Given the incredible financial success and overwhelming pop culture presence of Disney’s original Frozen, it seemed inevitable that a sequel would arrive. And with that day now upon us, fans can return to the kingdom of Arendelle with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf for an adventure that outpaces the original in nearly every sense.
Taking place three years after the events of the first film, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) are ruling Arendelle in peace and harmony. But Elsa soon begins to hear a strange voice seemingly calling to her from the north, and when she begins to give in to her desire to chase after it, she accidentally awakens the ancient elemental spirits of an enchanted forest, which bring destruction to the kingdom. Electing to uncover the mystery of the forest, Anna and Elsa take off with Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Olaf (Josh Gad) to seek out the truth of Arendelle’s past and the source of Elsa’s magical powers. Once there, they meet the members of the Northuldra tribe – people who are innately connected with the magical spirits of nature – as well as the long-lost members of the Arendelle military, both of whom had been trapped within the forest for decades.
What follows is a 100-minute adventure that seems to do whatever it can to stay away from the typical, traditional Disney tropes, even moreso than the first film. Frozen 2 is absolutely an adventure film, both in terms of the setting and the plot structure. It’s a film that’s definitely more about the journey than the destination, and accordingly doesn’t really feature a villain so much as it features some truths about Anna and Elsa’s family and about Arendelle’s history that are hard to face down.
The animation is fantastic, as you’d probably expect from a contemporary Disney production. In particular the effects used to create the water horse spirit that Elsa manages to tame and ride late in the film were impressive – it felt like a step up from the water effects from Moana, which released just a few short years ago.
I thought the music was on par with the first film’s soundtrack. They’re definitely pushing “Into the Unknown” as the next “Let it Go,” and while it has some of the same show-stopping qualities I’m sure parents everywhere will be relieved that it’s not quite as pervasive and not the same kind of big moment in the film, so I’d say it’s unlikely that it hits the same kind of fever pitch. The best songs in the film, in my opinion, were “When I Am Older,” sung by Gad/Olaf (in which he endures various chaotic events and assumes that it’ll all make sense when he’s older, something that many of the adults in the audience can probably relate to), and “Lost in the Woods,” sung by Groff/Kristoff (a perfect 1990s power ballad stylized with the exact kind of shots you’d want in a music video from that era).
Overall, Frozen 2 is the perfect follow-up to the 2013 original and manages to strike its own path through the enchanted woods without straying too far from what made the first Frozen the pop culture phenomenon it became. Heavy on adventure and littered with plenty of humor, it’s certainly a film worth seeing during this crowded holiday film season.
-Carrie Wood
