I'd personally have a really hard time choosing a favorite, if Frozen and The Croods are among the final Oscar nominees; both were gorgeously art-directed, full of amazing (and sometimes) unpredictable moments, and -- while each was a slightly 'mixed' bag, in terms of their plot and pacing -- ultimately, both were very 'satisfying' movies, overall.Vernadyn wrote:It's not the next Lion King, but I liked it. It's probably the best animated feature I've seen this year (though that's not saying much; out of the other ones I've seen, only Monsters University provides any competition. I haven't seen The Wind Rises or any non-US films yet).
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 surprised (and delighted!) me with some really 'fun-to-watch' rubbery cartoon-y animation, and its extremely imaginative 'foodimals' .. but its story just seemed really 'padded', in spots. Despicable Me 2 had several delightful (and funny!) moments -- and beautiful art direction -- but didn't quite reach the quirky heights set within the first film. Monsters University was rather fun -- and equally gorgeous, design-wise -- but, of these three sequels, seemed the most 'conventional'/predictable in its presentation and plot.
I missed-out on catching The Wind Rises during its 'Oscar-qualifying' run, last month .. but I've heard nothing but good things about it. I also haven't yet seen Epic .. but I do intend to, eventually..!
That opening chorale (which is reprised during a climactic moment in the film) is titled "Vuelie" -- and it is my favorite portion of the soundtrack, as well. There's a similar (but all-too-short) chorus leading into the coronation scene.Vernadyn wrote:The song that plays over the opening studio logos and the "Frozen" title gave me chills. It was as if the film was announcing to the audience, "This is an event. You are about to see something magical." The actual "opening number" that follows (which James accurately describes as "requisite" in his review) can only be a disappointment in comparison.
I liked all of the songs, personally; even Ashman & Menken's collaborations (or for that matter, the Sherman Bros') featured some variety in the styles of songs presented within their films.
Christophe Beck's score ties it all together quite nicely, weaving the songs' melodies into orchestral phrases at appropriate moments (the melody of that 'requisite' opening song -- "Frozen Heart" -- itself punctuates a dramatic event in one pivotal scene).