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Recent releases:
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- Dune: Part 1 (reissue)
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Frozen (3D) (reissue)
Stars: Voices: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk, Ciaran Hinds, Chris Williams
Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
The real-life, as opposed to the untruthful non-smoking version of Walt Disney, delivered with several steam shovels overflowing with saccharine by Tom Hanks in Saving Mr Banks, would have justifiably been delighted with this magnificent return to classic animation form by the studio that bears his name.
Frozen, reissued by Disney for the Christmas season, is as near perfect family entertainment as you could hope for, a fairy tale told in traditional style, funny, warm-hearted, suspenseful and decorated with exciting action. (Although, it has to be said, Uncle Walt might have been unhappy with a hunky hero who encourages a young princess to "Grab my butt!").
Jennifer Lees inspired by The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen screenplay sees plucky princess Anna bravely going where no princess has gone before to find her sister Elsa who has used her magical powers to condemn the kingdom of Arendelle to eternal winter. Enter hunky mountain man Kristoff (whose butt saves Anna during one of the many thrilling action sequences) and his comic reindeer, a perfidious prince, rolling rocks that turn into trolls, a giant snow ogre, attractive musical numbers, a happy ending (naturally) and, best of all, an all-singing, all-dancing snowman destined to become a classic Disney character and you have a splendid seasonal show made all the more memorable by superb animation and vividly-used 3D.
The vocal casting works well with Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel leading the show as the princesses and Josh Gad speaking for Kristoff, and Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck directing with pace and precision.
In fact, the only person I can think of who might be less than enchanted with Frozen would be Hans Christian Andersen who sadly passed away long, long before his work could earn him well-deserved royalties. But thats show business, I guess.
Alan Frank
USA 2013. UK Distributor: Disney. Colour by deluxe.
108 minutes. Widescreen and 3D. UK certificate: PG.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.
Review date: 20 Nov 2014