Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[RUSCHE]

I think the only thing worse than no showing love for Frozen, would be hating on Kitty Pride or saying Hank Pym is the greatest super heroe character ever. I believe any of said would elicit a response from Jab.

[Jabroniville]

Haha, oh Lord, we knew this was coming. I remember how it took me forever to actually see Frozen, and pretty much every other time I interacted with Jab, he'd ask me "Have you seen Frozen yet?" Which as the above demonstrates, is actually Jab using a modicum of self-control and not asking me every single time. I think I strained my friendship with Jab because, after a few months of "Ares, have you seen Frozen? / Why haven't you seen Frozen yet Ares / Ares, you are literally missing out on the best movie ever", I finally watched it with my nieces and basically thought, "This is a pretty good Disney film". I didn't really get why it became the world wide sensation it did, but I could see why it was popular, especially with it's target audience, and thought it was pretty good. Not my favorite one by a long ways, but definitely not bad.

Jab was eventually able to forgive me to some extent for my comparatively low feelings towards the film.

Y-you told me you were impressed by my goddess’s pipes! Not that you DIDN’T THINK IT WAS SO GREAT.


Friendship: OVER

[Jabroniville]

Holy shitballs: https://www.thescinewsreporter.com/2018 ... d_rAFQ&m=1

[Ares]

Haha, oh Lord, we knew this was coming. I remember how it took me forever to actually see Frozen, and pretty much every other time I interacted with Jab, he'd ask me "Have you seen Frozen yet?" Which as the above demonstrates, is actually Jab using a modicum of self-control and not asking me every single time. I think I strained my friendship with Jab because, after a few months of "Ares, have you seen Frozen? / Why haven't you seen Frozen yet Ares / Ares, you are literally missing out on the best movie ever", I finally watched it with my nieces and basically thought, "This is a pretty good Disney film". I didn't really get why it became the world wide sensation it did, but I could see why it was popular, especially with it's target audience, and thought it was pretty good. Not my favorite one by a long ways, but definitely not bad.

Jab was eventually able to forgive me to some extent for my comparatively low feelings towards the film.

Y-you told me you were impressed by my goddess’s pipes! Not that you DIDN’T THINK IT WAS SO GREAT.


Friendship: OVER

Idina Menzel's performance is definitely the highlight of the film, but it's things like that and the treatment of relationships ("You can't marry someone you just met!") that elevate it to pretty good rather than it being an "average" Disney animated film (though an average Disney animated film makes it an above average film). I'm just not personally a huge fan, which isn't helped by the actions of some of the fanbase. There are terabytes of porn out there of the sisters doing some very unsisterly things to each other (some of which is probably on Jab's computer), and stuff like that just skeeves me out.

[Arkrite]

This means that fans have a THOUSAND questions about the plot, and even call things Plot Holes (though using that term when it's merely stuff that isn't explained is an annoyance of mine- like when fans whine about "How did Bruce Wayne- the smartest man alive- get back to Gotham after leaving that Prison?"),

To be fair, that version Bruce Wayne wasn't very smart. He threw sparklers at Bane. You have battarangs, bat bombs, and bat snacks. And you threw the party favors.
...
Ugh, I hated that movie.


Honestly I think a lot of the questions and odd gaps in Frozen are probably more to do with the fact that they kept rewriting the story.
Elsa was supposed to be the bad guy, the final villain... until she wasn't anymore. Considering the scope of the rewrites I think the movie holds it together pretty well.

I've seen on guy come up with an excuse for the sudden shift in personality of the hidden antagonist, and depending on how they'd want to go with a sequel you could easily answer a few questions while building a bigger wold with a hidden threat.

But I'm so cynical I just can't see that happening. ;~)


So question time, was I the only guy who assumed early on that Kristoff was supposed to wind up with Elsa? That whole thing about him loving ice and cold and stuff?
No?
Just me?
Huh.

[squirrelly-sama]

Elena of Avalore? Aw hell yeah! It wasn't my childhood but it was a good show, I put it on for my niece and nephew whenever they came by. But the songs, man they had some amazing songs. Gift of Night and Can't Catch Me of my favorites.

Oh thank God an actual comment, lol . I was thinking I was either gonna get a lot of "WTF? Come on, Jab" comments, or NOTHING. Though posting Ever After High and Monster High back in the day was actually good for some discussions.

Yeah, I was never much for the song sequences in these shows (having a "song a day" means they have to churn out a LOT more music, meaning a lot of it is filler), but Can't Catch Me was fun.

There's actually a solid number of villains with real powers on Elena, but I never really watched it with the intention of statting the characters up, and I doubt there's much demand for it in my thread, but some of the baddies have real power. The evil magic dude and the pair of crooks who turned into Malvagos, Shuriki, the Night Fairy, etc.- very potent baddies.

Sofia felt like it was KIND OF leaning that way, but ultimately they kind of lacked the ability to do real fight scenes- the show's animation is pretty low-key (VERY detailed, but limited movements), and the target audience so young, that proper battles were a bit iffy. Elena, meanwhile, had some FIGHTS. I did the builds right before watching Song of the Sirenas, which actually caps off the "Shuriki Arc", and MAN! I don't think I've ever seen Sofia shoot an evil witch in the GODDAMN FACE with a firebolt before! Mateo and the Evil Wizard had a hell of a fight, too, complete with wall-runs, blasters, and more.

I ended up building Marimonda, the villain singer of Can't Catch Me.

And yeah, the show's pretty good for something aimed at young kids, specifically young girls with it's female lead and breaking off from Sofia the First. I'd say it's like MLP but honestly, it reminds me more of the early 2000s era of Disney Cartoons when we had Kim Possible and Proud Family, the former mostly.

[Jabroniville]

FROZEN LIVE-WATCH:
* I always really liked the authentic Nordic chanting at the beginning- it kind of "centers" the movie was something mythical and magical.

* The Frozen Heart bit is arguably the most "out of place" part of the movie, but A) establishes Kristoff & Sven, and B) actaully mentions the theme about how ice is beautiful, powerful and dangerous, and how there's good things within it.

* The bit with the sisters is insanely cute- Anna as a toddler is so adorable, flopping all over her older sister, trying to get her to play. This is much better than the We Know Better song about the girls pranking people in the castle that was gonna end up here. This immediately makes us like both characters, AND serves the purpose of putting Baby Version Merch on store shelves (there's a reason why every Disney Princess is now seen as a baby in the movie). "The SKY'S awake- so I'M awake... so we have to PLAY..."

* And three minutes in, we already see Elsa's "Ice Magic" and accept it as part of their world, AND see the relationship between the sisters- Anna looking up to Elsa and loving her powers, and Elsa being more mature, but enjoying Anna's company and making her happy. Five minutes in, and we get the accident that sets the rest of the story off.

* Quickie Exposition with the King just knowing where they have to go already- you gotta show the Trolls because they come up later, and you don't wanna ass-pull that. It even shows the guy with icy-breath coming out of him in the old drawing, just to establish that ice powers AREN'T unheard of.

* "Born with the powers, or CURSED?" immediately establishes the recurring nature of these powers, so we're not left questioning them the entire movie. But the female troll just casually adopting Kristoff & Sven is very weird. They show him & Sven desperately trying to keep up with the older Sami men, establishing them as "outside" and uncared-for, but then... adopted by trolls? Okay then.

* The controversial stuff with locking Elsa away is at least shown well, if you think about it. Grandpabbie Troll mentions to Elsa that "FEAR will be your enemy", showing hateful people. The King ensures she can learn to control it, and reduces the staff, "limit her contact with people".

* Do You Wanna Build A Snowman? just ADDS to the movie's cuteness, and gives us another iconic song, which helps fight the "Only One Good Song!" accusations. I really love the bit where teenage Anna prepares to do the "Do you wanna...?" bit... but just walks away with a defeated "NEVER mind..." look. Like, with this unspoken gesture, you can feel the weight of all the rejections she's felt. Anna's loneliness, established through the song, also sets the stage for her character later, where she's desperate for contact and affection.

* Teen Anna's outfit here, and Teen Elsa's purple outfit, may be the only looks they've sported that didn't end up on dolls. Not that I... own any, or anything. Shut up, I don't.

* A "blink and you'll miss it" moment- Elsa bowing to her parents as they prepare to leave, with the BUTLER there, establishing that no, she WASN'T 100% isolated at all, nor was she always in her room. Hearing Idina Menzel's voice for the first time (about TEN MINUTES IN) on someone who's supposed to be eighteen is a little odd. Oh look- Anna's Mourning Outfit- another doll-less one.

—

* "Coronation Day", where everyone speaks in Exposition to estbalish things- "The Queen has come OF AGE!" "Our mysterious trading partner!" "They're finally opening up the gates!".
* Anna gets the greatest Establishing Character Moment of all time, showing her snoring, complete with bed-head and drool . Her being an utter goofball during For The First Time In Forever makes her insantly likeable as an adult, and mimicking the palace paintings is cute. And turning this great "I Want" song into a song of dread when it's Elsa's turn is a master-stroke. AND it lets Elsa show off those belting pipes, too. And then our Meet Cute starts, with Hans being all cutesy and awkwardly charming around Anna, who just blurts out insane things "No wait- I'm awkward. You're gorgeous- wait what?" is one of our first great lines. People LOVED that in the theatre. Anna staring at him like a dope for several seconds with the world's sickest grin is HILARIOUS, too. So many fun, understated moments in this.

* Elsa's coronation is a good bit, and shows how much force she exerts over this movie- basically without words, she embodies so much dread and worry- her tight-lipped expression as she holds the orb and sceptre, terrified that her powers will frost them up, is great.

* Elsa's tiny little loving "Hi" just says SO much. It's clear it's the first time they've spoken in AGES, and Anna's awkward reaction sells it. Then they share the "CHOCOLATE!" reaction, re-establishing their relationship immediately, and Elsa then pranks Anna (and gets out of a dance; something that she'd absolutely NEVER do) and puts her into the arms of the Duke of Weselton. Her smiling little "sorry..." is great. And then the sad moment where Elsa desperately wishes that "it could be like this all the time" (Anna's words), then has to give in and point out that it's impossible. Thus the temporary healing of their bond is fractured once more.

[Jabroniville]

* My sister totally LOL'd at the "You can't marry a man you just met" line from Elsa. The movie harps on it a bit more, but I'm surprised at how casually and quiet it's told here- I remember her voice being more stern in my head. She's actually VERY quiet during much of this scene, and you can really feel how hard she's trying to withhold emotion. And then her eyes well up with tears as a desperate, pleading Anna begs her, and utters "Then LEAVE".

* Elsa's being "outed" is of course a huge dramatic moment. You can practically FEEL her frustration, nervousness and her closing the door on everyone around her, and Anna needling her again and again finally sets her off with that "ENOUGH!", which reveals her deep, dark secret to everyone. 27 minutes in, and Elsa is exposed, and has an appropriately horrified reaction. Her powers turning the beautiful fountain into this hooked, crooked monstrosity is another great bit of scenery.

* This ENTIRE SCENE is actually very well-shot, with the camera pulling back RIGHT when Elsa unleashes her powers, the crowd immediately darting back, and all the main characters' faces being visible as they react to the ice. And THEN we get the close-up of a mortified Elsa, complete with a tiny whimper from Idina. And just as she's trying to close herself off completely, she walks STRAIGHT into the adoring crowd, which only makes it worse.

* Elsa freezing the entire fjord in one go is great- the sounds are actually very creepy and menacing. Anna leaving Hans in charge sets the stage for a lot of stuff later, and I like her "she's my sister- she would NEVER hurt me" as she vows to go after Elsa. Greatly ironic.

* And THEN... Elsa runs away with the entire movie. After watching her restrained emotions earlier, and her increasing dread and obvious discomfort at the party, she lets everything free. The secret's out, and she can now accept who and what she is. Jesus, is it any wonder why gay & trans people identified so strongly with this?

Just because I can no longer stop talking about "Frozen" than a Gargoyle can stop defending the castle, here's MORE:

Now I really need to see the movie. That has got to be the best 'I am supervillain' song I've heard since Dr Horrible.

---

And that leads me to a discussion of the intricate emotions going on in Let It Go, piece-by-piece.

From the opening, soulful moments, we see Elsa in her confining bodice and hairstyle- it's so tight and constrained that she can't even really fully WALK in it (one wonders how she got up the mountain so fast). She's of course fully into her depression from what's just happened. It's notable how she imitates her father a bit with the finger-wagging "be the good girl you're always MEANT to be!"

0:55
-She finally tosses off the glove (the other was torn off by Anna earlier, which revealed Elsa's powers), a symbol of what was holding her back. She's got the same soulful expression at first, but as soon as she sprouts off those little snowflakes, her face is full of "oh my god I can finally DO this and not worry about it!" and is entranced by the beauty of it. By the second little sprouting, she's totally happy. She engages in some childish playing (building Olaf, throwing snow around), and then whips off the cape- giving one hell of a coquettish, flirtacious look while she's at it. Okay, that's probably just Little Jab talking, and she's more mischievous than anything .

1:40
-She says goodbye to her old life by looking back down the mountain ("And the fears that once controlled me/can't get to me at ALLLLL..."), then gleefully creates an ice staircase. All of the "stomps" she's doing to create ice shapes seem to add to the concept of Elsa's rebellion, because of how non-feminine and ungraceful they are. Of course, her tearing up the Ice Staircase while she's creating it is her "Dash Moment"- that bit in The Incredibles when Dash finally unleashes his full speed for the first time, after a lifetime of- like Elsa- holding it back and revealing himself. Elsa does the same thing, growing more and more excited. I mean, look at her face. It's also a giant bit of eye candy. "No right; no wrong; no rules for MEEEEE... I'm FREEEEEEEEE...!"

2:50
-With the "I'm never GOIN' back- the past is in the PAAAAAAST!" comes her final bit of rebellion. She gets a stubborn, proud look at first, then she takes off her Crown with a bit of a sad expression, one final bit of nostalgia and guilt. Then she gets the most evil look she gets in the whole film- this kind of gleeful "HELL yeah!" smile of pure rebellion, and thorws the thing away.

3:00
-With the dress and hair change comes her final transformation into the person she truly wants to be. And CHECK THE WAY SHE'S WALKING! She basically goes Full-Marilyn Monroe at 3:15!! She's pumping her hips and stomping around at full vigour (something that was impossible in her old dress). I'm gonna frickin' pass out!

And in the final moments, she says "the cold never bothered me anyway!" with ANOTHER mischievious look! The undercurrent of "SCREW IT!" rebellion is all through the entire song, and it comes across as a combination of guilt, regret, nostalgia, childish glee (many of her actions in the thing are childish), rebellion and sheer "I'm not doing what I'm supposed to and I LIKE it!", beginning in a moment of weakness and childish vulnerability and then ending with stubborn strength. And THEN she slams the door, with the obvious metaphor of shutting the rest of the world out (the recurring Door Theme of the movie comes out again).

Just SO MUCH in one little 3:30 song. It's basically her Defying Gravity- not only is it still Idina Menzel but it's a song about screwing authority & convention and being who you are, with a distinct sense of rebellion and empowerment.

[Jabroniville]

Honestly I think a lot of the questions and odd gaps in Frozen are probably more to do with the fact that they kept rewriting the story.
Elsa was supposed to be the bad guy, the final villain... until she wasn't anymore. Considering the scope of the rewrites I think the movie holds it together pretty well.

I've seen on guy come up with an excuse for the sudden shift in personality of the hidden antagonist, and depending on how they'd want to go with a sequel you could easily answer a few questions while building a bigger wold with a hidden threat.

Yeah, there was a palpable sense of "ah shit, let's just get through this".

I remember Horsenhero commenting on the perceived plot holes, as well as a few other friends of mine (a friend has young daughters, and has now watched it MUCH more than I have- he likes to tease me about them). To me, it's no worse than the oddities in The Little Mermaid (she never tries to write anything to Eric explaining things, even though we've seen that she can write perfectly well) or Beauty and the Beast (he was HOW old when the Enchantress cursed him? How long was Belle trapped there anyhow?). I can't remember where I read it, but someone said you have to just accept certain things when dealing with a Fairy Tale-type environment. I mean, Elsa had exiled herself to a castle on the North Mountain... what was she gonna eat?

So question time, was I the only guy who assumed early on that Kristoff was supposed to wind up with Elsa? That whole thing about him loving ice and cold and stuff?
No?
Just me?
Huh.

I definitely recall a bit of that going on when the movie first came out- people suggesting that Kristoff was PERFECT for her, especially when he started nerding out over the ice castle.

[Jabroniville]

Haha, oh Lord, we knew this was coming. I remember how it took me forever to actually see Frozen, and pretty much every other time I interacted with Jab, he'd ask me "Have you seen Frozen yet?" Which as the above demonstrates, is actually Jab using a modicum of self-control and not asking me every single time. I think I strained my friendship with Jab because, after a few months of "Ares, have you seen Frozen? / Why haven't you seen Frozen yet Ares / Ares, you are literally missing out on the best movie ever", I finally watched it with my nieces and basically thought, "This is a pretty good Disney film". I didn't really get why it became the world wide sensation it did, but I could see why it was popular, especially with it's target audience, and thought it was pretty good. Not my favorite one by a long ways, but definitely not bad.

Jab was eventually able to forgive me to some extent for my comparatively low feelings towards the film.

Y-you told me you were impressed by my goddess’s pipes! Not that you DIDN’T THINK IT WAS SO GREAT.


Friendship: OVER

Idina Menzel's performance is definitely the highlight of the film, but it's things like that and the treatment of relationships ("You can't marry someone you just met!") that elevate it to pretty good rather than it being an "average" Disney animated film (though an average Disney animated film makes it an above average film). I'm just not personally a huge fan, which isn't helped by the actions of some of the fanbase. There are terabytes of porn out there of the sisters doing some very unsisterly things to each other (some of which is probably on Jab's computer), and stuff like that just skeeves me out.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA---? You DARE suggest that I would ever look at anything like that?!? How DARE you!! Why, I have a mind to... hang on... *deletes one pic from the planned images to post*... You are DEAD WRONG, MISTER!!!

And also: Dead to me. Confess that Frozen is at least Top Five or lose my friendship forever.

[Jabroniville]

I think the only thing worse than no showing love for Frozen, would be hating on Kitty Pride or saying Hank Pym is the greatest super heroe character ever. I believe any of said would elicit a response from Jab.

Hank Pym is the Frozen of sucking .

In a thought on Elsa I often wonder if the parents closing her off was a mistake on their part, The trolls advice was to help her learn to control her emotions because they were part of her powers but her parents in the nature of parents took the advice too far and insisted she shut herself off from the world, a case of good intent but bad judgement that led to Else being fearful of contact with others which leads to the climatic scene where she lashes out at Anna who doesn't understand her sisters reaction.

Yeah, I get into that with my builds of the King and a big commentary I have on the Trolls (I'm not simply re-posting- the Trolls and the Duke also get mentions this time around). The King, interesting, says he'll "Limit her contact with people" and then adds "Until she can learn to control it". It's simply that the control never came, and both father and daughter feared the outcome. And it's VERY CLEAR on the re-watch that fear controlled Elsa's life to the point where it was nearly always the impetus behind her powers going out of control. Only frustration & anger caused worse examples.

[squirrelly-sama]

I mean, Elsa had exiled herself to a castle on the North Mountain... what was she gonna eat?

Snowcones.

[Jabroniville]

So, Post-Let It Go:
* Anna is still searching on her own, and it's now daylight, so I guess the night has passed. Anna's horse runs off, leaving her covered in snow and alone (the trailer interjects a "REALLY?!?" bit when the snow dumps on her). And then by the time she finds Wandering Oaken's Trading Post... it's night again! A DAY has passed! And we get our first meeting between Anna and Kristoff, where he looks ultra-menacing (covered in snow and hiding his face).

* It really becomes clear how much of "Anna's Movie" this is and was intended to be- she is all OVER it, and nearly constantly talking and giving a running description of events. Kristoff here doesn't talk to her until 37 minutes in! Oaken gives us some comic relief, and addresses a "family" that may or may not be his (begging the question of whether or not the guy or the lady is the eldest). Kristoff gets his ONE SONG (a quick little joke, much of which is him putting on a "Sven voice"), and then Anna arrives, wearing her official "Winter Outfit", which is totally adorable. The black, blue, turqouise and dark pink all mesh really well, and make her the most well-covered Disney Princess by a ways. Her utterly unconvincing attempt at dominance with "We leave NOW... right now." is hilarious and super-cute- you can actually see the effort she's putting into "talking tough".

* Of course these two are arguing straight-away, with Kristoff being offended when Anna just plops her feet up- I love how casual she is, while he's this big grouchy stick in the mud ("WOAH WOAH WOAH, this is fresh laquer- seriously, were you raised in a barn?"). Kristoff's badgering her about getting engaged that day is pretty funny, as he just CAN'T LET IT GO (which makes some people think the movie harps on it a bit too much as a running gag, but it's really just Kristoff ranting about it). "Didn't your parents ever tell you about strangers?" *slowly looks him over, then slides to the side* "Yes, they DID"- heh. Really, this argument is hella-funny, and just keeps GOING, establishing their relationship right away. "EX-CUSE ME, SIR- he is a PRINCE!" followed by her growl of displeasure when he shushes her is great.

* And then the WOLVES attack, because it's a Disney movie and they're outside. Love love LOVE the argument that just KEEPS GOING- "Who marries a man she JUST MET!" "IT'S TA-RUE LOVE!" *wipes out a wolf with a guitar*.

* The animation of the snow is really impressive throughtout this thing, I have to say. Keep in mind they literally had to invent programs just to manage this- the randomness of it was set up on computer. Anna & Sven dragging Kristoff up while the "cookie-dough snow" piles up around him is a particularly tricky-looking bit.

* Kristoff considering just leaving Anna on her own is a neat character bit, as Sven "argues" with him, pointing out that Anna will CERTAINLY die if left on her own. It's a unique thing these days- the fact that Anna is in fact an impulsive, foolish person who has no survival skills is a plot point. I like how Kristoff is only persuaded by "You won't get your new SLED if she's dead!"- his dreary, cynical edge is missing from a lot of the post-Frozen media, really.

* And now it's the next morning when they find Elsa's castle! Which... really isn't in the movie for very long, considering how major a set piece it seemed to be. It would probably have been bigger had Elsa remained a villain. The North Mountain looks REALLY epic in this shot, though- Kristoff adjusting Anna's pointed finger is a good bit of direction. The "winter raindrop forest" is FANTASTIC scenery, too- it almost felt underscored at first, but Anna DOES mention it directly.

* Olaf, of course, has a legendary introduction. Being beaten up and torn apart, but being so casual about it, is kind of "dark" humor that lets him pull off the "Cutesy Sidekick" bit. It's crazy we're 45 minutes in before he shows up, too. My brother's favorite bit is Olaf's song, which is just so darkly ironic that it's hilarious. I love Kristoff's "I'm gonna tell 'im" and Anna's immediate "Don't you dare!" scolding. So cute.
* And now we go from the beautiful forest of frozen raindrops to this frightening image of snowy peaks with spiked icicles jutting straight out, as if in some ferocious windstorm. REALLY threatening. The little smirk Kristoff gets when Anna (continually being a dork, this time by trying to climb up a steep ledge by herself) leaps down--- you can see it happeninggggg...

---

* Anna entering the castle, and Elsa appearing in a beam of sunlight... now THAT is an entrance. It's not shot quite perfectly, though- you'd think a scene like this would be an iconic "New Meeting" between the two sisters, but it's shot from such a wide angle that some of the dynamics are lost. Though that's likely deliberate, as it symbolizes the gulf that still exists between the two. And Elsa being so happy and alone... but still trying to push her sister away, is kind of the signifier that Elsa's exile is NOT "all right" with her in the end. "I belong HERE-- alone." is done with this kind of sad little chuckle. You KNOW something's up.

* A reprise of For The First Time In Forever establishes their new status quo- Anna wants Elsa to return with her, while Elsa wishes for Anna to be in Arendelle, safe from Elsa's own power. "Please go back HOME- your life AWAITS" is done with this pleading smile. And Elsa's resulting breakdown as she discovers what her powers have wrought is REALLY good stuff- "I'm such a FOOL I can't be FREE... No escape from the storm inside of meee...." and a begging "Anna please you'll only make it WORSE!". And that the castle starts reflecting Elsa's mood just makes this more intense, as snow slowly trickles in from the mention of the eternal winter, and becomes a raging indoor storm around Elsa as she begins to panic. And then one final freak-out ("There's so much FEAR!") puts ice into Anna's heart. Elsa's horror at hurting her sister AGAIN is palpable. And soon she boots everyone out of the castle with a giant snow monster- as Olaf represents her desire for love, Marshmallow here represents her fear and desire to be alone.

* Once they escape Marshmallow, you can pretty clearly see Kristoff fall for Anna, smiling at her constantly and just sorta STARING. Though when he notices her hair turning white, she asks him if it looks bad. "... No." "You hesitated". Olaf is terrific in scenes like this- always undercutting the tension with something, but scurrying out of the way for the actual drama. And hey look- it's night again! That means it's been TWO days now since Elsa froze everything!

* The infamous Troll scene, which seems a bit out of place, but thematically fits a bit- it's a comedic bit in a film that's just gotten more serious, and provides some more character development to Kristoff- his weirdness and odd habits are shown to be hiding a more sweet-natured person. Plus the way he gives Anna that "... woah" look when he sees her decked out in troll garb. And RIGHT AWAY we zoom back to serious, as she nearly passes out, and Grandpabbie declares the "only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart" bit. I like how the trolls merely ASSUME that True Love's Kiss will work. And so Kristoff takes Anna back to Arendelle.

* Meanwhile, Hans and his men invade the Ice Castle, defeating Marshmallow while the Duke's two men try to kill the Queen. Elsa's powers are fully revealed here, as the ice intercedes on a crossbow bolt AUTOMATICALLY, and she nearly kills both men. Hans, thinking quickly, gets her to stop, then ensures a crossbow hits the chandelier, nearly flattening her. Very quick, but you can see him look upwards to make sure it hits.
* The timeline is a bit odd now, as it's morning in Arendelle, and Elsa, who was knocked unconscious, is now in the castle dungeon, while Anna still hasn't returned. Though really, being tossed off that cliff could put them ANYWHERE.

* And then... The Reveal. Hans kind of blurts out his entire plan, complete with the cliched response to "you won't get away with it!" with "I already have". Much has been made of how out of nowhere this was- it pretty much struck EVERYBODY in the theatres by surprise (even my build didn't give it away, even with so many ranks of Deception). Parts of it are tricky- his sweet smile to Anna when nobody was looking earlier; his assertion here that "NOBODY was getting anywhere with (Elsa)" even though he'd already had a Meet Cute with Anna, but most of it makes sense with some thought. Hans was playing up his "Sweet Guy" act right up until the end, and had basically trained himself to do so. And of course he made nice with Anna earlier, and then clearly saw Elsa being stand-offish at the party, so he moved on to Anna with ease. "You were SO eager", he taunts her. And then of course he leaves her to die in the room, gives some lie about saying their marriage vows, and sentences Queen Elsa to death.

---

* Olaf saves Anna, then gets the great "Some people are worth melting for" line. And of course points out that Kristoff loves her, and chides her for not realizing it before. Anna runs off to meet his kiss, while at the same time, Hans taunts Elsa over killing Anna. I like how he points out "Her hair turned white", which gives Elsa that moment of realization, AND makes her believe it, because Hans couldn't have known about that childhood incident. It's funny how the two comedic characters are exiled right in this scene, with Olaf blowing away and Sven getting stuck on an ice floe.
* Elsa's sheer sadness once again causes a massive "frozen ice field" effect (same as when her parents died), and Hans moves in... and in the movie's climax, Anna REJECTS Kristoff's kiss so that she can protect her sister, which is our REAL Act Of True Love. Anna's sacrifice thus pays off Olaf's statement ("love is putting someone else's needs before your own"). Elsa's shock and grief over losing Anna is INTENSE here, though- she just falls completely apart, collapsing on Anna's frozen body.

* And then we end things neatly. I LOVE Anna's cute little fist-pumping action, and the quick little "eyes darting back and forth" bit when she gifts Kristoff with a new sled. Both of these are now very common gif-based memes for a reason. Elsa discovering that "LOVE" is the key to controlling her powers seemed unexplained to me at first, but it's pretty clear that her emotions controlled her powers- joy let her control them, while fear caused them to lash out ("FEAR will be your enemy" was Grandpabbie's warning in the first place).

[Jabroniville]

Frozen was a great movie. I keep coming back to the brilliant How Frozen Should Have Ended video, showing how the advice of the ancient troll was completely misunderstood. And well.. I love the idea of Elsa of the XMen.

Yeah, that's a pretty good bet. The poor King is now just the most maligned character in the whole thing now .

[Jabroniville]

I mean, Elsa had exiled herself to a castle on the North Mountain... what was she gonna eat?

Snowcones.

Close enough, I suppose. Also, if you look at the movie, it seems like only 1-2 days have passed (it's possible Let It Go happened the morning after Anna & Kristoff met).