- Location: Gig Harbor Galaxy Theatre
- Watching Frozen confirms what I had long suspected, namely that Disney Animation is finally catching up with its onetime competitor (and now subsidiary company) Pixar. Disney films are not quite to the point of casting John Ratzenberger or preceding their films with high-quality shorts, but with this film and 2010's Tangled, it has suddenly become appropriate to discuss the two studios' outputs in the same paragraph. Gone are the helpless and hapless Disney princesses of yesteryear. Replacing them are more heroic and self-made characters like this film's two very dissimilar princesses, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel).
- As children in the notably Nordic kingdom of Arendelle, young Anna and Elsa lived seemingly idyllic lives until two tragic events changed everything. In the first, Elsa's mystical ability to conjure up ice and snow transforms a fun-filled morning into a life-threatening injury when she accidentally pelts Anna with a stray magical icicle. In the other, a storm-tossed ocean claims the lives of the royal king and queen. Fast forward a few years, and Elsa has become an aloof recluse terrified of her increasing magic powers. Anna, on the other hand, has grown into a lonely teen who can't wait for the upcoming coronation ceremony in which the castle's iron gates will be opened to the public for the first time in years.
- For Anna, coronation day is a dream come true, while for Elsa it's more of a nightmare. Anna immediately meets her first true love in a young prince named Hans (Santino Fontana), and the two become engaged over what seems like the span of about five minutes. Elsa is able to perform her official duties without incident, but the revelation of Anna's impetuous engagement sets off a magical maelstrom of ice that terrifies the villagers and sends Elsa fleeing to the mountains. In one sense, this is a good thing since Elsa can now be herself without any fear of hurting anyone. On the other hand, Anna misses her sister and...well, all that ice doesn't appear to be melting anytime soon. Time for Anna to visit sister, with the help of a local woodsman named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his redoubtable reindeer Sven.
- While Frozen's latter half devolves into a predictable witchhunt and some annoying comic relief in the form of a vivified snowman (Josh Gad) who owes an apology to the late Arnold Stang, the film sensibly saves its biggest surprise for the end. I'll say no more than that an act of true love is required, and that it isn't the one you're expecting. Although Frozen stumbles in a few places, including one character's completely unforeshadowed betrayal and some mediocre musical numbers, the Scandinavian-inspired art, fluid CGI animation, and voice acting are all impressive enough to make up for the film's minor shortcomings. Its biggest accomplishment, however, may be that it features two Disney princesses who are happy at the end for reasons other than marrying Prince Charming. Who knows--maybe in a few more years Disney will be bold enough to attempt something other than a fairy tale.
- Alan Tudyk, Ciarán Hinds, and Edie McClurg also provide voices.
- Based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen.
- Co-directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee.
- The film was preceded by a Mickey Mouse short that was charming for a few of its seven minutes.
