The holiday season is undeniably a hot time for film releases. Disney's FROZEN is one of the hottest for those looking for a movie that will appeal to not only both genders but to a wide range of ages, too, from the tiniest moviegoers on up to their grandmas and grandpas.

Disney's FROZEN

I say that with confidence based on my recent viewing of FROZEN, which I had the opportunity to do for free, courtesy Disney. My husband and two of my adult daughters, Brianna and Andrea, attended the screening with me, and all the while I considered how much my young grandsons will enjoy the movie when they get around to seeing it. I have no doubt both Bubby and Mac — the very youngest demographic — will enjoy it as much as my husband and I — the oldest demographic — did, as well as my grandsons' aunties did, too.

FROZEN screen shot
Sisters Anna and Elsa in Disney's FROZEN.

In FROZEN — in the words of the official Disney synopsis — 'fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voice of Josh Gad) in a race to find Anna’s sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.'

The antics of Olaf, Sven and the trolls are what kept the youngest kids in the audience chuckling and watching. The dilemma of the sisters and their male counterparts kept the older viewers such as my adult daughters, my husband and myself on the edge of our seats.

The whole package — the princesses, the fellas, goofy Olaf, the trolls — appealed to my daughters, both of whom said afterward that FROZEN is now their favorite Disney film of the past several years.

And there's the music. What is a Disney film without music? FROZEN featured songs that feel far more contemporary to me than some past Disney films. They're the kind of songs I can easily see topping the charts, quickly beloved by preteens dreaming of a special someone or spunky girls determined to make a statement.

What I especially liked about FROZEN: As the mother of three daughters, I was delighted to see (minor spoiler here) that things weren't made all better by a kiss from a prince. My daughters have literally called me out in the past on the myth of happily ever after promoted by many animated films; I believe the manner in which happily ever after comes about in FROZEN is one of the reasons my adult daughters enjoyed it so. I know for a fact it's one of the reasons I enjoyed it so.

Also cool (har, har) was the pre-FROZEN showing of Walt Disney's GET A HORSE featurette starring Mickey Mouse.

Get a Horse featurette

What I didn't like so much: The eyes of the princesses. It's a given the Disney princesses' eyes keep growing in size over the years, but I had more trouble than usual overlooking the eyes of Anna and Elsa. Original princesses such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty seem downright vision impaired compared to the prodigious peepers of Elsa and Anna. A friend shared this article on those large eyes, proving I'm not alone in recognizing how crazy big princesses' eyes are. Still, I'd much rather see princesses with eyes a little closer to real size.

Disney's FROZEN (rated PG13 for some action and mild rude humor) opens in theaters today, November 27. Find more info and fun on the FROZEN website. Plus, check out these 10 FROZEN printable activities for FROZEN fans.

Frozen Thanksgiving