Frozen II

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Reviews for Frozen 2 were a bit mixed and I confess I didn’t exactly love the first one (was I the only one on the entire planet not to?). I didn’t hate it, but it was just okay for me. I didn’t even love the song. On our recent trip to Disney World, we met pretty much the whole Frozen crew but needed to attend a sing-along (where people definitely, enthusiastically sang along) to even remember some pretty big plot points from the movie, which came out in 2013 (for example, not one of us remembered trolls). Still, we dutifully brought back an Elsa dress for our 3 year old niece, who has caught Elsa fever (not the kind that produces snow boogies) like pretty much every little girl under 10 has at one time or another.

So of course we went to the see the film. The trailers looked…well, astonishing, frankly, real marvels of computer animation, if a little light on story. We tempered our expectations and emptied our bladders (it’s not really that long, just long for kids – nearly 2 hours with previews) and took our seats in a theatre packed with kids.

And you know what? I can’t speak for the kids, but I freaking loved it. Yes, the animation is, well, staggering. There was more than one moment when I had to convince my eyes that they were looking at cartoons, not real life. The cinematography is top-tier; the light design is dazzling. But, okay, throw all that aside: what about the story? You may have heard that it doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, that it lacks drama because it doesn’t have a distinct villain. That the songs are a bit on the forgettable side. I think that’s all a bunch of hogwash.

Frozen II is more interesting, more complex, and more satisfying than the first one, perhaps because its themes are more mature, perhaps because instead of battling a bad guy, it turns inward, introspective. An enchanted forest is calling to Elsa, and though everyone fears what will happen if she opens Pandora’s box, she opens it anyway, exuberantly, after obsessing over it. Though she and Anna vow to go forth together, as a team, they inevitably part ways and both will be tested.

I laughed. I cried. I was surprised on several occasions by its bold and curious choices. There’s a musical number performed by Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) that inserts what I can only describe as a 1980s-style power ballad into the proceedings for no apparent reason. The number is done as if it’s an early MTV music video, all hokey and cheesy and wonderful because of it – clearly not aimed at children who will never know that the M in MTV once stood for music.

I felt that the first film espoused a fake kind of feminism – people applauded it while apparently failing to note that lots of male characters were still propping up the sisters. But in this film they simply do, and they do well, all by themselves, without anyone needing to point it out. You can tell the ladies are genuinely getting down to business because Elsa’s beautiful dress, already being marketed to little girls in stores, comes with slacks, making it easier for her to kick butt. Elsa seemed moody and bratty in the first, but here she’s a woman full of confidence, full of competence. And Anna knows her worth, magical powers or no.

Do any of the songs rival the powerhouse Let It Go? from the first film? How could they, really? Let It Go was an anomaly, one in a million. And then horribly overplayed and quite tedious. Still, several of the songs were quite good, if not quite as memorable, and performed by Broadway’s best, well, it’s nothing to sneeze at.

I don’t know what kids think of it (yet – my 5 year old nephew and 3 year old niece will see it tomorrow – and in 2 weeks, when that 3 year old niece turns 4, her aunt Jay will bring an Elsa cake to her birthday party) but I do know that I was impressed by it, entertained by it, moved by it. I said previously that the first Frozen felt more like a merchandising tool than a movie, destined to spawn straight-to-video sequels, so this is a rare occasion when I admit my mistake, and am humbled by it. Just a bit. 😉

This is my nephew Jack, who’s providing the kid perspective.

And my other nephew Ben.

It’s okay. You can tell me their reviews are better than mine. I know it. And I’m the proudest aunt.

Ben also has something to add to my Detective Pikachu review.

29 thoughts on “Frozen II”

  2. markbierman

    I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the movie. We are taking our two girls to see it today and I’ve been hearing mixed reviews. I agree with you about the song “Let It Go!,” from the first movie. I was forced to endure listening to it and so many spoofs on it, I wanted to poke my eardrums out. 🙂

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  4. Often Off Topic

    I feel like such a hipster for saying it but…I loved Frozen before it was cool! It just blew up out of nowhere, didn’t it? I liked the sequel but the songs weren’t up to scratch this time for me, except for Lost in the Woods which might just be my favourite song OF ALL TIME.

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  6. Brittani

    I wasn’t crazy about the first one either. Mainly because my then three year old made me watch it every day for months on end and because I felt like it was overpraised for being empowering to women all while ignoring the fact that BRAVE was right there, but still. I’ll see this. The trailers look intriguing enough. I hope I like it too.

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  11. Todd Russell

    First one had much better music and the simpler storyline was easier for our grandchildren to follow and repeatedly enjoy. They are watching that more than MOANA now and that says something for them. Frozen II they enjoyed, but clearly lost interest in parts. Maybe older children will enjoy this more.

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  13. Liz A.

    No, you’re not the only one who gave a meh to the first one. Not horrible, but I just didn’t get it. (And since my last name, albeit misspelled and pronounced incorrectly, is in it, you would think I would be more into it.) I may have to see this, then.

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  16. ficaffliction

    I knew I couldn’t be the only one who can see past what others may call flaws. I just don’t get why everyone thinks let it go is so much better than into the unknown

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