Yes, My [Future] Children Will Watch Frozen

As a college senior at the time, I went to see Frozen with my three best friends expecting it to be fun and to get some good music out of it because Idina Menzel was in it, but honestly not much beyond that. What actually ended up happening was driving directly to Target to buy the soundtrack once the movie was over and seeing it two more times in the theater because I absolutely fell in love with it. Of all of the modern Disney movies, this one is hands down my favorite and it's going to take a whole lot to change my mind.

Frozen was released into movie theaters on November 22nd, 2013, a little under a year and a half after predecessor Merida and seventy-six years after Snow White. The film is a reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Snow Queen, changing the character arc of that titular character from one of villainy to one of afraid and misguided but capable of redemption. This movie very quickly became an international phenomenon, with praise for just about every aspect of the film and some critics claiming it to be Disney's best film since their iconic Renaissance era, which ended with Tarzan in 1999. With a budget of $150 million, it earned that back in spades with a box office of $1.28 billion. The movie took home both an Oscar and a Golden Globe in 2014 for Best Animated Feature, as well as an Oscar and a Grammy for Best Song for Let It Go and another Grammy for the entire soundtrack. Since the initial release, Frozen has spawned a Broadway musical (which is incredible, I got to see it on Broadway before it left thanks to quarantine), three animated shorts (2015's Frozen Fever, 2017's Olaf's Frozen Adventure, and 2020's Once Upon a Snowman), and a full-length theatrical sequel which will get its own post later down the road.

One of my favorite things about the original Frozen is its depiction of mental health in a very real, understandable way for both children and adults. Elsa is a top notch example of someone dealing with severe PTSD, anxiety, and depression, choosing to lock herself away from her loved ones in order to protect them and herself from her powers and her fear. Her character development through the first film sees her go from a little girl traumatized by accidentally hurting her sister, to a young woman so shut away from everyone else that she can't remember how to enjoy life anymore, to finally obtaining the freedom she thinks she's always wanted only to discover she can't just run away from the consequences of her actions, to finally seeing herself as worthy of being loved and opening up her heart to those who care about her. While Elsa's mental health journey is fairly forthright, Anna's is a little more subtle but just as important. Dealing with her own depression while trying to pretend it doesn't exist as well as feelings of neglect from her parents dying and her sister staying shut away from her, Anna makes some irrational decisions of her own to try and make herself happy. She goes from a confused and hurt little girl who only wants her sister, to flippantly "I don't care except I totally do" that she never sees her sister even after the death of her parents, to the iconic "You can't marry a man you just met" moment (Elsa sealed herself in my favorite Disney character slot with that very line), to having her eyes opened to the fact that Elsa is hurting the same way she is and just doesn't know how to express it properly, to finally recognizing that her fantasy vision of true love isn't the only type of love there is. Both sisters are so important to the story, and you really and truly cannot have one without the other.

As for the rest of Frozen, the lineup of this cast is really incredible. All 5 main cast members had been on Broadway in some form or another, so the acting and the singing is on a complete other level. Hans is such a phenomenal, sneaky villain - I remember actually gasping out loud in the theater the first time I saw the movie at his reveal, and going back and watching it over to see all the little hints that were missed was so much fun. Kristoff and Sven are so fun, and any time Jonathan Groff gets to sing is totally okay with me - thank goodness he gets more music time in the sequel because one song just wasn't enough here. Josh Gad as Olaf is an absolute icon, you cannot change my mind. All in all, the only thing I personally don't like about this movie is the song Fixer Upper because it's so contrary to the entire rest of the film and the soundtrack (People don't really change - what?! Isn't that the entire plot??).

As I stated above, the soundtrack to Frozen is top tier. With music by Robert Lopez, lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and score by Christophe Beck, it gets listened to a LOT in my house. Yes I love every song except Fixer Upper, and yes I know the all the words to all the songs including Fixer Upper, but I've had a set Top 3 for this movie ever since it came out. So without further ado, here they are.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman by Agatha Lee Monn, Katie Lopez, & Kristen Bell (written by K. Anderson-Lopez, R. Lopez)

Anna's solo song in Frozen has become fairly legendary in its own right, with a multitude of covers, memes, and parodies having come from it. Seeing Anna go from little girl just begging for her sister's attention, to a teen who still thinks that they can be like they were before, to a young woman who convinces herself she's become numb to her sister's neglect would be heartbreaking all on its own, but underscored with Elsa's trauma of trying to control her powers with her parents and then seeing the effect of the King and Queen's funeral on both girls makes it even more so.

Elsa?/Do you want to build a snowman/Come on, let’s go and play/I never see you anymore, come out the door/It’s like you’ve gone away/We used to be best buddies, but now we’re not/I wish you would tell me why/Do you want to build a snowman/It doesn’t have to be a snowman/Go away, Anna/Okay, bye

Let It Go by Idina Menzel (written by K. Anderson-Lopez, R. Lopez)

If you've been around this blog for a while, you know that my love for Idina Menzel will never die. Therefore, Let It Go was never NOT going to be on this list. Menzel's vocals are absolutely out of this world, and the piano line in this song is equally as incredible. Getting to watch Elsa release almost 15 years of fear and tension into the wind is a freeing experience for the audience as well, and the animation of this segment is so gorgeous.

It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small/And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all/It's time to see what I can do/To test the limits and break through/No right, no wrong, no rules for me/I'm free/Let it go, let it go, I am one with the wind and sky/Let it go, let it go, you'll never see me cry/Here I stand, and here I'll stay/Let the storm rage on

For the First Time in Forever (Reprise) by Kristen Bell & Idina Menzel (written by K. Anderson-Lopez, R. Lopez)

As good as the first run of For the First Time in Forever is, the Reprise is the one that really gets me. Watching Anna try to get through to her sister and let her know that she's okay and safe and loved while Elsa just cannot see the forest for the trees is another heart wrenching moment, and it sets the scene for the second half of the movie really, really well.

Please don’t shut me out again, please don’t slam the door/You don’t have to keep your distance anymore/‘Cause for the first time in forever, I finally understand/For the first time in forever, we can fix this hand in hand/We can head down this mountain together, you don’t have to live in fear/‘Cause for the first time in forever, I will be right here/Anna, please go back home, your life awaits/Go enjoy the sun and open up the gates/Yeah, but/I know you mean well, but leave me be/Yes, I’m alone, but I’m alone and free/So stay away and you’ll be safe from me

If it's been a while since you've seen Frozen, I highly suggest you go and watch it soon because it's still so good. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!