Frozen - 4 stars ****On Thursday, I took Aum and his cousin Uma to see Frozen at the cinema. I have taken him to see quite a lot of films whilst being his nanny, and though a few have been really good (Brave, Happy Feet 2), there is also a lot of utter crap that kids watch (Planes)! I had heard good things about Frozen though, so went in with an open mind.
The first thing I noticed was how it was like the more old school Disney films - lots of songs, princesses in a castle, a bit of comedy - the one main difference is the ending, but I'll save that until later. The story is about two sisters, Elsa and Anna. Anna was born with the power to create snow and ice, and as the doting younger sister, Elsa is fascinated by her talent. However, she is not in complete control of her magic, and a mishap whilst they are playing results in an accident, leaving Elsa nearly dead when an ice spell goes through her head. She is saved by magic goblin creatures, but her parents vow that Anna's powers must be hidden to keep her safe, so have all Elsa's memory wiped, except those of her childhood memories of playing with her sister. Anna is then locked away and forbidden from seeing her, much to the confusion of Elsa, who has no idea what she has done to deserve such hostility from the sister she loves so much.
Years pass, and the girl's parents die tragically, leaving Elsa more lonely than ever. She counts down the days until her sister is of age and can be crowned queen, in the hope that they will be reunited. The day arrives, and finally the pair reconcile their differences; until Elsa meets Prince Hans that she 'falls in love' with, and rashly decides to marry. Her immaturity riles Anna, and causes her to reveal her power to the kingdom by accident in her anger, creating chaos when the townsfolk think she is an evil witch. Scared, she runs away to the mountains and creates an ice castle, where she hides, knowing that she cannot hurt anyone there (This part was my favourite, the visuals when she creates the castle are amazing, and accompanied by a brilliant power ballad!).
Elsa then goes on a quest to find Anna and return her to the throne, joined by Sven the reindeer, Kristoff, a trader of ice, and Olaf, a very amusing snowman that the girls made as children who has come to life. They are beset by various trials along the way, including Elsa being struck through the heart with an ice spell, which proves fatal if not met by an act of true love. Kristoff has since fallen in love with Elsa, but it is unrequited as she is still besotted with Hans. Worried, they race back to him, and Kristoff and Sven leave for home, only for the audience to find out that he has tricked them all and only wants the throne for himself. He chains up Anna, and eventually Elsa turns to a statue of ice.
This is where the difference is. In normal Disney films, this would be where Kristoff rocks up, kisses her and they both live happily ever after. However, this time, it is the tears of Anna crying over the death of her sister that bring her back to life - an act of true love. As an older sister myself, I couldn't cope with this, and was bawling like a baby, which had to be swiftly covered up in front of the two kids I was with!
I would really recommend this as an all round family film, it has a love story, comedy characters, good songs, amazing cinamatography, a fiesty heroine, and an absolute babe in the form of Anna, who is my favourite Disney princess EVER. Go see!
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