La reine des neiges

I have probably watched the movie 4 or 5 times. Every time, i get more and more impressed by how far the wish of a young heart can go, and the strenght of both Kai and Gertha to struggle for what they believe in.

And the whole story is presented in such a way, you just get transfered into the plot and before you know it, you are there. you can see... yeah, there's Kai... working hard on the mirror... a little jump.... there's Gertha, fighting for her love..... and there's the Snow Queen...

it's just a wonderful mix of love, adventure, tension.

it's brilliant 10 out of 10

This is possibly one of my favorite films. It tells the tale of a girl named Gerda (Chelsea Hobbs) who lost her mother at a very young age, so has been bought up by her father. She falls in love with the bell boy named Kai. However, on her birthday the snow queen (Bridget Fonda) comes the the hotel which her father owns and kidnaps Kai. Gurda then goes after Kai, and follows him through the four seasons in an attempt to rescue him.

I thought that this was an excellent adaption of the story with great performances from all the cast. It has wonderful special effects and the story fits together very well and is easy to follow. I think that it is a great film for all the family to enjoy. I have watched it every time t has been on since it came out and have never tired of it which is why I have given it a 10!

So this review is probably a year away from its start date but I just saw it on video and feel compelled to say something.

The story was awesome, the movie definitely dragged. Bridget Fonda did look good as the snow queen but her acting is off a bit, someone may want to remind her this is a hallmark movie she's in.

Gerda and Kai were cute. The made a cute couple.

Visually, everything was beautiful. The landscape, the snow, the snow queen - everything.

Now I have to read the book again....

In the late 1800s the daughter (Chelsea Hobbs) of a hotel owner in a town in the Great Northwest becomes enamored with the bellboy, Kai (Jeremy Guilbaut). When an icy-but-beautiful woman known as the Snow Queen (Bridget Fonda) whisks him away, Gerda (Hobbs) seeks to find him & free him after she amazingly enters the parallel realm of the Snow Queen. But, first, she has to struggle through Spring, Summer and Autumn and the challenges thereof.

"Snow Queen" (2002) is a Hallmark production that runs 12 minutes shy of 3 hours and was based on the original fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, which was first published in two parts in 1844-1845. Elements from another folktale about the four seasons were mixed into the brew.

This is an Americanized version of the fairy tale with the events taking place somewhere out West in the USA or Canada, both of which are (North) America. The film was shot in British Columbia and takes place there or anywhere in the Great Northwest in the late 1800s (or early 1900s). It definitely doesn't take place in Denmark since (1) there are snowcapped mountains in the background and (2) everyone speaks English. I suppose someone could argue that it takes place in either Norway or Sweden, but that doesn't resolve the English-speaking issue (unless you simply imagine the characters speaking a Scandinavian language).

The long movie's worth catching just to see Bridget in her last role before marrying notable composer Danny Elfman and starting a family. Hobbs doesn't personally trip my trigger, but she's a'right. Guilbaut is bland, but serviceable. The movie comes alive whenever Fonda is present.

Most of the first half is rooted in reality and is quite good for a TV production, but the mid-section focuses on Gerda's misadventures journeying through Spring, Summer and Autumn while Kai is captive in the Snow Queen's stronghold on top of a mountain guarded by a talking polar bear. The entire middle of the picture cuts back-and-forth between these two stories with a few sequences in reality thrown in for good measure, the latter involving the father at the hotel (Robert Wisden) and his cook, Minna (Wanda Cannon).

In Gerda's quest the characters come-and-go like a rollercoaster ride. It's reminiscent of the Neverland sequences in "Hook" (1991). If you like fairy tales like "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012) or episodic fantasies like "The Odyssey" (1997), "Ulysses" (1954) and "The Lords of the Rings" trilogy (2001-2003) give this a look; just remember it was made on a TV budget and there's not a lot of swashbuckling, as with those other productions.

The film runs 2 hour, 48 minutes and was shot entirely in British Columbia (Cranbrook, Fort Steele & Vancouver).

GRADE: C+/B-

Okay, I really dont care what most of you are saying, because you all are soooo much into details. But my personal opinion is that this is one of the best movies I have EVER seen. Its not got poor casting-I couldnt see anyone else playing some of those parts! Even though there are old versions of the movie, and a book. I like this version AND its characters. This is by far one of my favorite movies. =)