I filtered through the list of Disney releases and first eliminated the Pixar films, because most of them were made prior to the studio formally merging with Disney, and because those films are not traditionally-made animated features in that they are digitally produced and the music is incidental, rather than integral to the story in Disney's time-honored musical format. Then, I got rid of the non-musicals, straight-to-video releases and sequels, films made in partnership with other studios, and the amazing Miyazaki films distributed by Disney. And for the record, I just eliminated a half dozen films that are better than "Frozen."
Here's what you're left with: "Pocahontas" (1995), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996), "Hercules" (1997), "Mulan" (1998), "Tarzan" (1999), "The Emperor's New Groove" (2000), "Brother Bear" (2003), "Home on the Range" (2004), "The Princess and the Frog" (2009), and "Tangled" (2010).
Some of the best songs from the Disney musical canon were still coming from that '90s output, even if those films were inconsistent when compared to the studio's early '90s renaissance. "Go the Distance," "Reflection," "I'll Make a Man out of You" and most of Phil Collins' Oscar-winning "Tarzan" score are still memorable today. From the list of 2000s films, my favorite until now has to be "Tangled," a surprisingly charming addition to the stack that saw composer Alan Menken back to his fine form and accomplished the as-yet unfinished task of pilfering one of the last remaining princesses in children's literature (Rapunzel) and forever turning her into a Disney creation.
I'm a huge Disney fan, so I apologize for this extended introduction to "Frozen," which I've apparently repurposed as a sort of history lesson. And so to get on with it, I'll answer my original question. For me, "Frozen" is the second-best Disney musical since "The Lion King," stubborn as I will remain to decrease in any way my devotion to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," a film I know is not perfect but one that made me weep and feel deeply, a film that met me where I was as a recent college graduate and is admittedly elevated in stature in my mind due as much to circumstance as to quality.
After that, however, comes "Frozen," a visual feast that manages to be simple and complex at the same time and, though focused on the lives of not one but two princesses, captivate a van full of 8-year-old boys just as easily as girls. And I did the field work to prove that last statement, having taken my son and his friends to see the film as a part of his birthday party, which is also why I apologize for anything I miss in this review because I was frequently focused on them.
We're far enough into our Disney film history to point out that "Frozen" sticks firmly to the studio's time-tested tropes. It's up to the viewer to decide whether it's good or bad that virtually every plot element, character type and storytelling device is recycled from a previous work. Clearly, Disney is working harder to recapture the magic of "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin" than even Michael Jackson did in his efforts to top "Thriller."
Sometimes the easiest way to explain the plot of a Disney film is to draw references from its time-tested past, so here's a plot summary for the Disney-literate:
The story is loosely based on a classic fairy tale ("Snow White," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Princess and the Frog," "Tangled"), Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen." Anna and Elsa are sisters, toddler best friends ("The Fox and the Hound"), princesses being raised in a castle in Arendalle, where their father is king ("The Lion King"). The king and queen have growing concerns that one of their daughters, Anna, has the freakish power of freezing anything she touches or even feels anxiety toward. She's like an emo Scandinavian Midas with ice for gold. They decide that it wouldn't be too psychologically damaging to their much more naive and plain daughter Anna if they separate the two girls, like forever ("Cinderella"). There have been a few mishaps, including that one time Elsa damn near killed her sister and some magical trolls had to heal her ("Gnomeo & Juliet"? I'm reaching here...) And besides, you can't be too careful when it comes to keeping your children tucked away from the dangers of the world ("Dumbo," "Bambi," "The Little Mermaid," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Finding Nemo," "Tangled"). Ah, sheltering children via parenting by fear...quite possibly Disney's longest standing tradition.
So Anna grows more and more resentful of her situation, yet never clever enough to understand it. She just wants to build a snowman (like they did in "Beauty and the Beast," and P.S.: Anna is basically Belle). It's a shame Facetime hasn't been invented yet, because they sing lovely duets separated by a huge, locked door (still stuck on "Beauty and the Beast," now with a touch of "Brave"). And Elsa heaves and sighs, locked in her bedroom ("Tangled," "Brave") until the untimely death of her parents ("Bambi," "The Lion King") forces her to assume the thrown as queen of Arendalle.
Elsa is, like, mad crabby about being queen because she feels she's best left alone (um...Beast in "Beauty and the Beast"?) and plus, her sister is the object of a boy's affections and she's not ("Cinderella"). That boy, Hans, breaks from Disney tradition and skips the climactic pursuit of a princess and proposes in the film's opening reel. Anna accepts because she is naive to the ways of the world and the nature of true love, which she will later discover was in her all along (every Disney movie with a girl in it). Walt Disney's casket flies across the ice (just kidding on that one...). Elsa soon takes off into the snowy mountains to live alone in her self-constructed ice castle, not realizing that she's placed all of Arendalle in a deep freeze. She sings an incredible song about her conflicting contentment/ennui in isolation ("Snow White," "The Little Mermaid" "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Mulan").
Still confused as to what exactly is up with her sister, Anna sets out on a journey to find her, reason with her, and request some global warming. Along the way, she picks up a dumb but useful companion named Kristoff, his big-hearted sidekick, the reindeer Sven, and a wacky, talking snowman with limited courage named Olaf. Wait...is this "The Wizard of Oz"? While on their journey, Anna comes to understand some things about her sister and her fiance. And to keep us from getting bored, the talking inanimate object sings a hilariously entertaining, showstopping number ("Beauty and the Beast," "Hercules") and the magical creatures made of stone get a nifty song as well ("The Hunchback of Notre Dame").
Because this is a Disney movie, the final minutes of the film burst into compassion and love and shit-tons of glitter. But I won't spoil that here because - in all seriousness - there are actually a few surprise twists I didn't see coming. And if you can't tell from this plot summary, there isn't much that you can't see coming.
Two key factors elevate "Frozen" to near-greatness. The first is that in spite of its adherence to just about every previously-used Disney tactic, the film manages to bring something fresh to the table - genuinely complicated relationships. The naive Anna's ditzy whirlwind of a romance with Hanz does not develop in the typical Disney way, and the relationship between Anna and Elsa is refreshingly far more central to the film's story than any romantic entanglements.
The other reason why "Frozen" is so special is because its music is a return to the glories of films past. Both "The Princess and the Frog" and "Tangled" had a few good songs apiece, but "Frozen" is filled with memorable moments, thanks to the work of Robert and Kristen Anderson Lopez. For the Broadway illiterate, Robert Lopez wrote the songs for both "Avenue Q" and "The Book of Mormon," two of the most exciting shows of the past decade on the Great White Way. They are also, interestingly enough, two of the most profane and irreverent, but Lopez and his wife capture only the sweetness of his Broadway work here, perfectly marrying it to the Disney style but with some ear-catchingly modern lyrics (like, when's the last time you heard a princess question whether or not her excitement could just be gas?)
The film follows the classic Disney musical traditions, opening with a choral number and providing everything from the main character's aria of self-conflict to the goofy sidekick's crowd-pleasing highlight to the obligatory love duet. But placed in the wind pipes of Broadway vets like the dazzling Idina Menzel and the now-hot Josh Gad (in addition to the woefully underused Jonathan Groff and the surprisingly good Kristin Bell), the songs combine the very familiar with the slightly fresh in exactly the same manner as the film's story, resulting in a work that, well, just works. "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" is a sincere tear-jerker. "For the First Time in Forever" falls squarely in the tradition of "West Side Story"'s "Something's Coming," that formulaic but successful early-in-the-story song that sets up the conflict. "In Summer" is memorably goofy. And "Let It Go" is a soaring anthem of empowerment. You are almost begging on the inside as you first hear it that, come early March, you will be a witness to Idina Menzel being flown to the rafters of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles above Jack Nicholson and George Clooney, wearing an epic dress with a train that reaches all the way to the stage from the theatre's ceiling ("Wicked").
It's pretty clear that Disney has made it a goal with most of its recent films to evolve the decidedly non-feminist portrayals of its princesses. It's a cause they took up with "Mulan" but really poured their hearts into with "Tangled" and "Brave," and now "Frozen" stands as perhaps its most successful attempt to combine the classic Disney princess sweetness and merchandising potential with a more contemporary view of female empowerment. Those of us with little kids of our own now are, of course, the ones to blame for all of this. Somehow we were the ones to suddenly notice that Disney princesses are shockingly naive and dependent on magic for guidance. We don't want our little girls to have to rely on a kiss to save them! Oh, and "Pocahontas" is mad-racist!
Now, for as much as I've used my space here to mock "Frozen," please know that I thoroughly enjoyed it, but was also objective enough to understand its flaws, which extend beyond its devotion to stealing bits from every Disney feature that's come before it. There was something disingenuous to me about the film's attempt to be both old-fashioned and fresh at the same time. There were moments when the two princess approach made it decidedly unclear as to where our allegiances should lie. And for as gorgeous as the animation was when it came to landscaping and sidekick creatures, what the hell is going on with Disney's choices in terms of animating people? Can't they refer back to their glory years for visual cues the way they do for everything else? Why are their eyes so big? Why do we want everything to purposefully look so digital?
What will keep me coming back to "Frozen," though, will be the same thing that brings me back to all of the other Disney films I love: the heartwarming sidekick character and the endlessly singable songs. And, of course, the simple wisdom of a Disney classic, which in this case was actually first communicated by Madonna in her song with the same title as this film: "you're frozen/when your heart's not open."
Kids will love it and the parents will probably enjoy themselves as well. As if their own kids being happy wasn't enough for a moment of pleasure. Good review Keith.
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