Frozen

2015-01-05

I just watched the Disney movie a year after it came out, and I must say I am very impressed by it. Some thoughts (spoilers galore!):

Do You Want To Build A Snowman makes me want to cry, every time. To me it's actually more emotional than the lauded first several minutes of Up. People are also saying that there is some musical trickery at the end, making it seem like Elsa is going to respond then leaving you hanging. Clever.
Anna's mannerisms remind me of several real life people, in a good way.
The reason I even decided to see the film is that I got linked to the Let It Go scene. Enough said.
As Kristoff was introduced and he is clearly bonding with Anna, I was seriously unsure how the romantic tension would be resolved. I briefly entertained the thought that maybe Hans, Anna, and Kristoff would form a polyamorous triad, but knew logically that that would be too controversial for Disney.
Olaf's In Summer is so, so clever. Listen to the lyrics - everything he wants to do implies him melting. I also really like Kristoff and Anna's reaction: "I'm gonna tell him." "Don't for dare!" Kristoff's face of half condescension and half horror is priceless, particularly given Olaf's Broadway-style ending to the song.
Ice anchors are a real thing, although I wouldn't trust my life on a random rope I find in a random store. Also, a deleted introduction has Kristoff ice climbing (free solo!) and pulling figure-fours, making this the most accurate climbing movie ever.
While polyamory was too edgy for Disney, I'm surprised the trolls took Anna's engagement in stride, even implying that they're going to kill Hans. So that's a step in the right direction?
Hans betrayal... damn, I did not see that coming at all.
Perhaps this says more about me than anything, but even at the climax when Anna was frozen, I was still expecting her to be saved by a kiss. To me is this the exemplar for why this movie was so good - because Disney is knowingly subverting your expectations of what a Disney movie will contain. The failed love-at-first-sight, the villain bait-and-switch, the self-rescuing princess - these are not tropes I have come to expect from Disney, and the make the film stronger as a result.