First let me tell you that the only version of this movie that I have seen so far is the Russian Language version no subtitles...
With that said, I would like to point out that if you haven't been with Wizart for the last 7 years, this company deserves recognition for the amount of progress that it has made in such a short span of time (all while keeping to a very, very small budget). Much of the visuals, character models, animation, etc have as much polish for a 7 mil dollar film as a few animated films that cost 70-90% it's budget and a much larger staff. This is nothing to take lightly. Just rewind back to 2012 with their first Snow Queen film and this film will appear like it was created by a completely different group of people.
The strong suit of this franchise is the characters, but with each installment these likable characters grow into even more-likable characters as the studio clearly shows their ability to learn and grow with each film. My greatest compliments go to the Snow Queen herself, as I felt that every moment she was on screen, I found myself liking her fearsome, yet motherly presence as she helps Gerda along with her journey. Gerda on the other hand has seen a lot of development throughout the series, and this film is no less a demonstration of that.
The soundtrack is pretty average, enjoyable but nothing too special aside from the occasional themes mixed in from the older films. This is a nice touch as it helps tie this film in with the rest of the franchise.
The story is simple. Bad guy, not really bad guy, wants to get rid of magicians, finds the Snow Queen's magic portal, finds that only magic users can pass through it and devises a way to trap them in. After our heroine learns about this she sets off on a journey to set them free. Really simple.. to some maybe too simple. Whatever this film may lack in story it seems to make up for it by delivering action, comedy, adventure, and even some romance.
Given this is the 4th film in the series I can't say I was disappointed, especially since the film kept throwing unexpected surprises my way. Of the four films, I would gladly state that this is my favorite, followed shortly by the third film.
I would like to point out to Wizart that I have become a big fan of this series. On the other hand I'm not sure how much you can rely on Snow Queen, and I'm glad to hear that you have OTHER projects in the works. I also would recommend that at some point you go back into the first movie and give it the Snow Queen 3-4 treatment (update the models, better rendering, better animation, etc) as I think just doing that will fix a lot of the issues wrong with the first film. Maybe for a 10th anniversary?
Look forward to seeing this film come to my country in a year where I will be able to watch it in English in a theater.
