Frozen 2 (Review)
Guess Disney Had to Make Frozen 2 Since They Couldn’t Just… Let it Go.
Disney gives us a break with live-action remakes to bring us, Frozen 2, the sequel to one of their last great (non-Pixar) animated films. You might remember the original for the earwig, Let it Go, that children only stopped singing, oh, five minutes ago. Now it looks like adults will have a whole new slew of songs to suffer through as popular princesses Anna and Elsa are back to learn another valuable life lesson. Like so many other Disney animated sequels, Frozen 2 is satisfactory and manages to play on a lot of the elements that made the first film so popular. However, it doesn’t have quite the same magic as the original and at times I even found the characters in it grating.
The first Frozen movie introduced sisters, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) who after an epic adventure came together to rule their kingdom side by side. Of course, one adventure is hardly enough for one Disney lifetime and so they are back once more. With the help of anti-social reindeer sympathizer, Klaus (Jonathan Groff), and snowman come to live, Olaf (Josh Gad), they travel to a mysterious forest in the north to learn the truth about their past and save their kingdom from a new magical threat. Along the way, they find plenty to sing about and meet lots of adorable new friends that would make great toys just in time for Christmas. It’s everything a Disney fan could want.
As an adult without children, the first Frozen movie proved to be an absolute nightmare for me. I don’t mean cinematically speaking. It was a pretty good movie, all things considered. However, it quickly became an insufferable one and anyone under the age of 10 (or at least anyone with the same mentality) became dangerously obsessed with everything about it. I’ll admit, I grew to resent Elsa, Anna, and especially Olaf. Frozen 2 reopened a lot of old wounds for me, which I suppose is wonderful news for fans of the original. Anna is back, as impetuous and naive as ever along with her emo sister Elsa. Fortunately, they’re still played by the same two actresses from the first film, who are legitimately very talented at bringing these characters to life on the big screen. Josh Gad also returns as Olaf and while I might have wanted to hold a pillow over his face until his little stick arms fell limply to his sides, kids will love him and his adorable existential crises that he’s going through this time. Frozen 2 is quite literally everything that fans of the original could want from a sequel.
One thing I’ll admit openly is that Frozen 2 is a beautiful film. Directors Jennifer Lee (who also wrote the film) and Chris Buck are back to continue the story of the two sisters and their eye for detail is just as immaculate as ever. While the last film took place in a winter wonderland, this film switches seasons to autumn, which means there are plenty of gorgeous colors in the enchanted forest (is there any other kind of forest in a Disney movie?) that the sisters find themselves in. Not only are there stunning colors in the film, it’s also filled with wonderful textures. Everything from the rocks and leaves to the fabric they’re wearing is magnificently detailed, yet doesn’t lose any of that Disney warmth to the dreaded uncanny valley. While I did enjoy the cold and bleak nature of the first film contrasted with the warmth of the story, Frozen 2 uses the season as a metaphor for the changing relationships that all the characters are faced with this time around and proves to be a perfect fit for it.
While I’ll admit that there’s a lot about Frozen and Frozen 2 that got on my nerves, I’m willing to push those biases aside for the sake of an honest review. That being said, there are still plenty of issues facing this animated film. For one thing, it lacks the kind of cohesion that you come to expect from these types of fairy tales. A lot of elements seem like they don’t quite line up, especially when it comes to the lore that Frozen 2 is trying to create. The film tackles the cliche 4 elementals in it, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the spirits avatars. The same goes for Elsa’s grand purpose and the true source of her powers. It almost feels like Disney came up with a totally separate story and then decided, “Hey, let’s turn this into a Frozen sequel instead. Now that would make a lot of money.” There are also plenty of issues with the characters, especially the two sisters who are packed with flaws that are supposed to be redeeming but end up becoming obnoxious by the end of the film. Anna for one always appears to be racing ahead with no time to listen to anyone else’s needs or feelings, which doesn’t seem like a great message for kids. Then again, kids will probably be too distracted by the pretty colors and that damn snowman to really notice.
Frozen 2 is a pretty good movie and a great family film. The songs aren’t quite as catchy as the original, but I’m sure a lot of people will be humming them on the car ride home from this one. While I found myself a little bored at times, wishing that the story would get to the point, the rest of the audience seemed absolutely enamored by the antics and padding on screen. Now, I don’t consider myself a curmudgeon when it comes to animated films, there have been plenty that I’ve liked (and even a few that I’ve loved) over the past few years, but I wasn’t absolutely crazy about Frozen 2. I’ll admit it knows it’s audience and really delivers for them, but I feel like it relies too much on the original for success this time around. It might be a solid sequel, but keep in mind that few sequels are ever as good as the original.
