The Weekend Review: Frozen Fever

In which I review a selection of last weekend's entertainment.

Moviegoers who went to see Cinderella this last weekend got to see Disney's new animated short beforehand: Frozen Fever.  Revisiting the characters from 2013's biggest animated blockbuster, it gives us a taste for what Frozen 2 might end up looking and sounding like.  And for those of you who are disappointed that I'm not taking this time to review Cinderella this week, don't worry.  That's what this week's Unreality article is for.

It's Anna's birthday, and after the way that Elsa acted in Frozen, she has a lot to make up for.  So today is all about Anna: the perfect day for the perfect sister.  The problem is, though, that Elsa has a cold, and is sneezing out snow gremlins at every stop on their gift-laden scavenger hunt across Arendelle, and they're threatening on ruining Anna's party before the sisters even get to it.

Frozen Fever is like a microcosm of what made the feature-length precursor so beloved to begin with.  It focused on earnest character interaction instead of showy spectacle (although there is certainly enough of the latter in both films).  All of the principle characters get at least some screen time (even Hans) and Elsa's scavenger hunt is laden with in-jokes that fans of 2013's Best Animated Feature winner will love.

As strange as it might seem for me to say, I'm disappointed that they decided to make this short film a musical.  Given its length, there was only room for a single song, and that number couldn't help but feel profoundly lacking next to the aural strength of its predecessor.  It was fun, to be sure, but definitely lacked the depth and show-stopping power of "Let It Go" or "For the First Time in Forever."  Truth be told, it sounded a lot like the musical numbers of Return of Jafar and other Disney sequels: serviceable, but not particularly memorable.

Don't get me wrong though, I had a blast with the film when it was on screen.  Elsa's quip about how "colds never bothered [her] anyway" was outright hilarious, and Olaf is always a pleasure to see on screen.  It also afforded us insight into Anna's continuing relationship with Kristoff, which I wouldn't be surprised if it featured prominently in the sequel.  Frozen Fever also reminded us that there's a lot left to still explore concerning Elsa's ice powers and the unintentional side effects of creating snow creatures that are entirely beyond her power to control (another potential plot point for the sequel).

All in all, though, Frozen Fever is bound to make the day of any kid or kid-at-heart who sees it.  It was also an apropos tie-in for Cinderella and undoubtedly boosted its box office by a healthy chunk in the process.

Rating:  7/10

So what did you think of Frozen Fever?

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