Movie Review: Disney Frozen!

Over the last several years Disney has spent it's time slowly re-establishing itself as one of the leaders in feature animation. We have watched each film become better and better. From Meet The Robinsons, to Bolt, to The Princess and The Frog, to Tangled, to Winnie The Pooh and then Wreck-It Ralph. The shining beacon of light this year comes in the form of Frozen. A contemporary take inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Snow Queen."

As any Disney fan (geek like myself) will tell you, Disney has tried for years to bring "The Snow Queen" to life. But the directing team of Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck finally have done what others could not, crack the story. And you will not be prepared how truly great this film really is.

We start off with the directors switching up the story by making it about sisters, Anna and Elsa. We see their strong bound even as children and then through a powerful opening sequence we see what happens to divide the two apart. This is told through the powerful and emotional song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" This one song is my favorite and speaks volumes about what Frozen gets right as a movie. Through this song, you discover that what's at stake is personal and not world-ending. Visually you see the two girls on opposite sides of a door. They are separated, driven apart and yet nothing is given away.

The song also tells you that Disney is returning to its Broadway-style of storytelling! Memories of the late 1980s and early 1990s came rushing back! The music and lyrics supplied by my favorite songwriting duo of husband and wife team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. They have brought us the music and lyrics to Avenue Q, Book of Mormon and the Finding Nemo Musical at Disney Animal Kingdom! Their amazing music and lyrics are given voice by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel! Disney always amazes me with finding amazing voices and talent that not only can sing but also fit their roles! Add the vocal talents of Josh Gad, Jonathan Goff and Alan Tudyk and you have an amazing cast for any live action movie and musical! Plus combined with the amazing score by Christophe Beck, you have an award winning soundtrack! I fondly remember buying the Disney soundtracks early to know the lyrics before I even saw the movie in the theater!

Besides "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" there are a couple of other stand out songs but "Let It Go" will win the Oscar for Best Song next year! This powerful song makes me dream of a Wicked movie either live action or animated!

But the thing I hope people will talk about most is the two strong female characters that have been created here. You will see how much time and effort was taken to develop all of the characters but especially the two leading ladies. At times I didn't know who to care for or who to root for the most!

The rest of the supporting characters are fun and Disney will sell a ton of Olaf plush! I loved him as the sidekick and providing much of the humor relief! He is the innocent character here and is evident when he sings "In Summer."

The film comes together beautifully. There is no story lag and the movie keeps moving forward. The animation is beautiful and the snow looks alive and at times acts as a character in the movie. The directors knew when to hold things back and let those big moments soar! They also were not afraid to take some unexpected twists and turns here. Again I will not spoil these for you! I want you to be as surprised as I was when these moments happen!

If Frozen is any indication of where the Walt Disney Animation Studios stands then this is the studios at its peak! Frozen is a movie that feels classic with contemporary themes as well as music to create an unforgettable movie experience that will bring you back to see it again and again!