ABOVE: Watch the trailer for Frozen.
TORONTO — Just as the white stuff is starting to fall in many parts of Canada, Frozen lands in theatres.
Based very loosely on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, it’s the story of princesses Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell), an ice salesman named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and a friendly snowman (Josh Gad).
Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the family-friendly Disney flick is packed with original songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.
Will audiences warm to Frozen or flake out? Here’s a look at what some of the critics are saying:
At the Miami Herald, Rene Rodriguez gushed that Frozen is “a funny, exciting and visually dazzling adventure that qualifies as a full-blown musical.”
Rodriguez said nothing about the movie feels formulaic and it has a groundbreaking feel.
“The 3D effects in Frozen are gorgeous — the plentiful snowflakes are so realistic, you’re tempted to catch them with your tongue — but it’s the film’s use of sly humor and remarkable CGI animation that lead you to lose yourself in this unconventional, engaging tale,” wrote Rodriguez.
“Nearly every other major Hollywood studio is cranking out cartoons these days, but Frozen reminds you why Disney does it best.”
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times agreed, calling Frozen a “surefire Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature.”
“Here is a movie sure to captivate children, delight adults, and melt the hearts of audiences of all ages,” he wrote.
Roeper singled out the songs in Frozen as “catchy” and “delivered with … theatrical gusto.”
Postmedia News reviewer Jay Stone wasn’t as effusive.
“Frozen is thin but enjoyable,” he wrote. “It isn’t up there among the best of Disney animation.”
Stone added: “Frozen isn’t a classic, but in its way, it’s cool.”
Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly described the movie as “a squarely enchanting fairy tale.”
He said the journey taken by the princesses is “a little generic” but added: “The tale of these sisters, and what happens when one girl’s power exceeds her ability to control it, is touching in an original way. And the exploding-ice-crystal visuals are spectacular: You can almost feel them freeze-burning your fingers.”
At the Los Angeles Times, Betsy Sharkey raved that Frozen is “fabulous.”
She opined: “With a cool, contemporary spin on a fairy-tale classic, a dramatic Nordic landscape animated in splendid storybook style and Broadway vets belting out power ballads, Frozen is an icy blast of fun from the very first flake.”
Claudia Puig of USA Today seemed to agree.
“It’s a warm-hearted, rousing and stunning animated saga ideally poised for the holiday season,” she wrote.
“A rare animated movie that makes ideal use of 3-D technology, it is integrated artfully here without gimmickry.”
Puig said the story is “thoroughly involving” as well as “modern and timeless.”
Comments