I’ve been biting holes in my tongue trying not to reveal the wonderful twists and secrets of this fantastic film!  Do not – I repeat – do not talk to anyone about the end of this movie before you see it.  Talk about a spoiler alert! (but there aren’t really any spoilers in this review)

Disney’s ‘Frozen’ in theaters Nov. 27

Frozen appears out of the gate to be another lovely fairy tale (I saw it in 3D, and the animated visuals were ultra-vivid), complete with princess-in-distress, the promise of true love and requisite obstacles preventing the latter.

Young sisters find themselves alone and forced to assume their royal roles before they’re ready.  Princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell, and surely the next Disney princess in your daughter’s collection) must find her sister, Elsa (Idina Menzel), and convince her to return to their village to break the icy spell that has plunged their beloved hometown into an eternal winter.

Olaf the Snowman meets Anna, Kristoff and Sven

It’s a supremely fun and visually magnificent adventure, with plenty of adult-friendly laughs in tow.   So many characters in this movie could be the standout favorite, but between the strong, intrepid females, the sweet and comical snowman, the very expressive reindeer (who looked suspiciously like an elk to me), the brave and capable mountain man, and the most memorable trading post owner of ALL time, I don’t dare choose.

But the real treasure of Frozen lies near the end of the journey.  I am dying to reveal it, to shout it from one of the sparkling spires atop Elsa’s breathtaking ice castle.  But again, I bite my tongue.  I will simply say if you have a daughter, take her to see this movie.  If you have more than one daughter, TAKE THEM TO SEE THIS MOVIE!

What I Loved: 

  Did I mention the surprise ending? BRAVO for this one, Disney!

  Olaf, the breakable/unbreakable snowman.

  Trolls, trolls and more trolls – I see troll stocking stuffers this holiday season.

  An unfortunate (but relatable) dance with the Duke of Weselton.

  A casual, clutzy, imperfect princess, who is perfectly at ease with herself.

  I wasn’t the only one appalled at the positively premature engagement!

  3D – you’d usually find this in the next paragraph since I’m not a fan of the effect, but this is one movie where it worked so well, I actually caught a chill in the snowstorm.

What I Didn’t Love:

 Why must all fairytales begin with horrible tragedy?  Is there no way to break that mold?  It felt like Bambi…again.

 A locked up princess…Tangled.

 Only true love’s kiss can break an evil spell…Shrek.

 I wanted so much more of the trading post owner!

 While I loved the game Kristoff played with Sven, speaking in Sven’s voice while he worked through issues, it really should have been revisited closer to the end of the film when Kristoff had to make his biggest decision.

 The songs were catchy and fit the movie, but I didn’t find them memorable.  My daughter disagrees, so I could be wrong on this one, but I don’t expect to hear many on the radio.

Frozen freezes up theaters on November 27, 2013.  A new-classic Mickey Mouse short, “Get a Horse,” will be playing before the feature. What does new-classic mean? You’ll just have to see it to find out!

Olaf the Snowman – oblivious to reality

Elsa’s frozen ice palace

The expressive reindeer, Sven