Frozen: Part V

[sunhuntin]

going to see this in about an hour hopefully. only just opened today [dec 26] and i got up too late for the 10am screening. hopefully wont be too crowded with kids.

[dollover]

Is it a road-trip flm? I actually expected it to be much grander journey. Anna and Kristoff make their way in about 15 minutes? Elsa walks to the site of her castle. The trolls are a horse ride away from Arendelle. Everyone travels really quickly in Frozen.

I thought it was more about Anna learning about what love is, and it just happened to be in 3 different settings: Arendelle, Elsa's castle and the troll village.

It's good to see such a diverse range of preferences within this forum! Means Disney is doing well if we're hard-pressed to pick a 'universal favourite'. No need to pit them against each other though.

Out of the 3, Frozen's road trip is the most minimized, which is part of the reason I liked it better than Tangled and PatF, but yes, I still consider it a road trip movie.

[Atlantica]

It's good to see such a diverse range of preferences within this forum! Means Disney is doing well if we're hard-pressed to pick a 'universal favourite'.

Could not agree with you more!

[taei]

You've seen it like four times already, save some Frozen movie for mee

I just can't stop going! I promised myself that I was ending Frozen with the end of the year. So today is going to be the last time I go to a movie theater this year!

It just gets better and better, and my older sister who HATES animation just saw the movie and told me that she loved it so much that she teared up, TWICE! I just had to go see it again!!
Thank God I had a bunch of free tickets, otherwise, i don't know how I would be able to pay for it.

[sunhuntin]

just got back. the animation is mind blowing! brave had me in tears with the beauty of the details, especially the scene where merida first leaves the castle and climbs the devil falls. but frozen left me unable to comprehend how beauty like that can be made on a computer. course it helps that i love everything to do with snow, ice and flakes.

it would have been more enjoyable with less people [there were about 60 and it was held in the smallest theatre, so crowded. i had to shift when two giants sat in front of me, blocking half the screen]
"get a horse" seemed to drop like a lead balloon after initial laughter at the old style animation. wrong type of crowd to appreciate that fully i think. [look its old looking! ha ha ha ]
the initial scene with hans was met with laughter, as was about every bit with olaf and sven. i do wish the horses didnt all look like maximus. there was an audlble gasp at the climax and then a sigh of relief, lol. i will go again, maybe when school goes back. too many repetitious songs for my taste, especially when they were so far apart in unrelated scenes. but, its worth suffering through for the art. im still mind blown now.

[Musical Master]

What did you think of Hans as the twist villian?

[sunhuntin]

that was a shock! wasnt expecting that, they did really well in that respect. im not entirely sure why the little guy with glasses got arrested though? the little guy with glasses and toupee got lots of laugh as well, especially the dancing.

it looks like it would be amazing in 3d... is it?

[ajmrowland]

3D is totally wort it.

[taei]

Just got back from a 6 PM showing. less than 25% of the theater was occupied.
Lackluster audience, barely laughed before Olaf showed up. Talked throughout the first half (pre-olaf), but went completely silent during Let It Go (Of course, it helps that the audio was malfunctioning, so Idina's voice was incredibly loud and the background music was really low)

No gasps at the Hans scene.

What happened above was normal. I've seen it happen a few times, but what surprised me was this:

I know by now that a 19 yr old guy can't like Animated movies openly in today's world. Apparently, I should be careful when I admit that I like Frozen. >__>
The showings that i went to were normal, nothing out of the ordinary, no one was staring. Until today. A family sitting next to me (An Old man, old lady, a college boy, and a teenage son) kept staring at me throughout the whole movie. I'd stare back a few times (a couple maybe) but they kept staring. And it surprised me, because no one's done it before that! What's worse, is that the old man was texting throughout the entire movie, and I really really wanted to tell him off, but I didn't want to start anything with them!

Anyways. Back to box office news:
-Frozen almost sold out the 4 pm showing, less than 25% at the 7 PM showing, no one so far at 9:15 PM and I left the movie theater at 9:10-ish.
-Savings Mr. Banks was BIG. I talked to the people working there and they told me that it was money bringer.
-Wolf of Wallstreet: People were leaving the movie 20 minutes in.

With that, i really enjoyed this movie, it's the best movie i've seen this year, and I'd rank it third behind BRAVE and KFP2 in the modern era of Animated movies (2010-current). Had some problems, but the greatness of the movie blinded me.
I'm now officially done watching this movie. The next I watch it will be on March 18 when I have obtained my copy (several exclusive copies). And for those who have not seen the movie, enjoy it and for those who have seen it, let the waiting begin.

[TsWade2]

What did you think of Hans as the twist villian?

I was shock myself! I never realized that Hans is an evilest prince.

[Warm Regards]

I know by now that a 19 yr old guy can't like Animated movies openly in today's world. Apparently, I should be careful when I admit that I like Frozen. >__>
The showings that i went to were normal, nothing out of the ordinary, no one was staring. Until today. A family sitting next to me (An Old man, old lady, a college boy, and a teenage son) kept staring at me throughout the whole movie. I'd stare back a few times (a couple maybe) but they kept staring. And it surprised me, because no one's done it before that! What's worse, is that the old man was texting throughout the entire movie, and I really really wanted to tell him off, but I didn't want to start anything with them!

That's kinda hypocritical of them, isn't it?

But I think they're an exception rather than the rule. On my showing a few weeks ago, there was an elderly couple who were ECSTATIC to see this film. They flat out said that Frozen was going to be better than the live action adult films out at the time.

Side note: Now that both my parents have finally re-watched Tangled, they both said that while Frozen was good and had better songs, they liked Tangled more for having a better story and more drama. Which in hindsight, I suppose is true; Frozen has a lot of drama when it comes to Elsa, but the movie focuses more on Anna's side of the story.

[sunhuntin]

3D is totally wort it.

thanks for that. wonder if i can convince mum... if not, i will go see it by myself, again.

[TheBlibaBlob]

This is completely random scenario that would'nt really happen, but how would you people think if The Wind Rises and Frozen (if both nominated in the first place) tied for Best Animated Feature?

[rodis]

Although I find Tangled to be a great film, I prefer Frozen. I actually had to watch Tangled a few times to like it at first. But with Frozen, I was hooked from the get-go. I didn't feel the time. It was SO good. It's not without its flaws of course, but IMHO, better than Tangled in most departments (music, characters - I hate Flynn Rider, story).

[disneyprincess11]

Disney Files Infringement Lawsuit Against Phase 4 for Imitating "Frozen" Franchise

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/18 ... e?tsrc=hph

[Musical Master]

Disney Files Infringement Lawsuit Against Phase 4 for Imitating "Frozen" Franchise

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/18 ... e?tsrc=hph

LOL! What took them so long?

[PatrickvD]

Okay, my two cents on how Frozen compares to Tangled. (don't blame me, these films beg to be compared anyway. Disney wanted to duplicate the succes of Tangled and that's what they got). Oh and there are spoilers here. The spoiler bars annoy me and I stopped keeping track of what qualifies as a spoiler now. Also, my thoughts are a bit all over the place, so forgive me.

So I guess pacing is the reason why I prefer Tangled. I will agree that as a whole, Tangled is nothing new. It followed the formula of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin largely. I'd say it's a better Musker/Clements film actually than The Princess and the Frog even though they didn't even direct it. It felt like their style. It fits right in with Disney's 90s fare. Seamlessly. If it had come right after The Lion King it would have been a monster sized hit.

I loved the animation in Tangled more as well. Maybe it was Keane's influence, but Rapunzel was a marvel of technology and personality. Wonderfully animated and Mandy Moore gave a very down to earth charm that I could have never predicted to come from her. It was engaging from start to finish and by the time they finally worked in that famous line: 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down you hair'... I smiled, because as Disney fanatic, I knew the trouble they faced adapting the story. The line wasn't forced, it was integral to the story. But it was there. And the entire climax was beautifully tense yet intimate. I believed Flynn and Rapunzel loved each other, unlike say Tiana and Naveen. They always felt a bit more contrived.

Predictable or tried and true, doesn't matter. I find Tangled to be an incredibly well crafted film. And while the songs are on the weaker side, there's still no one who knows better than to make songs work as a framing device for the story than Menken. He knows which song needs a reprise and where it should be in order to push the story forward. Tangled does this so well.


Now on to Frozen. There is MUCH that I love here. I may prefer the animation in Tangled, but I won't deny that the animation is gorgeous obviously. The characters are all well written and engaging. I loved Olaf. He was more than a sidekick, he was the manifestation of Elsa's love for Anna, as she created him for Anna after years of not being able to. The story, in the end, works quite well. I think my main complaint would be that the film tries to fit a big story with lots of plot points and developments into a rather short film. There's no time to even think about anything because the film is already moving on to the next set piece. The wolves? They should have just animated that for the 'boy trailer' and keep it out of the film (although I will admit the exploding sled made me laugh) as it serves no purpose other than to show Anna is tough. Something that we had already established. I get that they needed a threat along their journey, but this was somewhat... cliché. If they had turned the Duke into a bigger villain, we would have had an actual threat on their journey while having the twist come as a bigger surprise, though I guess I outsmarted the obvious on that front. Because there were massive gasps during the reveal. sheeshhhh

The songs, are obviously a step up over Tangled's songs. Sadly, as storytelling moments, they're rather awkward at times. With a few jarring transitions). They're telling a whole load of story in the beginning through a variety of songs. That's fine, but the movie needed to be longer in order to justify these moments and let the audience breath. Menken has had top-heavy scores as well, but they've not had these fast transitions from one song to another quite like Frozen. It was Princess and the Frog all over again in that respect. Albeit with much better songs. (I'll defend Almost There until I die, but the rest? You can keep them). Fixer Upper was Dig a Little Deeper 2.0 though. Okay, but served no purpose. And that reprise of For The First Time in Forever? It was way too Broadway-talky-singing to be in a Disney animated film. It didn't work for me.

But again, the songs themselves, are mostly glorious. For the First Time in Forever is a better Alan Menken piece than anything in Tangled or maybe even Enchanted. Do You Want to Build a Snowman and Let it Go are highlights as well. Especially combined with what's going on the film. Disney at its finest. Kristen Bell gives the better performance of the two leading ladies, but then I'm not a huge Idina fan. Yes, her voice is huge, but also slightly overrated. The actress who does the Dutch and German voice of Elsa has a bigger voice (she was Elphaba in those languages plus on Broadway and West End as well). Josh Gad is obviously amazing.

The plot twists? I have no problem with them. Everything works well, and the conclusion with all characters crossing paths in the blizzard, was tense and beautifully done. I would put it right next to Tangled's climax inside the tower.

So yes. Frozen is great. It's a labour of love for sure and I'm happy for its succes. As it is currently on its way to outgrossing The Lion King's original theatrical gross to become Disney's #1 non sequel animated film of all time. Sure, it won't match The Lion King when inflation is accounted for, but in terms of ticket sales, it's outpacing The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast. That is a huge deal.

But for reasons mentioned already and something that I guess just comes down to personal taste, Tangled was a more instant love affair for me.

Still, the tables for WDAS and PIXAR have turned 180 degrees. What a difference 7 years make.

[Musical Master]

Nice review Patrick, as always.

While I disagree that the songs feel the need to let the audience breath in the beginning (probably due to my tastes in musical films), I do agree with you that there could've been a more threating presense on Anna and Kristoff's journey. What did you think of Love Is an Open Door and of Hans?

[Lady Cluck]

Frozen is on the brink of passing BATB and Aladdin and being having the second highest domestic gross for WDAS of all time

Rankings of Disney/Pixar domestic earnings since The Little Mermaid:

1. The Lion King - $422,783,777
2. Toy Story 3 - $415,004,880
3. Finding Nemo - $380,843,261
4. Up - $293,004,164
5. Monsters, Inc. - $289,916,256
6. Monsters University - $268,492,764
7. The Incredibles - $261,441,092
8. Toy Story 2 - $245,852,179
9. Cars - $244,082,982
10. Brave - $237,283,207
11. WALL-E - $223,808,164
12. Beauty and the Beast - $218,967,620
13. Aladdin - $217,350,219
14. Frozen - $210,412,773
15. Ratatouille - $206,445,654
16. Tangled - $200,821,936
17. Toy Story - $191,796,233
18. Cars 2 - $191,452,396
19. Wreck-It Ralph - $189,422,889
20. Tarzan - $171,091,819
21. A Bug's Life - $162,798,565
22. Lilo & Stitch - $145,794,338
23. Pocahontas - $141,579,773
24. Dinosaur - $137,748,063
25. Chicken Little - $135,386,665
26. Mulan - $120,620,254
27. Bolt - $114,053,579
28. The Little Mermaid - $111,543,479
29. The Princess and the Frog - $104,400,899
30. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - $100,138,851
31. Hercules - $99,112,101
32. Meet the Robinsons - $97,822,171
33. The Emperor's New Groove - $89,302,687
34. Brother Bear - $85,336,277
35. Atlantis: The Lost Empire - $84,056,472
36. Fantasia 2000 - $60,655,420
37. Home on the Range - $50,030,461
38. Treasure Planet - $38,176,783
39. The Rescuers Down Under - $27,931,461
40. Winnie the Pooh - $26,692,846

[Musical Master]

Frozen is on the brink of passing BATB and Aladdin and being having the second highest domestic gross for WDAS of all time

Rankings of Disney/Pixar domestic earnings since The Little Mermaid:

1. The Lion King - $422,783,777
2. Toy Story 3 - $415,004,880
3. Finding Nemo - $380,843,261
4. Up - $293,004,164
5. Monsters, Inc. - $289,916,256
6. Monsters University - $268,492,764
7. The Incredibles - $261,441,092
8. Toy Story 2 - $245,852,179
9. Cars - $244,082,982
10. Brave - $237,283,207
11. WALL-E - $223,808,164
12. Beauty and the Beast - $218,967,620
13. Aladdin - $217,350,219
14. Frozen - $210,412,773
15. Ratatouille - $206,445,654
16. Tangled - $200,821,936
17. Toy Story - $191,796,233
18. Cars 2 - $191,452,396
19. Wreck-It Ralph - $189,422,889
20. Tarzan - $171,091,819
21. A Bug's Life - $162,798,565
22. Lilo & Stitch - $145,794,338
23. Pocahontas - $141,579,773
24. Dinosaur - $137,748,063
25. Chicken Little - $135,386,665
26. Mulan - $120,620,254
27. Bolt - $114,053,579
28. The Little Mermaid - $111,543,479
29. The Princess and the Frog - $104,400,899
30. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - $100,138,851
31. Hercules - $99,112,101
32. Meet the Robinsons - $97,822,171
33. The Emperor's New Groove - $89,302,687
34. Brother Bear - $85,336,277
35. Atlantis: The Lost Empire - $84,056,472
36. Fantasia 2000 - $60,655,420
37. Home on the Range - $50,030,461
38. Treasure Planet - $38,176,783
39. The Rescuers Down Under - $27,931,461
40. Winnie the Pooh - $26,692,846

Oh boy! It's coming faster than we predicted!