FILM: Frozen

So there’s been a fuss about Disney’s latest animated musical film for some time, and after much apprehension I finally got around to having a look. I have not been fond of Disney’s traditional cliché-ridden style of storytelling, and I appreciate even less their general popularity. Frozen, apparently being the highest-grossing animated film of all time, begs some scrutiny, particularly in the company of many genuinely brilliant animated films. What is it, for instance, that makes a film like Frozen so popular? 

It is a film which illustrates precisely why I dislike musicals as a rule; because they combine music and film in such a way that neither are performed adequately. While music and fiction are good mediums on their own, one which endeavors to combine the two inevitably results in both aspects being sub-average. The music is written solely to convey parts of the story, thereby making it literal, straightforward and simplistic. It is for this reason that adding music to story rarely adds anything of value to the experience - one might argue, and many have, that music adds depth to the story by expressing  elements in another dimension. But because the music is simplistic, no emotive depth is added; it is written for the sole purpose of carrying the lyrics - and there is nothing sung that could not be spoken. Likewise, with the focus on musical performance, there is little room to expand on complex story or character arcs, so many fall upon cliche to tell the story.

As with most musicals, the songs fall upon the generic and rather overused traditional Broadway style - light-hearted orchestral songs with squeaky American voices. Once again, there is nothing sung which could not be spoken, and the songs instead provide a vehicle to labour a point not worth dwelling on. This is most well illustrated in the conversation between the two sisters in the castle: the conversation is carried almost entirely in song for no apparent purpose. Rather than adding any depth, it simply makes it appear melodramatic and contrived. Perhaps this could have been amended if the music was interesting to listen to - but as it stands, that is not the case.

So the music part of the musical does not perform its purpose - namely, to add depth to the story. The story itself, then, should ideally stand competently on its own. It does touch briefly on some interesting themes, particularly regarding emotional attachment and the true nature of love. It is interesting how it uses ice as a literal representation of a cold attitude towards other people, and a repudiation of emotional attachment to others, and it is something which could have been expanded on with far greater depth had the film not placed so much focus on the music. As it stands, the ice-power serves as a physical manifestation of Elsa’s social withdrawal, while also being the cause of her withdrawal - this symbol could, and should, have been elaborated on as a major theme. I don’t mean it should be overtly referenced, but a greater emphasis on her cold dismissal of affection as  part of her character development would have been fitting. However, that appears to have been an endeavour too complicated for the writers and producers. 

Other people have mentioned to me that Frozen employs a clever subversion of Disney tradition by abandoning their usual depiction of romantic love. As far as I can see, this is explored in two instances: the first is a conversation about love at first sight, in which the idea of marriage to another whom one has only recently met is ridiculed. The second instance is the overall point, culminating in the conclusion of the film, about how “true love” is within families, and not romantic. Some might say this is a clever move for Disney, and that they should be praised for their originality. However, even with this “progress” from Disney, they are still many years behind and have a long way to go. This isn’t really innovation from Disney - rather, a step in the right direction which has been overdue for decades. In order to be fair, then, they don’t deserve much credit for this development.

Children’s films are an interesting phenomenon. As far as I am concerned, there are two types of children’s films: films made for children, and films which children can watch. The former are dumbed-down, simple-minded and “friendly” films made solely for children to enjoy; the latter are regular films made for anyone to enjoy, including children. Pixar’s films, for example, are nearly always from the latter category - they are all good films with complex structures, interesting characters and strong writing. They also happen to be appropriate for children to watch. Whereas the alternative involves most Dreamworks animated films, including their sequels (Madagascar sequels, Shrek sequels, etc.) in that they pander to the minds of children. Frozen is almost certainly in the latter category, which makes it near impossible for anyone - other than children - to appreciate it. Yes, there are some mildly complex themes, but they are presented only in a simplistic manner, and hardly elaborated on such that they can be genuinely interesting.

I certainly don’t hate Frozen - at least, nowhere near as much as I had expected I would. In truth, there aren’t many films I truly despise. But what I do loathe is when something mediocre, or below-average, attracts a mass of hype, popularity, and - inevitably - money. While being relatively inoffensive, and lukewarm as worst, Frozen is nothing exceptional, and is barely worth talking about. It is okay when it is not singing. But, as is tradition in musicals, too much effort and focus has been spent in writing catchy sing-along songs, leaving very little room to explore the narrative themes with any depth or complexity. It is very straightforward and simplistic, the humour is lacking (with few exceptions, including the nonchalant psychotic snowman), and the music is generic and uninteresting. Yet, for some reason, this needs to be explained to the kind of fanbase who will get excited over the mediocre; who will revere the average. It helps to have some kind of perspective - there’s nothing in Frozen worth being excited about.