DISCLAIMER: This review contains spoilers and information that the trailer does not cover.
With “Frozen” being Disney’s highest grossing animated movie at a staggering $1.26 billion and critical acclaim according to its 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it was no surprise that their sequel released on Friday, Nov. 22 would satisfy the high demand and curiosity surrounding it.
All of the roles were reprised by the original actors with Idina Menzel as Elsa, Kristen Bell as Anna, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff and Josh Gad portraying Olaf.
“Frozen II” takes place three years after the first film. Elsa has been the ruling monarch of her kingdom, Arendelle, for the preceding six years.
Though things have been relatively harmonious with the kingdom after the events of “Frozen,” there is still unrest that resides within Elsa regarding her powers.
While Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven live a life overwhelmed with happiness, Elsa cannot let her guard down. She is continually getting used to her powers, and she is prompted by a spiritual voice that she is sure has something to do with them.
Alongside this, Elsa has a feeling that this voice rambling incessantly in her mind ties back to a story that her father told her about a magical tribe neighboring their kingdom that had been sealed off overtime after an altercation with the Arendellians.
Elsa succumbs to the melody; she goes to pursue it and, consequently, awakens the spirits of the magical realm governed by earth, air, water and fire. This puts an immediate danger on Arendelle as all of the basic elements have been destroyed in their land.
As a result, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven go towards the sound of the voice: the enchanted forest. After a slurry of expositional material, the story proceeds with the premise of finding the voice that will provide the answers to what lies in the forest, where Elsa’s powers manifest and the contents of their character.
I would rate this movie a 7/10. While many of the plot points and character development provided for a riveting story, much of the exposition gave way to a predictable conclusion.
As a fan of juxtaposition or contrast as a device, no expense was spared with this film. Whether it comes to the transitional material utilized within songs to show contrast within the feelings of Anna and Elsa or as a portrayal of character development through changed opinions of past events, stark contrast plays a fundamental role in distinguishing the first film from the second.
Going so far as to have Olaf entirely recount and mock the bulk of “Frozen,” a large point of the sequel relies heavily on showing a change of heart within the characters and Arendelle as a whole. The theme of change is also asserted by Olaf lamenting, “How I wish it would stay this way forever. Although, fall mocks us with change.”
About 75 percent of the plot can be given away within the first five minutes of the film. Recognizing that it is a children’s movie, there may be parts of it that go over younger viewers’ heads.
Regardless, much of what could be considered (literally) the earth-shattering “plot twist” of the movie and the truth that Elsa spends the first hour trying to unveil becomes a lot more anticlimactic when I whispered a prediction of said plot twist into another movie-goer’s ear even before the opening credits roll.
Elsa also conveniently wraps up the climax of the film in deus ex machina fashion, too easily and with many inconsistencies.
With the plot inconsistencies in mind, this did not take away from the fantastic character development seen amongst the main cast of people.
While the first film took to exploring Anna’s character and her growing out of her naiveté, the second almost provides an explanation as to why Elsa pushed everyone away and how she attempts to grow from that. Her journey shows a great deal of personal development with beautifully animated sequences showcasing her getting more in touch with her powers.
The way that the film worked with Elsa’s isolationist and selfless personality, Anna’s loyalty and devotion and Olaf’s newly found existentialist yet prolific commentary created a beautiful formula that could cater to children and adults at the same time.
While this is true for the three main characters, the same cannot be said for Kristoff and Sven. The movie achieved its goal of balancing the screen time between Anna, Elsa and even Olaf relatively equally, as “Frozen” took more of a focus on Anna’s character arc. Even so, Kristoff and Sven appear significantly less, despite their frequent use in promotional content.
Both “Frozen” movies emphasize the idea of emotional independence. To me, their portrayal of Kristoff was as a needy sidekick to Anna whose character arc was engulfed by his eventual proposal to her.
This could be seen as a humorous B-plot to the story, yet it took on an almost hypocritical turn as he found solace within his emotional dependency on Anna. This can especially be seen through his 80s-esque heartthrob song: “Lost in the Woods.”
Though humorous and one of my favorite parts of the whole film, the song’s message just seemed too desperate for as strong of a character that they developed within the first movie.
All of this considered, it ended up being a relatively solid movie. Though some of the execution could have been better, the portrayal of the famed “Frozen” heroes made for a strong and heartwarming film that has the potential to resonate within the hearts of those young and old.
Rio Scarcelli, Editor in Chief