Frozen Fever

Given that there's still massive Frozen hype (which is admittedly getting annoying & obnoxious now thanks to Disney completely exploiting it even though I love the film), it's no surprise that they'd do something resembling a sequel while taking advantage of said hype! Once again directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee along with actors Idina Menzel, Kristin Bell, Jonathan Groff & Josh Gad and composers Robert & Kristen Anderson-Lopez returning, can this live up to the Frozen phenomenon, or is it as bad as getting a fever? Let's let it go & find out!

Story: The short is pretty much all about Elsa trying to give Anna a perfect birthday as she never really had a proper one growing up while Elsa has a cold & inadvertantly causes havoc for Kristoff & Sven as snowgies form every time she sneezes & they are all after Anna's birthday cake. It's pretty simple & it did entertain me, but I had a few issues. While there are some fun & heartwarming moments here & there, it really doesn't live up to the film given that it's too simple & the set-up of Elsa having a temporary cold doesn't really make it feel like there's a massive conflict. Also, it would constantly contain gags & (admittedly funny) jokes throughout which would call back to the movie which doesn't really help with the huge hype it's gotten & it makes it feel less like it's own thing (although it does contain one surprising & funny cameo). The short is almost the whole way through shown through the song Making Today a Perfect Day, which is pretty catchy & fun, but it isn't as memorable as the songs from the movie (doesn't really help Elsa sounds drunk from the halfway point making it sound annoying). It's definitely not bad at all, but it really doesn't live up to the huge obnoxious Frozen hype.

 

Animation: The animation is of course fantastic given that it's Disney & that they mastered computer animation 5 years ago. The attention to detail is still amazing from the glitter on both girls' dresses, the steam in Oaken's cameo or the backgrounds in Arendelle & the texturing is also great on food like Anna's ice cream cake, paint Kristoff uses to make the birthday sign & of course, snow again despite it's limited appearance this time round. The character animation is also well done again & is now much more creative compared to the film thanks to the snowgies as they mostly act as a group although they move well individually regardless. I also liked seeing the colourful look as it takes place in summer & I also enjoyed seeing Elsa wearing a new dress given that we've seen her wear the same blue one almost all the time. The only issue I really have is that there's nothing new in it, in particular the location as we go to the same places we know well in Arendelle including the courtyard, clock tower & castle & it doesn't have that large scale as a result. The animation is still really really well done, but is not quite on par with the grand scale or diversity with the film.

 

Characters: In this short, Elsa could qualify as the main character as she's the one trying to make everything perfect for her sister's birthday despite her cold, but that really doesn't give her (or Idina Menzel) a lot to do other than sneeze & act delirious & she is nowhere near as developed as in the movie. Anna still has her fun & goofy personality along with worrying about Elsa & her cold, but she's still really likeable throughout along with the adorable Kristoff doing his best to avoid the snowgies getting her birthday cake. Sven the reindeer is still loyal & funny with his slapstick & Olaf is also still very funny thanks to Josh Gad's funny performance once again & there are some nice cameos from minor characters from the movie like Oaken & Marshmallow the giant snowman living in Elsa's ice palace. The snowgies, while having a cute design, also feel like a marketing ploy similar to how Olaf was & reminded me a bit too much of characters of this type like the Minions from Despicable Me or the Gremlins. Although none of the characters are that developed, it's nice to see them back in something new along with their memorable personalities.

Frozen Fever may not live up to the Frozen hype, but it's not bad at all with some funny moments, great animation & the same loveable characters. And as for my thoughts on the Frozen sequel being announced...didn't Once Upon a Time do that already? All I will say is don't come in all hyped up because it's only 7 minutes long & I don't like that this is the big attention grabber instead of the main presentation as there is absolutely no point just going to watch this & leaving before the movie starts (as I've heard stories of people walking out the moment it's ended) & I find this very unfair because Cinderella is what should be the main focus & is a great movie! Anyway, Frozen fans will definitely eat this up & as for the rest, it is entertaining, but the rest annoyed by the hype i.e disgruntled parents with kids listening to the soundtrack & watching the movie over & over for the past 2 years, you'll just have to grin & bear it before the main presentation.
Story: 6/10
Animation: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Overall: 7/10