I (finally) Watched Frozen!...I gotta say...

[Vault101]

[this will contain spoilers]

ERMAGERD! Frozen!

I know I'm a bit late to the party but it just came out on Blu-ray

oh my god! I REALLY enjoyed this one, first thing when it started with this real tribal sounding chant (lion king anyone?) and I'm thinking "oh....this is..different... a good sign?" and thats the main thing

my problem with Tangled was I felt it went half way between the now standard "romp" and disney, but this [b/]went the full disney[/b] songs and shit! it was wonderful!

I also love the fact that it went full disney while being subversive [sub/](well "disney" levels subversive which is as subversive as the brady bunch) [/sub] in that the "love" was not about the princess but about Elsa and anna. Had I not known the twist beforehand (Hans being a dick) I think I would have actually been surprised, I mean in the context that was [b/]cold[/b]

the animation was gorgeous (as to be expected) and I love the fact they actually made it a little nordic.

my only complaints are:

1. the pacing was a little fast (but I think I would find this with most disney films without the nostalgia filter)

2. I would have liked to have seen more of Elsa

3. Olaf was..thankfully only a little annoying...but I guess that's par for the coarse with disney films (Timon and pumba, Dragon, The Gargoyles)

EDIT: I also find it funny that this is the one disney movie where the Villains song isn't the standout...there wasn't even a villain song..

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I was pretty skeptical of Frozen when it first came out in theaters.
The marketing department was apparently advertising a completely different film, a shameless Christmas cash in, with an overly annoying snowman mascot and cheesy lines like "That's no blizzard, that's my sister!"

On a whim we went to see it anyway because Disney, and Tangled wasn't that bad. I'm glad the movie I got was NOT the movie I was expecting. Olaf wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought he was going to be, and the blizzard line wasn't even in the movie (although all the commercials and advertisements still use it even now).

 

[Casual Shinji]

It left me totally cold to be honest.

The animation quality was mediocre Dreamworks fare, which I blame on the lack of Glen Keane. And the songs were poppy nonsense, which I blame on the lack of Alan Menkin.

It was supposed to be a story about sisterly love, but we hardly ever see Elsa and Anna interact as sisters and enjoy eachother's company. There's a bit at the beginning where they play a bit as children, and then the scene at the party where they have a 5 second conversation. And that's it. I didn't in any way feel a bond between them other then 'they're sisters, so they love eachother'.

The sole purpose of both male leads is to act as red herrings, putting them in a worse light than the female characters in most of Disney's other movies. Hans suddenly revealing himself to being evil makes no sense other than that the plot twist demands it. And Christof might as well not even have been in this movie at all. God forbid the movie actually focuses on Elsa and Anna's relationship.

And by the end everyone is suddenly a-okay with Elsa being an ice witch, when initially the whole town was scared shitless. No explaination as to why, apart from that it's the end of the movie so everyone is happy now.

Everything about this movie felt terribly forced, and it ain't got a thing on Tangled.

 

[Summerstorm]

Hm hm... Last week i saw all the recently animated movies in a marathon. (Let's see it was: Tangled, Brave, Frozen, Wreck-It-Ralph...), i didn't expected to actually like them all. I think i am getting smushy in old age... or the quality is pretty decent.

Yeah you have the annoying "funny" sidecharacters and the movies are a bit weirdly paced (too fast, not enough characterbuilding) but overall they have a good story and are overall moral "good feeling"-stories.

 

[Ubiquitous Duck]

I can't say that I enjoyed it that much.

It might have suffered from all the hype surrounding it. I think I was expecting more, because people were saying how forward-thinking it was and on top of social issues of today etc and I just didn't get that at all. I guess people maybe reading into things a bit too much?

It felt a bit rushed, even though not really much was going on. There was hardly an epic quest or anything. Animations will normally feel a bit rushed, as they have to be due to the restraints of creating one, but there wasn't a great creation of a World or anything in it that really stood out to me.

I didn't find the songs particularly memorable though, other than their hooks, and some of them felt really short and each character seemed to get about 1 brief song. Let It Go felt like a music video half-way through the film, out of place, but this may be the fault of it being pushed so much as a song by itself, separate from the film.

I don't really know if I'd watch it again ever. Think I preferred Wreck-It-Ralph.

 

[Vault101]

I can't say that I enjoyed it that much.

It might have suffered from all the hype surrounding it. I think I was expecting more, because people were saying how forward-thinking it was and on top of social issues of today etc and I just didn't get that at all. I guess people maybe reading into things a bit too much?

having the focus be on two female characters was what many people liked about it, in this day and age I guess its kind of refreshing (since the plot isn't actually about Anna's relationship with Kristoff)

 

[Ubiquitous Duck]

I can't say that I enjoyed it that much.

It might have suffered from all the hype surrounding it. I think I was expecting more, because people were saying how forward-thinking it was and on top of social issues of today etc and I just didn't get that at all. I guess people maybe reading into things a bit too much?

having the focus be on two female characters was what many people liked about it, in this day and age I guess its kind of refreshing (since the plot isn't actually about Anna's relationship with Kristoff)

That's not even something that I considered, I just wouldn't think about that aspect and whether it is novel or not. It just isn't something that enters my mind.

It's a positive thing, but I got an impression about wider social things like sexuality/sexism/racism in the buildup, which weren't actualised in the film. Maybe I was misled. I'm not placing the blame at the filmmakers door by any means.

I still just didn't find it particularly interesting regardless. I can't see those songs going down as classics like something like Lion King, but maybe I'm wrong and they will.

 

[Vault101]

That's not even something that I considered, I just wouldn't think about that aspect and whether it is novel or not. It just isn't something that enters my mind.

*shug* and thats the thing isn't it? were so used to certain cliches....

[quote/]It's a positive thing, but I got an impression about wider social things like sexuality/sexism/racism in the buildup, which weren't actualised in the film.[/quote]

erm...that wasn't the point of the movie...it was just about two sisters

social things are great and all but things need to be storys first and foremost...not public service announcements

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

I've never been a fan of anything Disney (Lion King when it came out, maybe), but I completely adored Frozen.

It might have a few problems in terms of structure and pacing (and perhaps too many songs in the first third, and not nearly enough in the last third), but it had an immense amount of heart and soul, and I think what it represents to mainstream cinema is important (a female led narrative that doesn't define their roles through either romance or helpless subservience. yet it achieves that without making Ana learn kung-fu... ergo it also cannily sidesteps the Strong Female trope).

The actual quality of the animation wasn't exactly spectacular, especially where the world was concerned. But the facial animations (matched with the cracking performances from Bell and Menzel) were incredibly expressive and detailed.

Is it 'better' than, say, Wall-E or Up? No, but I enjoyed it more from start to finish, and hope it has greater cultural influence than either of those two Pixar classics.

 

[Ubiquitous Duck]

That's not even something that I considered, I just wouldn't think about that aspect and whether it is novel or not. It just isn't something that enters my mind.

*shug* and thats the thing isn't it? were so used to certain cliches....

[quote/]It's a positive thing, but I got an impression about wider social things like sexuality/sexism/racism in the buildup, which weren't actualised in the film.

erm...that wasn't the point of the movie...it was just about two sisters

social things are great and all but things need to be storys first and foremost...not public service announcements[/quote]

Well at the moment I'm playing a computer game where you are a small girl. In fact I am playing two games at the moment where I am.

This is pretty novel for me and games, but I've not entered these two encounters thinking, woah, I don't normally play a little girl, I just play the character that is put infront of me - man, woman, child, creature, whatever. It's not an active thought process, I don't even get as far to think about it or acknowledge it (except obviously now in this discussion to make my point).

It's not that I don't think it should happen more, it's just not something I think about when getting into a story. I just wanna learn about the character, not categorise them by certain aspects of them.

And I'm not saying that it 'should've' been about social issues, I just said that I thought it was going to be because of the buildup I heard around it (again I don't blame this on the filmmakers, it was discussion around it not their advertising or any kind of misdirection). Nor do I want it to be about social issues and progression, I just want to watch a film, not be in some belief it will change the world.

I was kind of left not really understanding what to expect, because it all seemed so confusing.

But in the end, it was just a bit bland for me. Not very memorable. The characters won't fix in my memory like the ones from Shrek or Monsters Inc.

I thought it was fine, I just don't see it as great. There have been much stronger animated films.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

erm...that wasn't the point of the movie...it was just about two sisters

Actually it kinda was. They wanted to create something other than the usual Disney Princess guff (that's not a direct quote, btw... ), and give female characters more agency. To craft a story about sisterhood and familial, not romantic, love.

social things are great and all but things need to be storys first and foremost...not public service announcements

Why can't they be both? "Social things" as well as a story?

 

[Vault101]

"]]Actually it kinda was. They wanted to create something other than the usual Disney Princess guff (that's not a direct quote, btw... ), and give female characters more agency. To craft a story about sisterhood and familial, not romantic, love.

oh yeah, I meant it was not out to conquor all idological issues that plauge women and beyond

]Why can't they be both? "Social things" as well as a story?

I think it can, but I have learned smi-recently that not all works should be held as some "standard" for all females everywhere

theres this rant about a thing that I read that kind of made me think about it...its long but I found it enjoyable
http://chezapocalypse.com/thefrozenthing/

 

[Casual Shinji]

Let It Go felt like a music video half-way through the film, out of place, but this may be the fault of it being pushed so much as a song by itself, separate from the film.

Totally.

When that song came up it felt like I was watching a Katy Perry music video or Glee. Which is a shame, because the idea behind the song itself was very interesting and not something I'd ever seen in a Disney movie before.

having the focus be on two female characters was what many people liked about it, in this day and age I guess its kind of refreshing (since the plot isn't actually about Anna's relationship with Kristoff)

It begs the question then of why he was put in the movie at all, since he was clearly just there to be the obvious "one true love" bait-and-switch.

Somehow I think the ideas this movie tried to convey would've gelled a lot better if it was just about Elsa and Anna, and didn't waste so much time luring the audience with these two carrots on sticks.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

I think it can, but I have learned smi-recently that not all works should be held as some "standard" for all females everywhere

theres this rant about a thing that I read that kind of made me think about it...its long but I found it enjoyable
http://chezapocalypse.com/thefrozenthing/

Erm, I'm not sure what point you're making in relation to what I said, because I've just read that whole blog post and all she's doing is backing up why I think it's so brilliant (though I have no problem with the Ana/Elsa 'chocolate' thing. I think the writer is doing the same thing that other dimwit of a blogger was doing; not allowing for female characters to be varied. two characters whose relationships has broken down, bonding momentarily over something so mundane as confectionery? if you'll excuse the pun, I think it's sweet, and is intended to juxtapose with their awkwardness around each other).

The only difference is whether we or not we whack a sticker marked feminist onto Frozen. I would - she seemingly would rather choose not to, which is fair enough.

It begs the question then of why he was put in the movie at all, since he was clearly just there to be the obvious "one true love" bait-and-switch.

You're talking about Kristoff, right? He wasn't the bait-and-switch - Hans might be seen as that, although he also serves as a means to explore Ana's inexperience about the world and herself, so it's not that simple. Kristoff's primary role is arguably to represent the 'real' world beyond the castle walls, to challenge her sheltered, initially quite egocentric worldview. Her friendship with him is one way to explore her character growth.

As for Let It Go: I'd only seen and heard a tiny clip from its beginning before seeing Frozen, so I thought it was a fantastic number (that hasn't been spoilt by all the nonsense online about it).

Somehow I think the ideas this movie tried to convey would've gelled a lot better if it was just about Elsa and Anna, and didn't waste so much time luring the audience with these two carrots on sticks

I think its success - and the close to universal critical acclaim - heavily relied upon those elements. You may have seen some of the twists as obvious, but I sure didn't at all, and seemingly nor did most reviewers. The subversion of the relationship with Hans is meticulously well established, and the 'reveal' of the true act of love would therefore not have had as much thematic value or impact without it. They were playing on audience expectations of the genre (and arguably of Disney), intelligently, I reckon.

 

[mecegirl]

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be more movies about familial love, but Lilo and Stitch blows Frozen out if the water. Especially since instead of red herrings we got to see the sisters interact throughout the film.

 

[TakerFoxx]

I thought it was really good. Not great maybe (I'll put it as maybe on part with Mulan, but not nearly to the level of the Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast/Aladdin/Lion King quad of power). The main complaints I had were,like you said, the issues in pacing and structure, and Let it Go and maybe a couple others being the only songs that stood out. But on the whole I quite enjoyed it.

Wreck-It Ralph was better though, but then I consider that one to be an honorary Pixar film rather than a Disney film. Still need to see Tangled though.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I knew I would like it the second I watched the trailer.

I found it very enjoyable, beautiful animation and songs.

 

[Jessabi]

Sad to say that I didn't enjoy it but, like others have already said, it may have been ruined by the hype for me since it took me so long to actually see it. I was expecting it to be AMAZING but it just left me feeling... meh. Tangled was far superior in my opinion.

 

[Fox12]

It left me totally cold to be honest.

The animation quality was mediocre Dreamworks fare, which I blame on the lack of Glen Keane. And the songs were poppy nonsense, which I blame on the lack of Alan Menkin.

It was supposed to be a story about sisterly love, but we hardly ever see Elsa and Anna interact as sisters and enjoy eachother's company. There's a bit at the beginning where they play a bit as children, and then the scene at the party where they have a 5 second conversation. And that's it. I didn't in any way feel a bond between them other then 'they're sisters, so they love eachother'.

The sole purpose of both male leads is to act as red herrings, putting them in a worse light than the female characters in most of Disney's other movies. Hans suddenly revealing himself to being evil makes no sense other than that the plot twist demands it. And Christof might as well not even have been in this movie at all. God forbid the movie actually focuses on Elsa and Anna's relationship.

And by the end everyone is suddenly a-okay with Elsa being an ice witch, when initially the whole town was scared shitless. No explaination as to why, apart from that it's the end of the movie so everyone is happy now.

Everything about this movie felt terribly forced, and it ain't got a thing on Tangled.

Yeah, sums it up for me. After watching Pixar films like UP, or even classic Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, this just felt mediocre. The music was mostly terrible, the writing was relatively poor, and the characters were bland and uninteresting. It was tolerable until the Snow Man came, and that was enough to kill it for me. You can definitely feel the exodus of real talent here. It felt like a shadow, or a pale imitation, of better Disney films. I know what they were trying to do, and I feel like the creators really poured themselves into trying to making a great classic Disney movie, but at the end of the day the talent just wasn't there. That tends to happen when most of your best animators and veterans from the Disney Renaissance are either dead, fired, retired, or quit. Not a bad film, just a forgettable one for me.

Here's frollo singing a proper Disney song:

 

[Fleaman]

What I don't get is this line that "I expected Olaf to be annoying, but he wasn't even that bad."

Olaf is incredibly annoying.