'Frozen 2' Review: A Worthy Successor

Against all odds the Frozen 2 is a superior film to the original.

The darker story, variety of songs and simply the best animation that Disney has ever produced adds up to a tremendous sequel.

Between Frozen II and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the race for best animated film of the year is neck-and-neck.

Frozen II isn’t perfect. Some of the storylines conclusions are rushed. The story delves into the disappearance of Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna’s (Kristen Bell) parents, tethers the origin and purpose of Elsa’s powers to ancient spirits in the “Enchanted Forest,” and revisits a story they heard from their father. There’s simply too much story for the film to handle. The ending of the film isn’t as strong or rousing of a conclusion as the first film.

Let’s dive “Into the Unkown” with Frozen II.

Majestic Animation

The original Frozen might as well be from a completely different decade in comparison to the outstanding animation in the sequel. Simply put, this is the best looking animated film Disney has ever produced.

Whether it’s the almost photo realistic depiction of waves crashing against or the way the sun beams off of the trees in the “Enchanted Forest,” the environments feel as magical as Elsa’s powers.

No Physical Villain

In the first film there were really two physical villains (Hans and to a lesser extent Elsa). Director and Screenwriter Jennifer Lee makes the wise decision to not use a physical villain in the sequel.

In Frozen 2, upon hearing a voice in the distance and continued curiosity over the origin of her powers, Elsa awakens that ancient spirits of the “Enchanted Forest” – Air, Earth, Fire and Water. Elsa’s decision results in the spirits attacking Arendelle and forcing the citizens to flea to a safe area.

These angry spirits are mentioned in the cold open of the film in which Elsa and Anna’s father (Alfred Molina) tells them a story about his experience in an “Enchanted Forest.” According to their father, a conflict erupted between Arendelle and the people of Northuldra. Based on their father’s story, Elsa and Anna’s grandfather gave them a dam as a gift to strengthen their waters. During this gift exchange, a battle erupted and the conflict angered the ancient spirits of the forest. A mist covers the forest, preventing those outside the forest from entering and trapping the other inside.

After Elsa awaken these spirits, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Sven and Olaf (Josh Gad) head out to the “Enchanted Forest.” Over the course of the adventure, the group meets the members of Northuldra and Arendelle trapped inside the forest.

After the reunion, the main story kicks into high gear with Elsa and Anna splitting from the group to focus on saving Arendelle. There are some twists involving their parents, Elsa’s purpose for her magic and the frightening truth behind the supposed gift.

The Songs in Frozen 2

Each of the main characters from the first film gets at least one song in the sequel. These songs represent important moments for these characters and are superior songs to the first film’s overall catalogue.

Elsa’s Songs: Into the Unknown and Show Yourself

In this song, Elsa is wrestling with doing her job as queen and following this voice that’s calling out to her. She’s trying to shut it out to no avail. I don’t know whether “Into the Unknown” is a worthy successor to “Let it Go.” However, that’s definitely the goal of the song. The animation during the song is stunning and it’s great song, but I prefer her other song to this one.

The song also accomplishes the feat of forshadowing Elsa’s journey throughout the remainder of the film. “Into the Unknown’s” rousing conclusion results in Elsa waking the ancient spirits.

Show Yourself

Perfect mix of story and song. This is one of the last songs in the film and it encapsulates Elsa’s entire journey over the course of both Frozen films. The “Here I stand in the light of day” lyric from “Let it Go” as sung by Menzel has always been the highlight of the song. In Frozen II, Menzel belts out “I am found” in “Show Yourself,” which elicits the same reactions. Complementing Menzel in the song is the voice of Elsa’s mother (Evan Rachel Wood) and her helps bring the song to a satisfying confusion.

Anna’s Song: The Next Right Thing

This is a fantastic song for any person dealing with grief. In the song, Anna sings about picking herself up and continuing on even when the future she thought was right in front of her no longer exists. “As I stumble blindly toward the light…” we move on to Kristoff’s arc and song.

Kristoff’s Song: Lost in the Woods

Favorite song in the movie. The song is a power ballad lifted straight out of the ’80s. It’s funny, heartfelt and timely for men in today’s culture. In the song, Kristoff longs for Anna, who’s off with Elsa and Olaf, while Sven provides the harmony.

There’s a great running gag throughout the film featuring Kristoff trying to propose to Anna. In many films, the male character might blame the female character. In Frozen II, Kristoff blames himself and the circumstances, not Anna for his inability to successfully propose. “Lost in the Woods” beautifully captures the relationship between Kristoff and Anna.

Olaf’s Song: When I am Older

Overall, Olaf is still a fun character for kids, but has matured a bit in the Frozen sequel and should connect with adults far better than he did in the original Frozen. In Frozen 2, Olaf is going through an existential crisis. His specific dilemma is coming to terms with aging and understanding the supposed wisdom that comes with growing up.

Wrap Up

What did you think of Frozen II? While there are some issues with the ending, Frozen 2 delivers a more engrossing narrative, better animation and a wider array of high quality songs compared to the original film.