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| Olaf the snowman |
Charmingly familiar "Frozen" will warm the heart
As Vanilla Ice would say, it's "ice ice, baby" which is exactly what the new Disney animated movie musical "Frozen" is about. Loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Ice Queen," this charming, wistful version is a cross between "Tangled" and "Enchanted" with a little snow and music thrown in for good measure. The kingdom of Arendelle has two sister princesses, Elsa (Indina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell). The older Elsa has the ability to create snow and ice but the power suppressed to keep from hurting her sister and others. When Elsa's magic is unleashed and the kingdom becomes under a permanent winter the fearlessly optimistic Anna, mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and magical snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) must work together to make Arendelle a warm place again. Directed and co-written by Chris Buck ("Tarzan" and "Surf's Up"), the winning, cheerful "Frozen" is familiar but engaging enough for the whole family. "Frozen" is most memorable for it's slick, colorful CG animation and the peppy, original songs from husband-and-wife songwriting team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. On that note, Tony-award winner Menzel (who also was part of "Enchanted") is the standout here, belting out the film's best tune, "Let It Go," that will certainly be nominated for an Oscar. Gad is also a hoot as the lovable snowman Olaf, who doesn't even realize he's a snowman. The creaky and predictable story has the film on thin ice narratively, especially mid-film, but it picks up steam in the final act for a heartugging ending. "Frozen" is cheerful, colorful and endearing, and will be best remembered for the music and not the story.
Wes's Grade: B-
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