Well of Death

I would spend upwards of 20 dollars to see this in person.

As best I can tell, they build a big wooden circle (the well) on the fair grounds. They then drive cars and motorcycles, which mostly seem to be at least 15 years old and held together by regular reapplication of tape, along the sides of the well at a full 90 degrees from the normal orientation. They let people stand and sit at the top of the well, and they even let them hand money to the guys driving the cars and motorcycles. And did I make it clear that there are multiple vehicles on the walls at any given time, and the drivers don't maintain the standard driving posture?

In a word: Awesome!

There's probably something legal that prevents this kind of thing from happening in the US. I kinda wish that wasn't the case.

One element that I find especially enchanting is the wear and tear of the well. It's been used extensively, just like the vehicles. It has a kind of vintage feel that I like. I also think that is increases the sense of danger. For all I know the wooden boards could fall apart at any moment.

I don't know that I could ever convince myself to do that, even in a car that was new, but I would happily pay to watch these guys in action.

Frozen: A Commentary in Seven Posts (Seven)

Not as Good as Everyone Says?

Sadly, now that I've made it to this point, I don't know that I actually want to make an argument against "Frozen."

When I started this project I thought I had much more to say that was negative about the movie. I was a bit negative, perhaps, because other people seem to be unequivocally positive whiteout generally providing a critical analysis. At this point, I think I only like the film better than ever for having put it under seven straight days of scrutiny and contemplation. Despite the flaws that I have enumerated in the past week, it really is a charming film.

Here's what my real complaint is: I don't think it is good for the reasons it was supposed to be good, and I do think it was talked about for exactly the reasons it was intended to be talked about.

Here are some reasons people love it:
Disney-People love Disney
Music-People love music, especially when major Broadway musical stars (who sing inspiring songs in people's favorite OZ universe musical production) sing inspiring and powerful songs with a main purpose of winning an Oscar and a secondary purpose of giving a character a non-fulfilling declaration of newfound purpose. Not gonna lie, that sentence probably got away from me, and it might not all be true.
Sidekicks-People like fun sidekicks, and Olaf might be one of Disney's best.

Here are some reasons people were supposed to love it, but probably just talk about because it was expected:
Focus on sisterly and not romantic love
The big twist about the prince

That's actually all I can think that people have talked about since it came out…

Things people could have talked about much more:
Increased sophistication of the animation
Shared universe possibilities with "Tangled"

In summary: While "Frozen: will certainly go down as Disney's most successful film and beloved in recent years, I do not think that it will be remembered as their most skillfully rendered story, nor greatest on-screen couple. It will probably be remembered for making a specific statement about Prince Charmings.

PS-Here's some things that I wanted to share but never really fit into the greater whole:
I like the theory that one of my friends provided that Rapunzel's mother and Anna and Elsa's mother are sisters, thereby linking the two royal families.
The new animation style is heralding the new wave of Disney princesses, which is currently a party of three, although some say that Elsa is a Disney queen and not princess.
None of the non-villain leading men in the new wave have been princes.

Frozen: A Commentary in Seven Posts (Six)

Character Developments

This post might have a slightly misleading title. It's supposedly about character development, but it might be more about the lack of character development in the film.

Yesterday's post was focused solely on the character of Elsa, so I don't feel a great need to discuss her character arc in this post. However, a brief retracing of her's will set the pattern for everyone else.

Elsa-
Start of the film (as an adult, not as a child): Self-confining, shy, nervous, nice.
End of the film: Confident, dressed…differently, supposedly in control of her power.
How she got there: I actually don't think there was a lot in the film to warrant her transformation.

Now I will address the other main characters, specifically those in the picture above.

Anna-
Start of the film: Outgoing, concerned about her sister, convinced in true love.
End of the film: Outgoing, concerned about her sister, probably still believes in true love.
I don't see much growth in her in the film. I could just be more focused on Elsa, but I really don't think that Anna has many different opinions or motivations at the end of the movie. The biggest change I notice is the guy she is interested in.

Hans-
Start of the film: Prince Charming
End of the film: The Villain
This is probably the most drastic transition. However, as this is actually based on the facade that he presented for the first 3/4 of the film, he might not have actually made any kind of substantial change. By the end he is still motivated by the same impetus that he started.

Kristoff-
Start of the film: Ice merchant, head on straight, action oriented
End of the film: Ice merchant, a bit silly in his way of expressing affection to someone he just met
I'm tempted to call his net development a negative. His lack of taking action towards the end of the film is not especially satisfying to me.

Sven-
I feel that he is basically a stalwart rock to all the other characters in the film.

Olaf-
Start of the film: Lovable snowman, odd sense of humor (almost gallows humor)
End of the film: Lovable snowman who understands what love means, accepted other people as friends, aware of the dangers of warmth
Olaf mostly goes through a intellectual development. I would say that his character remains true, but his knowledge of the world increases.

I'd like to just end this here. I'll admit that this might be my weakest post on "Frozen," but it is what it is. I figure that one loser out of seven is still enough for a winning team.