Disney's Frozen

[Dan]

Frozen spent its 15th consecutive week at the top of the box office in Japan over the weekend, bringing its total to $233.3 million there. It's still third all-time, but is roughly $20 million away from dethroning Titanic as the highest grossing foreign film of all-time over there, making the top two spots in Japan animated features. At the rate it's been going, this is expected to happen.

[Buzz Bumble]

From ComingSoon.net ...

ABC's Once Upon Time casts Frozen characters
Following word earlier this week that Elizabeth Lail had been cast as Anna and Scott Michael Foster will play Kristoff in Season 4 of ABC's Once Upon a Time comes news that Elsa from Disney's Frozen has been cast as well. Actress Georgina Haig, who played Henrietta Bishop on FOX's Fringe and can currently be seen on CBS' Reckless, has landed the role!

The Frozen arc on the ABC series is expected to follow the events of the hit movie. In May, the Season 3 finale of Once Upon a Time revealed that characters from Frozen was going to appear on the fourth season with the tease in the clip at ComingSoon.net

[Dacey]

From the article on the front page....

"Disney has had a history of being accused of one form of social slight or another, with criticisms including racism, overly stereotypical gender roles and the princessification of society, and gruesome and unnecessarily psychologically disturbing content. In contrast to other recent Disney films, like “Tangled,” “Frozen” isn’t politically fraught or controversial: you can say it’s good without fear of being accused of being a racist or an apologist or an animal-rights opponent."

Um...did I miss something? How was Tangled "politically fraught," "controversial" or "racist"?

Seems these people can never write anything without throwing a shot at Disney.

[ShyViolet]

Very true. I don't think they've even seen half the movies they criticize.

[Dacey]

For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I can say I like Tangled without worrying that anyone will see me as "an apologist or an animal-rights opponent."

It's also interesting how one of the commenters on the piece described the film's success and appeal way better than the article was able to....

I'm a 48 year old man, who has no kids, who loves Frozen. To me, the appeal lies in the sadness of the film and in the complexity of the love between the two sisters. Elsa shuts Anna out of her life because of her love for her sister and her desire to protect her. Inadvertently, she causes Anna great pain, a sense of abandonment and loneliness that, ultimately, leaves Anna desperate for love and companionship and vulnerable to Hans. At the same time, Elsa's selfless love causes her great pain and loneliness, complemented by her fear of harming others, especially her sister. Later, it is the love between the sisters, that saves both of them. The story ends with the sisters finding each other again and with Elsa letting go of the fear that has ruled her life. I have not analyzed myself deeply enough to know exactly why this theme appeals to me so much, but I think it is as simple as finding the joy in love regained, a fairly universal idea. The fact that it is not romantic love but filial love makes the story even more appealing.

I'd "like" the comment if I was a member of the site.

[EricJ]

Um...did I miss something? How was Tangled "politically fraught," "controversial" or "racist"?

Oh, didn't you hear? Princess & the Frog, and its box office troubles, were "racist".

Seems these people can never write anything without throwing a shot at Disney.

Yes, those old Eisner grudges die hard. He could be dead for ten years, and we'd still be in paranoid mode of looking for him under every Disney bed.
Come to think of it, Ron Miller's been out of the company for thirty-two years, and we STILL make jokes about 70's-Disney making us watch Bambi. ("Animal-rights activist"??) Can't we put a statute of limitations on those, to help us get on from our childhoods?

I'm a 48 year old man, who has no kids, who loves Frozen. To me, the appeal lies in the sadness of the film and in the complexity of the love between the two sisters. Elsa shuts Anna out of her life because of her love for her sister and her desire to protect her.

And once again...it's the guys who seem to have the clearest handle on what a Disney fairytale is actually about. It's not like we try to, y'know.
The story's about sisters (or brother and sister, if you're looking at the original tale.) It's not about Coming Out, it's not about "punishing" a history of Disney Princesses with a story about how one was smart enough not to get married, and it's not an animated version of Wicked.

(Now, just try getting into a guys-vs.-gals debate about Snow White or Cinderella some time, that'll curl your hair. )

[Dacey]

Eric, there's really no need at this point to bring up the "coming out" thing again. You have been asked to drop that here. Multiple times.

Also...that whole "once again it's the guys" thing. Just odd, dude.

[James]

Cut him some slack. Even if you think past comments were off topic or over some line, this one was on the mark with what was being discussed... and he was agreeing with you!

And to be honest, aren't you doing what you say you're tired of him doing? Complaining about someone else's interpretation you find outrageous and unsupported?

[gaastra]

Frozen at disney hollywood studios

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFeuOvEiIXM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlPLp4xTMFc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yWYxlFJDPU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhtDhxObOFM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zITiHuYPwY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WUzqvZt5t8

I wonder how long before we get a ride based on frozen?

[EricJ]

Frozen at disney hollywood studios
I wonder how long before we get a ride based on frozen?

The mania won't last that long. They know that, that's why we're getting this instead.

They've already bowed to temporary "OMG, you HAVE to make this attraction!" zeitgeist fan pressure three times before, and the Lion King, Little Mermaid and Stitch attractions never turned out to be their longterm top park draws...
(And no, not that Little Mermaid attraction, the puppet show they built back in '90 while the movie was still hot.)

[droosan]

if Imagineering isn't already working on it, I think they should transform Disneyland's 'Matterhorn' coaster into a Frozen-themed ride .. if only on a seasonal basis (similar to the Nightmare Before Christmas-themed 'Haunted Mansion').

.. from one of my own posts, way-y back on page 14 of this thread.


A Frozen Matterhorn shouldn't even require as drastic an overhaul as the Nightmare Haunted Mansion, IMO. Sprinkle a few animatronic characters at key points along the track, blare a medley of Frozen songs over the ride's existing speaker system, perhaps erect a mock-up of Elsa's ice palace near the summit -- and you're pretty much done.



The queue's alpine/nordic styling and the 'blasts of cold air' along the route already match the theme, too.

And (of course!) they could set-up a "Wandering Oaken's Trading Post" just outside the exit.

[eddievalient]

http://variety.com/2014/film/awards/fro ... 201216961/

It's official, they're not doing a sequel. This plus Disney allowing something back in Into The Woods that had initially been cut gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, the execs have come to their senses. It's just a shame that Maleficent and Once Upon A Time had to be victims of their mania before that happened. Yes, I know, OUAT's creators claim it was their idea, but I don't believe that for a second.

[Dacey]

All they say there is that they aren't doing a Frozen sequel "yet." So, yeah, still probably gonna happen.

[EricJ]

http://variety.com/2014/film/awards/fro ... 201216961/

(You mean, the glass ceiling for female animation directors that Brenda Chapman voluntarily gave a fresh polish to, with Windex and a Swiffer?
There are some good things to say about Frozen but "Fair and balanced gender-crossover appeal" is not one of them.)

[James]

I'm assuming the big deal is more that she's the first female director at the granddaddy of animation studios, and the first female director to have a film cross the billion dollar mark.