I'm going to take this week's "free write" to discuss basically the biggest box office story of the last year: Frozen. I still watch the song scenes on my computer from time to time. I am excited for Elsa, Anna and Kristoff to be appearing on Once Upon a Time in September. And who knows how much anticipation will actually be in store when the Broadway musical opens?
Frozen wasn't ever expected to be as big as it became. But thanks to critics who called it the best Disney movie in a long time, audiences listened. Thanksgiving brought in a record $93 million in five days, and the movie had the best legs for a movie since the 90's. It spent 16 weeks in the Top 10, and played in the local Short Pump theater for four months (playing for a little over a week after its DVD release). Even after that though, the film still continued to play. It topped Japan's box office for 17 weeks in a row.
But why was the film such a huge hit? The critical reception is only a small bit of it. The film was timely as well with the holidays (wintry theme). It also had memorable music, songs that no one could get out of their head (something that unfortunately Tangled or The Muppets couldn't quite nail down [though I would respectfully disagree with the general consensus]). There was very little competition in December. And, there was such positive word-of-mouth that there were repeat viewings across the board. Not even The LEGO Movie and Mr. Peabody and Sherman could slow it down late in its run (it would take another Disney movie, Muppets Most Wanted, to finally bolster it out of the Top 10).
So, the movie stands at $400 million domestically (5th biggest animated movie in history) and an astounding $1.25 billion worldwide (5th biggest movie ever in history, biggest animated movie ever). The soundtrack has been certified triple platinum. Let it Go won Best Song at the Oscars. Idina Menzel's name became something twisted, thanks to John Travolta. And within the next few months, the movie quickly got worked in to Once Upon a Time and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL (a celebration I wish I hadn't missed).
I saw the movie in theaters three times. Twice regular, one in sing-along. I have never been to a movie that many times. And while I can say Tangled, Lilo and Stitch, Oliver and Company and Bolt all are a bit better, Frozen still was a fantastic Disney movie (even though I've almost gotten tired of it after watching it about 7 times).
So, what else has Frozen caused? A massive sing-along at my sister's audition for a play. During a special event at my church, an 8-year old sang the heck out of Let it Go (not to mention others on YouTube, including an adorable one that had a younger sibling shout with her ears plugged, "I cannot take it anymore!"). There's probably not one kid out there right now that hasn't at least heard of the movie.
Perhaps even a bit of controversy? Frozen was slammed by a pastor a few months ago for a "politically correct agenda". This was expanded on by another blogger as well. But, while the controversy had me a little concerned at first, I then read an article on movieguide.org that really helped me understand that that wasn't the film's real purpose. The message on sacrificial love clearly has nothing to do with any type of agenda. And any visual hints at that are very poorly-portrayed at best, (if they are hints). Perhaps the strongest controversy has gone after the song "Let it Go", which contains lines that can, if taken out of context, be thought of as examples of that subject matter. But, as Paul Asay mentioned for Pluggedin.com, he believed the song was written to make people feel "uneasy" about the choice Elsa is making. Movieguide also proved that the rest of the movie is used to reject the purpose and attitude of the song.
And since Frozen, the box office for family films has struggled since then. Aside from The LEGO Movie and Maleficent, most animated movies have fallen short/far away from expectations. Sequels such as How To Train Your Dragon 2, Rio 2 and Muppets Most Wanted failed to get to their predecessor's level, and Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Walking with Dinosaurs and even live-action fare such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, were stinkers. I guess families were in need of a break from seeing a movie after this huge phenomenon.
That being said, it all comes down to this. If there's one movie in the last several years that has created this much of a stir, both positively and negatively, it is most certainly this.
