Frozen 2
Can you believe it’s been six years since Frozen came out? That’s six years since we saw Disney’s version of The Snow Queen (and Elsa, of course), five years since John Travolta introduced us to “Adele Dazeem” at the 2014 Academy Awards, and five minutes since “Let it Go” was last blasted in a store near you (especially since it’s the holiday season). Frozen has left its mark on families everywhere, so it was only natural that Disney did what it does the most, and make a sequel for it. Frozen 2 is exactly what you would expect from a followup that Disney takes pride in: your favourite characters doing just enough to never experience too much danger, and a whole slew of songs.
If anything, Frozen 2 quickly reveals itself to basically be a sister soundtrack for the first film, rather than a full on cinematic sequel. Within the first ten minutes or so, we have three songs. Three. Full. Songs. One of them is “Into the Unknown”, the original song that Disney is currently sprinting and passing out just in time for the awards season. There really is no secrecy here, huh? If anything, the songs here, while well intentioned, are far more convoluted than those in Frozen. “Lost in the Woods” is a particularly vapid song that is meant to sound passionate, but instead feels like a show tune that finally made its way out of late ‘90s soft rock radio. Otherwise, many of the songs feel stuffed-to-the-brim lyrically, as if there was an effort to fit as many lines in a stanza as possible.
The gang’s all here.
The good news is that the animation is even better. Since Frozen 2 plays with various earthly elements now (and, with them, a series of seasonal shifts), there is a lot to behold visually. The incorporation of water (especially in relation to the “memory” portion of the main plot) is dazzlingly well done. Ice shards or round droplets. All of it is jaw dropping. The story itself is used to pair these images with the new soundtrack, and we get the standard Disney sequel narrative: the exact same faces you loved from the first film, going on an adventure that doesn’t really threaten to change their current position in pop culture. It’s fan service, through and through. I’m supposing huge Frozen buffs will like these songs more than I do, but I have a feeling everyone will at least appreciate Frozen 2’s evolved animation. Otherwise, this is as safe as it gets, for better or for worse. No risks are taken, but you’re guaranteed what you went to the theatre for: Frozen, but a second chance to see and hear why you love these characters and songs.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.