thoughts on Frozen

In this animated Disney film, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) are sisters and best friends.  Elsa has the ability to freeze things just by touching them.  As kids, this is fun (they build a snowman and bring him to life, they slide around on the ice, etc.) until an accident that happens while they're playing almost kills Anna.  Elsa and Anna's parents take them to some trolls who save Anna's life and warn them that Elsa's powers will only grow stronger; she must limit her contact with others and try to suppress her abilities.  Meanwhile, the trolls will erase Anna's memories of Elsa's magical powers.  Elsa and Anna's parents close the gates to the kingdom, and Elsa shuts herself in her room.  Because Anna no longer knows about Elsa's powers, she has no idea why Elsa never wants to play with her anymore. 

The girls grow older, and their parents are killed while traveling by boat.  Elsa is going to be queen, and the gates to the kingdom are opened for the coronation.  Anna meets a prince named Hans (Santino Fontana) and immediately falls in love with him.  When she tells Elsa she plans to marry him and have him move in with them, Elsa gets very upset, and her emotions set off her powers.  Horrified, she runs away where she believes she can be free to use her powers without hurting anyone.  Little does she know that she's set off an eternal winter in the kingdom.  Leaving Hans in charge, Anna runs off to find her, getting help along the way from Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), an ice salesman whose business isn't going so well these days; his reindeer, Sven; and Olaf (Josh Gad), the snowman Elsa brought to life as a child.

There's a lot to like about this movie, everyone.  First of all, for all of the magical things I just mentioned-- Elsa's powers, the trolls, the adorable talking snowman, etc.-- it all feels really REAL.  You just really hurt for Anna when Elsa keeps pushing her away without telling her why.  Also, while there are characters in this movie who are not good people and who do bad things to the main characters, this is not a story where the characters just have to overcome a villain and everything will be fine; most of their problems come from chance accidents, from fear, from dishonesty and secrets, from impetuous decisions-- the same types of things most of our problems come from in real life.  Like in real life, then, the problems are solved when characters figure things out, when they make sacrifices, when they are honest with themselves and others.  There's romance in this story, too, but it sometimes causes more problems than it solves, and definitely doesn't make everything perfect.

In addition to a great story, let's also not forget that this movie is all just generally very well-done.  The songs are so good I'd like to get the soundtrack.  The animated winter wonderland the characters live in is beautiful.  Olaf the Snowman is super cute.  The characters are likeable.

Yeah.  Not only is this the best Disney movie I've seen in awhile, I daresay this is the best movie, period, that I've seen all year.