Frozen DoubleSpread Critique

Ever since it’s release in late 2013, Frozen has become Disney’s highest grossing animated film of all time, with an amount of nearly 1.3 billion dollars worldwide. Much more so than former highest grossing film, The Lion King (1994) with only 987.5 million. Many fans, mainly females young and old, have really taken this movie to heart. However, as time grew on from Frozen’s theatrical and dvd release, more and more products are becoming available, even to this day. But has it’s popularity gone a bit too, too far? There are several things including rumors to be happening including the changing of a few attractions at Disney World, other television appearances, and speculation with the Frozen sequel coming out.

   As far as anyone interested about my personal view of the Frozen Disney film, it seemed like another special, much like Tangled, and most Dreamworks movies. I did not think Frozen was a bad movie, its just different for my standards. My main issue is the number of songs in the movie. It left a lot of story and character development open, and instead we just get singing as a majority of the dialogue. There are a total of 10 songs and quite simply, that number of songs is too much. Although, I do give the song ‘For The First Time In Forever’ redeeming moment. It’s a good one.

The villain, Prince Hans, dosen’t even reveal he is a bad guy until roughly final quarter of the film. Of course he wants to rule the kingdom, but we don’t even see much old-style antagonist plotting and scheming, much like Jafar from ‘Aladdin’ or Ursula from ‘The Little Mermaid’, unless you count the supporting antagonist, The Duke of Weselton. But with Hans, it seems more like an M. Night Shyamalan “What A Twist” moment.

I would be an idiot to leave out the rock-trolls. They are there to help Anna when she first got injured as a child, but later they just sing and try to have Kristoff hook up with her. Of course given the amount of years between the time of her first injury and getting her memory wiped, to when the troll’s leader had to point out that only an act of true love would heal her frozen heart. He was probably in on it as well, with the two hooking up, or just simply the fact that times just changed and there is nothing they can or want to do.

Finally, in old-school style Disney movies, there is usually a main male protagonist as well. While that being Kristoff, I do not remember much character development, except when he picks up Anna and he asks about Hans, and Anna’s feelings for the prince. Kristoff does not even get inducted as a prince himself by the end. He just gets a new sleigh, and thats about it. Yes, he still has his feelings for Anna, but nothing truly major happens with him. Usually its the prince or the prince-to-be, much like Aladdin that gets the girl. So unless Kristoff gets more development or gets actual prince-like qualities, I cannot see his character going anywhere.

Towards the end of the final act, we see Anna thaw after turning to ice to save Elsa, and confesses the love for her sister. It is a bit unusual for Disney to pull something like this. I do not want to make any unneccessary arguments against femenism or lesbianism, it is just different from a male and female relationship, that we usually see in older traditional Disney movies

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First of all, many can say that any kids movie, or television show, is only geared to sell a product. The number of toys and merchandise that comes out for little girls is absolutely overwhelming. I am not degrading anyone’s love for Frozen or really anyone for that matter, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It just seems that there is too much on the market just for Frozen. Elsa, the Ice Queen, and her adorkable sister Anna, are two Disney princesses that have certainly made their marks in little girls hearts. Although, the main focus seems to be more on Elsa. Is it because she used her ice powers to make herself more beautiful and elegant, that the girls want to be like her? Toys, costumes, and accessories all focused around Elsa, and there is so much less stuff that Anna does not get much of anything, if at all anything! Even the ‘lovable’ snowman Olaf, who mainly has things like pull apart toys to lifesize stuffed pillows, gets more product placement than Anna.

As stated, Frozen’s popularity is mainly from a female demographic, not that there is anything wrong with that. But it’s popularity has risen to even newer heights, and older Disney fans are ethier careless, annoyed or just furious. In a recent post on Disney Dining, Cinderella’s castle in Orlando, Florida, will be reconfigured as Elsa’s ice palace. As an older Disney fan myself, during the 1990’s, I strongly believe that the castle should remain as is. It has been that way for decades and should remain so. Even more atrocious is the other attraction set for revamp. Formerly known as the XS Alien Encounter, and now soon to be closed Stitch’s Great Escape, is being reconfigured and named Olaf’s Frozen Escape. The theme is very similar to Stitch’s, but I think that Olaf anyway is too dimwitted to do much so to escape on his own.

Another recent and rising issue, other fans or critics may have is the fact that Elsa’s a new character in the popular television show, Once Upon A Time. As an individual who has not seen the show, I cannot say much negativity about this. The most I can just ask is if the episodes are individual with different and unique cast members each episode, or rather the same cast and characters. Which is it?

It also seems you cannot walk into any kind of store without seeing anything related to this movie. Frozen has not only taken to places like retail and toy stores, but also our local grocery stores. There has been a special ‘Collector’s Edition’ series of cereal boxes made after the movie itself. The product is nothing more than sweetened whole oat grain cereal, with snow and ice crystal shaped marshmallows.

Only recently, it has come to attention that only for those who went to see the Cinderella (2015) movie in theaters, that a new Frozen short film was featured. This short was called ‘Frozen Fever’. Much like before, it is only interpreted through singing. The story deals with a suprise birthday party for Anna. Meanwhile Elsa is sick with a fever or cold and every time she sneezes, tiny snowmen, similar to Olaf, appear in great numbers over time. Anna, seeing her sister like this, only wants her to get some rest, but Elsa persists on having a great day leading up to the party at sunset. At the end of the short film, Elsa finally gets her rest, and Olaf brings the little snow creatures to the ice palace to live with the giant Elsa had created in the first film. The giant had survived its fall from its clash with Hans, and had resided in the ice castle after Elsa had went returned to Arendelle. He however, is confused about the situation in the short. Olaf just knocks at the door, the giant answers, and Olaf just barges on in with the hundreds of miniature snow creatures introducing them name by name, leaving them in the giant’s custody.

For a short one-song musical, it was okay. It wasn’t dragged out for no more than 10 minutes, and even had plenty of comic relief moments. When I had seen it, I just thought of how many songs compared to the first film and I did not want to hear any more musicals. The one thing I would like to know, that some seem to have missed is why didn’t the snow giant receive an invite for the birthday party? He could have been too scary for the townsfolk, or even as dark as not wanted or had been forgotten. Can’t help but feel sorry for him.

With the sequel coming out, if the short was not the sequel already, it’s plot still to be determined, I cannot say it will be any different than the original. What I can predict are more songs, more hype and even more product placement. ■