Audiences of all ages warmed up to Disney’s Frozen, turning up in theaters to watch the family-friendly movie inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story in big enough numbers to make this animated wintery tale one of the biggest grossing animated films of all time. Frozen has rung up over $1 billion at the box office and earned the title of the highest grossing non-sequel animated feature film in the history of motion pictures. Little kids want to be Anna, Elsa and/or Kristoff, and the story – as with most animated Disney offerings – presents a positive message while also providing a couple of hours of entertainment. And in true Disney fashion, Frozen‘s filled with catchy musical numbers and that one song (in this case, “Let It Go”) that will get stuck in your head for months.
After achieving blockbuster status in theaters, Frozen comes to home video on Blu-ray and DVD in a Collector’s Edition package available on March 18, 2014. In transferring from the big to the small screen, Frozen loses none of its brightness or crispness of color. And those songs that you were humming while walking out of the theater sound just as clear on the Blu-ray version.
The Plot:
Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, presents Frozen, a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.
The Frozen Blu-ray and DVD Collector’s Edition Bonus Features
Get a Horse: The Frozen Blu-ray comes with the animated short Get a Horse which played in theaters before each Frozen screening. The new Mickey Mouse cartoon runs about six minutes and starts with an old-school animation look that draws in the older audience without alienating younger viewers. The short pulls off a twist a few minutes in that’s unexpected and that makes Get a Horse almost as much fun as Frozen.
Deleted Scenes: Four deleted scenes running less than 10 minutes total are included on the Blu-ray, and none of these extras would have added anything to the feature film had they been completed and inserted into the story. One deleted scene offers a little more insight into Elsa before the filmmakers opted to make her into a tragic heroine rather than the movie’s villain. Another shows Anna trying on different dresses, and the third features more of Anna before she goes off to find her sister. The final deleted scenes introduces Kristoff to the audience in a different fashion than was ultimately done in the final cut.
“Let It Go” Music Videos: Four different versions of the popular song are included on the Blu-ray, because one just isn’t enough for Frozen fans.
Featurettes: The behind-the-scenes featurette D’frosted: Disney’s Journey From Hans Christian Andersen to Frozen doesn’t really reveal any production secrets. It’s more an explanation of choices made and a look at the design process. The other behind-the-scenes offering is The Making of Frozen which is really just three minutes of singing about the film led by voice cast members Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff. It’s fun enough, but not really a ‘Making of’ video.
The Bottom Line:
Unfortunately, the Collector’s Edition doesn’t include a commentary track so those Frozen fans looking for more insight into the story, the cast, and the songs are left with unanswered questions. In fact, overall the Collector’s Edition is light on bonus material and what’s presented doesn’t have much substance to it.
GRADE: A- for the feature film, C+ for the extra material
