Frozen (Disney film)

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Frozen is Disney's 53rd entry in its animated canon line-up, based on Hans Christian Andersen's longest Fairy Tale "The Snow Queen". It's animated in 3D using computer-generated imagery.

The movie has gotten a lot of attention as the source of the song "Let It Go", sung by Idina Menzel. The song made such an impact that, in the words of Co-Director Jennifer Lee, "the minute we heard the song the first time, I knew that I had to rewrite the whole movie."

Released on November 27th, 2013, Frozen quickly became the highest grossing animated film yet made.

Not to be confused with the 2010 drama/thriller film of the same name.

Tropes used in Frozen (Disney film) include:
  • Anti-Villain: Elsa, who is only "villainous" by accident and out of fear.
  • Award Bait Song: "Let It Go", which ended up winning the 2014 Academy Award for Best Song. Its potential was understood from the moment it was first played for the production team: they rewrote the entire movie into a completely original story because it was entirely too positive and life-affirming to be a Villain Song and they didn't want to lose it.
  • Completely Missing the Point: The Moral Guardians who accused the film -- apparently without watching it, as usual -- of promoting a gay agenda because of the sisterly love between Elsa and Anna.
    • They also seem to feel that "Let It Go" is (solely) about coming out of the closet. And one of them said that this film promotes the (immoral, in his opinion) idea that if you're born "different" from most people, you can learn to accept and live with your difference.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: The Duke of Weaseltown Wesselton, for sufficiently medieval values of "corporate" and "executive".
  • Development Hell: Oh my Lord. This film is over 15 years in the making! Disney planned to produce this in the 90's as a hand-drawn feature, but they scrapped it during their change in management and their shift to CG features starting with Chicken Little and only just recently picked it up again.
  • Fairy Tale
  • False Widower: In order to seize the throne of Arendelle, Hans claims that he married Anna in the minutes before she died from her sister's attack, when in fact he has locked her away to die.
  • Freudian Excuse: Hans. Maybe. Even though it's implied that his older brothers are good men at the end of the film, it sounds like at least some of them took brotherly teasing and pranks a bit too far:

Hans: I have twelve brothers, and three of them literally pretended I was invisible for two years.

  • God Save Us From the Queen: While The Snow Queen is built around playing this trope straight, this story is a definite subversion.
  • An Ice Person: Elsa, of course, as the Snow Queen of this tale.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: Applied to the young Anna by the rock trolls, making her forget Elsa's accidental attack on her.
  • Massive Numbered Siblings: Hans is the youngest of thirteen brothers. Which puts him so far from the throne that he's willing to lie and kill to become a king anywhere.
  • Meet Cute: Princess Anna meeting Prince Hans as she trips past him into a rowboat.
  • The Mole: Prince Hans.
  • Outnumbered Sibling: Hans. Not in gender, but in morality -- it's implied that all twelve of his brothers are good men and will not take his plotting in Arendelle very well.
  • Power Incontinence: Take it easy on the Ice-9 there, Elsa. This trope is the prime mover for the whole plot.
  • Prince Charming: From the moment we first see him, Prince Hans is the classic embodiment of this type as traditionally presented by Disney, right down to a typical Meet Cute moment with Anna. However, he actually turns out to be a charming Manipulative Bastard initially planning to seduce Elsa into marrying him so he can then kill her and take her throne. He switches to Anna when Elsa turns herself in a convenient monster from his point of view.
  • Running Gag: "Weaseltown".
  • Subverted Trope: This movie is filled with subversions of the "expected" features of Disney films, which is probably one reason why the Moral Guardians who seem to think that Disney is theirs freaked out over it.
  • True Love's Kiss: Invoked and averted six ways to Sunday. Everyone assumes that to reverse her curse, Anna will need a kiss from her Meet Cute Prince Hans. Not only does her prince not care for her, but he locks her in a cold room to freeze to death. And then the audience is supposed to assume it's that other nice boy Kristoff. But she never kisses him. Her "act of true love" comes from inside her own heart, as she make a Heroic Sacrifice to save her sister. Take that, patriarchy!
  • Villain Song: Averted by "Let It Go", which makes it very clear the apparent villain is just as much a victim as anyone else.
  • Winter Royal Lady: Elsa.
  • You Fail Biology Forever: The trolls dismissing head injuries as trivial and easy to fix compared to damage to the heart.
  • Youngest Child Wins: Subverted by Hans, who is the youngest of thirteen brothers, and a charming but ruthless villain out to seize the throne of Arendelle for himself. Fortunately, he doesn't succeed and is returned to his brothers for punishment.