Anyone Bothered By The "Frozen" Blu-Ray/DVD Review?

[MeerkatKombat]

I'm one of those ho preferred Atlantis to Lilo and Stitch.
Atlantis had bad pacing but I just thought L&S could have been better without the aliens chasing him (or less of this) and the story focus on Lilo rehabilitating him for Earth life and the conflict with her sister/social worker.
Whilst Lilo and Nani felt like possibly the most real characters Disney has ever devised, for some reason I preferred Atlantis.
The Atlantis animation was more striking that L&S.

I love Pocahontas - even if the voice acting can be a little off. The voice acting takes a major downhill turn in the second one 'Do not....forget....this...land'. Awkward. Totally agree with Warm Regards - gimmicky but appreciative of using Native American actors.

I'm very bummed about the Frozen release being so poor, special features wise. I guess its the same story as PatF, T and WiR. Maybe this time we have a chance of there being a meaty edition in the future, considering how Frozen has blown up. I love bonus features and especially an in-depth making of doc.

Do we, as Disney fans, ask too much?

[Fflewduur]

Do we, as Disney fans, ask too much?

I’m gonna go with Yes…and No. Depends on your perspective, I suppose.

The market has clearly changed a lot since my childhood, but I can recall a time when the only way to see Disney films was *at the theatre*, when Vaulting meant a years-long hiatus before theatrical re-release, when the only hope of seeing anything behind-the-scenes was all about Sunday nights and The Wonderful World of Disney. I remember the early days of VHS when I lost a rental and had to pay $90-plus for a replacement…

These days, for the cost of a couple tickets and a bucket of popcorn, I can own my own copy of a piece of beloved entertainment. I can watch it when I like, *where* I like—on my laptop or phone during an extended wait or on a long trip, or in the comfort of my own living room. The experience isn’t quite as immersive at home as at the theatre, but I can eat & drink what I want, the picture is never out of focus, and the sound is *far* better.

So I tend to think of extras very much as *extras*. Depending on the film, I may want some more than others. I’m glad I have the 40th Anniversary Mary Poppins DVD and the Fantasia Anthology for the additional content they contain, but I’m still far more likely to put on the BD releases. Lack of bonus content is never going to be a dealbreaker for me—what I really want is quality feature presentation. And in terms of availability and quality, a host of particular objections regarding this title or that aside, Disney fans have never been better off than we are today.

Still haven't seen Frozen--my kids went to see it with friends in the theatre for a birthday party, and I've been patiently awaiting an evening that I can sit down and let them introduce me to it. = )

[Walter]

I would have preferred Lilo & Stitch over Atlantis. Atlantis is such a disappointment. Animation was nice, and so was the idea of James Garner as the villain, but overall, it is a mess, and in some ways, just comes across as a remake of Pocahontas.

[DisneyFan09]

I just thought L&S could have been better without the aliens chasing him (or less of this) and the story focus on Lilo rehabilitating him for Earth life and the conflict with her sister/social worker.

That's really my problem with the film. I know that I'm repeating myself, but here it goes; The film had already a strong storyline with Lilo and Nani's tragic situation and Cobra Bubbles trying to take Lilo away. In fact, Stitch's arrival and contribution to be family was useless and contrived from a story perspective. In fact, with the exception of the climax, he didn't do anything for Lilo at all and put her in trouble (yes, I'm aware that he was supposed to be a monster who was absent of emotions). Even when he had regret what he'd done for the family, he still put Lilo in danger when Jumba and Pleakley finally found him in the second act of the film. When he finally decided to help Lilo, it seemed more of pity for Nani then for his genuine concern for Lilo.
Which leads me to the second problem I had; There was no chemistry or dynamic between the two title characters. The affection was only from Lilo's side and was barely shown by Stitch at the end.

And even if that wasn't enough, they had to put Jumba, Pleakley and Gantu in to the story (and yes, I'm sorry, I thought the two former characters were annoying).

I'm very bummed about the Frozen release being so poor, special features wise. I guess its the same story as PatF, T and WiR. Maybe this time we have a chance of there being a meaty edition in the future, considering how Frozen has blown up. I love bonus features and especially an in-depth making of doc.

Do we, as Disney fans, ask too much?

Not at all. The least they could do is giving an audio commentary.

[Angeldude98]

The least they could do is giving an audio commentary.

I agree. Long gone are the days of the early Platinum Editions where they were FULL of cool bonus features. But that making-of video tid-bit in the Frozen blu-ray takes the cake! That's a downright insult to fans! Hopefully they'll release a better version in the future.

[DisneyFan09]

Sorry for bumping this thread. I'm probably going to sound condescending, but it's funny how this debate turned out to be a "Pocahontas vs Frozen" debate, when those films doesn't have so much in common.

Let me clarify: I wasn't upset over it. It just suprised me because I didn't expect the reviewer of this particular site to be so negative about this film, when some of his past reviews on other films seemed to be asking (between the lines, of course) for Disney to release a film with all the elements that Frozen has, sometimes even expressing nostalgia for the Disney Rennaissance-style films. And now that they finally did and Frozen is one of the best films in the canon (along with Tangled), he was negative about it. I wasn't expecting that at all and that's why I didnt' like the review. But I wasn't upset. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion and I have read far worse reviews by others who hated the film, and super great reviews by those who loved it (which FAR outnumber the bad ones, of course).

That's okay, but it's easy to assume that you were upset by it at first. However, this isn't meant as a criticism, but as a constructive advice.

[ajmrowland]

I love Frozen for many reasons, but I definitely understand and agree with most of the review. The film has a lot of flaws.

This.


I also think people tend to forget what Reviews are actually used for: making your your own informed opinion about whether or not to indulge in the product. That doesn't mean you have to agree with the reviewer(s); just that you're self-aware enough to decide whether or not you may like any of the elements the reviewer(s) points out.

[Angeldude98]

Sorry for bumping this thread. I'm probably going to sound condescending, but it's funny how this debate turned out to be a "Pocahontas vs Frozen" debate, when those films doesn't have so much in common.

I was thinking the same thing... those two films couldn't be more different than oil and water! But I do like both

[2Disney4Ever]

I didn't bother reading it, but no, not really. I would say the movie deserves even worse criticism.

[DisneyFan09]

Not that I'm saying it was bad at all, but I had my share of problems with it. The story could have been better.

Why so?

I had various problems with "Frozen" myself. I may repeating myself now, but "Frozen" had the same problems that hampered both "Tangled and "Brave". As with "Brave", the first half is is superior to the second half and the movie becomes more generic after the first half (after "Let It Go"). And as with "Tangled", the film is quite dramatically uneven and even more so than "Tangled".

The second problem lies in a very busy plot. The plotline about Elsa's inner struggle and angst, as well as her and Anna's broken relationship is enough for an entire movie, but the film also adds Anna's quest for true love (the main theme of the movie), as well as giving her two love interests, and one of them turning to be evil. I applaud the choice of having an evil Prince Charming for once, but it should have been in a story where it was actually needed since Hans' sudden turn was contrived and not needed at all (since Hans had been a likeable guy until then). Kristoff had the potential to been a deeper, more complex character, but he's just given the role as a loner for no particular deep reason at all.

I'm not trying to turn this into a Anna vs Elsa debate (I pretty much prefer Anna myself for her personality), but since Elsa is after all the main catalyst for the events, she should have been the main protagonist and the film should have been primarily her story. And her characterization could have been expanded, but since she's the secondary protagonist, her characterization is limited. The problem is that Elsa and Anna are just stereotypes with one trait. At least "Lilo & Stitch" managed to take a sister dynamic to another level and make dimensional characters.

And let's not forget the generic score, which was a missed opportunity to make some genuine, authentic Norwegian folk music. Sure, the film had some of it, but not enough.

I don't hate "Frozen", I enjoyed some parts of it, but it's far from Disney's best film.

I didn't bother reading it, but no, not really. I would say the movie deserves even worse criticism.

Why is that?

Sorry for bumping this thread, I'm just curious.

[Angeldude98]

Not that I'm saying it was bad at all, but I had my share of problems with it. The story could have been better.

Why so?

I had various problems with "Frozen" myself. I may repeating myself now, but "Frozen" had the same problems that hampered both "Tangled and "Brave". As with "Brave", the first half is is superior to the second half and the movie becomes more generic after the first half (after "Let It Go"). And as with "Tangled", the film is quite dramatically uneven and even more so than "Tangled".

The second problem lies in a very busy plot. The plotline about Elsa's inner struggle and angst, as well as her and Anna's broken relationship is enough for an entire movie, but the film also adds Anna's quest for true love (the main theme of the movie), as well as giving her two love interests, and one of them turning to be evil. I applaud the choice of having an evil Prince Charming for once, but it should have been in a story where it was actually needed since Hans' sudden turn was contrived and not needed at all (since Hans had been a likeable guy until then). Kristoff had the potential to been a deeper, more complex character, but he's just given the role as a loner for no particular deep reason at all.

I'm not trying to turn this into a Anna vs Elsa debate (I pretty much prefer Anna myself for her personality), but since Elsa is after all the main catalyst for the events, she should have been the main protagonist and the film should have been primarily her story. And her characterization could have been expanded, but since she's the secondary protagonist, her characterization is limited. The problem is that Elsa and Anna are just stereotypes with one trait. At least "Lilo & Stitch" managed to take a sister dynamic to another level and make dimensional characters.

And let's not forget the generic score, which was a missed opportunity to make some genuine, authentic Norwegian folk music. Sure, the film had some of it, but not enough.

I don't hate "Frozen", I enjoyed some parts of it, but it's far from Disney's best film.

I didn't bother reading it, but no, not really. I would say the movie deserves even worse criticism.

Why is that?

Sorry for bumping this thread, I'm just curious.

DisneyFan, I think I can answer that. Based on what I've read from 2Disney4Ever, he dislikes CGI films and prefers 2D, traditionally animated films, like the old Disney movies. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just his opinion. I have seen huge arguments break out here regarding this issue. As for me, I like both styles. To me, what matters the most is story, music and great characters! I've yet to see another great evil and menacing new Disney villain like Maleficent or Jafar!