Letting Go with Sven the Reindeer

I have somewhat of an obsession with Disney films. Having grown up in front of my television, with VHS copies of Alice in Wonderland and Basil the great Mouse a Detective, and one of my earliest memories being a trip to the cinema in 1990 to see The Little Mermaid in a Croydon cinema, back in the days when you still had an interval in the middle of the film so that the projectionist could change the reel and audience members could pig out on orange ice-lollies, it's no wonder I have such jaded expectancies of the world, wishing more than anything that we could at whim burst into joyous song with our anthropomorphic animal sidekicks and conquer the forces of evil with little more than a pure heart.

Unfortunately, the real world is not so forgiving, but hope can still be found in the annual release of a new Disney movie, an event that I rarely miss out upon (though I admit I have yet to see Wreck It Ralph, something I shall rectify later this week).

After its much publicised release and Oscar winning acclaim, this evening I have at last dipped my toe into the icy delight that is Disney's 52nd Animated Classic Frozen, a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. Having already been voted the fourth greatest Disney film of all time (losing out only to The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin), I had very high hopes for this CGI spectacular.

Admittedly, I've been tentative about the computer animated revolution that has swept Disney studios. After the spectacular Princess and the Frog, I've been rallying for Disney to return to its 2D roots, but I must admit, Frozen does a fantastic job of capturing the heart of Disney in its animation whilst still appealing to the computer generated world. Each member of the ensemble cast feels like a traditional Disney character, and our two princesses Anna and Elsa will certainly sit upon the pantheon with Belle and Jasmine in years to come. Hero Kristoff has elements of the traditional Prince Charming merged with Tangled's Flynn, this creating one of the most believable romantic leads a Disney film has ever seen. Comedy comes in barrel-fills from Sven the reindeer (a delightful fellow indeed) and a talking snowman named Olaf, who unfortunately for me feels rather superfluous and pandering only to appease the younger audience members who may at times feel somewhat lost amidst the more adult themes that seep through this chilly tale.

Musically, as the entire world seems to be aware, Frozen shines through; aside from the Oscar winning "Let it Go", we have some very strong numbers ranging from self-consciously cheesy love songs to a lovely ditty about where snowmen go in the summer. 

Unfortunately, amidst the convoluted tale, something feels a little amiss. I can only put it down to the underdevelopment of the cast; sure they are well-voiced and beautifully animated, but what sets this behind the likes of Princess and the Frog and Beauty and the Beast is that aside from saving the town from eternal winter (admittedly a decent enough motivator), none of the characters have a personal motivation. So used are we to having each character with a back story and a reason for advancing the narrative that to me at least, the cast of Frozen seem a little, well, cold. The epitome of this (aside from the utterly pointless snowman) is Snow Queen Elsa's all too quick transition from outcast to semi-evil ice maiden; having been distraught over her exile, in less than the first verse of her all-too-famous song she embraces her re-kindled powers. It really feels like there's a scene missing here, and in so many other places in the film too.

That's not to say there isn't fun to be had, and the final "twist" on the search for true love is nice (although it does rather poke fun at every princess story before it). Overall, I wouldn't place it in my top ten, but with further watching and a little added nostalgia, it might just stand the test of time. certainly moreso than Disney's last snowy tale, Brother Bear... And the reindeer in this one is ten times more lovable.