Unfrosted: A network of reference and allusion [Media Notes 119 F]

As counterintuitive as it might seem at first glance, Unfrosted is fundamentally an intellectual movie. It starts out that way and never strays far from it. What do I mean by “intellectual”? Rather than give you an answer right away, let’s take a look.

The movie opens with a little mystery. First a slide that says “NETFLIX Presents,” and then our mystery unfolds. These objects appear on the screen, one after the other, accompanied by quiet nostalgic music:

• a red bandana, opened and spread flat,
• a Woody Woodpecker comic book placed there by ...