Short Film Review: Frozen Fever

A day before the short film, Frozen Fever, accompanied Cinderella in theatres, Disney announced the inevitable news, the hugely popular 2013 film was getting a sequel. Cue the jokes of not letting it go!

While there's no release date set as yet, fans will have to make do with original film and this new short for the time being.  Speaking of Frozen Fever, it was utterly delightful. For those of you who may been wondering what Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) have been up to, they took a slight detour to Once Upon a Time and are now living happily ever after in Arendelle.

Frozen Fever brings back the whole gang from the first film. Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Sven and yes, Olaf (voice of Josh Gad) return as everyone plans a big celebration for Anna's birthday. Even Hans (Santino Fontana) makes a memorable appearance. Even the crew (the directors, producers and musical composers) is the same.

Elsa leaves no stone unturned to make the day as memorable as possible for her, but it turns out that she's got a cold and when she sneezes, adorable snowmen pop out.  This whole time, we thought the cold didn't bother her. What else has the first film been lying to us about? Will we find out why in the sequel about this?

But we won't worry about that here. Enjoy the brand new song by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Making Today a Perfect Day, Elsa's new green dress and Olaf's antics (he doesn't know how to spell!). It's a long time until Frozen 2: We Will Never Let It Go and you'll need Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf to keep you company.

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Movie Review: Frozen

Walt Disney Animation's latest theatrical release Frozen is a wonderful mix of its own esteemed animation history and a positive step forward into its future.  Co-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee were tasked with bringing to the screen the difficult tale of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, a story even Walt Disney couldn't see to its completion. However, by adapting it and making the heart of caper about two sisters who just really need to learn how to communicate with each other, the makers have successfully made one of the more endearing and enchanting stories to come out of the legendary studio.

As young princesses of Arendelle, Elsa and Anna are like any young little girls who love to play. Except Elsa has a secret that her parents don't want to the public to know, that with a touch of her fingers, everything turns into ice and snow. One night, Elsa accidentally freezes little Anna's head, making a long lock of her hair turn white. With the help of some wise trolls, her parent are in time to reverse any wrongdoing by erasing any memories of Elsa's special powers.

But this leads to a long and deep rift between the two sisters.  Elsa spends her formative years in a self-imposed exile to protect the world from her powers while Anna grows up yearning for her elder sister. When their parents are lost at sea and the sisters become orphans, it soon becomes time to Elsa to be crowned Queen of Arendelle.  But at the coronation and celebration, things go horribly wrong as Elsa and Anna don't see eye to eye, causing Elsa to flee Arendelle forever.

As she does, she leaves a kingdom trapped in an eternal winter wonderland. It's up to Anna to find her sister and undo the magic she has left behind.  Until then, the story was bumping around in predictable Disney animation territory. I thought I knew what was going to happen next. But the story moves forward with wonderful twists and turns.  We are introduced to some wonderful characters like Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) and Olaf (voiced by the perfectly cast Josh Gad).  In fact, Olaf is competing for best animated character of 2013 in my books. Josh Gad's Olaf is absolutely terrific as the hopeless snowman who longs for summer days. Silly snowman!

But the real stars of the film are its leading ladies, Elsa (voiced by luminous Idina Menzel) and Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) who are behind the real emotional core of the story and whose performances make the story soar. Their characters are beautiful animated as they show their vulnerabilities and strengths. Here are two Disney princesses who are strong role models for the new generations of little girls growing up as well as older generations who have grown up on Disney animated films. And it's never more evident as in the song "Let It Go", a sequence featuring Elsa that gave me goosebumps and whose lyrics are empowering in so many ways.

The music by Christophe Beck and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (from Broadway's Avenue Q) are first class and retain the usual tropes of a musical while maintaining its own originality. Directors Buck and Lee (who also wrote the screenplay) have made a wonderful animated feature, one which stands tall and is one of the best animated films to come out of Walt Disney Animation (alongside last year's Wreck-It Ralph).  If you see one animated film this year, watch Frozen. 

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee; Story by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Shane Morris; Screenplay by Jennifer Lee; Inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen; Editing by Jeff Draheim; Music by Christophe Beck

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New Character Posters: Frozen

With less than 50 days to go before the release of Frozen this Thanksgiving (yes, I'm counting), Disney has released these four new character posters featuring the lead characters of the frozen fairytale.

First up, we have sisters Anna (with Snowman Olaf) and Elsa who have a few differences to sort out.

Aiding Anna on her journey are Prince Hans and Kristoff (and his reindeer Sven).

Veronica Mars Movie First Look Trailer

Marshmallows, it's actually happening! I didn't dream this up.  Look, here's video footage of the cast and crew giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming movie which was recently revealed at the Comic-Con panel on Friday.

The whole gang (Wallace, Mac, Piz, Weevil, Dick and of course Logan and Veronica) are back for a high school reunion which manages to bring Veronica doing what she does best: sleuthing.  The actors (Tina Majorino, Chris Lowell, Ryan Hansen, Enrico Colantoni, Francis Capra, Jason Dohring and Kristen Bell) and creator/director Rob Thomas also talk about the lengthy yet memorable journey to the beloved series from movie resurrection and give their thanks that made this project one of the most supported projects in Kickstarter history ($2 million in 10 hours!).  I am so ready to return to Neptune, California and see what the old gang has been up to.

In recent days, there has been news of old favorites as Vinnie Van Lowe (Ken Marino) and Deputy Sheriff Leo D'Amato (Max Greenfield) are reprising their roles from the television series.  Actors Jerry O'Connell and Jamie Lee Curtis have also joined the cast while Justin Long and James Franco too are rumored to be in the film. The Veronica Mars movie will be released next year.

9 New Character Stills from Disney's Frozen

Nine brand-spanking new character stills are out courtesy Walt Disney Animation Studios' Facebook page giving us clearer descriptions and insights into the world of Frozen, from mysterious Elsa who's hiding a secret to goofy Olaf's real dream.  The studio hopes to continue the success of their last two computer animated films Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph with new and original stories and content while Pixar and DreamWorks Animation have mostly been releasing sequels (albeit successful sequels) to their previous films.  Frozen is loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen and will release this Thanksgiving.

 

ANNA

 (voice of Kristen Bell)

Anna is more daring than graceful and, at times, can act before she thinks. But she’s also the most optimistic and caring person you’ll ever meet. She longs to reconnect with her sister, Elsa, as they were close during their childhood. When Elsa accidentally unleashes a magical secret that locks the kingdom of Arendelle in an eternal winter, Anna embarks on a dangerous adventure to make things right. Armed with only her fearlessness, a never-give-up attitude and her faith in others, Anna is determined to save both her kingdom and her family.

 

ELSA

(voice of Idina Menzel)

From the outside, Elsa looks poised, regal and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret—she was born with the power to create ice and snow. It’s a beautiful ability, but also extremely dangerous. Haunted by the moment her magic nearly killed her younger sister Anna, Elsa has isolated herself, spending every waking minute trying to suppress her growing powers. Her mounting emotions trigger the magic, accidentally setting off an eternal winter that she can’t stop. She fears she’s becoming a monster and that no one, not even her sister, can help her.

 

HANS

(voice of Santino Fontana)

Hans is a handsome royal from a neighboring kingdom who comes to Arendelle for Elsa’s coronation. With 12 older brothers, Hans grew up feeling practically invisible—and Anna can relate. Hans is smart, observant and chivalrous. Unlike Elsa, Hans promises he’ll never shut Anna out; he just might be the connection she’s been waiting for all these years.

 

KRISTOFF

(voice of Jonathan Groff)

Kristoff is a true outdoorsman. He lives high up in the mountains where he harvests ice and sells it to the kingdom of Arendelle. Rough around the edges, Kristoff’s the strong, no-nonsense type, who follows his own set of rules. He may seem like a loner, but he always has his best friend by his side—a loyal and extremely mangy reindeer named Sven.

 

 

 OLAF

 (voice of Josh Gad)

He’s Olaf and he likes warm hugs. Sprung from Elsa’s magical powers, Olaf is by far the friendliest snowman to walk the mountains above Arendelle. His innocence, outgoing personality and uncanny ability to disassemble himself at good and not-so-good times lead to some awkward, albeit laughable moments. He may also have the world’s most impossible dream, but what he doesn’t know won’t melt him—or will it?

 SVEN

A reindeer with the heart of a Labrador, Sven is Kristoff’s loyal friend, sleigh-puller and conscience. He makes sure his mountain-man companion is the stand-up guy Sven knows and loves, and does so without saying a word. A few emphatic snorts usually get his point across. Life would be perfect if only Kristoff would lose that ridiculous reindeer voice he likes to use when speaking for Sven (as if reindeers really talk that way).

  THE DUKE OF WESELTON

(voice of Alan Tudyk)

What the Duke of Weselton lacks in stature, he makes up for in arrogance and showboating. He’s determined to get close to the new queen—that is, until Elsa’s magical secret is revealed. Then he’s the first to call her a monster and try to turn her own kingdom against her—anything that might help him exploit Arendelle’s tradable goods.

 

OAKEN

(voice of Chris Williams)

Oaken runs Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna. But since Elsa’s massive winter storm hits in mid-July, he finds himself with a surplus of summer supplies. Deal-seekers beware: though he’s good-natured and helpful, if you cross him, Oaken won’t hesitate to throw you out of his humble establishment.

 

MARSHMALLOW

Marshmallow is an enormous icy snowman born from Elsa’s powers. He serves as a brute bodyguard charged with keeping intruders away from her ice palace. The menacing white beast doesn’t say much, but he packs a powerful punch.

Photos and Characters Descriptions: Walt Disney Animation Studios

New Stills and Trailer from Disney's Frozen

Here's a very different kind of first trailer for Disney's Frozen featuring a tussle on ice between a talking snowman named Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) and a reindeer named Sven.  We do know however thanks to these new stills featured in USA Today that the film is based around a Hans Christian Anderson story featuring two sisters and a curse that dooms a kingdom to eternal winter.

 

Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) pursues her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel) to bring her back home.

Mountaineer Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and Sven, his reindeer help out Anna in her mission.

Along the way, Anna meets the handsome Hans (voice of Santino Fontana).

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Frozen hits theaters this Thanksgiving.  What did you think of the teaser trailer?

The Veronica Mars fans have spoken

Alright, people, this is happening, the Veronica Mars movie is a go!! It seemed like only yesterday that creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell urged fans to contribute to their Kickstarter campaign to get a Veronica Mars film ready for release for 2014.  That’s because it actually was only yesterday that they asked fans if they could give whatever they could by April 12 for a reunion back in Neptune, California.  Less than 12 hours later and the minimum goal of $2 million has been met. 

I say, VM fans, give yourselves a pat on the back.  You really put this movie back into existence. So thank you from this Veronica Mars fan.  I cannot wait for the gang to get back together for the incredibly awkward yet amazing that get-together is going to be.   First a Nolan original film and now this, 2014 is certainly picking up on the movie front.  

And for those of you out there who have no idea who this Veronica Mars is, allow me to introduce you to the only super-sleuth you need to know.

You’re welcome.