Frozen review

Disney's 53rd animated movie sees the studio going 'full Broadway' with an all-singing, all-dancing take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Following in the footsteps of Tangled (a little too closely at times), Frozen delivers plenty of thrills and laughs, while eschewing the traditional 'love-conquers-all' message in favour of an empowering tale of the joys of sisterhood.

Picture: CG animation frequently delivers top-notch eye-candy and Frozen is no exception. With its crisp clean lines, sharp delineation, meticulous detailing and striking colour, the Blu-ray's AVC 2.40:1 1080p transfer is a flawless reproduction of the source material. And to crown its success, Disney's tech wizards have also banished any encoding-related issues, such as artefacting, banding or aliasing.
Picture rating: 5/5

Audio: Not only do the film's musical numbers sound every bit as big, bold and expansive as you'd expect, but Frozen's DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack also delivers a tangible, three-dimensional soundscape. So, whether it's the Oscar-winning song Let it Go, the booming bass accompanying the footsteps of a giant snowman or the creaking ice surrounding you inside the ice palace, this magical mix conjures up an enchanting acoustic experience.
Audio rating: 5/5

Extras: Following the example set by Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, this Blu-ray release of Frozen appears to confirm that Disney has all but given up creating meaningful behind-the-scenes material for its animated features.

The only extra of any real depth is the seven-minute featurette D'frosted: Disney's Journey from Hans Christian Andersen to Frozen. Here, the filmmakers discuss Walt Disney's attempts to make a film based on The Snow Queen, before joining legendary costume designer Alice Estes Davis to look over a series of illustrations by her late husband (Disney animator and 'Imagineer' Marc Davis) for a Snow Queen theme park ride that was never made.

Also included are a quartet of deleted scenes (with optional intros by the filmmakers), four music videos (the same song – Let it Go – by three different singers in four different languages), the original teaser trailer and the new Mickey Mouse theatrical short Get a Horse!

But just to rub salt into the wound regarding the lack of a commentary or behind-the-scenes documentary, this meagre selection of extras is capped with a jokey three minute musical segment called 'Making of', which repeatedly asks how the film was made, only to answer that nobody knows…
Extras rating: 1/5

We say: Another animated gem that boasts stunning AV on BD. But is it too much to ask for some quality extras?

Frozen, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, All-region BD, £25 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 3.5/5

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