In theaters Friday, March 13
3 stars (out of 4 stars)
By now, you, every kid you know, and your kooky neighbor with all the cats, has let it go. But after 239 viewings of Frozen, even Olaf the snowman’s shtick gets cold. I mean, old. So open the palace doors and rejoice! A new short film, titled Frozen Fever, will be released in theaters on March 13. (It plays before Disney’s full-length Cinderella movie). Here’s one fact for each minute. That would be seven in all.
1. The ice woman cometh! Yup, Idina Menzel (Adele Dazeem jokes are sooooo March 2014) returns to voice Queen Elsa. And her personality has warmed up considerably since the days when she was taught to conceal, don’t feel. Kristen Bell (Princess Anna), Jonathan Groff (Kristoff), and Josh Gad (Olaf) also reheat their vocal pipes.
2. There’s time for an actual plot. Kinda. It’s Anna’s birthday, and Elsa wants to throw her the perfect celebration. But plans change after big sister falls under the weather.
3. Hold on to your mittens: We have a brand-new song. Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have composed a fresh ditty, titled “Making Today a Perfect Day.” It’s not quite as catchy as you-know-what, but it is bright and fun.
4. Do you want to build a snowman? No? Okay, would you rather watch dozens of snowmen wreak havoc? Every time ailing Elsa sneezes, she a-choos out a flurry of Olaf mini-mes. They’re frigid, adorable and mischievous.
5. Sinister Hans (Santino Fontana) would have lorded over a kingdom if it weren’t for those meddling kids. Fear not, he’s getting his comeuppance.
6. Nods to the original are cleverly dotted throughout the film, from sandwiches to Anna’s bed head to Marshmallow the snow creature. And the Easter eggs are hidden in plain sight so your 2-year-old niece will notice them and be delighted.
7. It’s too short! Seven minutes is such a tease. Just five more minutes would have this a perfect winter treat. The running time of Frozen never bothered us anyway.
