Anna and Elsa are the princesses of Arendelle, a secluded kingdom in Norway. For reasons not explained, Elsa was born with the powers to create snow and ice. She uses this ability often to create snow-time fun with her sister. After accidentally striking her sister's head, her parents rush her to be cured. In order to remove the magic from her sister's head, all the memories of magic were removed as well. Elsa is so afraid of hurting her sister again that she isolates herself from her. Unfortunately, fear and emotional distress make her powers worse and harder to control.
Fast forward a few years later, when Elsa is to be crowned Queen. Up until then, they kept the gates shut and let very few people into the castle. During the song "For the First Time in Forever" look for Rapunzel (with short brown hair) and Flynn as cameos. During the after-coronation party, Elsa's powers are accidentally set off and only get worse. She flees into the mountains. I'm not going into a lot of detail because the film is still in theaters.
One thing I liked is how they joked about people getting engaged the same day they meet, which is what happened in a lot of fairy tales. Prince Hans, who is handsome and charming, asks Anna to marry him. Queen Elsa won't bless the marriage because they haven't known each other but for one day. As Anna travels to find her sister, she meets Kristoff and his loyal reindeer, Sven. Kristoff also makes fun of her for getting engaged so soon.
The best song is "Let it Go" sung by Idina Menzel as Elsa. She's had to keep her powers hidden for so long and finally gets to explore her own creativity and abilities. From personal experiences at work, Idina Menzel can be quite a bitch but she sure can sing.
Above all, this film is about sisterhood. Anna and Elsa are as different as can be, but they complement each other. I can't wait until my own sisters visit here soon so we can watch it together. We learn that true love is putting someone else's needs above our own. Elsa truly loves her sister, that's why she isolated herself to protect her. Anna will discover her own version of true love in the end. The only part I didn't care for was the talking magical snowman, Olaf. I thought he was useless, but he was cute for the kids so I'll let it pass. I will give this film a 9/10.
I thought the Let It Go sequence was easily the best in the film. The song is great, as is Menzel's singing, but it's the animation that really puts it over the top. The ice images are impressive, but what really makes it work is the character animation done on Elsa, especially her movements and face when singing.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the landscape was absolutely beautiful. Animation has come a really long way.
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