'Frozen' fascinates

Disney has never been wholeheartedly into feminist animated films. That isn’t to say they haven’t created and animated strong, complex women. I would count numerous Disney heroines among my favorite film characters of all time.

But, because tradition holds true, the princess is always beautiful and usually on some sort of journey to gain the love of a man. However, this isn’t the case in “Frozen,” the 53rd animated film in the Disney canon.

“Frozen,” which is computer-animated in the same vein as “Tangled” rather than hand-drawn like “The Princess and the Frog,” instead focuses on the complicated relationship between two sisters named Anna and Elsa.

Elsa has the magical ability to create snow and ice, but her powers accidently injure Anna when they are young, and Elsa hides her gift from the world, and herself from Anna. As Elsa comes of age to wear the crown, she accidentally releases her powers and covers her kingdom in an eternal winter. Elsa flees to the mountains, and Anna sets out to get her sister back and reverse the eternal winter.

Because it is a Disney film, there are plenty of hilarious sidekicks to meet along the way and a couple of hunky guys to accompany our heroine, Anna. Olaf is a snowman who dreams of summer, Kristoff is a blonde and bulky ice trader, and Sven is his adorable reindeer.

But “Frozen” keeps the focus on Anna and Elsa’s relationship. Mending their sisterly bond is always at the forefront, and the romantic subplots have to play second fiddle. What makes the film so much fun is its deviation from the typical Disney formula of “girl meets boy.”

The film is also unabashedly styled in the fashion of a big Broadway musical with occasional sung dialogue and an array of truly show-stopping tunes. Most notable is Elsa’s power ballad “Let It Go,” which is far and away the frontrunner for the Best Original Song Oscar next year.

Disney rarely has a misstep, but “Frozen” is gorgeously filmed, and its progressive animation is a return to form we haven’t seen since the 1990s. It’s not hard to imagine it being the next generation’s “The Lion King” or “The Little Mermaid.”

Yes, it’s that amazing. Go see it now, and revel in all its magical wonder.