Five-Star Rating: Four out of five stars

World-Famous Three-Word Review: Surprisingly magic snow.

I’ve learned that the key to enjoying movies is maintaining low expectations — call it the Principle of Pessimistic Film Viewing. I’ve been disappointed too many times.

The blessing of the Principle of Pessimistic Film Viewing is that occasion when my expectations are exceeded. Frozen stands as such an example.

From the trailers, Frozen looked hokey and childish. In reality, it is charming, original and heart-warming. In essence, Frozen exhibits those traits that has made other Disney movies great.

For example, the trailers prominently featured the talking snowman named Olaf. He’s goofy and silly and appealing to children under the age of nine. Had he been the center of the film, it would have failed.

Instead, Olaf serves as the film’s comic relief. And he is used sparingly. Too many animated films have deflated because of their over reliance on anatomy jokes.

Based loosely on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen, the film really centers around two sisters, Elsa and Anna, princesses in the kingdom of Arendalle. Elsa has the supernatural power to freeze things.

The story’s conflict stems from Elsa’s fear that she might harm her sister with her powers. This causes her to ostracize herself from society. In doing so, she hurts Anna even more through isolation. (Or ‘ice-olation.’ Get it? See, use dumb jokes sparingly.)

This results a genuine tale of family and love and trust. Is that a little cliched? Sure. Was the ending slightly predictable? Maybe. But it is still a kid’s movie — albeit, one that was relatable for all ages.