16. Frozen

Look, The D Man still knows every word to "Part of Your World," arguably the best Disney song ever written.  ("You want thingamabobs?  I've got 20!").  Ariel's land-yearning number put tasteful teenage angst into the hearts of children everywhere, and it started the Disney resurgance that captivated an entire generation.

Long a sucker for movie musicals, I had no idea that is what I was walking into with my kids over Thanksgiving weekend.  The trailers for Frozen gave no indication that there would be singing--and certainly not the kind of singing that will make you stop reaching for your popcorn.  Fast forward fifteen minutes and The D Man was turning a little weepy by the close of the second number, "Do You Want to Build A Snowman?"  Damn, yes, let's build a snowman together . . . sheesh . . . let's build already . . . .

Frozen is the best Disney musical since the Disney renaissance films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King.  The songs have clearly been written with contemporary, pop-heavy ears in mind, but they still retain that classical feel that begets the same magic from Snow White to Cinderella to The Little Mermaid.  No doubt a new legion of children will grow up reaching for the huge notes on "For the First Time in Forever," an excellent lead song that is reprised throughout the movie.  And no doubt Princess Anna and Princess Elsa will inspire the next crop of girls who will eventually make their boyfriends pay for every dinner.  (I kid, I kid).

The original songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon) cover all the right terrain with the help of talented vocalists like Tony-winning Idina Menzel and Broadway veterans Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad.  There is the big song--here, an anthem of ice-castling liberation (see "Let It Go").  There is the funny, falling-in-love duet (see "Love Is An Open Door").  There is the clever comedy piece, where the snowman Olaf dreams of summertime (see "In Summer").  And there is the witty group sing-a-along, a show-stealing track from a bunch of trolls that recalls some of Disney's best (see "Fixer Upper").  The songs move the storyline forward, enliven the characters, and unthaw listeners' hearts.

Disney's stealth advertising reeled in some unsuspecting movie-goers over the holidays.  But plenty of goobers were grateful for the surprise.  I want to be where the people are.  And where the people are, let there be singing.