Magic? Check. Talking trolls? Check. Princesses? Check. Lots of songs? Check. True love? Check. Frozen definitely has all the ingredients of a timeless Disney classic. But be not fooled - the seamless animation and audio production quality screams 2013. The magic and comedy has helped turn this modern family friendly flick to more than a box office hit - to a sort of craze in North America.
The story takes place in the magical kingdom of Arendelle,
following the tale of two sisters; Elsa and Anna. Both are princesses, and the
older sibling, Elsa, is no ordinary child. She has uncontrollable magical
powers, freezing everything in her path - her powers end up hurting Anna during
childhood. Ashamed by the events, Elsa secludes herself, and the sisters grow
apart over time. More tragedy strikes when their parents, the king and queen,
vanish at sea. Things get no better anytime soon - at her royal coronation Anna
presents Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, a man she has just a met, as a
suitor - much to the anger of Elsa - who unleashes a flurry of deadly spells in
front of the entire kingdom. This propels Arendelle into eternal winters. Unable
to cope with what she has done, Elsa flees. And Anna, feeling it is her fault, sets
out on a journey to find her.
But the trek across a frozen Arendelle is far from easy.
Luckily Anna comes across a mountain man and his loyal pet reindeer, Kristoff
and Sven, who agree to help her. The trio soon adds a new friend along the way,
a hapless talking snowman called Olaf - who is by far my favourite character in
the movie - and helps them find a
passage to North mountain, a remote corner of the kingdom where Elsa has
erected an ice palace for herself. Instead of a warm reunion upon arrival, Elsa
instructs Anna to leave, fearing she will hurt her. When Anna refuses, Elsa is
agitated and ends up casting a spell that freezes Anna's heart. Desperate to
save her, Kristoff and Sven take Anna to the wise troll who tells them that the
only way to save her is an act of true love. So they rush Anna back to
Arendelle for Hans, believing a kiss from him will thaw her heart. Meanwhile
Hans and his army is busy storming Elsa's ice castle, subduing and imprisoning
her for "killing Anna".
In Arendelle, Kristoff and Sven head back to the wilderness
as Hans reveals that he never really loved Anna but married her to seize the
kingdom, leaving her to a slow death. Fortunately Elsa manages to escape prison
soon and confronts Hans. And when it matters most, Anna appears just as Hans
tries to deal a death blow to Elsa, getting in the way to protect her older
sister. And that is the act of true love that was needed all along. Anna is
saved and Elsa is able to control her powers now. Winter leaves and summer
returns to Arendelle. Also, if you are concerned, Olaf doesn't melt - Elsa uses
her icy magic to preserve him.
Although the movie wouldn't score a 10 out of 10 for
realism, it is an admirable work of imagination that anyone can enjoy.
Moreover, unlike many movies for children today, it does not feature smoking.
It is good to see the producers trying to influence children to positive
behaviours instead, such as saving your sister or maybe dying girl with a
frozen heart by taking her to see talking trolls (although not all of us get to
go on such heroic adventures everyday). But it all helps make the movie more
adventurous and magical. Hence, if you haven't watched it yet, Frozen is a must
add to your must-watch list.
