Frozen follows princess Anna (Kristen Bell) as she searches for her estranged sister, Elsa (Idina Menzel), who's magical ice powers have sent the kingdom Arendelle into an eternal winter. This film is beautifully animated. It is the snow and ice that creates a cold, but magical atmosphere which seems all too real. From the snow to the freckles on Anna's face, the film is capsulized as a hyper-realistic form of animation Disney has never pursued for a musical feature. Even the way the characters move is animated on par or above Pixar's level. No character was a simple archetype either. Isolationism and love were prominent themes, with the latter being overtaken with Elsa's castaway character arc. The first and third acts make the audience forget the muddled second act. However emotions stay strong throughout with Anna and Elsa fighting their internal fears.
Musically, each song is the usual Broadway style catchy pop to singalong to. However, the songs did not fit in with the time period the film portrayed. Each song seemed unoriginal and bland, with few impressing the musical geek inside me. Lyrically, the lyricist's words couldn't go beyond that of a fifth grader. An amazing Kristen Bell and always wonderful Idina Menzel belt out their best with what they're given. However, the real musical disappointment came halfway through the film when the singing seemed to disappear entirely.
Beautifully animated with a heartfelt story and truly tested characters, Frozen is an overall good film. The musical numbers were limited and lyrically plain, with a few great exceptions. This film comes closest to the Disney Renaissance Era of musicals, but still misses that hint of magic in the music.
B+
Good Qualities: Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel are amazing singers, story was filled with heartfelt emotions, amazing animation.
Bad Qualities: The songs were few and far between and lyrically simple.
No comments:
Post a Comment