Frozen 2

So I did a quick read through of my first Frozen review and that was back in 2014... boy did I not expect how big of a thing that movie was gonna be and I was behind the curve on it without a doubt. Frozen has become such a huge staple in the Disney business that it was never really a question of if there was going to be a Frozen 2, it was a question of when. Six years to continue the story that seemed to be pretty conclusive in 2013? What can go wrong?

Frozen 2 picks up three years after the first film and the Scandinavian city of Arundel seems to be doing pretty well. The main cast of characters have been living happily together and one of the first songs is just talking about how some things never change... just as their about to change.

Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) is ready to propose to Princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) but is having trouble finding the right words to do it. Olaf the snowman (voiced by Josh Gad) is figuring out what it means to be getting older (this was kind of pointless but they needed Olaf to provide some comic relief so I'll give it a pass). But more important than all of those things is the fact that Queen Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) is hearing a voice originating from an enchanted forest to the north of the kingdom. She initially tries to ignore it, but when weird things start affecting the town of Arundel, she realizes that she must go north and discover the mystery behind the misty forest and bring Arundel back to normal.

And the result is a little scattered.

Now I should note, I'm watching this film from the perspective of a 20 something guy. I am not the target demographic for this film. As usual, I will give you my honest opinion of the film, but I will also try and understand why this movie might be a fit for the people/kids its targeted for.

Hands down my favorite part of this film is the visuals and mythology that they introduce to world build the existing world that's there. In the first film it was enough to just have Elsa have ice powers, but this movie really pushes the limits on the fantasy elements and let's be honest, create a world for future installments of this franchise to be made.

Now I will say, some of it definitely is ripping off Avatar: The Last Airbender. Like I know the elements of fire, earth, wind, and water aren't copy written by that show, but there is definitely some overtones of element bending and even though it seems to be ripping off Avatar, I'm still all for it.

On top of that, the visuals in this film are really well done. Not only is it a pretty film to look at, those fantasy elements are backed up with some really beautiful visuals and animation.

Honestly, the jury for me is still out on which soundtrack I prefer but its worth noting that I actually really like this soundtrack. It's either really catchy or its a forgettable song, but that was the case with the first soundtrack too.

At the end of the day, this movie should have been totally focused on Elsa because she's the strongest character. Elsa is the one driving the whole plot and its her that allows us to delve into these new parts of the Frozen world. I guess my problem with the film is that it seems to be hitting a lot of the same notes that they hit in Frozen. Elsa's still unsure of herself, Anna is still wanting to be closer to her sister even though Elsa pushes her away. And because this is a movie about two sisters, the male characters get sidelined to silly plot lines about growing older, and talking to reindeer about proposing. I'm not saying the guys needed to have more important plot lines, but they probably had a requirement to shove all of these characters in the movie even though its kind of more of a personal journey for one or two of them.

On top of the personal arcs, the plot is scattered. The first Frozen had a single plot point. Arundel is frozen over, we gotta get to Elsa for her to unfreeze it.

In this film, the quest (which takes a little bit to get going) starts off as a quest to protect Arundel, but then there's a whole thing about this tribe in the woods fighting with some lost Arundel guards, these elemental spirits, Elsa and Anna's parents, some weird dam that was built 30 some years ago, and by the end you kind of forget that Arundel was in trouble.

And when you combine the plot elements with the confusing personal arcs, it just becomes a bit messy. Frozen 1 was so concise, this one just seems a little all over the place that when it gets to the climax, which has arguably the best song of the movie (Show Yourself, Into the Unknown is fine but overrated), it's not as clear what moment of self-actualization Elsa's getting to... again. But hey at least everyone gets some cool outfits your kids are going to beg you for!

All that said, is your kid gonna not like Frozen because its story is a mess? No. If your kid liked Frozen 1, they're going to watch Frozen 2 on repeat, especially if you're self-quarantined... so get your alcohol ready to hear Into the Unknown multiple times.

The truth is, the characters are still fun. The fantasy elements are enough to keep kids really interested, and the songs are still really good.

There's a lot to like, if not just for nostalgia's sake. I don't think this movie is going to age particularly well, but there's nothing to really harmful about it. Yes it's not as tight or concisely made as Frozen 1, but that's kind of what happens when you're forced to make a sequel to the highest grossing animated film of all time. Its just the world we live in.

But those are my thoughts on Frozen 2. What did you think? Which soundtrack do you prefer the Frozen 1 or 2? Which movie do you prefer? Better question, what drink are you gonna make yourself while your kid watches it on Disney + for the sixth time in a row? Comment and Discuss below. You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!