The year is 2013. Disney’s newest release Frozen hits theaters and instantly takes the world by storm. The story is one that Disney has never dabbled in before–the power of familial love and the idea that a man isn’t always a woman’s savior. With loveable characters and karaoke hit songs such as “Let it go”, it is no wonder that Frozen is the sixth most grossing animated film of all time according to IMDb.
Fast forward six years, November 22, 2019, to be exact, and Disney has finally released the long-awaited continuation of the first film. The simply titled sequel Frozen 2, follows the same characters Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) and her loyal sister Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) as they venture into an enchanted forest to find the source of a mysterious voice that calls out to Elsa. What starts out as a seemingly casual adventure with the rest of the Frozen gang, including Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven along with a more matured yet ever reassuring Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad), turns into a mission of self-discovery and righting the wrongs of history.
The film opens with an innocent scene that features young Anna and Elsa playing with snow creations that Elsa curates with her ice power. Their father, King Agnarr (voiced by Alfred Molina), then tells them a story of his experience in an actual enchanted forest and the magic that lies within the mystical location. Following their father’s bedtime story, their mother Queen Iduna (voiced by Evan Rachel Wood) then sings a lullaby “All is found” which foreshadows encounters and events soon to be experienced by the sisters.
Three years have passed since we last saw Anna and Elsa, it is now autumn in Arendelle and growth is in the air. Olaf, the once carefree snowman is now older and more profound as he is now able to read. His constant thoughts on growing older and the idea that “nothing is permanent” signals Anna’s reassuring words in the group song “Some things never change”. The movie’s theme that things change and people grow older, but love and friendship stay constant (cheesy, I know). But incredibly true as it is presented in this song.
From the first interaction the audience has with Elsa, its evident something is bothering her. She seems to be content with her new role as queen of Arendelle but it’s obvious there is something missing. While Anna believes all is well, Elsa begins to hear an ominous voice calling to her, something she is hesitant to reveal to Anna. She repeatedly reminds Elsa to communicate with her as any good sister would, but begins to come off as a bit clingy– but can you blame her? Last time her sister shut her out, they didn’t talk for nearly 18 years and once they did, Elsa lashed out and froze her heart-cold.
As true with any Disney princess, their go-to coping method for any unknown situation is to belt out a drama-filled song to express their uncertainty. In Elsa’s case, “Into the unknown” serves as her question to nature. The “Let it go” little sister expresses Elsa’s insecurities about following the voice to its source while also feeling that this calling is something positive she needs to follow. So, as it happens in every other Disney film, what does she do? Follows the voice “Into the Unknown”.
What about Olaf’s new grown-up mentality? The happy-go-lucky snowman has now solidified his consciousness, causing him to question the bigger overarching ideas of living and existence. Through Olaf’s dialogue and persona, along with his only solo song in the film “When I am older” (A sure let down when compared to “In summer”) the theme of growth and coming-of-age is able to blossom throughout the film
Speaking of growth, not only have the characters matured but so have their relationships. Reindeer loving Kristoff has found that his love for Anna has evolved and become much stronger, so much so that he plans on asking her to marry him. He confides in his trusty reindeer Sven for the confidence boost to finally pop the question but seems to have trouble spitting out the words when the time actually comes, causing him to simply give up and wait for the next opportunity. All of his attempted and failed proposals prompt his heartfelt love ballad and debatably the best song in the film, “Lost in the woods” where he expresses his love and passion for Anna in a 1980’s pop music video style, complete with reindeer backup singers.
In all honesty, Disney truly hit this sequel out of the park. Many times sequels do not live up to their predecessors causing mass disappointment among moviegoers. But not with this one. With a brilliantly detailed plotline and catchy, powerful songs that help to carry the overarching theme of the film along with changes in character relationships, it is safe to say that Frozen 2 is a film everyone will enjoy. Even highschoolers.
After seeing this film a slightly embarrassing 3 times I would rate Frozen 2, 5 out of 5 snowflakes because of the quality of the continued Frozen story I fell in love with in middle school presented in the 104-minute film. Maybe in another six years’ time (or three years in the kingdom of Arendelle), we will have a Frozen trilogy… only time will tell.
