'Frozen' (PG) - Once upon a classic

Once upon a time the folks at Disney produced timeless classics, enchanting but with a dark edge.

Perhaps this is because they could mine a trove of centuries-old tales from the time when a patch of woods concealed mystery and very real dangers, when a step-mother favored her own children while appearing wicked to those of the ex-wife, when the idea that a jealous sorceress might silence those more comely seemed plausible.

In a children's film Cruella De Ville-the ultimate baddy-planned to dispose of a 101 puppies for their fur. Evil step-sisters held Cinderella in virtual slavery. There were some vivid, even nightmarish characters drawn with sinister glee, bent upon destroying the lives of compelling innocents. And Disney married these stories to memorable songs-"Whistle While You Work," for example, or "When You Wish Upon A Star."

Yes, "The Lion King" and "The Little Mermaid" fit into this pantheon nicely. But the classics flirted with the dangerous.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Disney's current release is more reminiscent of the old fairy tale days. In "Frozen" a girl named Anna wishes to be reunited with her sisters Elsa. As children, the elder Elsa amused the little redhead by carpeting the landscape with frost. But that power becomes an issue as the film progresses. Everything Elsa touches can turn to ice, causing their elders to force a separation.

So at the heart of the film is what one sister sees as an unfair divide and the other knows to be a terrible force. In the backdrop, songs like "Let it Go" set an inspired mood. There will be more trouble, of course, before the Disney ending.

On the way to that expected ending, Anna (on a mission to reunite with her sister and rescue her from those angry at her powers), picks up an entourage that helps nudge the film into classic status. The great Disney films featured secondary characters that still resonate. Think of the menagerie in "The Jungle Book" or any of the dwarfs. In this case, Anna meets up with Olaf, an upbeat snowman who dreams of lolling in the summer sun, Kristoff and Sven.

The latter happens to be a reindeer sidekick.

As they seek to save the snow queen, Elsa-yes, her royal lineage comes into play-they must fend with a frozen fairy tale cast of potential threats.

"Frozen" is dark, fun, engaging, complex, quirky and will stay with young audiences. Meanwhile the snowflakes and crystal ice allows CGI artists to render some spectacular backgrounds. And that Disney ending may defy expectations.

This is the Disney we remember.

Starring: Kristen Bell, Idena Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Ciaran Hinds, Alan Tudyk