Frozen will melt your heart

Movie Title:  Frozen

Grade: A

In a Nutshell:  Magical.  Visually stunning. Old school Disney romance with a modern feel, similar to Tangled.  This one is worth buying on DVD for the fam.  Somehow this is going to be made into a Broadway musical some day, right?  The detail and humor are Disney perfection.

Uplifting theme:  Love IS an open door.  It’s a bit of a dramatic illustration of believing the mistaken notion to “conceal it – don’t feel it.”  Embrace yourself and your unique strengths and weaknesses. Of your worries and stresses - let it go.  Girls, your handsome prince may not wear a suit with epaulets.

Things I liked:  Idina Menzel 's beautiful voice…yes please. All of the snow-filled animation is simply gorgeous from the delicate snowflakes to glittering snow packs to icy palaces, foggy breath, windy flurries, and a lively snowman.  You can hear the snow crunch and you feel like you’re IN the fog and cold snow storm….watch it in 3D if you can!  The human movement, facial expressions, and Kristoff’s awesome hair are all amazing.  We’ll probably see Kristoff’s boots for sale in the Ugg store pretty soon.  Elsa’s cute figure is inspiring and yet false advertising at the same time.  Kristen Bell did a terrific job too.

Things I didn’t like: The African chant music seemed out of place.  My son (the animation student in college) thought the artwork was so elegant that Olaf the Snowman seemed out of place and a bit of an annoyance a la Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars.  My sister disagreed and thought Olaf was a welcomed comic relief, connecting the two sisters to their childhood relationship.  Speaking of Olaf, lovable Josh Gad, who voices the enthusiastic snowman, praised Disney’s animation talent by saying “If there’s something snow can do, Disney animators have absolutely discovered it!”  The Art Direction team was sent to Norway for inspiration for snow-filled mountains and even costuming on the film.

Funny line:  “We finish each other’s….sandwiches.”

Things to look for:

• Famous artwork on walls in the palace.  I especially love the Fragonard. 
• Drool on Anna’s mouth when she’s asleep
• Aurora Borealis.  That’s on my Bucket List for things to see before I die.
• The axe in the beginning scene.
• Romantic robot dancing from the movie Hitch when Anna and Hans sing “Our mental synchronization can have but one explanation.”
• Anna sings through the keyhole
• So much to see in the troll scene!

Insightful quotes:

• “Only true love can thaw a frozen heart.”  – Pabbie/Grandpa
•  “Some people are worth melting for.”  - Olaf the Snowman
•  “Don’t know if I’m elated or grassy, but I’m somewhere in that zone.”  - Anna
•  “You sacrificed for me?”  “I love you.”  - Anna & Elsa   (something all sisters should say to one another)
• “The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded.” 
• "People make bad choices if they're mad or scared or stressed."  - Troll 

Tips for parents:  No bad language, but a tiny bit of a dark theme.  Enough action for the boys to be entertained, beautiful music for the girls to sing along to, and thought-provoking character development for adults to enjoy.  Thanks to YouTube, you’ll be able to watch some of your favorite songs and scenes again until the DVD hits store shelves.