Robin Hood

Year:  2010

Filming:  Color

Length:  102 minutes

Genre: Adventure/Drama/History

Maturity:  PG-13 (for violence and sexual innuendos)

Cast:  Russell Crowe (Robin Hood), Cate Blanchett (Marian Loxley), Mark Strong (Godfrey), Max von Sydow (Sir Walter Loxley), Oscar Isaac (Prince John), William Hunt (William Marshall), Danny Huston (King Richard), Eileen Atkins (Eleanor of Aquitaine), Matthew Macfadyen (Sheriff of Nottingham), Mark Addy (Friar Tuck), Kevin Durand (Little John), Scott Grimes (Will Scarlet), Alan Doyle (Alan a’ Dayle), Douglas Hodge (Sir Robert of Loxley), Lea Seydoux (Isabella of Angouleme),

 Director: Ridley Scott

Personal Rating:  2 Stars

 

***

       After managing to survive Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Coster, I decided I might as well take a shot at Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe. I figured since the former depended on a California cult symbol dressed in Lincoln Green, mayhaps a New Zealander might cut a better wildnerness figure? It remained to be seen. I came, I saw…I sighed. Okay, who decided to call this production “Robin Hood” again?? 

    We meet our main protagonist, a common English archer in the army of King Richard the Lionheart, on a field of battle in France. After being accused on cheating in a betting game, he is brought before the king, who is a far cry from the traditional heroic depiction. Somehow or other, they get to discussing the justice, or lack thereof, of The Crusades, and Robin basically confronts Richard about the mass execution of Muslim prisoners at Acre. The king is none-too-pleased at the archer’s impudence, and has him and several of his comrades locked in the stocks. But when Richard is killed by a French arrow, Robin and friends manage to escape and head for the hills. 

     But as they are fleeing through the forest, they come upon an English knight who  is being set upon by Frenchmen, and nobly come to his aid. The knight, Sir Robert of Loxley, has been mortally wounded, and entrusts Robin with the crown jewels he had been carrying  to safety and his own sword to return to his father. Even though Robin is a deserter, and running for his life, he agrees to fulfil the man’s dying request. In order to do this, he takes on the identity of Robert of Loxsley and makes for England.  
 

    Upon returning home and presenting the crown to Prince John, Robin journies to the north and to hand over the sword to the dead knight’s father, Sir Walter Loxsley. While there, he also meets Sir Robert’s young widow, the formidable Lady Marian, and is compelled to continue his guise as Sir Robert in order to secure the estate from the greedy local officials. He also hassles with miserly churchmen who are carrying off the grain needed by the commoners to plan to pay tithes to the bishop. One gent named Friar Tuck is complicent in this, but is forced to change his policity at the point of Robin’s sword! 
 

    As Robin becomes proficient in managing the estate, he earns the admiration of Sir Walter, who practically adopts him as a son, and the affection of Marian, who never had much feeling for her late husband to begin with. Meanwhile, there are some very complex transations are going on between the royal courts of England and France, resulting in something of a political crisis as the French prepare to invade England and the English barons prepare to rebel against their own heavy-handed King John! Since Rob is the one who brought home the crown, he is selected to pressure the king into giving the people a “charter” to guarentee their liberties and loyalty. And as it is later revealed, Rob’s late father wrote just such a charter befor his death, only to be executed for his trouble, and the sword of Loxsley actually used to be his! 
 

    Cutting to the chase, the king and his noblemen agree to the concept of a charter and prepare to join forced to combat the invasion. The English and French have it out in an epic battle on the coast, and Marian shows up disguised as a knight to avenge the death of Sir Walter, who was killed off by a very bald Frenchman named Godfrey. In the process of this, she’ll need to be rescued by Rob, earning his “knight in shining armor” status. But no sooner have the invaders been driven back than King John reneges on his charter-deal, and declares Robin to be an outlaw for impersonating a nobleman (he knew??!!). Rob and Marian head into the forest, where they are taken in by a band of vagabond orphan boys (who decided to turn the Merry Men into the East End Kids?) and…and…we are assured by computer generated lettering at the end that “the adventure begins”!  
 

    Russell Crowe as Robin Hood is just as bad as Kevin Costner as Robin Hood – but in different ways. The Costner film stuck with the basic plot line, while trying desperately to make it hip (Californian accents, hokey witches, naked bathing sequences, galactic sword fights…the full treatment!). The Crowe film, on the other hand, threw out the plot altogether, and created a totally new entity – but for some unreasonable reason decided to cling to the title for dear life! There were moments in the film when I said, “Hey, it’s not so bad – if it wasn’t called ‘Robin Hood’”! But it was. Like in the movie King Arthur starring Clive Owen, the producers make a vain attempt to create an “historical” explanation for a legend, simultaneously mangling history and ruining the legend we all know and love.  
 

    I will admit that the acting overall was decent enough, although the main cast seemed terribly miscast. Russell Crowe might be great as “Lucky Jack” Aubrey, and Cake Blanchett as the Lady Galadriel, but they just don’t cut the mustard as Robin and Marian. Both are too dark, too heavy, too conflicted. The whole setting, while lush and haunting, lacks sparkle and charm that make the original tales so endearing. Some will insist that “Merrie England” never existed, and therefore should not be recreated. But it always has and always will exist in the heart and in the imagination. It is the rebel streak and sparkling wit and glorious romance that is so characteristic of the British nature, and Robin Hood personifies it. Again, if they had decided to be original, and the whole plot was just about this random English archer who takes the place of a dead nobleman and battles against the invading French, etc., yes, it might work to change the tone. But they didn’t, and it isn’t, which is sad.  
 

    Marian’s character is one of the more complex ones in the script. She is basically bitter over having to be a pawn in the world of men’s injustice, appealing to feminist types who thrive on this sort of storyline. On that subject, the female warrior gets a bit old hat, but if that’s what women need to feel valuable, I suppose they must inndluge! While Marian obviously has come to sincerely lover her father-in-law, her relationship with her late husband seems to have crumbled due to his long absence on crusade. But honestly, her measuring of marital worth seems to rely heavily on activity in the marriage bed as opposed to any deeper emotional attachment. When chatting with Robin about her past, she sums up her marriage by one “short but sweet” night in which they had sex. I can’t help but wince at this. Is that really what defines a marriage?  
 

    Even if my marriage had been similarly arranged and cut short, I would hope I might choose to remember something about the person as opposed to the body. If her husband was a decent man, and all references indicate that he was, can she not recall one fond memory of him? One conversation shared? One letter sent? One moment when she noticed the color of his eyes for his first time? Those are the things I would hope to remember, that I would find even the slightest bit romantic. To Marian’s credit, however, I will say that she doesn’t rush off on a fling with Robin and remains chaste even when he is pretending to be her husband. In fact, she is quite determined to keep him in line…and she sleeps with a dagger just to make sure! 
 

   As for historical accuracy qualms, the writers definitely should have scrapped all the silliness about his father penning the pseudo-Magna Charta. Come on, on-set historians…ever hear of Bishop Stephen Langton? Evidently the writers were too busy vilifying the clergy to a man – including Friar Tuck, the wine-guzzling bee-keeper hoarding all the supplies from the common people! Marian even gives up going to mass because there are too many hypocrites (not a very good reason, really…the Church is a hospital for sinners). Furthermore, the Crusades got short shrift, driven by the same unreasoning bias that permeated Prince of Thieves. Indeed, we can all agree that atrocoties were committed by both sides during the wars, but in what way does that invalidate the cause to free the Holy Lands from Muslim domination? Also, the portrayal of King Richard is basically that of a war-monger lunatic. While he was certainly a warrior-king, I don’t think anyone would call him crazy. 
 

    The music score in the film was fairly good, especially the theme played during the credits, although even that seemed rather confused and lacking the proper feel. There seemed to be a desperation to replace the notion of “Merrie England” with a Celtic Distopia. When Marian and Robin are dancing, the Irish song “Spancil Hill” is played, which is totally off geographically and come after the story by almost nine centuries! And will these people please stop trying to recapture the “Braveheart Moment”, with some awkwardly worded, would-be rousing speech about “freeeeeeeedooooooom”??? Aren’t there any other things to seek after in this world? An interesting tid-bit is Russell Crowe’s seeming inability to keep his accent consistent, sounding English sometimes and Scottish others. I think he was trying his best to sound Northern English, but it was said that when someone accused him on sounding Irish, he walked off the set in a rage! Oh, well. Anything to mask the New Zealand ork-accent, what?  
 

        Overall, this picture seemed confused as to what it wanted to be when it grew up! I'll admit that there were a few moments when I was actually enjoying it, especially the big battle sequence on the coast. Look out for the lush scenery scope, including the famous White Horse markes out in the hill. And there were even moments when I could have possibly warmed to Russel Hood and his sword (interesting inscription, in the spirit of the “real” Robin Hood: “Until Lambs Become Lions”). That having been said, the combination of historical and legendary innacuracy and wrong “feel” in general left a rather bitter taste in my mouth. As I mentioned in the review of Prince of Thieves, if you want to see good adaptations, try the ones with Richard Greene, Richard Todd, Erroll Flynn, and the cartoon fox!



Robin-sort-of-ish-Hood (Russell Crowe) rides with Marian Loxsley (Cate Blanchett)

15 Worthwhile Movies Commonly Watched at Christmas

The Nativity:

A little-known, but generally good adaptation of the story of the first Christmas. A few notable inaccuracies, as well as mischaracterizations, but also a tender love shown between Joseph and Mary and a good handle on Jewish cultural traditions. It is a reverent portrayal of the Divine meeting the Human, and the faith and hope brought about by the birth of a tiny infant in a drafty stable. Also, we get to meet three fictional agents of King Herod, sent to hunt for the child who ultimately come to worship him.


It's a Wonderful Life:

This classic needs little introduction. A man on the brink of despair, who has spent his life trying to better his hometown only to wind up bankrupt, is saved from suicide by his guardian angel. And as a bonus, he is given the oppurtunity to see what the world would be like without him. A glorious ode to the reality that every life, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is of inestimable worth.


A Time to Remember:

A simple production with a profound message, set in a 1950's suburbian neighborhood. Angelo Villano is an Italian-American boy who has a dream to be a great singer one day. His grandmother and parishs priest encourage him in his talent, but his father will have none of it, determined to "make a man out of him." After tragedy strikes and Angelo loses his voice, it will take a Christmas miracle to restore it and change his father's heart. This one get's me crying every time.


White Christmas:

Classic musical involving two former WWII soldiers who hit the road as entertainers and get mixed up with a singing sister act down on their luck. Trekking up to Vermont for a snow-capped Christmas, the foursome discover that there is no snow to be found. Nevertheless, they set about restoring the spirits of a retired general and his granddaughter, and making his mountain inn a center of holiday entertainment. Generally fun stuff for family viewing, except for a couple of riske dance sequences.


The Sound of Music:

Another all-time classic, not explicity Christmas, but often shown during the season! Governess Maria earns the respect of Colonel Von Trapp and the love of his rumbunctious troupe of children against the scenic backdrop of the Austrian Alps. Lots of memorable songs, a charming romance, and a touch of intrigue as WWII forces the colonel and his family to take refuge across the border rather than support the Nazi regime.


Seasons of the Heart:

A heart-breaking, heart-warming tale about a women struggling with the loss of her two golden-haired daughters to cholera on the Oregon Trail. Haunted by memories and angry at God, she becomes bitter and reclusive. When her husband insists that they adopt a recently orphaned boy named Danny, she finds herself annoyed at everything he does and unable to see how very much he needs her as a mother. But one Christmas night, she learns of the transformation that only the Chirst Child can bring.


The Christmas Box:

A couple and their small daughter move into the home of a reclusive elderly woman who eventually befriends the little girl. When the father opens a small music box in the woman's attic, he has a paranormal experience and vision of a ghostly little girl. Meanwhile, the woman tries to teach all of them the true meaning of Christmas, in the face of her own past heart-breaks. Again, another film that requires kleenex!


Christmas Eve:

A kind-hearted rich woman spends her life doing good for all those around her (human and animal). When she is diagnosed with a brain tumor, and given only a few months to live, she seeks to restore family unity by hiring a private detective to track down her grandchildren, all of whom have broken ties with their money-grubbing father. Her hope is to bring them all together of a final Christmas reunion. A bitter-sweet tale...also a tear-jerker (is this some trend...?)!


Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:

Fasten your sleigh-belts for the "real" story of Rudolph and his mission to the infamous "Island of Misfit Toys" with his companions Hermie the Elf (who really wants to be a dentist!) and Yukon, intrepid arctic explorer. Oh, yeah, and lest we forget the Abominable Snowman...well, I just gave him special mention! For Children of All Ages...which proceeds right into adulthood! ;-)


The Legend of the Candy Cane:

A widower and a spinster find love in the Old West with the help of a mysterious candy-maker who brightens up the town with his sugary treats. He also teaches the children about the legend of the Candy Cane, harkening back to the importance of Christ's birth. Plus, we get to meet a goat who's a afraid of heights! Delightful animation, music, and storyline.


Mickey's Christmas Carol:

Meet Donald Duck with a Scottish burr as our Scrooge, and Mickey as his long-suffering clerk, Bob Cratchet! Toss in a couple whimsical ghosts from Christmas Past and Present, plus a scary one from the Future, and it's sure to be a delightful Disney event! Who knew Dickens' tale would take on so many different visages over the years?!


Frozen:

Another film that needs little introduction, thanks to the flush of fan-dom surrounding it! Meet Queen Elsa of Arendell, whose magical freezing powers get out of hand on her coronation day and accidently lays an icy curse on her kingdom. But never fear: Princess Anna, her determined younger sister, is determined to bring her back from exile and lift the curse, with the help of the faithful mountain-man Kristoff, her beloved reindeer Sven, and the irrepressible talking snowman, Olaf!


Under the Greenwood Tree:

A delightful BBC Period Piece that goes through the four seasons in a small village during the Victorian era in Dorset, England. A young woman, Fancy, becomes the school teacher, and is courted by three different men: the worldly vicar, the affable  aristocrat, and the charming son of a mover. Will she follow the path to social prestige, or the longings of her own heart? A lovely Christmas section in the beginning, including traditional English Christmas Carols!


Little Women:

Louise May Alcott's classic story of the March Sisters, growing up, facing the world, and falling in love. Meet Meg, Joe, Beth, and Amy, four very different girls who live and love in the face of good times and bad, adapting to changes in different ways, but ultimately using New England sturdiness and Christian faith to help them overcome the difficulties of life. Some lovely Christmas scenes in this one, too.


The Lord of the Rings Trilogy:

Okay, so this isn't exactly my idea of a Christmas movie set, but I know some of my friends who make it something of a tradition. I will grant them that the movies came out during Christmas, and that it has been said that, in the Middle Earth calendar, Frodo supposedly set off on his quest to destroy the Ring on December 25. So, while I might not personally recommend it, if your family and friends who have come over for Christmas can agree on nothing but tales of hobbits, elves, dwarves, men, orcs, ring-wraiths, etc., I guess this is your pick! And I will admit it does have some deep theological significance, especially with regards to the corrupting influence of sin and the power of simple people displaying virtues of courage, loyalty, and especially mercy.

Merry Christmas from Movie-Land!

Frozen

Year:  2013 

Filming:  Color 

Length:  102 minutes 

Genre: Adventure/Animated/Family/Fantasy

Maturity:  PG (for fantasy action and some rude humor)

Cast:  Idina Menzel (Elsa), Kristen Bell (Anna), Jonathan Groff (Kristoff), Santino Fontana (Prince Hans), Josh Gad (Olaf), Alan Tudyk (Duke of Weselton), Chris Williams (Oaken), Ciaran Hinds (Pabbie), Eva Bella (Young Elsa), Liwy Stubenrauch (Young Anna)

 Directors: Jennifer Lee and Chris Bucks

 Personal Rating:  4 Stars

***

     Fads come and fads go, especially in the realm of the Silver Screen. Most are far less supercalafrajalistic than made out to be. However, there are a few that at least live up to the title “enjoyable”. Among them are Disney’s Frozen, a 3D animated spin on Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairytale, The Snow Queen. Although I can’t say this one stuck to the original script, it was a worthwhile entity in its own right, and minus a few ill-chosen remarks in the dialogue and possibly agenda-driven implications, I would recommend it as a fun holiday film to view during a snowy day. 

    Our story opens in the Scandinavian kingdom of Arendelle, where two young princesses, Elsa and Anna, are playing in the snow. This would be normal enough, except for the fact that Elsa is the one creating the snow inside the palace with her magical freezing powers, and Anna gets accidently zapped with an ultra-brain-freeze! The king and queen are naturally disconcerted, and immediately whisk Anna off to a troop of trolls to have the memory of her sister’s powers erased…which will somehow unfreeze her brain! Then they have Elsa confined to private quarters in the palace until she can master her icy powers.

    For years, Elsa has limited contact with anyone, including her sister Anna, who cannot understand the sudden separation, but continues to love Elsa and believe that Elsa loves her. After their parent’s death, Elsa becomes queen and must emerge from her seclusion for her coronation. At the same time, Anna get her first taste of first love, in the form of the tall, dashing Prince Hans. But when Hans and Anna decide to be wed immediately, Queen Elsa withholds her permission. The ensuing struggle of wills between the estranged sisters results in Elsa accidently revealing her icy powers, and the sinister Duke of Weselton convinces the people that she is a monster. In response, Elsa runs away from Arendelle, leaving a frozen trail behind her.      

    But Anna is determined to set things right be reconciling with her sister and convincing her to return and melt the ice. But first, she has to find her in the wilds of the mountains, with the aid of three faithful companions: Kristoff, the rough-and-tumble yet dependable mountain-man, Sven, he beloved reindeer companion, and Olaf, the magical talking snowman who “likes warm hugs” and longs for warm weather…er…yeah, he doesn’t know the harsh realities of a snowman’s life expectancy rate! But anyway, the dynamic quartet manage to make their way to Elsa’s new place of residence: a humungous ice palace, guarded by a humungous abominable snowman! 

    When Anna finally does manage to have a meeting with Elsa, she informs her sister that Arendelle has been frozen over. Elsa, still struggling to control her powers and terrified of harming anyone, is horrified by the suffering she unintentionally and unknowingly caused, but does not know how to undo the spell. Even though Anna insists that she should return to her kingdom, and that they can work it out together, Elsa angrily sends her away, against accidently shooting her with an icy ray that always emanates from her hand when she is upset. Although shaken, Anna insists that she is fine. Elsa, equally shaken, has them chased out of the ice palace by her abominable snowman guard.  

    Despairing of ever convincing Elsa to come home, Anna and Kristoff make their  way back to Arendelle empty-handed. But along the way, Kristoff decides to visit his own home so Anna can “meet the family” – a bunch of rocks that turn out to be the same trolls that healed Anna from brain-freeze when she was a little girl! Under the assumption that the two of them are an item, they make quite a to-do of welcoming her to their festive gathering, but when she feels ill and collapses, they are able to deduct that something is dreadfully wrong. In fact, her heart has been frozen by Elsa’s ice ray! The trolls inform her that only an act of true love can save her life, so Kristoff rushes to get her back to Arendelle and her “true love” Prince Hans who he believes can save her through a kiss. But things go a little differently than everyone expected as they search out what true love really means and how it effects us all.  

    I personally thought Frozen was the best 3-D Disney Princess film to date. The animation was quite spectacular, especially the panoramic shots of the charming Kingdom of Arendelle and the Scandinavian surroundings that seemed to leap out from a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale. Also, the formation of the ice castle was quite magical. Plus, the music really did branch out into something of a Broadway production, which was impressive for a cartoon. Tangled certainly started the trend of characters singing, Brave moved away from it, and Frozen came back to it with force. Also, beyond all this, the story really was a very good one, teaching some deep lessons about the meaning and power of love. 

    This is not to say it didn’t have its problems, because it did. Among them were occasional, unnecessarily crude language and gags (including references to urination and nose-picking) and rapid-fire humor that left one feeling out of breath. As I usually remark upon watching a “modern” cartoon, I don’t understand why they feel the need to try to force us to laugh instead of letting it all come naturally.  Also, there were several gaps in the plot. For example, how did Elsa get her magic freezing powers, and how was it that the trolls were able to heal Anna’s frozen brain by simply erasing all memory of her sister’s powers? Did the two sisters have any interaction at all after that point until their parents’ death? If not, who did have contact with Elsa all those years as she struggled to control her icy powers? Surely someone had to care for her!  

    The part that shocked me the most was when Hans revealed his true colors. I mean, I know it was supposed to be shocking but – couldn’t they have given us at least a little foreshadowing? With Kristoff entering the equation and the issue of “love at first sight” being brought up in a negative light, I think most of us surmised that Hans wasn’t going to be the leading man after all (at least, not with regards to Anna). But I thought he might wind up falling in love with Elsa instead, or otherwise just rather superficial and incapably of truly loving the way Anna needed to be loved in order to save her life.  

    But I never expected him to be a latent assassin or crown-snatcher! Honestly, I don’t think it was necessary to go that extreme! Besides, reading between the lines, I can’t help but get the feeling that the writers were going out of their way to completely obliterate any image of “Prince Charming” that might be lingering in the female subconscious. Now, I’m not crazy about charmers myself, and the “love at first sight” bit is usually a good recipe for disaster. But does that mean that all those exhibiting gentlemanly qualities are somehow suspect?

    It all goes back the way the upper classes are handled on screen in period pieces. Basically, according to Holly wood perception, the tendency of being attracted to dashing, well-dressed nobleman has been completely spun around to the point where it is a given that a dashing, well-dressed nobleman is bound to be evil. Beyond that, there is a notion that girls should never want to be rescued. While I agree we don’t always want to be (sometimes we can take care of it better ourselves!), that’s not always the case. Is the concept of a perverted “Prince Charming” invocating a liberal feminist agenda? 

   On that same subject, there are some who believe that there is a covert LGBT agenda running through the film as well, although I’m not sure I’d really agree. If it’s there, it’s far too light to detect directly…so why make a fuss? It’s been pointed out that Elsa has no male love interest (probably the only princess in Disney history not to have one…but considering her freezing problem, is that so odd?). I will admit that the song “Let It Go” could be applied to some sort of sexual liberation (especial with the reference to Elsa being forced to be a “good girl”), but really, it could mean anything. Indeed, Elsa is expressing only one phase in her journey, not the conclusion. She does not remain in her icy palace forever; she is brought back into the human race through the love of her sister, and this learning about love is what enables her to control her powers and save her kingdom.  

    But even if Elsa does not have a big love life (certainly not a crime in and of itself), Anna and Kristoff do make a lovable couple. She’s sweet and stubborn; he’s clever and stout-hearted. He’s also pretty funny, and knows how to tease and be teased, which to me is a very important trait. It’s obvious they have a chemistry from square one, and it was pretty easy to figure out they would be together in the end. But of course there was the question of what to do with Prince Hans. After Anna is struck by the icy ray, Kristoff is willing to give her up in favor of Hans who he believes is the only one able to save her life through a true lover’s kiss. However, when Hans betrays her, he rushes across the fjords to save Anna himself.  

    If Anna and Kristoff are a match made in heaven, Olaf is the best sort of third-wheel (well, fourth wheel, counting Sven…but the reindeer is not half as colorful as the snowman!). The comic concept of a snowman dreaming about the glories of warm weather is just hilariously incongruent, not to mention to erudite commentary at tense moments (“Hang in there, guys!” he shouts, whilst Anna and Kristoff are dangling from the edge of a cliff)!  But Olaf is not just hanging around for comic relief purposes. Actually, he has a profound role to play in teaching Anna about true love after she is ruthlessly left to freeze by Hans. Seeing her slumped in the corner shivering, he immediately begins to build a fire. When Anna tries to stop him, insisting that he’ll melt, he replies, “Some people are worth melting over.” (Aww…) 

   While Kristoff and Olaf are certainly important elements in the revelation of love, the relationship between Anna and Elsa takes priority. Even though Anna had seen barely anything of her sister for years, she has enough memory to know that she did indeed have a fond relationship with her sister in their youth, and she continues to believe they could have the same sisterly love again. It is this belief, this inner knowing, that inspires her to save Elsa by throwing herself in front of her and taking the blow from Hans’s sword. At the same time she freezes, and her icy hand smashes the blade. Through this act of true love, she saves both herself, returning to life, and Elsa, who finally understands that love is the only way to conquer fear and melt the ice encrusting Arendelle.  

    So overall I give Frozen a good rating. Some would even say that it has some Christian allegorical overtones, although I would probably just stick with saying it has a sturdy moral backbone. Even though it carried touches of liberation theology here and there (I can do what I want to do because…I can do what I want to do!), I think the plot successfully worked out the trouble spots and taught that we do have a calling to show true love to one another, and never to settle for giving or receiving second best. That being the meaning of Christmas as well, I suppose it makes a very appropriate holiday flick at that!

Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) rides in a sleigh with Anna (Kristen Bell)