Caroline Madden, ‘Doah Staff Writer
December 4, 2013

‘Doah photo courtesy of movies.disney.com/frozen

Tired of the decades-old formulas, Disney has been going in a new direction with their princess movies. Gone are the days of the typical romantic and lovey-dovey princess movie. Nowadays, a princess has a lot more to do than just fall in love. With “Frozen,” Disney has certainly succeeded. Loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen,” “Frozen” tells the story of two sisters Anna and Elsa.

After the death of their parents, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) becomes queen of Arendelle. Elsa was born with the power to turn everything she touches into ice, and this power is also fueled by heated emotions.

When her secret gets out and Elsa accidentally freezes her kingdom, she is branded an evil witch and exiled. Anna, (Kristen Bell) with the help of mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and the comedic snowman sidekick Olaf (Josh Gad), travel to the mountains to find Elsa.

Idina Menzel voicing Elsa is the best part of the film. Elsa’s struggles are quite mature and a very dynamic element for a Disney character. Elsa is told to keep her freezing powers inside, she is being told to hide her feelings.

She must not do something that is important to her or what makes her happy because of what others would think. During her beautiful song “Let It Go,” Elsa is finally free and overjoyed to use her powers. Elsa’s story is very touching and many people, young and old, can identify with.

In addition to “Let it Go” there are other fun songs, but none that will likely stand the test of time as Disney classics. “Frozen” had beautiful animation, especially with the ice and snow. However, it is disappointing that the two sisters look so similar to Rapunzel from “Tangled.” Animated 2-D princesses seemed to have a lot more variation than the CGI ones lately.

What was lacking in animation, they made up for in characterization. “Frozen” is filled with endearing and exciting characters. While “Frozen”  is set in the past, but the music and dialogue had many modern colloquialisms. Bridging part of the old Disney that we all love with contemporary humor, making for a very fun film.

“Frozen” is fun and clever, with wonderful story about the relationship between sisters. It also has an unexpected plot twist that plays on an old Disney trope, which was very new to see.

Disney seems to be moving in a different direction with their stories, and if this where they are headed then “Frozen” is a great way to start.