Frozen II (2019)

By: Mike Ward on Friday, November 22

PG Running Time: 103 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Are you serious? It’s Frozen II. The line starts just over there.
Anna and Elsa are two of the most significant Disney characters of the decade, and their return is punctuated with new songs, adventures, laughs, and some themes and messages that will resonate for viewers young and old.
Quibbles aside, I found Frozen II thoroughly entertaining.

NO

A step back from its predecessor. More adventure, a little darker thematically, and not as light and breezy as the 2013 film. Still suitable for all audiences, but a bit of a different feel this time around.
I can’t honestly come up with many reasons to not see Frozen II, so let’s go with: You absolutely despised the first one, maybe? Also, you despised Frozen? What’s wrong with you?
Misses unforgettable moments/elements like “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Let it Go”, and while the presentation is good, performances solid, and the entire package is appealing, this may be a slight disappointment to some who absolutely love and adore the first film.

OUR REVIEW

Shouting at the world that Frozen II should not exist is a little like complaining that water is wet. Once Frozen exploded into the mainstream in 2013, it became readily apparent that Walt Disney Pictures would not be content with their film being a one-and-done, destined for cherished remembrances somewhere within the Disney+ Vault.

Instead, all involved with Frozen struck gold. The film grossed nearly $1.3 billion worldwide, won two Oscars, earned songwriter/composer Robert Lopez the final piece of the prestigious EGOT, and became a film beloved for generations to come. And everyone sang the film’s Oscar-winning ballad “Let It Go” at least once, full-throat, top-of-your-lungs around that time.

And while Frozen II may be a step below the original, this is still a movie that will prove vastly entertaining and perhaps add some depth and layered understanding around the notion that self-worth remains important, living on your own terms should never be taken for granted, and no matter where life takes you, venturing “Into the Unknown” can be okay, if not a necessary component to growing up and making one’s way through the world.

This film’s musical theme, “Into the Unknown,” has an anthemic, shout-it-out-loud chorus performed in-movie by Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), and on the radio and soundtrack album by alt-rockers Panic! At The Disco. That centerpiece number arrives at roughly the same timestamp in this sequel as “Let it Go” does in the original film. And Elsa is again restless, drawn to a siren’s call - one only she can hear. Reminded of an enchanted forest she and sister Anna (Kristen Bell) learned about as children from their father in a childhood story, she is drawn, again, into the unknown, to see just why she, and she alone, is being summoned.

Within that childhood story, we learn of good deeds and a hint of solidarity when Arendelle residents aligned with the Northuldra, a tribe of indigenous peoples, to help build a dam which would serve as protection for their native land. We learn that Elsa and Anna’s family lineage may have uncomfortable connections to the Northuldra’s home, where a magical mist has enveloped the forest for decades. And while themes of colonialism and oppression may be lost on younger viewers, betrayal and an absence of trust may make these concepts resonate with those who are really just hoping to laugh out loud with Anna’s bumbling boyfriend Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his trusted reindeer sidekick Sven, and the now perma-frosted musical snowman, Olaf (Josh Gad).

Anecdotally, a few smaller subplots pop up. Kristoff and Anna are deeply in love, but he cannot seem to communicate effectively enough to properly show how much he cares. The film explores the connection between Elsa and Anna more directly - they are as close as ever and Anna’s insistence on supporting her sister on her quest, speaks to the importance of family and the security of the bonds we make with those closest to us.

Less light and breezy than its predecessor, Frozen II proves to be more adventure than musical, more committed to the quest than the sense of wonder and exploration which made that first Frozen so magical and memorable. At times, the screenplay by co-director Jennifer Lee, with a composite story credit going to Lee and three other collaborators, including Lopez and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, feels forced to rely on tropes and cliches to move us along to the sequences which prove more fun and carefree.

Throughout Frozen II, what Lee and co-director Chris Buck, and their team of storytellers succeed best at is providing a sense of importance, value, and worth to these two main characters. While it is easy for writers and directors to champion their female characters as bold, empowered, and important - Elsa and Anna seem drawn from a different set of markers than many others in the Disney pantheon.

Elsa is unapologetic, proud, strong in her skin, and we always are cognizant of what is important to her. Anna, though in love and committed to Kristoff, is not defined by being a “girlfriend” or “significant other.” Her agency is never in question, and as Elsa feels isolated and different, with her ability to create ice and the cold with undefined special powers, Anna feels protective of those close to her, while not living for the whims of anyone else. The balance of love for self and others is a key theme that Frozen II continues to capture exceedingly well.

Frozen II is well-made, saturated in beautiful colors, and presents as a big, epic, cinematic event. Though the mystical, enchanted forest story is a bit cumbersome, there is no doubt that you are going to try to hit those impossible notes in the chorus of “Into the Unknown” as you exit the theater. Olaf will make you chuckle. A couple of new characters, including an adorable lizard companion, will make everyone genuinely happy.

And through it all, Anna and Elsa symbolize two strong characters, bonded first as sisters, but also standing proudly on their own, on their terms, defined by no one other than themselves.

CAST & CREW

Starring the Voices of: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Rachel Matthews, Jeremy Sisto, Ciarán Hinds, Alan Tudyk.

Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Written by: Jennifer Lee (screenplay); Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, Marc E. Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez (story)
Release Date: November 22, 2019
Walt Disney Pictures

Are you serious? It’s Frozen II. The line starts just over there.

Anna and Elsa are two of the most significant Disney characters of the decade, and their return is punctuated with new songs, adventures, laughs, and some themes and messages that will resonate for viewers young and old.

Quibbles aside, I found Frozen II thoroughly entertaining.

A step back from its predecessor. More adventure, a little darker thematically, and not as light and breezy as the 2013 film. Still suitable for all audiences, but a bit of a different feel this time around.

I can’t honestly come up with many reasons to not see Frozen II, so let’s go with: You absolutely despised the first one, maybe? Also, you despised Frozen? What’s wrong with you?

Misses unforgettable moments/elements like “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Let it Go”, and while the presentation is good, performances solid, and the entire package is appealing, this may be a slight disappointment to some who absolutely love and adore the first film.