“Frozen II” Movie Review

    It’s a new year and a new slew of movies will soon be hitting theaters but I am still trying to catch up on the few films that slipped between the cracks in late 2019.  One of those films was the monster Disney hit “Frozen II”.  I had been waiting to see this film with my girlfriend and her brother (and my movie buddy) who were both eagerly anticipating this movie.  We finally got a chance to see it on New Year’s Eve and I can finally share my thoughts on the film.

    The film takes place three years after the first film and sees Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven living happily in Arendelle before a voice calls to Elsa and the group set off on an adventure to discover the elemental spirits of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air.  The group seeks the spirits in the hopes of finding out why a mist separates the Enchanted Forest from the surrounding kingdom.  While discovering the elemental spirits, the group learns the truth about their grandfather and the real reason the Enchanted Forest became separated from the rest of the kingdom.

    So, in the interested of full disclosure, I was not feeling the best when I went to see “Frozen II”.  In fact, I was still pretty sick when I attended a screening for this film and as a result, had a harder time focusing on the movie than I normally would have.  All that being said, I actually thought this sequel was very convoluted and hard to follow.  I enjoyed the first film a great deal and thought it was a rather straightforward story, this sequel could have benefited from a more simplistic story in the first film’s vain.  When it’s difficult for a grown up to follow, it’s probably going to be hard for a kid to understand what is going on as well.

    One direction I thought the film was going to go but didn’t was to give Anna powers as well.  It would make some sense for Elsa’s own sister to have powers similar to hers but no, Anna is just a normal person (and treated like a lesser person throughout most of the film for being normal).  I get that the message of the film was that powers don’t make someone special, but I think giving Anna’s powers could have been an interesting route for the story to go.

    The original “Frozen” placed a huge importance on family and sisterhood which made it feel a bit special and different.  How many Disney movies focus on a pair of sisters?  That element of family was something I wished the writers had explored more in the sequel instead of the mythology of Elsa’s powers.  Elsa and Anna spend most of the film separated (again) and I would have preferred seeing their dynamic as a pair in the film.

    I did enjoy the movie and there were some humorous elements like in the first film.  How can anyone not love Olaf and Sven?  The visuals were also stunning and it’s hard not to feel a sense of wonder after watching any Disney film.  I also enjoyed the music in the movie, especially Panic! At the Disco’s version of “Into the Unknown” (although now of the music was as catchy as “Let It Go”).

    I feel like “Frozen II” was an overly ambitious attempt to build on the mythology of the “Frozen” universe that wasn’t really needed.  People loved the characters and charm of the movie, not the fact that Elsa has powers.  Still, it is nice to see the writers attempt to world build instead of just making a carbon copy sequel.  “Frozen II” has it’s flaws but it isn’t lazy filmmakers, which is nice for a change.

Grade: C+