Frozen- Re-Heating an Old Debate

September marked the official start of No Spoiler Tags year four and like so many months of the past year September came and went without a new post. The past twelve months of my life have been the busiest of my life primarily occupied by moving twice, the second time leaving the Denver suburbs for the mediocre state of Texas, and getting a dog with a hundred intertwining side-plots which frequently threatened to overwhelm and destroy me. And while I haven't been watching or thinking about movies as much the past year that really isn't the reason I haven't written much. The original intent of No Spoiler Tags was to clear my mind of the detritus of twenty-five years and that goal has been more or less accomplished. In terms of concept, The Hunger Games is the oldest post on this site it was written circa 1995 and it and about half of the other posts on this blog sat like thorns in my brain until I found this tool to remove them. This is not the end of No Spoiler Tags, but the thorns are gone, the tool has served its purpose. I no longer need to write. As hard as it is to believe based on my actual update history, I have always tried to create a new post about once a month. This is my announcement to all my loyal readers Russian spam-bots, that No Spoiler Tags now officially operates on a rare, random and sporadic update schedule.

Now on to the movie...

Sometimes when something becomes a phenomenon, like Frozen, I like to avoid it and then come back to it later when the hype has died down and see it for the first time in hopes of a clearer perspective. The verdict: good, not great. Much like Tangled, Frozen was a traditional Disney animated musical done in a far inferior animation style, but the CGIce did look pretty cool. Disney musicals are usually dependent on the strength of the songs and jokes, and like Tangled, Frozen was pretty weak in these departments (Let it Go was solid and Olaf generated a few legitimate giggles.), but Frozen was carried through these weaknesses by a good plot and voice acting.

Every once in a while, a line is so well written, timed and delivered, that it elevates not just a scene, but an entire movie. "The cold never bothered me anyway" is one of those lines. It's fun and wicked, devilish and playful. In one line, Elsa describes her entire character arc. The rest of the song is just set-up and padding. In six words, she sheds years of repression and re-introduces her playful side while suggesting a villainous turn. It is one moment of perfection in an otherwise unexceptional movie.

Anna, in proud Disney tradition, falls instantly in love with the very first age appropriate man she ever meets. Hans rewards her love by hijacking her kingdom, two manslaughter attempts (First with "Sure, you can go alone and unequipped into an arctic blizzard to track down a powerful, out-of-control sorceress." and later with the refused kiss, in which he revels that he always intended to betray her.) and then an outright murder attempt on both her and her sister. Having learned a very painful lesson, Anna instantly falls in love with the second age appropriate man she ever meets.

In many ways, Anna was the women's lib princess that Princess Merida from Brave really wasn't. Anna goes on a daring adventure to save her kingdom, takes risks and proves herself useful in a fight. Ultimately, Anna saves the day by using her body as a human shield, rather than using a skill she learned in Home Ec. Sure, Anna was a little boy crazy, but she got called out for it in a major way. Merida looked like a female action star. Anna actually was. Put these two together and Disney is starting to get it right.

Olaf asked that I end this by asking "Do you want to bleep a snowman?"