Frozen the Musical (Proshot) - Disney Plus - Review

‘For the first time in forever’

The snow stopped falling, Sven stopped running, the ice melted and Olaf stopped giving out warm hugs, all on 8^th September 2024 when Disney’s ‘Frozen the Musical’ closed up shop, the winter of Arendale making way for the summer of ancient Greece as Disney’s ‘Hercules’ swept in to take over. It was a surprise, for many, when it was announced that ‘Frozen’ with its ever-growing fan base, world famous musical numbers and globally adored characters, would close, as I believe that many assumed that it would run and run, but that is the business of the theatre industry I suppose. Things keep moving.

But thankfully, the world of ‘Frozen’ with its tale of sisterly love, the power to produce a snowstorm out of nowhere, discovery, truth and romance, didn’t disappear from our lives in its entirety, instead being saved forever in a delightful pro-shot, now streaming on Disney+.

Elsa (Samantha Barks from the start to the end of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane production), was born with the power to create ice and snow, but when she accidently harms her little sister Anna (Laura Dawkes) as a child, her one aim in life is to conceal it, to not let it show. As an adult, upon refusing to bless Anna’s wish to marry the handsome prince Hans of the Southern Isles (Oliver Ormson), the anger boils over and the residents of Arendale discover the truth as a snowstorm takes over and she flees into the mountains. The ever-optimistic Anna, determined to prove that her sister is not a monster, sets out to bring Elsa home with the help of ice selling mountain man Kristoff (Jammy Kasongo), a magically brought to life snowman called Olaf (Craig Gallivan) and Sven the reindeer (Mikayla Jade/Ashley Birchall).

Barks combines her famed powerhouse vocals with grace and elegance, becoming the picture-perfect Disney queen; a stoic exterior hiding the bubbling turmoil of fear and distress below the surface. Elsa is burdened by the trauma of having harmed her sister and blinded by the belief that the only way to stop it from happening again is to stay as far away as possible, and the character pulls at the audience’s heartstrings throughout. The act one finale, the world famous ‘Let It Go’ is breathtaking, featuring the genius transformation of silenced queen into powerful snow goddess, earning rapturous applause.

As the sweet wide-eyed Anna Laura Dawkes shines. The innocent, goofy, childlike approach to everything highlights her guarded and lonely childhood, trusting everyone and trying everything with little concern of the risks. In her West End debut, Dawkes more than holds her own with her more experienced co-stars, for example, Barks and Ormson, delighting in the act 2 duet ‘I Can’t Lose You’ with Barks, a new number added for the stage adaptation. She also showcases a natural flair for comedy, bouncing off the energy of Kasongo’s Kristoff and Gallivan’s Olaf.

Kristoff, played by Jammy Kasongo, is firm in his belief that reindeers are better than people and would seemingly be quite happy to get on with his simple little ice seller life. But Anna brings a whirlwind into his world, turning it upside down and he dives headfirst into the adventure with sarcasm, sass and a boat load of heart. Every Disney show needs the villain that the audience love to hate, and ‘Frozen’ has Hans, played by Oliver Ormson. Charm by the bucket load, a winning smile and the ability to persuade anyone to follow him, Ormson earns a gasp for the twist even know anyone who has seen the film knows what is coming. Gallivan’s Olaf is a clear favourite with the audience with the pro shot capturing the delighted giggles of the younger theatre goers.

The ensemble plays a multitude of parts, but I have to give a shout out to Jak Skelly, playing the role of Oaken, shopkeeper and lover of all things Hygge. He leads the act 2 opening number ‘Hygge’ with comedy, flair and a giggle bubbling away in his cheeky smile, a particular highlight.

Laura Dawkes as Anna and Jammy Kasongo as Kristoff

Laura Dawkes as Anna and Oliver Ormson as Hans

Disney Theatrical productions are famed for big, bold and beautiful, and ‘Frozen’ is no different. On stage, audience members would marvel at large ballroom scenes, special effects, ice jutting out from all angles and a seemingly never-ending bridge that reached from one end of the stage to the other. And whilst the filmed version does its best to capture every element of this magic, it would appear that it proved simply impossible to capture the vast Drury Lane stage on camera. Some dance numbers seem a little more compact and the ‘Hygge’ kick line lies on the cutting room floor, but something that the camera can do is bring you super close into the moment and the action. Close ups and new angles allow us to see the magic closer than we ever could before, see the emotion in Barks’ eyes as Elsa battles with what she believes is right, see every drop of glitter and bead in the exquisite costuming and see the wonder of Sven and Olaf in all their glory.

Whilst no camera could ever capture the true magic and joyful feelings of sitting in a theatre and watching ‘Frozen’ live, it brings at least a sweet and delicious taste of it all right into our homes, accessible and perfect for cosy family movie nights. Fans of the film will delight in seeing it all brought to life, with new musical numbers and special effects far beyond their imagination. ‘Frozen’, overall, has that timeless appeal, wonderful songs combined with a story that is full of love, heart and magic.