Frozen Fever

Yeah, I may have watched the new Cinderella solely to see the short Frozen Fever that was attached before it. And yeah, I may have snuck into another theater and watched it again on my way out, too. What of it?

That main movie it came attached to, however, isn't quite something you'll see me readily trying to revisit a second time anytime soon. In fact, it's actually pretty insulting that a short for a film as progressive as Frozen was placed in front of the regressive likes of this barf inducingly insincere tripe.

And yet, at the same time, it's also sorta funny that they placed an animated short in front of it at all, seeing as Cinderella is clearly desperate to be an animated film itself (the 1950 Disney animated film, specifically), making this movie completely and entirely pointless on top of everything else. But to be honest, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, seeing as I don't think it's a good movie either, but if you're in the mood for a new, live action take on Disney's Cinderella, you're probably better off checking out Into the Woods, which is a recommendation that actually sorta hurts me to make (in fact, one might say that such a recommendation leaves me in agony).

But no, anyways, moving right along, while the new Cinderella may certainly not be worth sticking around for after the fact, Frozen Fever was well worth the matinee price of admission on it's own. It's a simple little story, where Elsa is trying to throw a party for Anna on her birthday, to make up for all her less enjoyable ones she had growing up, and to ensure that the day is the perfect day. And it really just made me love her character all the more, seeing a more relatably thoughtful and sentimental side to her that I felt really added some nice layers to her person.

As the day goes along, we're accompanied by a catchy little tune that feels right at home in the Frozen world, and Elsa even dons a new green dress for the occasion.

Speaking of which, good as she looks in blue, I think green may really be more her color. I've always felt that her coronation attire from the first movie was an underrated look for her, and damn does she look great in green here.

But as the story progresses, we see that Elsa may actually be coming down with a cold, hence the short's title. And I actually loved where this aspect lead to (though her line that "a cold never bothered me anyway" did feel a bit too pandering), as it ultimately gave us what may well be the most amazing thing I've seen in a theater this year so far. And yeah, I know it's still early in the year to be making such statements, but seriously, seeing Elsa stumble around singing in a drunken-like state was just a special kind of magic to behold! (And I demand gifs, stat.)

Anyways, as Elsa grows more and more sick, sneezing through her song, every sneeze produces these cute little mini-snowmen that just sorta scream merchandising cash grab. I guarantee you'll be able to pick up your very own plushies for these little guys soon enough, assuming you can't already.

And speaking on just how hugely marketable a franchise Frozen has become, yesterday the news also broke that a Frozen sequel is officially in the works. Now, my instant reaction to this was to refer people to my recent post concerning the prospect of a Dredd sequel for my similar thoughts on the manner, basically that, while I loved the first movie, and a sequel could very well end up being good, I don't actually think it's a necessary route to go.

And to an extent, I still feel that way now. Yet, on the other hand, purely from a business standpoint, I honestly can't blame Disney too badly for cashing in on such a massive runaway success. And if nothing else, I do find it pretty interesting that, assuming the sequel is done by Disney Animation Studios, Frozen 2 will actually mark only the second time that the studio has ever released an official canonical sequel, with the only other example being The Rescuers Down Under (unless of course the 2011 Winnie the Pooh counts as a sequel, in which case the new Frozen would still only be the third).

But anyways, I also really can't complain too badly, as I'm arguably precisely the kinda person who's a part of the problem in the first place, because I know I'm gonna inevitably get swept right up into all of the hype as its release date approaches. But speaking of that hype, I still find myself coming across so many people commenting how Frozen is such an "over-hyped" movie, and so many people walk away disappointed from it as a result of their over-inflated expectations, which I've come to find a bit of a shame.

I've touched on this in past posts before, but generally speaking, while I do understand that sentiment, I also sorta wish more people would be willing to put either mass hype or hatred for a given movie aside and go into a film with more of an open mind, and to accept it for what it is. And as it concerns Frozen, I'll readily admit that it's not a perfect movie, by any means. And yet, even so, I still think the movie is brilliant and beautiful and wonderful all the same, with its imperfections just being a part of its charm. In fact, I tried to make this argument before in my silly, shameless Queen Elsa Compilation post, but it only hit me a few hours after publishing that post that the movie itself even addresses its own very imperfect state with the song "Fixer Upper". She's a bit of a fixer upper, indeed! And it's little things like this that I just love more and more about this film.

So yeah, anyways, the news of this sequel is bound to induce groans among the many haters of this franchise, and I gotta admit that I let out a bit of a groan of my own as well, though for entirely different reasons. But really, who am I trying to kid, we all know that I'm bound to catch that Frozen Fever (sorry), and I'm so gonna be there opening day. I just hope at this point that it actually turns out good. And if Frozen Fever is anything to go by, then that may very well end up being the case. But for now, if you do get a chance to see the new short and you're already a fan, then you'll likely end up enjoying it quite a bit. It's got plenty of fan-fare, and keeps things fresh enough in its brief runtime to make for a nice, fun little romp for fans, so check it out if you can.