Frozen II review

FROZEN II: 

FUN, GORGEOUSLY ANIMATED FOLLOW-UP DOESN’T QUITE LIVE UP TO ITS PREDECESSOR BUT IS A WORTHY CONTINUATION IN ITS OWN RIGHT! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

DISNEY

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff are back in Frozen II

            The sisters of Arendelle and their friends return in Frozen II, the highly anticipated sequel to Disney’s 2013 animated hit, Frozen. When the first film came out it became a massive phenomenon with both kids and adults, earned positive reviews from critics, the iconic songs being celebrated and overplayed to death, holds the record for the highest-grossing animated film of all time (Lion King 2019 my @$$!), and spawning countless merchandise and a couple short films and TV specials. 

            It’s Disney’s most profitable franchise and you can see why, the characters are charming, the songs are catchy, the animation is absolutely breathtaking, and the plot satirizes and plays around with various Disney tropes like marrying someone you just met and a brilliant take on an act of “True Love”. It should come as no surprise that a sequel was made with Chris Buck (Tarzan, Surf’s Up) and Jennifer Lee (Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Raya and the Last Dragon) returning as directors and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Good Place), Idina Menzel (Rent, Enchanted, Uncut Gems), Josh Gad (The Angry Birds Movie 1 and 2, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Artemis Fowl), and Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, Hamilton, Glee) reprising their roles as the voices of Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Kristoff. 

            Given how much I adored the first movie I was excited for a follow-up and especially after last year’s Wreck-It Ralph sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet (Which also featured Anna and Elsa) turned out being really good and a reminder that the age of inferior Disney sequels are in the past. Clearly, Frozen II will be the same way right?...Eh, not quite but it’s still pretty good. 

            Like the first film, the animation is absolutely gorgeous especially if you’re watching it on the big screen, the songs are still catchy and the musical numbers are full of energy, and the dynamic between Anna and Elsa is very strong and the highlight of the movie. Unfortunately, it gets bogged down by an unfocused albeit fascinating story that only scratches the surface instead of exploring its full potential, it’s a worthy follow-up but not a powerhouse like the first film was. 

            It’s been three years since Elsa’s coronation and Elsa is happily spending autumn in Arendelle with her sister Anna, the kingdom’s ice harvester and Anna’s boyfriend Kristoff, Kristoff’s reindeer Sven, and Olaf the Snowman. However, she hears a mysterious voice calling to her and recalls stories her and Anna were told as children by their deceased father King Agnarr (voiced by Alfred Molina-Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spider-Man 2, Ralph Breaks the Internet, replacing Maurice LaMarche from the first film) of a mysterious enchanted forest inhabited by spirits of the Earth but were enraged after Arendelle engaged in battle against the forest’s tribe, and Elsa accidentally awakens the spirits forcing the kingdom of Arendelle to evacuate. 

            Convinced that it might explain why she was born with her ice powers, Elsa along with Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven set off on a journey to find the enchanted forest and unlock the truth not just behind Elsa’s powers but also their kingdom’s history. Oh, and Kristoff continuously tries to propose to Anna throughout the film…yeah, that happens. 

            The film also features the voices of Sterling K. Brown (American Crime Story, The Angry Birds Movie 2, The Rhythm Section) as Lieutenant Destin Mattias, Evan Rachel Wood (American Gothic, Once and Again, Thirteen) replacing Jennifer Lee as Queen Iduna, Martha Plimpton (The Goonies, Parenthood, The Good Wife) as Yelana, Jason Ritter (Joan of Arcadia, Gravity Falls, Parenthood (TV series)) as Ryder, Rachel Matthews (Happy Death Day 1 and 2, Batwoman, Looking for Alaska) as Honeymaren, Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order, Clueless, Suburgatory) as King Runeard, and Ciarán Hinds (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Game of Thrones, First Man) reprising his role from the first film as Grand Pabbie.

            Overall, Frozen II adds another beautifully animated and entertaining musical adventure to Disney’s library and a worthy follow-up to Frozen, even if the plot is a bit overstuffed and unfocused. There are some neat ideas explored in this film like the origins of Elsa’s powers and this concept of water containing memories of the past and it’s depicted beautifully, but then things like the forest tribe and the elemental spirits feel like an afterthought and aren’t given much time to establish them. 

            This film really throws a lot of story at you and I can imagine it being a chore for Disney to write a simplified storybook version of this film to sell. You got Anna and Elsa uncovering the mystery of the enchanted forest and Elsa’s ice powers as the main plot which is where the movie is at its best, but then the clichéd failed marriage proposal trope with Kristoff and most of the sub-plots involving side characters pretty much drag the movie to a halt, it doesn’t necessarily ruin the film but you could easily cut these out and not miss a thing. 

            However, even with those flaws, the stuff that’s good in Frozen II is really good, the animation is gorgeous and almost lifelike, Anna and Elsa’s story arcs are great and the highlight of the film, the dynamic between Anna and Elsa is very strong and you can see how they have progressed from the last film, Olaf is very hit-or-miss like in the first movie but the scenes where he’s recapping the events of Frozen not only made me laugh but made me laugh hard, and the songs are still catchy and very well-written and performed but probably won’t be nearly as overplayed as Let it Go, they’re still a lot of fun to listen to and I want to get the soundtrack. 

            Frozen II doesn’t quite have the same re-watch value as the first film, but it’s a dazzling and very entertaining follow-up that’s worth checking out on the big screen. Flawed but still has plenty of imagination, dazzling visuals, and strong character moments to keep kids and adults entertained.