Frozen: Part V

[Fran]

I haven't seen the English language version yet, so my opinion on the songs may change.

In which language you have watched Frozen?

[RyGuy]

- Elsa sure did learn to master her powers in a record time, didn't she? Some roughness to her creations would have been welcomed, they were way too polished (but I get it -- computer graphics, wow factor, etc.)

See.. That's what I thought until i saw it again and then I understood what happened.
The reason Elsa's powers were spiraling out of control is because she feared them.
In let it go, right before she builds her staircase, she says "And the fears that once controlled me, can't get to me at all"
So now that she loves her powers, she is in complete control over them. And the more happy she is about them and about herself in general, the more polished the outcome was. Same thing in The attack on her castle, everything was in shards because she was scared and angry. And when she was in the chamber, her powers aren't clear and polished, they're everywhere.

Her powers are basically the visual representation of her emotions.
I love how people complain that they wanted more Elsa in the movie. Imagine Disney making a deleted scene like this:
The Interior Designer: Elsa decorates her castle!
or
The garden: Elsa discovers the inner Gardner in her, and decides on which flowers she wants to grow.

I saw it again last night and read this post right before the movie started. I ABSOLUTELY agree with your theory.

As for the gay subtext issue, this isn't totally related but when Hans leans in to kiss Anna and then pulls back there were audible gasps from the audience both times I saw the movie but last night, some guy blurted out, "He's gay!?!" Then the whole theater started laughing - not at the guy's conclusion but just at how loud he was. It was pretty funny

[Mooky]

I haven't seen the English language version yet, so my opinion on the songs may change.

In which language you have watched Frozen?

Hi, welcome to UD! It was Croatian language.

As for the gay subtext issue, this isn't totally related but when Hans leans in to kiss Anna and then pulls back there were audible gasps from the audience both times I saw the movie but last night, some guy blurted out, "He's gay!?!" Then the whole theater started laughing - not at the guy's conclusion but just at how loud he was. It was pretty funny

[PrincessElsa]

Beyond the Trailer spoiler review.

I have to say, unlike her non-spoiler review, which seemed like a bunch of unhinged, troll-like ranting, in this review she makes some valid points.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJUh6dQDNbg[/youtube]

I pointedly disagree with some of them, but Frozen is vulnerable on a number of these issues.

And the trouble is, it's hard to defend the film on the basis of, "This or that is just a fairy-tale convention," when the film is premised on trashing a central fairy-tale convention.

Once you let realism trump fantasy in one area, where do you stop?

At any rate, it won't matter to the box office. I don't think it will surpass Catching Fire, but it does seem set to do huge business and will likely outgross Tangled.

[DisneyJedi]

Um... Am I the only one worried that Catching Fire might be stealing Frozen's thunder? Don't get me wrong, the former was a great movie, but I'm afraid Frozen might perform below expectations because of it.

[PatrickvD]

Um... Am I the only one worried that Catching Fire might be stealing Frozen's thunder? Don't get me wrong, the former was a great movie, but I'm afraid Frozen might perform below expectations because of it.

I follow Box Office numbers quite closely, so read this and then never bring this up again, okay?








Frozen is already outpacing every other WDAS film ever released and it will outgross Monsters University. It will also break a 14 year old record set by Toy Story 2: biggest thanksgiving opening weekend of all time.

There is no way it could have performed any better than it has over the last few days. It's breaking out big. Please learn to read Box Office figures. http://www.boxofficemojo.com

[thedisneyspirit]

I just watched it.

It was actually fun! I don't think it was as good as WIR (i actually thought the middle was weak and some things here and there didn't work that well) but I did enjoy it. Certainly less cliched and obnoxious than Tangled.

[bradhig]

Elisa and Anna should have frostbite. They both wore off the shoulders dresses in the cold snowy landscape and Elisa's legs stuck out of her dress from time to time.

[thedisneyspirit]

The snow doesn't affect Elsa the way it does to other people, so I don't see how would your logic work.

[Escapay]

I wrote a spoiler-free Facebook note shortly after watching the film, which I re-published on my column today. Figured it would be worth sharing here, too.

• Saturday Matinee #152, Frozen Week: A Frozen Valentine (November 27, 2013)
  Published November 30, 2013
  by Albert Gutierrez
  
  Idina Menzel's "Let It Go" has already repeated on a loop four times as I begin writing this. For further context, I began writing this twenty minutes after leaving the theatre. So many of my thoughts were stream-of-consciousness; I had to go back and pare it down to something more concise and clear. Plenty more are still in my notes, perhaps waiting for the more objective review to come later. Rather, this is just one Disney fan's feelings, ramblings, and maybe shameless declarations of love, towards a film that has made him feel both a renewed sense of youthfulness, and a bittersweet wistfulness for the long-ago Disney that defined his childhood.
  
  Kristoff - I mean, first off - Disney deceptively marketed this film to American audiences. Frozen is not what the initial trailers may have made you fear it would be. We've known of this practice for some time, as evident by the humorous "Olaf vs. Sven" teaser trailer for this film, or the animation-test-turned-trailer for Tangled, or even The Princess and the Frog's entire marketing campaign ("the 90s are back!"). It certainly does its job of bait-and-switch, but for once, I didn't mind being hooked. Yes, we have humor. But it's well-placed, helps move along the story, and only occasionally gets off-color. Yes, we have action. But it's not a horribly-skewed imbalance of sequences that overtakes the genuine pathos of the characters and their respective arcs. And yes, we have music. My goodness, we have music. The music becomes the heart of the film, each song threads together these wonderful characters, sharing links and lyrics that have not been emulated within a Disney film since the likes of Beauty and the Beast.
  
  Most importantly, Frozen has marked both a return and a new beginning for Disney animation. And yet, it fits within a noticeable pattern of Disney animation; this signals the return of which I spoke. Every couple dozen years, the studio seemingly loses its way, only to re-acquaint themselves with the audience in a grand form that makes us wonder why they strayed. Whether the "they" refers to the audience or the studio, I'll leave up to you. Perhaps it is too soon to predict, but I can easily see Frozen affect a young six-year-old just as Beauty and the Beast affected me. Imagine, hearing about the allure of Disney animation in such a brief, six-year existence, being brought up among the classics of the day (for this six year old, I'd reckon Lilo & Stitch, Meet the Robinsons, and The Princess and the Frog). You have your favorites, of course, but they all stirred around the idea of family and hard work, of getting there by the skin of your teeth rather than having it given to you. And Frozen comes along, embodying all that, along with more. So much more. It's the magic of filmmaking, the magic of Disney. It's falling in love with a movie... and having it fall in love with you.
  
  Yet, Frozen also gives us a new beginning. A renewed sense of filmmaking and storytelling that doesn't always have to adhere to a tried-and-true formula (even if it admittedly works, as it does here in spades). Gone are the classic, sometimes-stentorian line delivery best left to Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. Replaced is the contemporary, adorable ramblings of an insecure young girl. And it's perfectly okay. Heck, it's downright endearing. Princess Anna has the makings of an adolescent Penny from The Rescuers, right down to the freckly face and pigtails, while also showing some of her own vulnerabilities. What did she do, why isn't she loved enough? Likewise, Queen Elsa has inherited the honor and duty that compelled Wendy, Pocahontas, and Mulan to rebel, to run away, and to eventually return. The two sisters embody some of the best of Disney's heroines, while still creating a freshness to such characters. They've become the next generation of 2002's Lilo and Nani (for a moment, let's forget the fluffy blue dog), sisters who have their differences, but love each other regardless, because nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
  
  Of all that Frozen gives to an audience, most will walk away with the music. They'll belt out "Let It Go" as they leave the theatre, either in a grand Menzel-esque way, or just mumbling it to themselves amidst the interactive 4-D effects that the theatre apparently invested in without telling anyone. "Hey, why is there water on my face?" I wondered as the end credits ran. But the music has the power to do that. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the days of Ashman & Menken once more, but the Lopez team (Robert and his wife, Kristen née Anderson) certainly have risen in the ranks to eventually join the likes of them and the Sherman Brothers in the sacred pages of the Disney Songbook. Much of the first act is devoted to song, recreating that Broadway feel that defined early-90s Disney animation and eventually rejuvenated the Great White Way as well. As time goes on, the story takes a turn towards straightforward drama with stakes raised; too many songs would slow them down. But it worked in Aladdin, just as it does in Frozen.
  
  Interesting, what works best in Frozen almost seemed a hindrance to past Disney animated films. Very rarely does Disney animate in the wide vista of CinemaScope or its various other imitators over the years: Technirama, Panavision, you name it. And aside from Disney's first two animated forays - Lady and the Tramp in CinemaScope, Sleeping Beauty in Technirama 70 - the more contemporary uses of letterbox widescreen has often resulted in lower box-office performances. We saw undeniable failure in 1985's The Black Cauldron and 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, while 2003's Brother Bear did modestly successful here, but was gangbusters internationally. Like Wreck-It Ralph the year before, Frozen goes wide on the screen, harkening back to the CinemaScope glory of yore. Combining 3-D viewing with such vistas as the Scandinavian snowlands truly served as a work of genius. We get the scope of Sleeping Beauty, but with the depth and the canvas of Tarzan. And unlike Wreck-It Ralph, where each environment had to be a believably-artificial reality, Frozen gives us nature and wonderment as only Disney can bring it to life.
  
  But bigger isn't always better. Rather, the use of CinemaScope and the wide screen helps to better reflect the intimacy of the film. We're given a simple story - based sparingly on the Hans Christian Andersen tale - that gets told amidst a lush, grand landscape. The entire piece hinges more on repairing a relationship rather than being slave to the view. And that's the beauty of it. We're pulled into the story in spite of the view, in spite of all the whizz-bang flashiness of the jaw-dropping animation. At the center of this film is a story of acceptance, well-told through an epic scope that shows Disney firing on all four cylinders. We don't need to be impressed by a tracking shot of Elsa in the mountains when "Let It Go" is all she needs, but it still tugs at our hearts regardless. My theatre actually erupted in applause when the song was over. The reaction factor on this film was remarkable, to say the least. Even with this one-two punch between sisters dominating the story, the film still held a special relationship with the audience. It made movie-going an event again. It probably helped that the film was preceded by the Mickey Mouse short "Get a Horse!", a cartoon that is humorously old-school, hilariously self-aware, and easily the contender for Best Animated Short at next year's Academy Awards.
  
  At the end of the day, when you strip away the art of going to the theatre and examining the film itself, you'll see that Frozen works best as Disney's own valentine to their past. This movie can only exist here, in the now, in the celebration of ninety years of Disney magic. Ninety years ago, Walt and Roy began a humble cartoon studio that has evolved into a cultural juggernaut. At the time, nobody expected an everyman from the Midwest to actually become one of the most recognizable names in the world. Yet here it is. It's Frozen, both literally and figuratively. Everything that made Disney what it was then, is today, and forever will be, has been lovingly preserved; they have frozen forever the essence of Disney within this film. Upon my first viewing, I could sense bits of Snow White, bits of Dumbo, even some influence from the package films. Watch the film again, you'll remember One Hundred and One Dalmatians, you'll be reminded of The Little Mermaid. Even the unlikeliest connections can be found. Among the latter-day Disney films, I felt the film resonated most with Meet the Robinsons for some obvious reasons, while others may be a bit obscure. Every step Disney has taken, every film they've made, it has lead to Frozen. This is Disney animation: then, now, forever. I can't think of a better tribute.
  
  I think I'll see it again.

Albert

[Musical Master]

I just watched it.

It was actually fun! I don't think it was as good as WIR (i actually thought the middle was weak and some things here and there didn't work that well) but I did enjoy it. Certainly less cliched and obnoxious than Tangled.

Hey there, I'm glad you like it a whole lot more than Tangled.

I wrote a spoiler-free Facebook note shortly after watching the film, which I re-published on my column today. Figured it would be worth sharing here, too.

• Saturday Matinee #152, Frozen Week: A Frozen Valentine (November 27, 2013)
  Published November 30, 2013
  by Albert Gutierrez
  
  Idina Menzel's "Let It Go" has already repeated on a loop four times as I begin writing this. For further context, I began writing this twenty minutes after leaving the theatre. So many of my thoughts were stream-of-consciousness; I had to go back and pare it down to something more concise and clear. Plenty more are still in my notes, perhaps waiting for the more objective review to come later. Rather, this is just one Disney fan's feelings, ramblings, and maybe shameless declarations of love, towards a film that has made him feel both a renewed sense of youthfulness, and a bittersweet wistfulness for the long-ago Disney that defined his childhood.
  
  Kristoff - I mean, first off - Disney deceptively marketed this film to American audiences. Frozen is not what the initial trailers may have made you fear it would be. We've known of this practice for some time, as evident by the humorous "Olaf vs. Sven" teaser trailer for this film, or the animation-test-turned-trailer for Tangled, or even The Princess and the Frog's entire marketing campaign ("the 90s are back!"). It certainly does its job of bait-and-switch, but for once, I didn't mind being hooked. Yes, we have humor. But it's well-placed, helps move along the story, and only occasionally gets off-color. Yes, we have action. But it's not a horribly-skewed imbalance of sequences that overtakes the genuine pathos of the characters and their respective arcs. And yes, we have music. My goodness, we have music. The music becomes the heart of the film, each song threads together these wonderful characters, sharing links and lyrics that have not been emulated within a Disney film since the likes of Beauty and the Beast.
  
  Most importantly, Frozen has marked both a return and a new beginning for Disney animation. And yet, it fits within a noticeable pattern of Disney animation; this signals the return of which I spoke. Every couple dozen years, the studio seemingly loses its way, only to re-acquaint themselves with the audience in a grand form that makes us wonder why they strayed. Whether the "they" refers to the audience or the studio, I'll leave up to you. Perhaps it is too soon to predict, but I can easily see Frozen affect a young six-year-old just as Beauty and the Beast affected me. Imagine, hearing about the allure of Disney animation in such a brief, six-year existence, being brought up among the classics of the day (for this six year old, I'd reckon Lilo & Stitch, Meet the Robinsons, and The Princess and the Frog). You have your favorites, of course, but they all stirred around the idea of family and hard work, of getting there by the skin of your teeth rather than having it given to you. And Frozen comes along, embodying all that, along with more. So much more. It's the magic of filmmaking, the magic of Disney. It's falling in love with a movie... and having it fall in love with you.
  
  Yet, Frozen also gives us a new beginning. A renewed sense of filmmaking and storytelling that doesn't always have to adhere to a tried-and-true formula (even if it admittedly works, as it does here in spades). Gone are the classic, sometimes-stentorian line delivery best left to Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. Replaced is the contemporary, adorable ramblings of an insecure young girl. And it's perfectly okay. Heck, it's downright endearing. Princess Anna has the makings of an adolescent Penny from The Rescuers, right down to the freckly face and pigtails, while also showing some of her own vulnerabilities. What did she do, why isn't she loved enough? Likewise, Queen Elsa has inherited the honor and duty that compelled Wendy, Pocahontas, and Mulan to rebel, to run away, and to eventually return. The two sisters embody some of the best of Disney's heroines, while still creating a freshness to such characters. They've become the next generation of 2002's Lilo and Nani (for a moment, let's forget the fluffy blue dog), sisters who have their differences, but love each other regardless, because nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
  
  Of all that Frozen gives to an audience, most will walk away with the music. They'll belt out "Let It Go" as they leave the theatre, either in a grand Menzel-esque way, or just mumbling it to themselves amidst the interactive 4-D effects that the theatre apparently invested in without telling anyone. "Hey, why is there water on my face?" I wondered as the end credits ran. But the music has the power to do that. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the days of Ashman & Menken once more, but the Lopez team (Robert and his wife, Kristen née Anderson) certainly have risen in the ranks to eventually join the likes of them and the Sherman Brothers in the sacred pages of the Disney Songbook. Much of the first act is devoted to song, recreating that Broadway feel that defined early-90s Disney animation and eventually rejuvenated the Great White Way as well. As time goes on, the story takes a turn towards straightforward drama with stakes raised; too many songs would slow them down. But it worked in Aladdin, just as it does in Frozen.
  
  Interesting, what works best in Frozen almost seemed a hindrance to past Disney animated films. Very rarely does Disney animate in the wide vista of CinemaScope or its various other imitators over the years: Technirama, Panavision, you name it. And aside from Disney's first two animated forays - Lady and the Tramp in CinemaScope, Sleeping Beauty in Technirama 70 - the more contemporary uses of letterbox widescreen has often resulted in lower box-office performances. We saw undeniable failure in 1985's The Black Cauldron and 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, while 2003's Brother Bear did modestly successful here, but was gangbusters internationally. Like Wreck-It Ralph the year before, Frozen goes wide on the screen, harkening back to the CinemaScope glory of yore. Combining 3-D viewing with such vistas as the Scandinavian snowlands truly served as a work of genius. We get the scope of Sleeping Beauty, but with the depth and the canvas of Tarzan. And unlike Wreck-It Ralph, where each environment had to be a believably-artificial reality, Frozen gives us nature and wonderment as only Disney can bring it to life.
  
  But bigger isn't always better. Rather, the use of CinemaScope and the wide screen helps to better reflect the intimacy of the film. We're given a simple story - based sparingly on the Hans Christian Andersen tale - that gets told amidst a lush, grand landscape. The entire piece hinges more on repairing a relationship rather than being slave to the view. And that's the beauty of it. We're pulled into the story in spite of the view, in spite of all the whizz-bang flashiness of the jaw-dropping animation. At the center of this film is a story of acceptance, well-told through an epic scope that shows Disney firing on all four cylinders. We don't need to be impressed by a tracking shot of Elsa in the mountains when "Let It Go" is all she needs, but it still tugs at our hearts regardless. My theatre actually erupted in applause when the song was over. The reaction factor on this film was remarkable, to say the least. Even with this one-two punch between sisters dominating the story, the film still held a special relationship with the audience. It made movie-going an event again. It probably helped that the film was preceded by the Mickey Mouse short "Get a Horse!", a cartoon that is humorously old-school, hilariously self-aware, and easily the contender for Best Animated Short at next year's Academy Awards.
  
  At the end of the day, when you strip away the art of going to the theatre and examining the film itself, you'll see that Frozen works best as Disney's own valentine to their past. This movie can only exist here, in the now, in the celebration of ninety years of Disney magic. Ninety years ago, Walt and Roy began a humble cartoon studio that has evolved into a cultural juggernaut. At the time, nobody expected an everyman from the Midwest to actually become one of the most recognizable names in the world. Yet here it is. It's Frozen, both literally and figuratively. Everything that made Disney what it was then, is today, and forever will be, has been lovingly preserved; they have frozen forever the essence of Disney within this film. Upon my first viewing, I could sense bits of Snow White, bits of Dumbo, even some influence from the package films. Watch the film again, you'll remember One Hundred and One Dalmatians, you'll be reminded of The Little Mermaid. Even the unlikeliest connections can be found. Among the latter-day Disney films, I felt the film resonated most with Meet the Robinsons for some obvious reasons, while others may be a bit obscure. Every step Disney has taken, every film they've made, it has lead to Frozen. This is Disney animation: then, now, forever. I can't think of a better tribute.
  
  I think I'll see it again.

Albert

THIS! SO FREAKING, FREAKING MUCH!

[Warm Regards]

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS FULL OF SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN DESCRETION.

I saw the movie yesterday with my parents. We all really enjoyed it, though like other people I have some criticisms.

Firstly, the songs are way too crowded into the first half of the movie. The space between "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" and "For the First Time in Forever" was maybe a minute? We go from a more serious song to a quirky I want song in one minute? Honestly, it could have been padded out. Maybe show the sisters avoiding each other at the dinner table, or show Anna read romance books to pass the time and that's why she's so giddy for love. Just padding to show a little bit of the sisters.

Honestly, other than the spacing between the songs, the first act (up to "Let It Go") was well made. Didn't think much of the Duke, though.

"Love Is An Open Door" is very much like a pop song and a bit too short, but in hindsight it was probably intentional so people didn't start shipping Anna and Hans just yet.

Okay, "Let It Go" was awesome, pure and simple. I liked how it became more upbeat as it went on, to tie in with the castle building. Loved the colors in that scene, too.

After this song, though, the movie felt a lot like Tangled. It's basically Anna and Kristoff's traveling story. It's not bad, just really reminiscent.

Olaf and "In Summer" had a lot of laughs. Both are just too innocent to hate.

"For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)" was a powerful moment. But am I the only one who thinks it should have been longer? The sisters rarely got screen time together, and this is one of those scenes. Kristoff comes in to help, and all Elsa says is "Who's that?" before dropping the issue. Um, shouldn't this be like a big deal for Elsa? Last she knew, Anna was in love with Hans. But the momentum would have been lost, I guess.

"Fixer Upper" is... interesting. I like the craziness of the song, and its catchy beat. But I also thinks it kind of pauses the movie. Yes we get it, Kristoff is a loner, please help Anna now. Remember, the one who got hit in the heart with ice?

Okay moving on. Then there's the Marshmallow battle. Very intense and a lot of cool camera angles were used. Hans sword fighting Marshmallow is quite alluring (TMI?) in that it feels very real. I don't think he planned for that arrow to hit the chandelier, though.

The dungeon scene with Hans and Elsa was good, but maybe could have been longer? Have Elsa say, "Take care of my sister for me," and Hans sort of roundabout answers her. Some hint of what's to come.

And speaking of what's to come... SURPRISE! Hans is evil. Well, it was shocking. BUT as I mentioned before, it came out of nowhere. Plus he becomes so textbook evil on us that it nearly made me laugh aloud. Sorry, but who says, "I already have" in response to someone else saying they won't win?

And his plan doesn't really add up. So he's going to marry Anna and then kill her sister? Um, why not woo Elsa from the start? He says something like, "no one was getting anywhere with her." Where's he getting this from? The coronation party? Well Hans, she's not going to bless a marriage after one day. But if you started with Elsa, maybe she'd be more open to her own marriage with you. You get to be king and no one has to die. Win-win. Stupid mutton chop Prince. I bet he didn't even consider trying that.

Ugh. Anyway, the climax was good, Anna saving Elsa and all. Though again, am I the only who thinks there should have been a sad reprise of "Let It Go" ("they'll never see me cry") or "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" Anna is Frozen for a minute at the most, so I feel that a song would have made it sadder. But I'm a freak for drama, so...

Then the ending, with the ice skating. Very simplistic, but enjoyable. I still feel that the sisters should have sung a second reprise of "For the First Time in Forever" ("For the first time in forever, we are happy, we are free. For the first time in forever, we are finally family.")

That's about it. I couldn't think of anything I really hated. (The twist came in close, but seeing as it was funny scene for me, it's fine as is. )

[Disney's Divinity]

@Escapay: Very nice!

I'm actually thinking of seeing it again myself. It's one of those movies that doesn't digest completely the first time for me, and I don't want to wait until March/April to see it again.

Frozen is already outpacing every other WDAS film ever released and it will outgross Monsters University. It will also break a 14 year old record set by Toy Story 2: biggest thanksgiving opening weekend of all time.

Thinking about it now, this is probably what people behind the scenes thought/hoped Brave would be. Honestly, I expected Frozen to do as well as Tangled, but didn't expect it to be taking off like it is. I think having had several decent films in a row gives audiences more confidence in the brand name.

[Escapay]

THIS! SO FREAKING, FREAKING MUCH!

@Escapay: Very nice!

Thanks!

Aside from Meet the Robinsons, I can't remember the last time a Disney animated film has resonated with me this much. Maybe that's why I could sense a bigger connection between the two of them.

I was talking with a friend the other day, as we were trying to decide where it would rank in our list of favourites. For the longest time, my Top 5 has been Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, and Pocahontas (Meet the Robinsons just missed it at #6). But we determined that Frozen had enough "umph" in it to actually nudge Pocahontas out. Of course, I'm sure this is just first-viewing geek-out speaking, but I have a good feeling about it.

Albert

[Lady Cluck]

I'm surprised by Frozen's financial success (so far) too. I didn't think it would appeal to the masses that much. Hopefully it has longevity and continues to do well.

[Sorcerer Mickey]

As far as the Box Office goes, yes Frozen is behind Catching Fire, but keep in mind that the latter has around 400 more screenings (4,163; Frozen has 3,742). Of course it's going to come out on top this weekend, but from what reports have been saying, it's already off to a strong start and can easily make more than Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph, even if you take away the two extra days.

Also, it helps that this film earned an A+ on CinemaScore, usually the source for word-of-mouth, which is really impressive to me. If anything, I'm more interested in next weekend's box office results to see if Frozen can leapfrog Catching Fire.

As for the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, yes, at first glance you could say that Frozen received lower percentage rating in comparison to films like Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph. However, if it makes some of you guys feel any better, take a closer look at the average rating, and you'll notice three things:

1) While Tangled does have 89% for the Tomatometer, the average rating is 7.5/10.

2) Wreck-it Ralph has an 86% rating for the Tomatometer, but the average rating is 7.4/10, which is slightly lower than Tangled.

3) Frozen has an 84% rating for the Tomatometer, the lowest of the three films. HOWEVER, the average rating for the film, as I write, is 7.6/10, higher than Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph.

It's best to not always rely on the Tomatometer, but rather the average rating. Heck, How to Train Your Dragon had a 98% on the Tomatometer, but it also had a 7.9 average rating, which was lower than Toy Story 3 (8.8/10 average rating).

Also, there's Metacritic, which usually has an average cut-off around 35 critic reviews for movies. Tangled scored a 71, while Wreck-it Ralph scored a 72. Frozen, on the other hand, scored a 75.

So, if it makes some of you guys feel any better, while Frozen does indeed have a lower Tomatometer rating than both Wreck-it Ralph and Tangled, it actually does have a higher average rating. It even has a higher Metacritic rating. Don't always rely on the Tomatometer, and, instead, pay more close attention to the average rating.

[Mooky]

Has the pic below been posted before? I think it's from the 'Art of' book.

[RyGuy]

Just got back from my third viewing - ridiculous, I know . It's playing really well around here. Full theaters. Lots of laughs throughout the film. Audible gasps at that certain point in the film. Aw's at points that are supposed to grab your heart.

And then every friend on FB who has seen it has posted how much they loved it and that it is the best Disney movie ever (or among the person's favorites).

@escapay, very well written review. And I agree with you that this is a film kids are falling in love with like you did with Beauty and the Beast. My kids (5, 4, and 2) have. They are constantly role playing, singing the songs, etc. and Frozen merchandise dominates their Christmas wish lists.

[nomad2010]

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/11/30/b ... re-frozen/

Frozen could earn over $100 million this weekend and is currently on track for a record breaking $97 million.

[DancingCrab]

Just got home from second viewing. Favorite audience moment…a father gets up to go to to the restroom right before "Let it Go" and comes back to sit down next to his wife after it's over, completely missing the scene, and leans into his wife and says "What did I miss?" and she says back "Wow!, you just missed WOW!"

Also some little girl started crying when Hans said that Princess Anna was dead and let out a "YAY!!!" when they showed her still alive right before Olaf unlocks the door. So cute.

The Duke really is even more annoying the second time, as you know he is a diversion from Hans instead of an actual asset to the plot. Makes his scenes feel like a waste of time even more. Thank good ness they are short.