Frozen 2: A Review
- ThisIsRyssa
- Dec 8, 2019
- 7 min read
I was 21 when the first Frozen film came out in 2013. I went to see it with my siblings, my little sister, Tasha, was sitting next to me and from the first scene we couldn't help but hold each other's hands because we were both enraptured by the animation and the magic.
And then came in Anna singing For The First Time In Forever and that was it for her and I. Frozen became love at first sight! We ended up watching it three times in the cinema and considering that not many people liked it very much, constantly say that it's not as good as other Disney films, I am unashamed to be someone who considers this one of her favourites.
It's 2019, I am 27 and was extremely excited to see Frozen 2! I went in with no expectation but I was so ready for anything. And boy, did Disney take it to a whole new level with the Frozen franchise! The adventure is bigger, the story is heavier, the animation looks more detailed and the music will still be ringing in your head even after you've left the cinema. I recommend tissues if you have a tender heart and are a sucker for characters who are into sacrificing themselves for what's right.
The adventure grabs you right from the beginning of the movie when Elsa (Idina Menzel) hears a mysterious voice in the wind, a voice from beyond calling to her. For those of us who have had Into The Unknown on repeat since early November, the call is a very familiar tone. In the first film, Elsa is fearful of her powers and things go seriously haywire. But here, Elsa is more confident in her abilities and is unafraid to use her powers when the need arises. She is determined to find the source of the voice and the source of her magic. This is a major step up from when we first met this character where her instincts were constantly revolving around fight or flight; drowning in fear.
Anna (Kristen Bell) is still happy-go-lucky and lovable, and is still putting Elsa before herself. She is such a wonderful character that brings a whole new meaning to the traits of love and compassion. Although I did find her a bit irritating in some scenes (definite helicopter parenting), her heart was in the right place. Being separated for so many years growing up, Anna is very protective of the time that she and Elsa share because they weren't allowed to be together when they were younger. Her relationship with her sister is very important to her because Elsa is her only living relative. Another highlight for Anna is her relationship with Kristoff. Seeing Anna and Kristoff together will give you a feeling of comfort because these two love birds are comfortable around each other.
Also, a major round of applause to Disney for having Anna accurately portray what people look like when they're asleep (sleeping in weird positions and ugly drooling is a real thing).
Oh Kristoff (Jonathan Groff). He is such a great character and those trolls did a great job raising him. Along with his trusty sidekick, Sven the adorable reindeer, he is ready to tackle whatever comes his way in order to keep those he loves safe. He is, at times, awkward and has a knack for losing his words when he needs them the most, but he gets there eventually. He loves Anna, that much is obvious when you're watching this film. But as the story progresses you start to feel for him a bit more because Anna becomes fully focused on saving Elsa and somewhat puts her relationship with him on the back burner. Yes, it may seem unfair, but it's not the question of choosing one over the other. Kristoff gives Anna her space in order to do what she needs to. Wouldn't you consider that a great example of love? Being unselfish and understanding is at Kristoff's core and it fits him beautifully. And I would like to add that out of the entire movie, Kristoff had my all time favourite scene! I don't know how much I should say because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I do guarantee that in this scene, you will feel secondhand embarrassment and major nostalgia for 80s love ballad music videos; think Patrick Swayze's She's Like The Wind and probably Foreigner's I Wanna Know What Love Is.
Where do I even begin with Olaf (Josh Gad). He was the absolute highlight for the first installment of Frozen is for the second. He is the breath of fresh air, that soft-to-hard hit of reality that we all need in our lives sometimes. I truly believe that no one else could have brought such life to Olaf like the way Josh Gad has. It feels as if Olaf is an extension of Gad and it's freaking brilliant. Olaf is such a treasure and is one of the most iconic characters for comedic relief in all of cinematic history in my opinion (which doesn't mean much to many).
Just when a scene is about to dipped into the dark side, Olaf pops out of nowhere with his quirky one-liners and brings you back into the light. And now that I think about it, Olaf was there from when Elsa and Anna were children; a snowy friend that they shared and made them feel as though everything was going to be ok just by saying, "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs". He was created by the sisters out of innocence and love and that is what this character is. Pure love (along with budding curiosity and real world problem questions on issues that we would rather not think about...but mostly love).
In this movie, we also take a look at the backstory of Anna and Elsa's parents, King Agnarr (Alfred Molina) and Queen Iduna (Evan Rachel Wood) and what happened after the shipwreck.
The story that follows the King and Queen is quite interesting and as their tale unravels you find yourself having those little light bulb moments and all the puzzle pieces begin to click into place. This gives Frozen 2 more depth and you want to dive in further to discover all the secrets that are yet to be found. And yet it has just occurred to me that Frozen 2 has two parallel story lines running through the movie - the history of Arendelle and finding out Elsa's place in the world.
Elsa's mystery voice leads her, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf to this enchanted forest from a bedtime story their father, King Agnarr, told to her and Anna when they were young. But the enchanted forest isn't the only tale they were told. Queen Iduna also sung a lullaby of a special place that held the answer to all of life's questions and was something that Elsa and Anna never forgot. The bedtime story and the lullaby holds the key to the mystery before our heroes.
Once in the enchanted forest, Elsa and Anna find a Northuldra tribe that was a part of King Agnarr's story as well as Arendellian soldiers that were lost for over 30 years.
As they fight their way through angry elemental spirits, Elsa and Anna find out the truth of Arendelle's relationship with the Norhtuldra people and why the elemental spirits are restless. And this gives light to why Elsa was born with powers.
Frozen 2 is not a love story. It is a story about love and about family. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf are a family and they take on this challenge together. The love they share, and the love of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna play such a critical role in finding the courage to beat the odds.
In a time where we look for strong female role models on-screen, I believe that Frozen 2 delivers on that front. This journey that Elsa and Anna embark on is rough and doesn't only have a physical toll but an emotional one as well. In one scene, Elsa is believed to be dead, sacrificing herself to find the truth, and Anna is faced with the reality that she was not able to save her, puts such a heavy weight on Anna's heart.
Anna sings The Next Right Thing when she realizes that she's lost Elsa. I was brought to tears during this scene because it hit a little close to home for me. That feeling of hopeless and pain of grief is all too familiar to me. But when you find the strength to push through the pain, you know that your fight is not over yet. That there is still more for you to do.
For music, Christoph Beck weaves his brilliance throughout the film. And Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are the lyrical masterminds behind this film. All of the songs are incredible and hits you right in the feels. They are also the ones responsible for Let It Go and I thank them for that too.
If you know me personally then this will not surprise you. When the movie was done, I stayed in my seat for, what I'd considered, the main event. Chime in Panic! At The Disco with their version of Into The Unknown during the beginning of the credits. I sat, eyes fixed on the screen, heart full of pride, a wide grin on my face, my P!ATD tattoo in full view to whoever was looking, singing along to Brendon Urie's flawless vocals and hearing him in cinematic surround sound is all kinds of amazing!
I cannot express how happy I am that Disney bring in Brendon to be on the Frozen 2 Soundtrack. I have been a fan of Panic! At The Disco since I was 13 years old, I have heard all the P!ATD albums and in these past 14 years, Into The Unknown would have to be Brendon's most incredible vocal performance ever.
And you can definitely tell if a Panic! fan was in the Frozen 2 audience because we'd stay until after Brendon was done and we'd also be singing along because we that's who we are.
I can assure you that Frozen 2 is worth watching in the cinema. It definitely blows the first movie out of the water! Frozen 2 more than makes up for it's lack of heavy punch of its predecessor. If you're someone who pays close attention to detail, then you'll enjoy this movie even more because Disney has left quite a few Easter Eggs for us find and have a good giggle at.
And Disney, if are thinking about making a third film then I am so ready!
Frozen 2 is a 4.5 out of 5 for me!
Scores:
Rotten Tomatoes - 78%
IMDb - 7.3/10
#Frozen2 #Disney #IntoTheUnknown #PanicAtTheDisco #BrendonUrie #QueenElsa #PrincessAnna #Kristoff #Sven #Olaf #DisneyClassic #InTheLifeOfRyssa #MovieReview
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