Frozen II (2019)
With Frozen bringing Disney a level of social awareness and praise not seen for over a decade, it only makes sense that Disney would decide to green-light a sequel for the film to be released in 2019 as Frozen II. After all the conflict and drama from the original film had subsided, all seems well and peaceful in Arendelle as seasons change and friendships grow. This is, however, until Elsa (Idina Menzel) begins to hear a mysterious voice in the distance that seems to not only be calling her, but also somehow related to a mysterious Enchanted Forest that Elsa and Anna (Kristen Bell) were told about when they were kids. While Frozen II has some intriguing world building and deeper thematic roots, the sequel fails to find the same magic as the original with a messy screenplay that lacks both focus and poignance.
While the original Frozen was a clean and focused narrative with nuance being found in its morals and emotional drama, Frozen II takes a far more tangled approach to its storytelling. While there is the central core mystery of the Enchanted Forest which eventually evolves into a wider statement on generational trauma and colonization, the film also is required to create multiple other side plots in order to give every character a purpose of existence. For some, like Olaf (Josh Gad), these can be charming little stories about topics such as moving on and being ok with the evolution of a friendship. For others, like Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), these can be painfully unrewarding plots of filler such as Kristoff trying to find the right time to propose to Anna with his moment always getting ruined by some goofy turn of events. This creates a focus that is jumbled and confusing with the runtime failing to feel clean and focused, even at an already shorter 103-minutes. It feels obvious that Frozen II should have settled for some side characters not being the focus and instead, embrace a shorter and more focused runtime closer to 80-90 minutes.
When it comes to the main plot, the results are mixed. While some of the deeper explorations within the film are clearly worthwhile and are handled with a rather strong emotional intelligence, there is also no denying how forced the plot actually feels with clear retconning being placed on these characters and their world in a rather lazy manner. It also is often hard to follow the actual logic and structure to the story as Elsa's emotional struggles often feels shoehorned with the larger narrative focus. On the positive side of things, Elsa's emotional journey does provide text that is rich in meaning and complexity with many finding her struggles to be tied to a queer undercurrent surrounding her overall character. Whether one subscribes to this idea or not, it is clear that the emotional journey she is on is something that the audience can relate to and engage with in a personal sense with the emotional drama never feeling shallow or underwhelming.
When it comes to positives, Frozen II sees a dramatic upgrade in technical quality from the first film with the animation being rather stunning at times. The change in iconography keeps things fresh as Disney embraces computer-animation in a way simply impossible for the first film. The performances themselves also see new confidence and emotional vulnerability as both Menzel and Bell redefine their ability in these roles. Bell especially shines as the MVP of the project with her love and desire to be there for her sister, coming across with an authentic heart and power. Josh Gad also deserves praise as he has nailed the character of Olaf once again with more consistent writing behind the character making him a genuine highlight of the entire project, even if Disney was deep in the process of overexposing the character outside of the feature.
There is no denying that without its music, specifically "Let it Go", Frozen would never have reached the cultural heights it did which makes it somewhat of a shame that the music for Frozen II is a clear step down. While "Show Yourself" is a noticeable highlight, no other songs evoke tremendous emotion or feel iconic in the same way that nearly the entire original soundtrack did. This is clearer nowhere better than "Into the Unknown" which fails as a lead single and shows a lack of success in the effort towards recreating the magic of the original.
Frozen II is a fine sequel that finds some areas of improvement over the first film without ever fully capturing the magic of it. While the animation, performances, and emotional core can strike with notable strength, the overall feature feels convoluted and lacking in craft with the idea that the film was rushed feeling like almost a guarantee. Had the film taken more time to build its story and create a clean and worthy narrative, this could have been something special but as is, it makes sense why so many have moved on from the feature while still finding time to enjoy the original
While the original Frozen was a clean and focused narrative with nuance being found in its morals and emotional drama, Frozen II takes a far more tangled approach to its storytelling. While there is the central core mystery of the Enchanted Forest which eventually evolves into a wider statement on generational trauma and colonization, the film also is required to create multiple other side plots in order to give every character a purpose of existence. For some, like Olaf (Josh Gad), these can be charming little stories about topics such as moving on and being ok with the evolution of a friendship. For others, like Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), these can be painfully unrewarding plots of filler such as Kristoff trying to find the right time to propose to Anna with his moment always getting ruined by some goofy turn of events. This creates a focus that is jumbled and confusing with the runtime failing to feel clean and focused, even at an already shorter 103-minutes. It feels obvious that Frozen II should have settled for some side characters not being the focus and instead, embrace a shorter and more focused runtime closer to 80-90 minutes.
When it comes to the main plot, the results are mixed. While some of the deeper explorations within the film are clearly worthwhile and are handled with a rather strong emotional intelligence, there is also no denying how forced the plot actually feels with clear retconning being placed on these characters and their world in a rather lazy manner. It also is often hard to follow the actual logic and structure to the story as Elsa's emotional struggles often feels shoehorned with the larger narrative focus. On the positive side of things, Elsa's emotional journey does provide text that is rich in meaning and complexity with many finding her struggles to be tied to a queer undercurrent surrounding her overall character. Whether one subscribes to this idea or not, it is clear that the emotional journey she is on is something that the audience can relate to and engage with in a personal sense with the emotional drama never feeling shallow or underwhelming.
When it comes to positives, Frozen II sees a dramatic upgrade in technical quality from the first film with the animation being rather stunning at times. The change in iconography keeps things fresh as Disney embraces computer-animation in a way simply impossible for the first film. The performances themselves also see new confidence and emotional vulnerability as both Menzel and Bell redefine their ability in these roles. Bell especially shines as the MVP of the project with her love and desire to be there for her sister, coming across with an authentic heart and power. Josh Gad also deserves praise as he has nailed the character of Olaf once again with more consistent writing behind the character making him a genuine highlight of the entire project, even if Disney was deep in the process of overexposing the character outside of the feature.
There is no denying that without its music, specifically "Let it Go", Frozen would never have reached the cultural heights it did which makes it somewhat of a shame that the music for Frozen II is a clear step down. While "Show Yourself" is a noticeable highlight, no other songs evoke tremendous emotion or feel iconic in the same way that nearly the entire original soundtrack did. This is clearer nowhere better than "Into the Unknown" which fails as a lead single and shows a lack of success in the effort towards recreating the magic of the original.
Frozen II is a fine sequel that finds some areas of improvement over the first film without ever fully capturing the magic of it. While the animation, performances, and emotional core can strike with notable strength, the overall feature feels convoluted and lacking in craft with the idea that the film was rushed feeling like almost a guarantee. Had the film taken more time to build its story and create a clean and worthy narrative, this could have been something special but as is, it makes sense why so many have moved on from the feature while still finding time to enjoy the original