This computer-animated feature from Disney is generally charming and occasionally funny. I watched it in 3D at home on Starz and found it to be engaging visually but not inspired, without the invention and zest of Spielberg’s computer-animated 3D feature Tintin, for example. I found the songs relentlessly mediocre if serviceable, and have no idea why one of them, “Let It Go”, became a huge hit.
I’m not sure, either, why Frozen itself became such a huge hit, but suspect it’s because the film deals with female empowerment in a genial and amusing way, and because its main protagonist, Princess Anna, is such an appealing character, well-written (by Jennifer Lee) and well-voiced (by Kristin Bell). Her quirky spirit keeps the film aloft though its more predictable twists and turns.
Frozen also has an unusually strong relationship between two sisters at its core, which gives it a certain thematic freshness.
The young female audience is poorly served by Hollywood these days and will strongly support competent fare aimed at it. It’s interesting that Frozen, like Titanic, another film whose success was driven in great part by female teens, increased its gross each week in the first three weeks of its release, a very unusual pattern. When young females get word of a film they can relate to the buzz among them spreads fast and they will revisit the film repeatedly.
Young females are certainly as strong a market for films as young males, and probably a more reliable one, but the male dorks who run Hollywood would generally still rather make films for young males than for young females. Only personal pathologies can account for this.
Click on the images to enlarge.
One account of it’s increasing popularity seems to be repeat business. My two pre-teen girls had seen the movie four times before they went with me. Incredibly, after four times, they still sat through the film spellbound, singing the songs and mouthing the dialog. When they ask me if they can sing me a song it’s usually ‘Let It Go”. Fascinating how this movie registered with the conscience of so many girls.
Yes, Nelson — I really think its appeal to girls drove its phenomenal success, though it crossed over to many other demographics as well. I saw “Titanic” a number of times in theaters and sometimes chatted with young girls sitting near me who’d seen it a number of times as well — often they came back to see it with a friend who was seeing it for the first time, wanting to be a part of the experience. It just goes to show how hungry young girls are for movies that speak to them.