into the town to finish "For the First Time". If you look closely, you'll see a certain brown-haired princess and her special friend (husband?) Mr. Fitzherbert.

*This seems like something he wouldn't do, but I figure he needs Elsa alive as long as Anna is still kicking, because he needs Anna on his side until he can execute his plan to take the throne. Even though Elsa is a sorceress that froze the kingdom (and possibly the world), she's still a sovereign. Just killing her could cause issues with his rise to power. After all, Jaime Lannister's nickname "The Kingslayer" is not a title of honor, and the king he killed was a terrible insane piece of shit. I will not deny that Hans story arc is the most problematic of the movie, even though his betrayal of Anna is one of the biggest twists this year. Seriously, every time I saw it someone gasped out loud when he turns out to be an ass. To paraphrase a beloved character played by one of the stars of Frozen, Alan Tudyk, "curse you and your not so inevitable betrayal".
**Pixar's problem tends to be a lack of major female characters, Brave being a major exception. However, when they do have female characters (Jesse from the Toy Story sequels, Princess Atta from A Bug's Life, Dory from Finding Nemo, and Helen Parr from The Incredibles being the best examples) they tend to be decent characters with a fair amount of agency.
***One of the deleted songs hints that Elsa has some resentment towards Anna for the predicament, which would be an interesting angle for them to have pursued.