"Frozen" (2013)

Frozen begins on a simple, powerful moment as devastating as anything in Disney's repertoire. It recalls Bambi in how direct and economical it is at establishing the emotional core of Frozen's premise, and it gains resonance the further the film pushes what the moment means for its two protagonists. More importantly, it is a moment, much like the rest of the film, about the relationship between two sisters, Elsa (Idina Menzel, of Wicked fame) and Anna (Kristen Bell). There is time for romance in Frozen and it takes on a Disney Princess film vibe at times, but the film is most concerned with what is at stake for the bond between the sisters. In that sense, this is a surprising and pleasing departure from Disney's usual animated storytelling.

Tangled's success caused Disney to produce another non-Pixar CGI animated film, and Tangled is part of Frozen's DNA. It is about young women locked away from the world, only to be forced to leave and discover the virtues, wonders and treacheries of the world beyond their castle. Elsa has secret magical powers which allow her to control and create snow and ice. Anna lacks magical abilities but is in awe of her sister's magic. Elsa shows off her powers and by accident hurts her sister. Her parents take her to magical trolls, rock-like creatures, who erase memories and inform them that if she does not hide her powers she could be in grave dangers. And so her parents keep Elsa hidden away, and separated from Anna. Once so close, the sisters' relationship is slowly strained, and we watch them grow into adults, wanting to make a connection but unable to. When their parents die, Elsa turns even further inward unable to tell her secret to anyone. When she comes of age, Elsa must open the castle gates and become coronated as queen. Yet things go awry at the ceremony and Elsa's secret is revealed, and Anna tries to reconcile things with her sister.

Frozen shares much of Tangled's lovely animation -- perhaps too much so. It is a colorful film with smooth, round animation. It is also a film with plenty of wonderful music, and the music as good as anything to come out of a Disney movie. It is fun and catchy, but also rich with emotion. Anyone not stirred by the show-stopper "Let It Go" is a heartless bastard.

Though it's storytelling feels consistently text-book to a fault, the devil is in the details. Frozen is often playful and unexpected in its storytelling. It pokes fun at itself and Disney films more generally. Anna gets engaged to a man she just met and rather than being pleased Elsa is absolutely baffled. Later befuddled a character says, "You just met the guy, and you're getting married?" And in its climactic moment, the film chooses to take a surprisingly different route than what we might anticipate and it is cheerworthy in its audacity. It's small touches but for any fan of Disney films, it will bring a smile to your face.

 Grade: ★★★