Disney's icy adventure

It seemed almost like fate that our copy of "Frozen," Disney's latest animated adventure, arrived in my mailbox on Saturday. It was the first weekend of "Spring," it was 28-degrees, and the snow was falling. It felt like fate. So, in the midst of this frozen first weekend of Spring I decided to find out what all the hype is about.

When I saw the first trailer for "Frozen" — which featured Olaf and a reindeer, I was perplexed. Who knew what it would be about. Later, when the full Theatrical Trailer debuted, I knew this would be a return to the Disney roots. I told my wife and she promptly went to see it without me — twice. I was told I could watch it with her when it came to DVD.

Throughout the Academy Awards season, I knew it would be a winner. Not only did it take the top animated prize, it captured best original song. It was a Disney animated feature that returned to the Disney animated roots. I remember growing up the annual Disney animated feature — usually a musical — was a highly anticipated event. In recent years, Disney seemed to cede that territory to Pixar and its animated treasures. But Pixar movies have hit a rough patch in recent years, so "Frozen" emerged at the ideal time.

I am not the target demographic for animated features. I'm fairly certain of that. In fact, I struggle to find the energy and excitement to see animated features. But every once in a while, one of these animated films touches something in me. So, after hearing about the hype, I was excited to see "Frozen." And I wasn't disappointed by what I saw. I think this can, and should, open the door to a revival in Disney animated films.

Here's a couple things that jumped out at me:

* This was a great, classic story and animated musical. I thought the songs were catchy and enjoyable, reminiscent of my youth. Who among people my age can't remember the songs to "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," and "The Lion King?" This reminded me of some of those films, and I hope it opens the door to more of these types of animated features for a new generation.

* I enjoyed the humor, and I didn't think it was too adult-oriented. It feels like a fad for the last 15 years has been jokes aimed not at the target kid audience for these films, but at the adults that accompany those kids. Call it the "Shrek" syndrome. Many of these animated films have double entendres, and other gags that adults can only hope sail over the heads of the kids in the audience. This felt like a refreshing change of pace.

* The film wasn't afraid to poke fun at classic Disney tropes. My favorite being Elsa's reaction when her sister says she's getting married after just meeting Prince Hans. Too often these kind of movies fall into the myths about love at first sight in a non-realistic way. I was amused at how this story was handled here.

* True love comes in a variety of forms. Sure, you might need a prince to kiss you. Or you might need to sacrifice yourself for a beloved sibling. That was one of the biggest surprises, for me, in terms of a deviation from the traditional format of these stories. And I thought it was a welcome change.

* Animation has come a long way. It's not just Pixar that has created more life-like and amazing things in animated features, "Frozen" was one of the most eye-catching films from last year. It has beautiful visuals and an engaging story.