Entertainment Wednesday: Frozen Review

Welcome to a new segment called Entertainment Wednesday. This segment is all about entertainment and content will range from reviews to discussions. Anything to do with entertainment is open for discussion in this segment. The first post in this new segment will be a review of the Disney animated film Frozen

Source: http://enmnetwork.com/disneys-frozen/

My Rating: 8/10

Trailer:



Synopsis: Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind "Tangled" and "Wreck it Ralph", presents "Frozen", a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) has a magical power to freeze things and create snow and icy creations. However, after she nearly kills her sister by accident she has to hide her powers from everyone including her sister, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell), whose memory of Elsa's magic has been completely wiped from her mind to save her life. Her parents try to protect her but they die when their ship sinks and Elsa and Anna are left alone (see "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" below). Elsa remains in control of her powers until her coronation ball where she accidentally lets some magic loose and shocks everyone. She then escapes to the mountains and creates an icy fortress for herself. In doing so, Elsa has unwittingly trapped the kingdom of Arandelle in an eternal Winter. Anna then sets off to find her sister and convince her to put an end to the winter. Along the way she receives help from an ice-seller named Kristoff (voiced by Jonathon Groff) and his trusty reindeer Sven. They also meet a snowman named Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) who was brought to life through Elsa's magic. Together, this unlikely troupe must put an end to the eternal Winter, save Arandelle as well as Elsa.

Review: I went in to this film expecting nothing more than a Disney-animated "kid" film. However, I was surprised at the quality and the depth in story-telling that this movie presented. It had the right balance of heart, story and comedy which made for an enjoyable experience. It also had a wide repertoire of hard-hitting and catchy songs. The highlights being "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" and "Let it Go" (a song being heralded as the new Defying Gravity and nominated for a Grammy for best original song). You can listen to both songs by scrolling down below. My favourite character would have to be Olaf, a snowman created by Elsa's magic who dreams of Summer and heat (blissfully unaware of what happens to snow under heat). He is also a big source of comedy and makes the movie so much more enjoyable. The story-telling is also very heart-felt and you do end up feeling for the character's of Elsa and Anna. If you are looking for a good movie to watch, this is one to seriously consider.

"Let it Go" sung by Idina Menzel as Elsa:



"Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" sung by Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Mon and Katie Lopez as Anna (at various ages):




Frozen is one of Disney's best Christmas movies, see you tomorrow!

Oz The Great and Powerful and "Kid" Movies

So today I went to see Oz The Great and Powerful, late I know. I went with my father as he had a day off today and everyone else was working. I just loved the story-line and although some people found it aimed at a younger generation, which it was to a certain extent, I loved it and was enthralled in the story behind Oz and the struggles of that great land. As this is based on the actual Oz series by Frank L. Baum (Yes, The Wizard of Oz isn't the only book in the series). It is a prequel to that book (and movie) and shows the power struggles for Oz and how the Wizard became, well, The Great Oz even though he doesn't have any magic like the Witches. It also shows how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be. Of course, it was not as good as Wicked but then nothing could really live up to that expectation in my eyes.

Oz The Great and Powerful is a successful mix of comedy, action and drama with no singing like in the 1939 MGM film, "The Wizard of Oz" and I am definitely buying that DVD when it comes out. It was fascinating to see the struggle for Oz between Evanora (Rachel Weisz),Theodora (Mila Kunis) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), the Witches of Oz, and how Oz (the magician [James Franco]) was stuck in a lie between them. What you think at the start of the movie is completely different to what you witness by the end and it really changes your view of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West (not as much as Wicked but still, a valiant effort).

This movie shows that you can never be too old to enjoy a good fairy tale. This brings me on to my next point about movies that are aimed at the Younger Generation, or "Kids". I just have to say that I have enjoyed some animated films more than my younger cousins who are at the age where they like the movies but feel too old to admit they like the movie. For example, Wreck it Ralph was a genuinely funny and good movie that my grandmother and I both really enjoyed more than my younger cousins who were watching it with us. It shows that even though these movies are aimed at the younger generation it does not mean that teenagers and above can't enjoy them as well.

Coming out later this year is another kids movie I think is going to be really good and I want to see (probably with my younger cousins so it doesn't feel so weird) it because I just do, live with it. It is, of course, Monsters University, the sequel to the well-received Pixar Film, Monsters Inc. I don't care if I am above the intended age of the audience, I want to see it because I really enjoyed the first one. Also coming out further down the track is Finding Dory, a movie just announced a few days ago set to be released in 2015 (the year I graduate from High School, yay) which also happens to be the year Mockingjay Part 2 is set to be released, the final installment of the Hunger Games saga! I just want to see what happens next in "Finding Dory" which is apparently set in California a year after the events of "Finding Nemo" and is about Dory reconnecting with her family. Should be funny since Dory was such a funny character in "Finding Nemo" plus Ellen Degeneres' comedy just adds more layers of humour.

So you are never to old to see Kid's movies!

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!