Yellowstonetim
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 22, 2013
I really liked the movie. (Preordered the DVD) I think that the words and emotions of the songs in the movie were integral in the character developement and plot advancement.
1. Using the chant/nordic yodeling song "Vuelie" to open the film over the traditional images if Ciderella's castle, etc., really set the mood for a Nordic story and hinted that this was not going to follow the typical Disney profile. And reprising it at the great thaw at the end ties the beginning of the film to the end and you feel you have come full circle and are near the end.
2. The "Frozen Heart" song introduced little Kristof and little Sven and forshadowed that they would have a hard life but were friends who count on each other and shared everything, but would be loners (the ice men didn't seem to acknowledge the pairs existance, much less try to help or teach them how to harvest the ice, and then road off and left them on the frozen lake). The two share a carrot, which they do at least 2 more times in the movie. And it is Kristof that gives Sven the first bite of the carrot each time, instead of biting off a piece and offering the leftover to Sven.
3. Then we jump to the palace were little Elsa and Anna share a room, but Anna (the younger and more playful sister) is awake and sees the northern lights and teases Elsa into getting up with the line "Do you wanna build a snowman?" i.e. Do you want to use your powers? After the accident, the visit to the trolls reveals that Fear will be Elsa's enemy, but the fear of what? (I feel that writers made the trolls perposefully vague on that point, but never developed this point further.) This is where the next song "Do you want to build a snowman?" (unkowingly reminding Elsa of why she is shutting everyone out) is used to show the passage of time and the diverging personalities of the 2 sisters. Lots more could be said here about this, but not now.
4. Then the coronation day. Kristof shares a carrot with Sven and shows that he speaks for him like a ventriloquist. His sleigh has wheels at this time, assuming that they are standing in from if his sleigh. (Summer Day) The song is "For the first time in forever" that to me, shows Anna as nieve and seeing only what she wants to see. Her mirroring the poses of the paintings is all of romantic poses where she is the center of attention. She shows that she is expecting a typical Disney princess experience, and leads the audience in that direction. Elsa's part in the songs shows she fears not being able to surpress/control her powers (she still views it a nothing but a curse). Hence she falls into the fearful-of-fear-itself trap hinted at by the trolls (but never developed in the story. Honestly, I kept waiting for a reveal about this up to the very end of the movie.)
5. Next song is "Love is a open door" which is Anna singing and Hans agreeing. Lots could be said here, too about hints to Hans' true character and Anna's nievity and wishfull thinking, and confusing infatuation/desire with true love. Later it is revealed that Hans is hatching a "game of thrones" plot probably during this song.
6. Next song is Kristof's "Reindeer are better than people" with Kristof again speaking in a different voice for Sven. To me the words to this song show Kristof to be a loner, distrustful of others but knows that others aren't all bad, and that he is far from perfect himself. To me there is a lot of character development in this short song and in the scenes imidiately before and after. Also, when Anna gives him the carrots in the barn, he again gives Sven the first bite.
7. I may have this one and #6 in reverse order but next is "Let it go". To me this really reveals alot of the charatcter of Elsa in that she has tried to obey her parents in suppressing all feelings so that her powers would stay hidden, but now that she has failed, letting her powers out is very emotionally cathartic, particullary now that she is alone with no fear of harming anyone. She now voluteers to shut herself away from others, but without the emotional self supression that she did in the castle. With the fear of harming others removed from her mind, she thinks she has complete controle of her powers.
Sidebar: Notice the way Anna and Kristof look at each other and the emotion in their faces and how it changes over time. To me this is a brilliant work of animation because you can almost feel them moving from just-met strangers to friends, to caring for eachother. At the end of "Fixer Upper" when Grandpapie troll says only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart, it is another troll that suggests "a true love's kiss, perhaps?", not Anna or Kristof. and when the troll does say that, it is Kristof that says "Anna, we have to get you back to Hans." To me, this is a key moment in the movie, because i think I see the animators putting into kristof's face and voice a reluctance to let Anna go but to what may be her only chance if Hans is her true love. (Like the movie "Enchanted".) Anna responds by only saying Hans' name, but with a very emotionless voice. She doen't even say "Yes, get me to Hans." and the look on Kristof's face when he hands over Anna and they close the gates in his face. This triggers Kristof's epiphany moment and the animaters depicted it very well without over playing the moment. Anna's epiphany moment is triggered by 2 events, one by Hans' rejection and revelation of his deception, and the other by Olaf's use of Kristof's actions to illistrate true love. Anna shows she has learned this lesson when, after saving Elsa, freezing and then unfreezing, Elsa says "... you sacrifised yourself for me?" and Anna responds "I love you." It is the tone and inflection in her voice that is key, to me.
I don't see any of this as female empowerment or not needing a man or sisterly love over finding a man. I see it as a depiction of the difference between infatuation/desire and true love.
Anyway. getting kinda wordy here and straying off topic. Time to close and see what you all think and I will finish this later.
Great observations, thanks for the detailed review!