Disney's Frozen [DVD]

I wasn't sure what all the hype was about but everyone seemed to be comparing it with the lion king so I was like...ok psh come on, not a chance. I sat and watched this with just having watched the let it go vid on YouTube. At first I started to become impressed with the animation. The visuals are so stunning I was very much taken back. There are a lot of " wow that looks so cool" moments. I loved the sunset on the scene where they are being chased by that huge snowman thing.The "let it go" sequence for me almost beats the lion kings circle of life. It is such an addictive and catchy tune I simply couldn't get it out of my head and still cant. it starts off slow and builds to a point where you have your jaw on the floor.Its a very powerful song and I am sure most should identify with her need for freedom and escaping the fear she is feeling. I loved her subtle facial expressions when she raises the castle up from the ground that really got me. she is almost saying, this is so easy, look what I can do with ice.The lyrics are also brilliant and relatable. Insanely good singing voice that goes WAY up past the clouds with amazing energy, there is a really powerful "YEAH LETS DO THIS" feel to it. She lifts her dress up and stomps her foot down on the floor creating a huge snow flake stating that this is where she wants to stay. Then the final part where she looks at you saying "the cold never bothered me anyway" and spins around, slamming the door shut in your face. that got me more then anything in the whole movie. Its like she just gained total control and all her fear is gone. you feel relieved for her after all the insane pressure she was put under, looking after not just her baby sister but the entire realm. I love how giddy she gets and just lets it all rip. Who wouldn't want to feel like that. Both thumbs up for that song.The ending surprised me and stirred up quite a bit of emotion for me. I'm not going to say what happens but it was a very nice little twist and refreshing from the usual story. It was a very moving part and I watched it a few times in a row. Elsa's "cry" moved me deeply, though its brief it sounds so deep and real.the more I watch this movie the closer it gets to passing the Lion Kings position at No.1 position.update 18/6/14 - a few MONTHS later!OK I am now totally obsessed with this movie and it has BLASTED the lion king right off my No1 top fav Disney movie. I have tried everything to get this movie out of my veins its making me pure nuts. The thing is that there are so many different ways to see the same story. There is Anna's funny side and adventures as well as her struggle to get through to Elsa, who is just so terrified of hurting her. Elsa is so complex you could write a freakin novel about her.Elsa's relationship with her parents is very disturbing. Besides being totally repressed and told not to be who she is or love who she is, one scene comes to mind. Anna runs up to her parents and wraps her arms around them and is embraced back. Elsa is kept at a distance in the next scene and she actually Curtsey's in front of them. No hug no nothing. I can only imagine how many big sisters feel like this, that they have to be the responsible ones and take on all the pressure. It was painful to notice that and you can see in her face how scared she is.Has this girl ever been hugged in her life? I think that is why I think the very last hug is so important, it could be her very first one so its not surprising when she looks for more after that one. She touches Anna all the time after that and almost cant keep her hands off her. Anna is the very same with Elsa, its sweet.The number done on her head by her parents was unbelievable. Who is so terrified of hurting others that they don't even attend their own parents funeral? That is how messed up and scared of herself Elsa is. And she never asks for thanks, you know, for giving up her entire childhood for the sake of everyone else. she doesn't get thanked either. She just gets thrown into a room and locked away from her only friend.Another thing I noticed when she woke up, after being taken back to Arendelle, She is CHAINED to the floor?!! Who put those chains there? Did her parents actually construct those for their own daughter? that is just the darkest, creepiest thought of child abuse I have ever seen in a Disney feature. They are not your usual criminal chained cuffs, they are specifically designed to cover the entire hand. It was simply heart breaking to see her trying to get out of them when you know she terrified and needs to find Anna, or just get away from Arendelle to keep everyone safe.Spoiler Ahead!!!!As much as I adore Elsa's character, and oh my god I do, especially during the reuniting of the two girls (a rare occasion you see her laughing and smiling with her sister), Anna is my favourite character. She is so damn funny in some scenes and reminds me of myself a lot. I can totally relate to how frustrating and hard it is to try to help someone who just keeps shutting you out and pushing you away. I have been there myself and it takes its toll.You don't understand why they are doing it so you just keep getting hurt over and over again, sometimes enough to keep you away for a while. But we love them so much we just keep going back to try again. We know they don't mean it. Its scary to think that it takes Anna getting killed for her to get through to Elsa. Though I have thought about this and if Elsa had not have blasted Anna in the heart she would not have froze solid and that sword would have gone straight through her and her sister.Anna is clumsy and awkward but when it comes down to it she puts all her own needs aside and fights to reach her sister when no one else will. Tragically she seemed to have zero awareness of the feelings of her sister either. This is the reason she gets blasted the 1st (told to slow down) and 2nd time (told to leave)and gets herself killed. She is almost like the fool in the tarot deck, blinded by emotion and enthusiasm to get through to her Big sister and almost walking off a cliff, she doesn't really pay attention to what is happening around her in a realistic manner. She is too stubborn and simply wont listen to Elsa's desperate pleas, she keeps pushing and doesn't realise how stressed out Elsa is. The lack of awareness or control makes the situation so much harder for Elsa, resulting in Elsa going out of her mind and losing control. it would almost be like someone poking you in the arm and telling you to stop being who you are, over and over again. you try to tell them you cant but they just wont listen and keep poking at your arm. I would lose it too.During the reprise scene Elsa is so desperate to get her sister out of harms way that she constructs a huge snow monster to "escort" her out the door/area and to make sure she never comes back. The reprise duet is beyond amazing, the emotion that the animators manage to put into Elsa's character for this particular part is frightening. She actually grabs her own head trying to hold on to her own sanity but ultimately ends up failing due to Anna's pestering mannerisms. You can really feel her start to lose her mind and "explode" when it becomes too much for her. I am sure everyone on the planet knows just what that feels like. Someone pressing your buttons unknowingly while you are fighting to figure out what is going on. You want to make it all stop but you cant and start to feel so crazy. Its scary, especially when others expect you to just get on with it.Then she finally gets Anna to leave.Its so sad to see her have to do that when everyone knows all she wants is for her sister to be by her side. You remember how well they get on at the party before Elsa runs off and when they were kids. You have two best friends here that have been separated since they were kids, no explanation no nothing. They will truly do anything for each other and that's how deep their bond is.The top subject for me in this movie is the sheer damage that can be done to kids if they are told that they are dangerous and almost punished for being who they are by being locked away from everyone with no support. Why don't they just talk to them and let them know what is going on. Don't scare the absolute sh&*e out of them and take their only friend away. Hello like?I am very aware that this is just an animated feature for kids and these characters are fictional but I immediately related to BOTH girls and their situations and not in a small way. This was my movie, animated or not I have never felt so connected to characters like this. It actually scared me a little as to how someone could know my life so well and not even have met me I was truly blown away. I couldn't believe it when this movie came along when I was in the very same situation as Anna. Its one of those movies that when you watch it you don't feel so misunderstood and that someone out there knows the truth. No matter how many times I watch this movie (getting ridiculous at this stage)I find little extra things every time. I also feel a little less crazy and more understood.If this same crew ever bring out a sequel I would really love to see a huge development on Elsa's character and her relationship with her sister. Elsa still has a kingdom to run and should probably be given a new friend that has similar problems. Either that or give her a nemesis that she can defend her kingdom from. Kidnap Anna and lets see how Elsa goes about it.Best movie I have EVER SEEN animated or not. Huge two thumbs up to all involved.

Disney has done it again! They've produced another masterpiece, this one big and beautiful enough to rival even Tangled and (dare I say it) Beauty and the Beast in its elegance and female independence!Now, I have to admit it, I never went to see this when it came out at the cinema. It was too busy and to be honest, I wasn't too keen on the adverts - no matter how cute Sven and Olaf were.But my friend said it was 'epic' so I bought the DVD, pressed play and watched... And fell in love with the 52nd animated feature... As well as the special features!The story:Now, Frozen is all about two sisters, the Queen and Princess of Arendelle, who are separated by a magical secret. Queen Elsa has the power to control snow, and after an argument with her sister Princess Anna, this is revealed and an eternal winter is released. Anna, feeling guilty and sad over her sisters sudden disappearance and the creation of eternal winter, goes off on a rescue mission to save her town - meeting some new friends along the way.Based upon 'the snow queen' by Hans Christian Anderson, the writers of Disney have done a really good job with this.The characters:Queen Elsa is a troubled and powerful young woman, filled with fear and uncertainty about her abilities. I think Disney have done a brilliant job of portraying her emotions through songs and her powers - I mean, the ice changes colour depending on her mood, how awesome is that? Plus, her sheer determination and sense of duty/protection is admirable, simply from a moral perspective.Anna is probably the most naive character of the entire story, but she's so endearing! Agreeing to marry someone after one day? Though I have to say that the moment she meets the Prince is hysterically funny; all that balancing and awkwardness- and then the horse just lets go of the boat and the prince ends up soaked! Ace. And the prince deserves it - he's a douchebag. Anyway, for Anna, this film is a journey of self-discovery and comedy of errors - she finds out what she wants and what people are really like. And her songs are adorable - Do you want to build a snowman? - has to be my favourite.Okay, l also have to talk about the guys. I'll start with the moron of a Prince. I mean, sure he's handsome and he wears a suit, but really? If his own horse would let him drown, what does that say about a man? On the flip side of things, I love his character from a writers point if view. He's just so sneaky and clever; this is a guy with twelve brothers who is never going to be king, so instead of complaining, he goes and seduces an heir instead! It's brilliant in a way - vicious and underhandedly cruel, but brilliant nonetheless.From bad to beautiful, Kristoff is simply adorable. I'm going to give another huge compliment here to the writers and say that the way characters are introduced and interact with one another is simply superb. Kristoff is a down to earth, fresh kind of guy who values honesty and integrity. He's also protective and relatively intelligent; when he has an argument with Anna over her engagement, his consternation over it is adorable. The fact that he talks to her about getting to know people is admirable and something everyone should consider. He's the type of guy that girls should want to date, not a flashy dude with hardly any substance.The last thing I'm going to chat about is the sidekicks, Sven and Olaf - because who can watch a Disney film without talking about the epicness of the magic and animal kingdoms.Sven the reindeer has to be my favourite; he's like a massive dog in reindeer clothing, and his attitude to life - love and play - is the best ever. He's loyal, smart, and just like other brilliant sidekicks he provides the comedic relief in form of slippery blunders and funny snorts. He's also a bit of a matchmaker, which is quite amusing too.Olaf is the animated snowman with a desire for all things summer. Now, when I first heard him singing, I fell about in fits of hysterical laughter because, really, who the hell would think about dressing a snowman in a summer hat and sticking him on a beach to sing? It is writing genius. Coming into the film at a tense moment, he provides the light-heartedness that we enjoy in Disney while keeping the relationship between the two sisters alive - Olaf was the snowman of Anna's childhood.I'm gonna quickly mention the trolls too. Little tumbling rocks of bundling fun, these family orientated magical creatures were perfect for this film. They kept the story going and egged on the romantic element as well - not to mention making everyone laugh with their song lyrics.Overall, I was overjoyed with Frozen. It is a story of love and triumph over adversity, a tale of sisterhood and family. But what is perhaps even more inspirational about this film is that it shows us even the worst fears can be overcome with hope, trust, and a little bit of love.Well done Disney!