Watched: Frozen
This was fun! I wasn’t aware that the film had been the subject of any damning criticism (apparently it has), and I don’t really want to engage with that, so instead let me tell you what I liked about this movie: it had good songs, a silly talking snowman and a resolution that put sororal (and what a lovely word that is) love front and center. And, yes, there were no non-white people. I understand that. I really do. But there’s a talking snowman. Please. Just look at the talking snowman. Isn’t he cute? Anybody?
The musical numbers in this were great, too, and definitely merit a better sound system than the one we were using - Idina Menzel’s Elsa is the obvious standout, but Kristen Bell definitely gives her a run for her money, and the more overtly comedic songs (see: Josh Gad’s snowman hamming it up in a song about the joys of summer) are funny without laying it on too thick.
One of the things that really sticks out in animation like this is how it’s progressed to a point where nuance can be used to get comedic points across. It’s furiously kinetic at points, but always very deliberate; in terms of making its characters expressive, this is a new high, and definitely gives Pixar a run for its money. It makes for a film that feels altogether more human, and heartwarming, and brilliantly-executed throughout.
I dunno. This was fun. I laughed a lot, and got a lump in my throat at all the right times. It doesn’t hold up under political scrutiny, but not much does.