Frozen was and is a bona fide cultural phenomenon and I’m willing to bet Frozen 2 will make similarly big waves at the box office. However, it seems that the general moviegoing public does have limits as to how much Frozen they want in their lives. At least, judging by the frosty (get it?) reception received by the 22 minute short Olaf’s Frozen Adventure that was screened before Pixar’s Coco. The reaction to it’s been so bad, in fact, that Disney actually pulled the damn thing from all screenings of the film.
Aside from 22 minutes seriously stretching the definition of an animated ‘short,’ Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is a nauseatingly calculated slice of faux-holiday cheer delivered by a gurning snowman monstrosity that only just squeaked into ‘likeable’ territory in the original film. Worse yet, it simply lacked the spark of comedy, adventure and fairytale sincerity that helped Frozen reach such a wide audience.
Still, for those who’re eager to see it and haven’t had the chance to do so yet – or just want to rewatch it – we’ve got some good news, as the animated short has landed on digital services today. Not only that, but it’s arrived with a few special features as well, including some interviews with the cast, six classic Disney Holiday Shorts and a video exploring all the various Easter Eggs, which you can check out down below.
As for those aforementioned shorts, they’re as follows:
THE HOCKEY CHAMP – Donald Duck shows his nephews the moves that won him his hockey trophy, but the boys have a few moves of their own.
WINTER – Silly Symphony – In this musical short – the last of the ‘Silly Symphony’ series – see wintertime from the point of view of our favorite woodland creatures.
THE ART OF SKIING – The first cartoon to use the now-famous Goofy holler, this short features Goofy learning how to ski at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.
PLUTO’S CHRISTMAS TREE – While picking out their Christmas tree, Mickey and Pluto chop down the perfect one, unaware that they’re bringing home Chip and Dale along for the ride.
ONCE UPON A WINTERTIME – While courting Jenny, Joe tries to show off on the ice, but events soon turn to a timely rescue in this musical December Valentine.
POLAR TRAPPERS – The first cartoon to feature Donald and Goofy without Mickey; The duo are animal trappers in the South Pole with very different (and hilariously unsuccessful) approaches.
So, there’s quite a bit there, then, but one still has to wonder how many people are actually going to want to revisit this particular animated adventure. As mentioned above, the short was met with a hugely negative backlash and even if it wasn’t all that bad, the buzz surrounding it at the moment is probably enough to keep new viewers away. Then again, apparently it performed better on television than it did in theaters, so who knows? Maybe there’s hope for Disney’s latest effort yet.
Tell us, what did you think of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure? Were you into it, or were you just waiting for it to end? Sound off down below with your thoughts!
