There Would Have Been No Controversy If 'Olaf’s Frozen Adventure' Had Been a TV Special Instead

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is a 21-minute featurette that was originally intended to be a TV special but was later decided to play in front of Coco (great film, by the way).  I don’t know if this was also the arrangement with the Philippine screenings for Coco, because when I went to watch the film, the short wasn’t played before it.

Anyway, it turned out being extremely unpopular.  Filmgoers hated it.  The bonus animated shorts that typically play prior Disney and Pixar films are only a few minutes long, so its much-longer-than-usual runtime – which is comparable to an episode of an animated series – irked moviegoers.  In addition, they probably felt that, before they could enjoy Coco, they must first endure a lengthy ad for Olaf merchandising being shoved down their throats.

Recently, Disney has decided to pull the short out of further Coco screenings – either due to the backlash or the fact that it was intended for a limited time engagement in the first place.

Having just seen it (from “alternative sources” *wink* *wink*), here’s what I thought: the Olaf-centric story is somewhat unexciting, sappy, and annoying; the songs are boring and forgettable; and the accusation that it’s just a “glorified cynical marketing ploy” has validity.  However, it’s not necessarily terrible.  It’s definitely not as bad as the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special, as some have absurdly claimed.  It can be argued that it’s only wrapped in controversy because it caused frustration to Coco moviegoers.  If it had been released as a TV special as was the original plan, there would have been no general dislike for it.

Personally I found some enjoyment from it.  I chuckled with a couple of the gags.  The fruitcake running joke was pretty much clichéd, but it worked.   The sauna scene was fun.  Olaf making dark observations about Santa Claus and Christmas trees in his uber-optimistic manner is amusing.  I was also amused with the “Sven doing charades” scene, wherein Kristoff was unable to guess what Sven was trying to say but Elsa and Anna did so instantly.  And I thought its direct connection to that particular element in Frozen (you’ll immediately know what I’m referring to if you’ve watched both Frozen and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure) is clever.  Overall, I could see this delighting audiences if it had been a TV special.

One legit point that was made explaining why it was decided to be shown in front of Coco is that it was too cinematic for TV.  And, indeed, it is.  The animation is definitely big-screen-worthy.

That’s why, despite its faults, I actually might not have minded it if it had played in the Coco screening I went to.