Over spring break, I finally had the chance to watch Disney’s animated movie Frozen.
Since its release onto silver screens back in November 2013, the Oscar winning movie has become the highest grossing animated film of all time. As of early April, it had earned $1.097 billion in the box office and continues to draw audiences worldwide. Based on the hype on social media and my friends’ comments on the movie after its release, it was easy to conclude that Frozen was a praiseworthy movie that awakened everyone’s inner child with catchy songs, an intricate plot, and complex characters. Needless to say, I had to see the movie for myself and I thoroughly enjoyed it; “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman” and “Let It Go” echoed in my head for a few days afterwards, and the message that love is sacrifice was heartwarming and prevalent in the actions of the characters.
I have to say my favorite character is Elsa. She is a very unique and interesting. I was surprised to see what they did with her. She becomes afflicted with anxiety attacks that cause her to act out in fear and push people away. In this way, I thought she was a very relatable character; her response to fear is something people often do.
However, I’m just going to come out and say it—is the movie as special as the hype makes it out to be? The first thought that came to my head as the film was ending was, “That was a good movie by Disney.” Disney almost never fails to put out an uplifting movie, and Frozen definitely held up the Disney legacy. Unfortunately, it didn’t feel any more special than when I watched Tangled, Aladdin, or Mulan, just to name a few. These too were exceptional Disney movies.
I think Frozen is a victim to the negative effects of popularity and hype. I expected it to be an amazing movie, and for me, it turned out to be nothing more than a classic Disney movie.
