As I'm writing this, Frozen has been in release for close to a year. It currently sits as the fifth highest grossing movie of all time, and sits as the highest grossing animated movie of all time. The costumes and merchandise are everywhere; you just know you're going to see lots of Elsa's, Anna's and Olaf's this Halloween. Type in the letter "L" on Youtube, and "Let It Go Frozen" is the second result. It seems every singer, pianist or any other musician has performed a cover of this song. Again, this is nearly a year after it came out. The movie took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, making it Disney's first ever win in this category, not counting movies made by Pixar. As of October 17th, 2014, the soundtrack for Frozen sits at number 18 on the Billboard 200, meaning it is still one of the best selling albums a year after release. I've seen more than one store bearing signs on the door saying "Frozen products sold here." In short, Frozen has become a full blown pop culture phenomenon, in an era where these phenomenons are few and far between. Sure, we have billion dollar movies all the time. But in this information age, stories come and quickly, and we barely remember them. Remember Transformers: Age of Extinction? Well it currently sits as the eleventh highest grossing movie of all time, but I don't hear people talk about it, and this is only a few months after it came out. A movie comes to theatres, people talk about it, tweet about it, and then move on to something else. That's the way the world is now, fast to the point you barely notice anything. So why is Frozen different? How did this movie break the rules, how did it become a phenomenon?
Let me start off by giving my thoughts on the movie. I love Frozen. I love it to death, I think it's a masterpiece of an animated film. The story is incredibly clever, especially in the way it allows Disney to parody itself. The characters are wonderfully loveable, and the character depth is stunning. The songs are perfect, possibly the best soundtrack Disney has ever done. I think it's a misnomer to call this a kid's movie. Kid's movies suck, I strongly believe not a single good kid's movie has ever been made. No, it's family movies that are good. Movies like Frozen, Toy Story, The Lion King and Shrek. Movies that adults can enjoy just as much as their child. A kid's movie is a cheap piece of entertainment that only young kids will enjoy, and no adults will find enjoyable. These are movies with no plot, no character, and just piles on the stupid jokes to mindlessly entertain children. (I'm looking at you Shark Tale) Just because something is for kids doesn't mean the filmmakers don't have to think. Kids like good plots, they like good stories. I know I always preferred watching Beauty And The Beast over Mac And Me as a kid. Frozen gets this, and doesn't talk down to its audience. It treats them as intelligent people and expects them to think. I had a huge smile on my face all throughout the movie, and I'm thrilled that this movie got the attention it deserves.
Now, why has Frozen stuck around? How did it become so popular, and how did it keep that popularity up? I think it's simple. It stuck around because it's really good, and people loved that. We live in a cynical world, where movies are ruled by dark gritty realism. I love Christopher Nolan, but his effect has damaged Hollywood. Not everyone is as talented as he is, and it would appear that Hollywood's attempts to capitalize on his success is to make everything dark and depressing. The examples are everywhere: Man Of Steel, The Lone Ranger being some of the most noteworthy ones. But here is an example of something that is bright and uplifting, something that puts a smile on your face. That doesn't mean Frozen just plays a lot of bright colours and cute songs in an attempt to make the audience smile. It does it through the characters, the songs, and the message. At the end, everyone feels like they have been through a great journey with the characters. At the end, it feels like you're with friends. I can see why children identified with Anna and Elsa, especially why they wanted to see the movie over and over again. The identified with wanting to be noticed by those you look up to, they wanted to see the sisters to come together. The idea to not have Elsa be a true villain was a genius move, and I don't think the movie would have any lasting power if they did make her a villain. Kids loved Olaf, who was not just there for jokes. He had a big heart, he was loveable and kind. The love story was great, and Kristoff provided a good male protagonist to attract boys to the movie. Throw a thrilling quest, outstanding songs and some of the best CGI animation ever done, and you have a recipe for a movie kids would want to see again and again. But kids can't drive themselves to the movies, and that's where Frozen also finds success. This movie is so relevant to older audiences. At its core, Frozen is a coming of age story, and story of self acceptance, two things that every adult has had to deal with. Elsa struggles with her powers, which I view as a metaphor for self doubt, something that everyone experiences as they grow older. Finally, she learns to accept herself and take her place in the adult word. Anna has to grow up, and stop being such a jokester and start to see herself as an adult. Every adult can look at that and smile. And again, the idea of wanting to be noticed by someone you look up to is something everyone can remember doing as a child. That's why "Do You Want To Build a Snowman?" is a perfect song for the movie. There is something beautiful about those piano chords, something powerful and nostalgic, something that reminds you of your own childhood in a way you can't explain. Pair that with lyrics that could melt the heart of even the harshest cynic, and you have something that hooks you at the beginning of the movie. The way the song goes from hopeful to tearful is extraordinary, and full marks to Kristen Bell for her incredible vocal performance. And the movie doesn't let up from there. Adults can get dragged into the tragedy of the story: how Elsa leaves Anna alone because of her great love for her, something Anna doesn't know. That makes their resolution all the sweeter. I would expect adults to love this movie as much as children, and that goes a long way in explaining its popularity. Once the adults fall in love with a kids movie, that's how word of mouth really spreads. Parents talk about it on Facebook, Twitter, and tell their friends to take their kids to see it. They see it, and then they fall in love. And what happens next? The kids want to see it again, and the adults are only too happy to go back: but maybe they'll bring a friend this time, or invite another family. Then in comes the merchandise. Every kid is going to want the toys, and that is really how the popularity spreads. Once demand for the movie spreads outside the theatre, you know you have something special. Then there's the soundtrack. Let It Go got tons of attention, and for good reason. It's outstanding, a tour de force vocal performance from Idina Menzel. It wasn't long before other musicians tried to cover it, which they done: in droves. Covers of the song are all over Internet. Once this movie hit the Internet, there was no stopping it. The memes popped up, the song covers, the scene recreations. The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway trended on Twitter. The world quickly fell in love, and it should come as no surprise. The movie deserved it, and people couldn't get enough.
What I just described is what made the movie a hit. But there are tons of hit movies. Snow White And The Hunstman was a hit, but people didn't talk about it years later. How did Frozen go from hit to phenomenon? Well to really understand that, you have to go back to the movie season of 2013. Man Of Steel, The Lone Ranger, World War Z, The Wolverine and Star Trek Into Darkness ruled the box office. I'm not saying they're all bad, but they were all dark and gritty. There was little joy, especially in Man Of Steel. Not to say they didn't have their moments (Again, except for Man Of Steel), but for the most part these movies embraced darkness: dark movies for a dark and cynical world. Then Frozen comes along. It was bright, colourful and funny, while still being powerful and emotionally resonant. People just wanted to smile in November 2013, and Frozen realized it better than anyone. People laughed, cried, smiled, sang and smiled again. The power of this movie carried it acclaim and love. Dark movies can be good: The Dark Knight is one of my all time favourite movies. But often times, the movies that are remembered are the ones that bring people joy, the ones that give them more than entertainment, the ones that leave an impression. Movies that bring magic to people's lives. Frozen was able to do that, and that's what movies are all about.
The success of Frozen should serve as a lesson. Darkness and grittiness are fine, but we need balance. We need movies like this, movies that add something to your life. I'm glad this movie got its success, and I can only hope it will bring joy to people for decades to come. Somehow, I think it will. This generation of children will pass this movie down to their children, I have no doubt. This will stand the test of time, and that is the best compliment you can give anything.
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