Frozen

Things are getting Christmassy. If television adverts are to be believed, it has been Christmas for about three months but, finally, it's acceptable to be in a festive mood. And what better way to do so than by popping down to your local cinema and enjoying a Yuletide flick. As you may have guessed from the title, Frozen offers the perfect winter wonderland for children and plenty for the grown-ups too.

Disney's animation output has been rather hit-and-miss of late. Cars 2 suffered from a poor storyline, Brave soared with its female protagonist but Monsters University failed to live up to the standards set by its predecessor. Frozen, however, is a genuine and entertaining film, and is one of Disney's best in recent years. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Frozen sees the headstrong Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) team up with ice salesman Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) in search of her sister, Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), who has banished herself from the city of Arendelle after accidentally causing an eternal winter as a result of her icy magic powers. On the way, we meet the talking snowman Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) who charms and delights in equal measure. Frozen is most certainly a children's film and has to be judged as such. Disney has always been a leader in children's entertainment and Frozen will certainly enchant younger generations for years to come.

The animation in Frozen is beautifully realised and creates a winter world which will captivate children, as will the characters which are full of personality and appeal. Olaf, the magical snowman, was a personal favourite with his eccentric one-liners and delightful ignorance of just what a summer would mean for him. The two sisters at the centre of the story share a nice chemistry which drives the emotional side of the story, as well as Anna's search for love. This is a film with real heart. I saw the film in 3D (and it was my friend's first experience of the medium – she was, unsurprisingly, not very taken with it) and I'm sure it will look just as beautiful in 2D.

In terms of the screenplay, the whole film is expertly-paced and never drags: indeed, the opening exposition races through Anna and Elsa's childhood at a pace which would make an Olympic bob-sleigh team look sluggish. This is to the film's benefit as it allows the audience time to engage with the central message of the film early on and thus allows a real empathy to emerge with the characters. The film has several musical numbers, all of which will have children dancing along in their seats and adults enjoying the lyrics. At times, the whole thing did begin to feel like a Broadway show (a result of, I think, Idina Menzel's distinct – but powerful – vocals) but the songs were, nevertheless, very catchy.

Frozen is a delightful, captivating and refreshing Disney film which, I believe, will become one of its Christmas classics. It has everything that children will love: trolls, ice palaces, reindeer, princesses and magic (as well as enough material for adults to engage with as well). You'd really have to have a heart of ice to not enjoy it. 

Clapperboard Rating: * * * *