EverestSherpa
Cast Member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2011
Since I am one of the few people who has seen "Frozen" that isn't embargoed, here are my thoughts. Initially, I wasn't expecting much from songwriters Kristen and Bobby Lopez. I'm a huge fan of Bobby's "adult" work ("Book of Mormon", "Avenue Q"), but his collaborations with his wife on "children's work" (Finding Nemo the Musical, Winnie The Pooh) have been underwhelming. Since music is such a central part to any modern Disney Princess movie, it was key for Bobby and Kristen to strike gold - and they did. Channeling their inner Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, this husband/wife duo churned out 6 Broadway-style numbers that make it very easy to imagine a future life for this Disney movie on the Great White Way. John Lasseter may not be the powerhouse Director he once was, but he sure knows how to turn around a failing animation studio. The Disney Brain Trust has been more effective and creative than it's Emeryville-based PIXAR counterparts for the past three years (Cars 2 vs. Winnie the Pooh, Brave vs. Wreck-It Ralph and now Monsters U vs. Frozen). Is it the best Disney Animated Feature since Beauty and the Beast? Quite possibly. It's a twist on the Hans Christian Anderson tale that will undoubtedly upset many "purists" who think Disney ruins stories - but that's not at all true, they reinvent them. It's the same lot that think you can't omit big plots from the Harry Potter novels when adapted on screen. Screenwriting as a creative medium of it's own and purely adopting something straight is boring and tiring. Will you see the twists coming? Probably. But that doesn't mean it isn't one hell of a sleigh ride (see what I did there?). Speaking of Broadway style music, what's up with this cast? Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad and Santino Fontana? All Broadway veterans in their own right, this film has some top notch voice talent. And it's funny. Funnier than it should be for a kid's movie, really. Much of that is due to the incredible comedic sensibility of Josh Gad. His delivery makes regular lines hysterical. Frozen doesn't go for the typical gags you'll get in your DreamWorks films. No pop culture references, no random dancing, everything seems normal (well as normal as a Disney princess musical can be). It's a timeless tale that will be remembered in 100 years with the likes of Ariel, Cinderella and Belle. And while Disney may be afraid of the title: "The Snow Queen" (scares off boys, apparently), we should all hail the Snow Queen for ringing in a new era of Disney Animation, and once again waking Sleeping Beauty.