Frozen Guide

Listen to 7 songs from Frozen you didn’t see in the movie

Stephen Lee — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:23:44 +0000

By Andrew Sims (@sims) at 1:30 pm, January 21, 2014 | Reviewed by Donya Abramo

Frozen had several great musical moments, but did you know there were seven songs that ended up on the cutting room floor?

The Frozen deluxe edition soundtrack includes seven deleted songs with explanations from songwriters Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez who recorded the tunes themselves.

In these demos the two songwriters perform each song, so don’t expect to hear the voices of the cast. Nonetheless, these demos are surprisingly presentable and we’re so pleased to see they were officially released.

Below, we share the comments from Bobby and Kristen, and we personally rate each one’s deletion potential on a scale of 1 (should have been included in the movie) to 5 (we’re glad it was deleted).

“We Know Better”

The first song written for Frozen, “We Know Better” is described by Kristen as a “song for two rebellious princesses.” Indeed, Elsa and Anna sing about what most people expect princesses to be and why they’re different from the norm. This demo version is only the first half of the song, Bobby says.

Deletion potential: 3. Although we’re not fans of the baby screaming sound effect at the beginning, the song itself is adorable and is on par with “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?” Young viewers could’ve felt pretty inspired by this one.

“Spring Pageant”

“In a lot of the early versions the film had a prophecy, and it was our job to introduce the prophecy in a fun and exciting song,” says Bobby. “So we decided to do it as a children’s pageant. In this song we see the children rehearsing the pageant with a very light and snotty school play director.

Deletion potential: 5. “Spring Pageant” sounds like a Christmas song at the beginning then gets into the play. Since we don’t know much about the prophecy plot line and this doesn’t feel like a true song, we’re not huge fans of this one.

“More Than Just the Spare”

“There was an early draft that was all about the heir and the spare. Elsa being the heir, Anna being the overlooked, not needed spare,” Kristen explain. “We wrote this as her big introductory song. Even though it ultimately got cut, it was really useful in terms of tapping into Anna’s character.”

Deletion potential: 2. Heartwarming and catchy with a strong finish, this is another one about empowerment. The problem with this one is that it follows a little too closely to what Anna sings about in “Do You Want to Build a Snowman.” It’s good, it just takes a while to feel big.

“You’re You”

Deletion potential: 5. Bobby says that this was an early version of what eventually made the movie. “This was an early attempt to write a love moment for Hans and Anna, and this moment eventually became ‘Love is an Open Door.'” For that reason, this definitely didn’t need to be a part of the story. It’s a cute tune but feels like it would be boring on screen.

“Life’s Too Short”

“As we were developing Frozen, one of the songs we knew we had to write was the song between Elsa and Anna at the end of which Elsa had to freeze Anna’s heart with a blast of magic,” Bobby explains.

Adds Kristen, “This first attempt was more confrontational than what ended up in the movie, but we enjoyed going to that drama place.”

Deletion potential: 2. It’s an alternate version of the storyline, as Kristen explains, “In this version, Anna’s solution to the problem is for Elsa to put the gloves back on, and this is the thing that really sets Elsa off.” On the other hand, it’s pretty darn catchy. One issue we see is that it feels a little too upbeat given what’s happening on screen.

“Life’s Too Short” reprise

Sad but powerful, this one was set to appear later in the film.

“Reindeer Remix”

The songwriters describe this one as a “joke” because they reached the end of writing then realized they “hadn’t written anything substantial at all for the amazing Jonathan Groff.”

They tell us to imagine this playing during the end credits, yet this song’s lyrics appear in a song earlier in the movie. So was this the first version before they decided to move it into the movie?

Deletion potential: 5. Not good. Not worthy of Groff. We can’t picture it, songwriters, sorry.

Which deleted Frozen songs do you think should’ve been included?

Disney’s Frozen Official Trailer

Stephen Lee — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:24:07 +0000

Review: ‘Frozen’ an icy blast of fun from the first snowflake

Stephen Lee — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:20:24 +0000

Walt Disney Pictures has its animation mojo back. Finally.

With a cool, contemporary spin on a fairy-tale classic, a dramatic Nordic landscape animated in splendid storybook style and Broadway vets belting out power ballads, “Frozen” is an icy blast of fun from the very first flake. A certain scene-stealing snowman named Olaf chief among them.

Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee create a magical 3-D winter wonderland in “Frozen.” A sisterhood saga loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” it is filled with heart and heart-stopping action.

It is a much needed thaw after a very long winter for Disney’s legendary cartoon brand.

Last year’s “Wreck-It Ralph” was a hoot — the video-arcade battle between good and evil very current in story and style. But “Ralph” never felt like it belonged to the same family as Disney’s modern-day classics such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”

The in-between years have been marked by a lot of nice, but not especially noteworthy movies. Meanwhile Pixar stepped in and stole the company’s animated show with “Up,” “Cars,” “Toy Story” and “Wall-E,” to name a few.

But “Frozen” is fabulous. Its thrills and chills are brought to life by an excellent ensemble of voices led by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. As Anna and Elsa, respectively, they are sisters and the princesses of the mythical Scandinavian kingdom of Arendelle where the story is set.

The film represents a fusion of old and new both on-screen and behind it. Lee, who co-wrote “Wreck-It Ralph” (with Phil Johnston) and has sole credit for “Frozen,” is also the first female to sit in a Disney animation directing chair. She’s done a bang-up job wearing both hats. For Buck, who’s been in Disney’s animation trenches since 1981’s “The Fox and the Hound,” “Frozen” is his third feature — and his best — as a director. Despite the blizzard conditions, there is nary a slip or stumble from start to finish.

As with the best of Disney musicals, “Frozen’s” songs soar. The original pieces come from Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who has a couple of Tonys on his shelf for co-writing “Avenue Q” and “The Book of Mormon,” the latter with those “South Park” renegades, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Which makes you wonder whether “Frozen” might be Broadway bound. You’d expect Menzel, who earned a Tony for making Elphaba so deliciously “Wicked,” to crush all those soaring notes. But Bell is the stunner.

“Frozen” begins when the princesses are young and wishing for the season’s first snowfall. Elsa makes it happen, conjuring up a blizzard — indoors — with magical powers she’s just discovering. But the fun soon ends when a slip and a fall puts Anna’s life in jeopardy.

Though Anna recovers, Elsa doesn’t. Fear of hurting her little sister with her powers sends the princess behind closed doors, separating the girls the entire time they are growing up and presenting the perfect opportunity for one of the film’s show-stoppers. A very catchy number called “Love Is an Open Door,” it is among the most memorable, in part for the delightful door-slamming antics that accompany it.

The action really gets underway when Elsa comes of age and comes out of seclusion for her coronation. Love is in the air. Anna’s already swooning over Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), and a number of suitors are vying for Elsa’s hand — glove-covered always to keep her secret secret. Her powers make for some of the film’s most stunning animation as snow and ice fly and form into incredible shapes, from lethal shards to towering ice castles.

At the heart of the film is the battle between love and fear. Resolution becomes a long journey when Elsa flees Arendelle, leaving the kingdom locked in winter’s fierce grip and Anna searching for her. This is also where the film develops its very playful sense of humor.

Anna’s something of a tomboy, forever getting into scrapes, which Bell’s comic timing makes absolutely charming. But the entire film is populated by characters who spend a great deal of time teasing and pranking. There is the handsome, reclusive mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer buddy Sven. By turns captivated and incensed by the headstrong Anna, he’s soon enlisted in the search. There are rock trolls rolled out to help decipher questions of magic led by Pabbie (Ciarán Hinds). One of the main villains is the scheming Duke of Weselton (Alan Tudyk), a name that always gets a laugh.

And then there is Olaf. The snowman is an animation marvel, designed to keep coming apart and bouncing back together. His broad smile, buck teeth and wide eyes are the very embodiment of innocence and adoration. Josh Gad, who voices Olaf, is so endearing you really do want to just hug him — knowing Disney, I’m sure there’s a plush toy in the works. Gad’s been building an impressive career for a while with a Tony nomination in 2011 for his star-turn in “The Book of Mormon.” And he was the only reason to watch NBC’s short-lived 2013 White House comedy “1600 Penn.”

Fortunately, he is far from the only reason to go see “Frozen.” In fact, there are so many good ones, I can’t begin to count them all — kind of like snowflakes, a flurry of them.

betsy.sharkey@latimes.com
Source: LA Times

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‘Frozen’

MPAA rating: PG for some action and mild rude humor
Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Playing: In general release

‘Frozen’ review: Flurry of music, heartwarming fun

Stephen Lee — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:55:01 +0000

Frozen

Animated musical. Starring the voices of Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. (PG. 108 minutes.)

It’s a surprise the first time characters break into song in “Frozen,” the throwback animated Disney film.

Has it been that long since a plot in a family film has been put on hold for a jaunty musical interlude? Has it been that long since we’ve seen a big-eyed, well-dressed princess yearning to be swept off her feet? Has it been that long since happily ever after?

“Frozen” is a charming return to the genre, successful in its attempt to merge new technologies and musical styles with Disney’s 76-year-old animated-princess-musical template. There’s no “Whistle While You Work” in the soundtrack, but the music consistently entertains. The writing in particular is smart, with nuanced characters and a premium on clever wordplay over cheap laughs and deprecating humor.

The story borrows elements from Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” but feels about 600 rewrites away from the source material. Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) is destined to be queen, then becomes an outcast when her sorceress-like winter powers freeze the Nordic countryside. Younger sister Anna (Kristen Bell) goes on a journey to find her and save their homeland.

Writer-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee dial down the witchcraft and other dark elements, and introduce more modern merchandising-friendly characters. But it’s hard to be cynical when Olaf the talking snowman’s song “In Summer” – about his clueless yearning to live in tropical climes – is so catchy and clever. Mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) has a nice thing going with Anna, arguably trumped by his chemistry with faithful reindeer sidekick Sven.

Unlike anything in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” some of these songs would work on “Dance Dance Revolution.” The centerpiece tune, “For the First Time in Forever,” has a borderline “American Idol” vibe. But there are musical gems buried in the snow. “Reindeer Are Better Than People,” “In Summer” and “Love Is an Open Door” all hit their mark, with the solid lyricism blending particularly well with the kinetic animation. Even as composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez successfully write more modern radio-friendly tracks, “Frozen” still feels like a first cousin to the Alan Menken/”Beauty and the Beast” years.

The 3-D computer animation is technically very sharp but seems dialed back at times, and is shot in wide-frame CinemaScope – a subtle nod to some of the greater Disney classics. The queen’s ice castle, built high on a mountain, is one of several set pieces that retain a hand-drawn richness.

The last time Disney did something like this, with the hand-animated “The Princess and the Frog” in 2009, the attempt to break the princess template was almost overly earnest. The studio wisely makes almost no concessions here. Anna is clumsy and intelligent and taken for granted – she could join a misunderstood-daughter support group with Merida from “Brave.” But she is unapologetic in her desire to attend big parties in the castle and meet Mr. Right. In other words, there’s enough material in here to keep feminist bloggers writing at least until the next ice age.

Whether they’re right can be debated in thousands of future freshman comp term papers. For now, Disney has the ultimate defense: The studio made a great film.

Source:SFGate
Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicle’s pop culture critic. E-mail:phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub

‘Frozen’ mixes song, wit and heart in magical winter tale

Stephen Lee — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:38:14 +0000

Frozen (**** out of four; rated PG; opening Wednesday nationwide) is wonderfully enchanting wintry fare.

Despite the frosty title, it’s a warm-hearted, rousing and stunning animated saga ideally poised for the holiday season.

Like The Little Mermaid, it’s loosely based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale —The Snow Queen — updated with contemporary wit, a stellar musical score and superb vocal talent.

The fresh focus in this Disney film is on sisterhood. Anna (Kristen Bell) and her older sister Elsa (Idina Menzel) are more complex heroines than The Little Mermaid‘s Ariel, though just as tuneful, energetic and winning. The screenplay by Jennifer Lee, who co-directed with Chris Buck, appealingly blends the vintage with the post-modern.

It’s a worthy follow-up to 2009’s The Princess and the Frog and 2010’s Tangled in terms of musical score and magical appeal. Elaborately rendering snow and ice in myriad breathtaking variations, Frozen is set in a mythical Scandinavian kingdom. Glacial castles, crystalline icicles and intricately delicate snowflakes dazzle.

Elsa and Anna are royal daughters in a mythical Nordic kingdom. They’re sweet little playmates as children, but not conventional Disney princesses. Elsa has a magical condition she cannot control — the creation of snow and ice with the mere swipe of her hand. When she inadvertently injures Anna with her powers, her bewildering ability becomes a curse. Her regretful parents sequester Elsa. Anna is never told why her beloved sister suddenly refuses to play. But Elsa’s distance is borne out of love and a sense of protection. Anna grows up lonely, estranged from her sister and longing for the joyful moments they once shared. Do You Want to Build a Snowman is a lovely musical number that illustrates Anna’s emotional yearning, sung with heartfelt sweetness by Bell.

Tony-award winning composer and lyricist Robert Lopez (The Book of Mormon) and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, wrote the catchy songs, splendidly capturing the moods of the film — from heart-rending to humorous.

The girls grow up cloistered in the castle — until the day of Elsa’s coronation. Amid the celebration, however, Elsa runs away. Anna is stricken. Ever loyal, she sets off to find her sister.

Along the way Anna meets mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and a cheerful snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad), an adorable scene-stealer. His song In Summer is a strikingly memorable number.

A rare animated movie that makes ideal use of 3-D technology, it is integrated artfully here without gimmickry.

Just as The Lion King was a tale of a loving father and son, this story celebrates the bonds of sisterhood. Happily, the sisters are more complicated characters than is the norm for Disney animated movies. Anna is a variation on Beauty and the Beast‘s devoted and fearless Belle, with more layers of emotional complexity. Despite possessing supernatural powers out of her control, Elsa is not cast as a villain. She struggles to resign herself to her fate and retain her humanity. Elsa’s song Let it Go (wonderfully performed by Menzel, who played Wicked’s Elphaba) captures the shadings of her persona.

A thoroughly involving story — both modern and timeless — Frozen embraces the classic Disney tradition, while avoiding stock conventions and formulaic elements.

Given the endearing characters, good-natured comedy, memorable music and beautiful design of this animated charmer, it’s easy to imagine the Broadway show that will likely be created in its wake.

Source: USA Today