'Frozen,' movie review

New princesses are worthy additions to Disney's ruling animation genre, with deft voice work by Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell Princess Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, in Frozen

Title: 'Frozen' Trailer: Animated adventure about two sisters who must rescue each other. Directors: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck (1:48). Film Info: PG: Scenes of peril, crude humor. Area theaters.

Even parents who steer their kids away from passive princessery can feel helpless in the face of another character in the Disney canon. And Frozen offers us two new additions who just happen to arrive right in the middle of gift-giving season. So what a delight to report that while the movie is loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersens story of the Snow Queen, th ese royal damsels represent a step forward. Theyre in the girl-power spirit of Tangled and Brave. Filmmakers Jennifer Lee (Wreck -It Ralph) and Chris Buck (Tarzan, Surfs Up) cleverly embrace their heroines heroism at every turn. As the oldest, Princess Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) most wants to protect her little sister, Anna (Kristen Bell). Elsa was born with the power to turn everything into ice, an ability she cant yet control. Shes so fearful of hurting Anna that she avoids her , and everyone else, at all costs.

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The Duke of Weselton (voiced by Alan Tudyk) with Princesses Anna (2nd from right) and Elsa (voice by Idina Menzel)

Theres a spoiler coming, but better to learn it here than while sitting next to a 5 -year-old: The girls are orphaned as teens, and Elsa is forced back into the spotlight as Queen of Arendelle. She freezes her village by accident, is branded a wicked sorceress and banishes herself to the mountains. She plans to live out her days in miserable isolation. Anna, however, wont have it. As bubbly and fearless as Elsa is anxious and reserved, shes determined to find and help her s ister. She has some company in the form of a rugged mountaineer (Jonathan Groff) and a goofy snowman (Josh Gad), but she wont allow any distractions. Even a hard-won lesson in love and a sharp sendup of Prince Charming fantasies cant keep her down. Its a lovely story and mostly well-told. (Though we could have done without the pandering crassness of song lyrics like, Dont know if Im elated or gassy.)

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Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) in Frozen

As a bonus, theres even a witty short designed as a lost Mickey Mouse cartoon to precede the film. Whats crucially missing, however, is a hissable villain. Nor are there any memorable tunes, which is too bad given that Broa dway star Menzel is playing Elsa. And despite the 3-D animation, the overall visual effect warms the heart more than it dazzles the senses. Also absent? Any nonwhite characters. The studio ought to focus on addressing this persistent omission and soon. Smart and selfreliant, Elsa and Anna do represent a welcome upgrade to the princess parade. But until Disney more consistently reflects a wider range of young viewers, its family programming will feel regrettably frozen in the past.