Frozen II | Review
When ‘Frozen’ was released six years ago, no one expected it to be the hit it would become, not even Disney. If you simply take a look at the marketing for the film you’ll see a generic and uninspired take on “The Snow Queen.” As we all know by now, not only was ‘Frozen’ a genuinely good film, positive word of mouth led it to become the most successful animated film of all time. Hence why I give kudos to Disney for its decision to not fast-track a sequel and, instead, wait for a good enough story to present itself before anything. The team that brought us the original film - writer/director Jennifer Lee, co-director Chris Buck, songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, composer Christoph Beck - all return for the sequel, which is exciting. Knowing all of this and having seen the new film, I have to ask: what the heck happened?
‘Frozen 2’ picks up three years after the first film, with the main characters living happily ever after in Arendelle. All seems well until Elsa (Idina Menzel) hears a mysterious voice calling out to her. She goes on a quest to discover its source, with Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and Sven joining her on the journey. Along the way the group will uncover secrets surrounding Arendelle’s past, and the mystery surrounding Elsa’s powers and how she got them. That’s all I will say for now for fear of spoilers.
While many people are interested in learning more about how Elsa’s powers came to be, including some of my nit-picky friends who questioned it first thing after seeing the original film, I would’ve preferred not knowing. Why do we need to know? Disney has a long history of animated films featuring magic and supernatural forces, and we just accept them as they are. Knowing how magic works in the world of ‘Frozen’ and why Elsa has powers will not elevate the characters or the film. Regardless, this is the path the filmmakers ultimately pursued, and hopefully it’s satisfying to fans who were looking for these answers.
One of the things that made ‘Frozen’ stand out among the pack was its commitment to subverting expectations and focusing on the relationship between two sisters, as opposed to classic Disney fares featuring heroic princes and overarching villains. ‘Frozen 2’ continues approaching more complex themes than you’d expect from Disney animated films. I appreciate its attempts to tackle the sins of the past, colonialism, and even reparations. This is a darker, more serious film than the first. I just wish it had gone further with these ideas. The film takes us down some interesting paths only to resolve itself in safe, ultimately meaningless, resolutions. It felt like the script could’ve used a few more drafts before committing itself to the feature.
One of the most irritating aspects of the film is Kristoff’s arc. (Minor spoilers ahead) He spends the whole film trying to find the right time to propose to Anna, which is fine, but when he starts singing his solo song “Lost in the Woods,” it rubbed me the wrong way. The song speaks to the distance growing between Kristoff and Anna, how the two are on different paths, and how he’s always the one chasing her. Where the heck did this come from? Nothing in the film hinted at any of these troubles. The two are presented as a completely normal and happy couple, with (humorous) conflict only arising during Kristoff’s many failed attempts at proposing. This plot point felt contrived, unearned, and also downright random and out of place in the film. The only benefit from all of this is “Lost in the Woods” is the best song on the soundtrack. (Minor spoilers over).
Speaking of the music, that’s also another disappointment. There’s no doubt Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are gifted songwriters (between the two of them, they’ve won numerous awards for writing songs for ‘Coco’, ‘The Book of Mormon’, and the original ‘Frozen’), but music this time around is just nowhere near the quality of the first film. Almost every song from the first film (“Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” “For the First Time in Forever,” “Love is an Open Door,” “Let It Go”) was an instant classic and irresistibly catchy. Not a single song from ‘Frozen 2’ maintains these qualities. They all feel too Randy Newman-like, i.e. too wordy and descriptive of what characters are doing rather than being earworms. “Into the Unknown,” the highly-anticipated follow-up to Elsa’s show-stopping “Let It Go,” is disappointing and forgettable. To be honest, the cut songs on the soundtrack are better than pretty much all the songs that are actually featured in the film! There are at least two redeeming songs in the sequel, however: Olaf’s “When I’m Older” and Kristoff’s “Lost in the Woods.” The former is similar in style to “In Summer” from the first film, while the latter is an unexpectedly hilarious 80s style love ballad that had my entire audience dying of laughter.
While it may sound like I’m just complaining about everything that didn’t work for me, ‘Frozen 2’ is still a genuinely good film. The characters are all still likable as ever. The film is just as funny, if not funnier, than the first. Olaf is still a joy to see on screen. The animation is gorgeous. And the story and music aren’t bad. Admittedly, I’ve come to like the music more after repeat listens. It’s just that, in comparison to the first one, the overall film feels like a major letdown. The filmmakers had impossibly high expectations to top the first film, so it’s a little unfair to penalize them for not living up to the hype. And even a “just good” film like ‘Frozen 2’ is leagues ahead of the countless disposable films coming from other studios, like Blue Sky or Illumination.
Walt Disney Animation Studios rarely ever produces sequels (the direct-to-dvd sequels don’t count, as they’re not theatrical releases), which is totally fine with me. They’ve broken this trend with the back-to-back releases of ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ and ‘Frozen 2’, both sequels released six years after the first. Both had their respective original teams coming back, spending the necessary time to present a worthwhile story instead of going for a quick cash grab, resulting in good films that explore interesting themes (toxic relationships, colonialism). And despite all of this, both sequels felt flat in comparison to their first films. Over the past decade, Walt Disney Animation Studios has been in a New Disney Renaissance, featuring a streak of new and original hits, including ‘Wreck-It Ralph’, ‘Big Hero 6’, ‘Zootopia’, and ‘Moana’. With the only sequels released during this period of time both being underwhelming, maybe it’s a sign the studio should let it go (I’m sorry) and just stick to telling original films from this point on.
