Frozen

Cast of Characters:
Anna - voiced by Kristen Bell
Elsa - voiced by Idina Menzel
Kristoff - voiced by Jonathan Groff
Olaf - voiced by Josh Gad

Hans - voiced by Santino Fontana
Duke of Weselton - voiced by Alan Tudyk

Pabbie the Troll King - voiced by Ciaran Hinds

Director - Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee
Screenplay - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee & Shane Morris
Based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
Rated PG for some action and mild rude humor


      Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel and Josh Gad lend their voices to Disney's return to magical singing princesses in Frozen, from the creators of Wreck-It Ralph. Get ready, readers. I just may break out into song at any moment in the review.

      In the kingdom of Arendelle, there are two princesses, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) and Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), who's next in line to be queen. Although Elsa has the power to create snow and ice, she has supressed these powers following an incident with his sister when they were children. Following an moment that goes out of hand at her coronation, Elsa goes into hiding, but those suppressed feelings trigger her powers into freezing the entire kingdom.

      With the devious Duke of Weselton (voiced by Alan Tudyk) plotting to turn everyone against Elsa, it'll be up to Anna, with the help of mountain man Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff), his trusty reindeer sidekick Sven and Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad), an oddball snowman who longs to experience summer, to find her sister and set things right within the kingdom.

      Disney should get on its knees and kiss Pixar's butt 'cause since the mid-90's, their own animated features were all a craptastic bore. Sure, Disney hit it big and deservedly so with Wreck-It Ralph last year (which, as much I really enjoyed Pixar's Brave, deserved Best Animated Feature at the Oscars), but when we're talking about the pure Disney animated films of the past (big doe-eyed, vocally gifted princesses, wildlife with an exceptional skill at household chores, African feline creatures that apparently can't wait to be king, etc.) Disney hasn't made a film worth your viewing pleasure since The Lion King. Frozen, based on a Hans Christian Andersen fable, is a much needed return to form for Mickey and Co. Not only that, this is hands down, the best animated film of 2013. Granted, aside from Pixar's prequel Monsters University, the competition this year has been fairly thin for animated films. The animation here is exquisite, the songs are catchy and range from moving ("Do You Want to Build a Snowman?") to hilarious ("In Summer"). Like any great animated film, casting is important, even when it's just for voice-over work. Both Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel are terrific as the two sisters who share a strained relationship, despite that they wish it was otherwise, due to Elsa's gift (or curse?). Jonathan Groff is solid as the mountain man Kristoff, who has that typical Disney handsome male protagonist look but is a bit of a goof as well. The scene stealer here in this movie, though, is without a doubt Josh Gad as the snowman Olaf. Disney has had a rich tradition of many comic relief sidekicks in previous films such as Rowan Atkinson's Zazu, Samuel E. Wright's Sebastian, Cliff Edwards's Jiminy Cricket and of course, Robin Williams's Genie. Gad continues that tradition with a character that provides humor both kids and adults will get a kick out of. The writing is smart, the characters are well written and the humor contains both slapstick for the kids and some cleverness too for the adults. Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (who also co-wrote the script) have created a visually gorgeous fairytale world that combines elements of both tragedy, humor and heart. The heart of this story is two sisters that love each other, yet unfortunate circumstances concerning one and who she really is drive them apart. Yeah, it's a familiar storyline, but it's executed effectively here, and a few twists near the end add some spice into this traditional fairytale mix.

      Sure, you have to wonder why Elsa just doesn't explain to her sister her ordeal before things really go haywire and there were a few moments in the third act where it felt a bit rushed, but that doesn't take away anything from this film being the best animated musical Disney has released in years. It's a top contender for Best Animated Feature at next year's Oscars and I guarantee you at least one of the songs will be nominated as well. With the holiday weekend arriving in just a couple days, this is a wonderfully made animated film for the whole family to enjoy. It's hard to believe this film was in development as far back as Walt Disney himself trying to work The Snow Queen into a film. I'd like to think he'd be satisfied with the end result. I give Frozen an A (★★★★).