"Up there with the Disney masterpieces of the early 90s" I heard from more than one place. Hmmm, that would take some doing. Any comparison with the Holy Trinity of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King is high praise indeed. I was sceptical to say the least.
My verdict? It is a very well made film. It looks incredible. A little too incredible, actually, which put me off. Everything is so beautifully perfect and computer generated that it actually feels soul-less. Call me old fashioned, but I like the hand drawn feel of the old cartoons. (Don't get me wrong, this is not a dig at Pixar because they're a different category, and all their films are very good).
And the music. Well, it's pretty much musical by numbers, and most songs were pretty forgettable, except two. One of which it would seem... well it is impossible to 'Let it go' out of your head. That one and 'Do you want to build a snowman?' do seem to refuse to leave the consciousness without a fight (or possibly a good dose of Foo Fighters).
However, again, like the over perfect animation, the entire score and every song, along with the choreography of the characters seems to be designed with the idea that this will be adapted into a west end/broadway musical within the next couple of years, if not sooner. I'd be very surprised if it doesn't end up on stage. As a result, it again lacked any heart or soul, and felt like I was watching a performance on stage, which limited my ability to enter the world they created.
I enjoyed the second half more than the first, but plot twists were fairly predictable. (Spoiler alert) Why didn't they both meet their true love at the end? Poor Elsa.
Oh and that snowman was so irritating. These films can hang on the quirky characters. Get a Rafiki or a Timon and Pumba and you're onto a winner, but get it wrong, disaster. Disney don't often get it wrong, and I'm sure kids love him, but I just wanted him to melt in a volcano somewhere.
So, a fairly good film... but up with the Disney masterpieces of 20 years ago? Absolutely nowhere near.
