FROZEN DVD (2013)
SYNOPSIS: Fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey- teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven - to find her sister Elsa whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Krisoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.
MOVIE REVIEW:
After years of falling behind Pixar, Walt Disney Animation finally got its revenge (and mojo back) with the release of Frozen, the top grossing animated movie of all time!
Continuing the path of its fairy-taletradition, Frozen consists of the usual ingredients of a typical Princess animation. Filled with catchy song numbers, handsome prince, not one but two beautiful princesses and goofy sidekicks, Frozen never differs much from its two recent offerings, The Princess and the Frog and Tangled except for two things. The spectacular icy setting and magical powers.
With a story that underwent years of development and finally ended up in the hands of directors Jennifer Lee (Wreck-It-Ralph) and Chris Buck (Surf’s Up), Frozen is about how Elsa and Anna, both princesses of the Arendelle kingdom came to embrace their sisterhood after years of being separated from each other. Elsa the elder sister possesses the power to create ice and snow at will. After accidentally turning her entire kingdom under eternal winter, Elsa ran off to the mountains and cast herself into solitary. Anna sets off and with the help of an ice-seller, Krisoff and his goofy reindeer, Sven went on a treacherous journey to convince Elsa to come back to Arendelle not realizing an evil prince is already eyeing their kingdom.
Frozen is all about siblings, love and most importantly, accepting who you are. There are some who interpret the message as one about homosexuality but I shall leave it to you to discuss this with the kids. Generally speaking, the younger crowd won’t be affected by LGBT issues, they are probably too amused by the antics of Sven and Olaf, the walking and talking snowman. Of course, the musical soundtrack written by husband-and-wife team, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez plays a major part in making sure every kids in the neighborhood knew the lyrics to the the hit, “Let It Go”. At times, the story becomes too ambitious for its own good that you never feel satisfied with the whole magical trolls thingy.
However, Disney’s mixture of traditional hand-drawn animation and CGI technology brought plenty of surprise to the overall look of the characters, effects and the Norwegian inspired setting. It’s not mere imaginary, grandeur looking castles and lush forests this time round as the animators relied heavily on several real-life landmarks in Norway to create a compelling world. Tony award actress Idina Mentzel and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) soars with their incredible voice work while Jose Gad (Jobs) is a delight as Olaf (without being an irritable sidekick in this case).
Produced in the old fashioned ways of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, Frozen is an instant Disney classic full of magic and adventure! Most kids have yet learnt to let it go by the way.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Can’t get enough of “Let It Go”?The extras have the end credits version by Demi Lovato and the Spanish version by Martina Stoessel. The Get A Horse! Mickey Mouse short is also included.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The imaging details and colours are superb unless you got the far superior bluray edition. Just because it’s meant for kids doesn’t mean it can’t have an immersive soundtrack and dynamic sound effects. Absolutely one solid track for the record.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
