Tuesday 5 December 2017

Review: Olaf's Frozen Adventure





Olaf's Frozen Adventure
Cert: U / 21 mins / Dir. Stevie Wermers-Skelton / Trailer



As much as I rather enjoyed the new Olaf's Frozen Adventure, I can't help but think that after the undue fuss surrounding the Frozen Fever short from 2015, and this similar hubbub two years later, it'd be nice if the powers that be just cracked on and made a proper sequel to one of the most enduring Disney films of recent times. And with another two years to go, I can't help but wonder how much more padding we'll be subjected to in the meanwhile.

But, as I said, that's not to take away from what is a fun little outing for Olaf the ostentatious snowman, in a production which I'm fairly certain was working-titled 'The Josh Gad Show'. As our diminutive hero patiently waits through a brief setup, he's then cast upon a singing, dancing quest to collect Christmas stories and traditions from the townspeople of Arendelle, with asides and sight-gags thrown into every other shot. I've made it sound dreadful of course, but fans of Frozen should find it enjoyable enough.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure recreates the fun spirit of the original, but not the soul (although every single frame of this contains more sincerity and love than the entirety of some other Christmas films I've seen this year). And while it would be tempting to point to the 21-minute runtime as a factor in this, bear in mind that Disney frequently produce 5-6 minute shorts to front-end their movies with every bit as much emotional punch as their feature-length animations.

And speaking of animation, this is a superb-looking piece of work. The texturing is photorealistic in its detail and depth, and although the models themselves remain stylised, the visuals have now pretty much removed the high-contrast 'black cartoon lines' of the artwork.
For this reason alone, it's worth hunting down on a big screen.

+ + + + +

Olaf was the warm-up feature of course, like we used to get in The Old Days. In the UK, Disney's new short is being packaged with a re-release of 2013's Frozen (whereas US markets are getting it in front of Coco, which I'm now desperate to see). But since they were both under the same BBFC card, you only get one review-post I'm afraid ;)

Truth be told, I don't have that much to add to my original thoughts on the film, other than to say that my 5/7 score seems inadequate for a movie this good*1. From the opening sequence, its scope is far greater than the (admittedly sweet) featurette which it follows, borderline operatic in tone and symphonic in its recurring themes and motifs (although the story's classical roots lend themselves to this).

Much like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frozen is a much better musical than it's given credit for. And sure, the songs annoy a lot of parents*2, but they're annoying because they're catchy and they're catchy because they're crafted by experts. Kristen Anderson and Robert Lopez are award-winning songwriters for Broadway and Hollywood, and if their work doesn't infuriate you on some level you're not paying attention. But I digress.

Frozen is great; you don't need me to tell you that.

And for the record?
Elsa is totally Dr. Manhattan.*3



So, watch this if you enjoyed?
Frozen, pretty much.


Should you watch this in a cinema, though?
You'll be lucky if you get the chance, but if you're a fan of the series - yes.


Does the film achieve what it sets out to do?
…keep the brand ticking over while the mice pound away at a sequel? Pretty much.


Is this the best work of the cast or director?
I wouldn't go that far.


Will I think less of you if we disagree about how good/bad this film is?
Not at all.


Yes, but is there a Wilhelm Scream in it?
No. Bah.
Although that hawk-screech is in it
.


Yes, but what's the Star Wars connection?
Level 1: The star of the show here is the voice of the Controller from an episode of Star Wars Rebels, while full movie features the guy behind K-2SO.


And if I HAD to put a number on it…


*1 I don't think Frozen is a 7, but it's definitely a 6. Still, I'm not going to rebadge the score now. I've only done that for one movie before. Besides, I'm marking Olaf's Adventure here, not Frozen. No, you're living rigidly by a set of self-imposed, arbitrary rules which no-one else has even noticed… [ BACK ]

*2 And sure, not being a parent I've never had to endure a car journey with youngsters singing along badly from the back seat. If anyone's going to howl out of tune with a movie soundtrack in my vicinity, it'll be me, thank you very much… [ BACK ]

*3 Also, I am completely convinced that the snow-monster's bellow of "Don't come ba-a-a-ack!" is a direct reference to the demon-voice at the start of Slayer's Hell Awaits. Imagine what fun it is to live in my head... [ BACK ]

DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.

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