Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Starring Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, and Josh Gad
The first Frozen was an unprecedented success turned worldwide phenomenon. It solidified a new era of high quality films from Walt Disney Animation, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the nineties. Naturally, a sequel was inevitable…questionable, but inevitable. Sequels have always been a challenge for the House of Mouse. Aside from the fact that most of them went direct-to-video, and done by their secondary animation studio DisneyToon Studios, not many of them have gone over too well with critics and fans alike.
…but that's just me being devilishly misleading (Suckers!). Frozen 2 is one of the best sequels Disney has ever produced, and while not necessarily better or worse than the first, it is certainly worthy of sharing its namesake.
Frozen 2 takes place three years after its predecessor, and finds Elsa (Menzel) ruling the kingdom of Arendelle with her sister Anna (Bell) at her side. When Elsa starts to hear a mysterious voice calling out to her, she initially tries to ignore it, but soon begins to follow it. This leads to her unintentionally awakening some unknown forces of nature, which threaten the safety of the kingdom.
Together with Anna, Olaf (Gad), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Sven, Elsa ventures north to find the Enchanted Forest and the voice that is calling her. What they discover there will reveal secrets about their kingdom, their parents, and the origin of Elsa's powers…
Where Frozen was a very traditional Disney animated musical, Frozen 2 is more an epic, drama-feuled fantasy-adventure. They feel like such different films, it's hard to compare the two, but they compliment each other nicely. I don't think anyone was clamoring to know where Elsa's powers came from after seeing Frozen (Wether you watched season four of Once Upon A Time or not…) but it does make for an interesting premise of a sequel.
The film does a great job of building on the relationship of Anna & Elsa, as it should. After the first film focused on the two of them trying to rebuild their bond, this film sees that bond tested. Can these sisters retain the relationship they have as life forces them to grow, and to change? That's the big theme of the film. Growth and transformation, and if you forget don't worry, Olaf will mention it. A lot. Jokes aside, that's very powerful message that can resonate with audiences of all ages. That message is really represented well in the relationship of Anna & Elsa.
Frozen 2 also does a great deal of world-building, and creating a mythology for the kingdom of Arendelle. It's not a totally unique concept they set up for the magic in this land (It's definitely gonna draw comparisons to a popular animated series), but it works for Frozen. There's obviously a mystery to uncover, and you might be able to solve it before the third act, but it's executed well with some twists you may not see coming.
I guess if I had some criticism about the story, the method they feed information to the viewer is not as effective as I think they wanted it to be. This isn't really a spoiler, but we learn "water has memory", and Elsa can manipulate it to create ice sculptures of past events. Visually it looks cool, but as far as the golden rule of "show, not tell" they probably could have done a *liiiiittle* more "telling". Some viewers (perhaps younger children) might get a bit confused. So I guess what I'm saying is I wanted a deeper dive into the film's mythology.
Idnina Menzel is Elsa. She has a voice like no other. It's magical, it's maternal, and it commands your attention. Really no one can sing like Idina Menzel. There's a sort of "fragile strength" in her voice that I think perfectly matches Elsa's character. Her magic makes her the most powerful person in this world, but she's full of self-doubt, and longs to find her place in it. Kristen Bell delivers a truly powerful performance as Anna. Frozen was more Anna's story, and Frozen 2 is more Elsa's, but that doesn't mean Anna doesn't get her share of character development. A lot of intense, dramatic moments fall on Anna's shoulders, and Kristen Bell delivers it all. She's naive and sassy, but insecure and emotional. Anna is probably one of the more fleshed-out of the Disney Princess characters, and she's brought to life by Kristen Bell's amazing performance.
Thanks to the poor release plan of a certain holiday special, everyone now either loves or hates Olaf. Me, I like him fine, and he's got a lot of great material here. Surprise, some of the biggest laughs in the film are from Olaf, and Josh Gad brings him to life with an unrivaled comedic delivery. Olaf is naive, but he has heart, and the screenwriters know how to balance that. Combined with Gad's voice work, Olaf (wether your like it or not) is one of the best Disney sidekicks. Jonathan Groff has one of the best voices a man has ever had. That's just a fact. Kristoff in this film however, is underutilized. He's relegated to a subplot of constantly trying to propose Anna with not much success, and yeah, it's not that interesting. But Kristoff is still a great character, and Groff does great work voicing him. Plus he actually gets a song in this film, and man what a song…more on that later.
As with any animated sequel, you get some new characters. The problem is, none of them really get any attention. The one that stands out the most is Lieutenant Mattias, played by Sterling K. Brown, and that's probably why he stands out the most...because he's voiced by Sterling K. Brown. Evan Rachel Wood plays Queen Iduna, Anna & Elsa's previously unheard mother. She has some really nice moments, but overall is not a particularly memorable character.
Alright the music. The soundtrack of Frozen 2 is more consistent in quality than Frozen's, but it's not necessarily a stronger one? That probably doesn't make sense, let's just say the music is great. Elsa has two great songs in the film, "Into the Unknown" and "Show Yourself". You've definitely heard "Into the Unknown" in all the marketing, but they've kept "Show Yourself" under wraps, and there's a reason. When you hear the song and see it with the visuals, you'll realize it's this film's "Let It Go", not "Into The Unknown". I see it definitely getting a Best Orignal Song nomination at the Oscars. Olaf's song, "When I'm Older" is so damn delightful. It's "In Summer" to the next level, and I think any aging millennial will here this song and burst into nervous laughter. Ok, Kristoff's song "Lost In The Woods" is incredible. That's really all I can say. Just like "Show Yourself", when you hear the song with its visuals, you'll understand. The last song I want to touch on is Anna's second song in the film, "The Next Right Thing". It's not a song kids are going to ask you to play on repeat for the next ten years, but it's an incredibly quiet, but powerful character moment for her. Incoming Bold Statement: This scene alone should get Kristen Bell some acting nominations come awards season. That's how good it is. The stigma of animated films be damned.
Speaking of animation, why don't we talk about the animation in this animated film?? It's breathtaking. It's gorgeous. I am amazed at how much the technology had advanced in just the six years since Frozen came out. The detail on Olaf's snowman body, the realism of the water, and the way they bring Elsa's magic to life, it's well, magical. Some of the magical sequences provoke memories of the likes of Fantasia and Silly Symphonies from the early days of Disney. Frozen 2 shows why Disney still is the king of animation. The evidence is right there on the screen. The way they produce lighting and textures, I just stated how much I missed hand-drawn animation in my Klaus review, but when computer animation is this great, I can button up for a little bit.
Frozen 2 may not have been a necessary sequel to make, but it's a good one. It's mature, epic, and entertaining. It's filled with amazing vocal performances, gorgeous animation, and beautiful music, which is really the recipe of any great Disney film. But that hasn't always been the case with Disney sequels. Frozen 2 is the exception to the rule. It's worthy to stand side-by-side with the original film, ensuring that the Frozen phenomenon will continue to live on for years to come.
So, I'll see you in five years for my review of Frozen 3, and stay tuned for a lip-dub to…whichever song from this film I can't get out of my head…and that's like three of them…
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