Rated PG

Directed by Chris Buck and Jenifer Lee

Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K. Brown, and Evan Rachel Wood

After three dark, brutal, R-rated Warner Brothers movies in a row, who’s ready to lighten up the mood with Disney Animation’s family film to rule them all, Frozen II?

Frozen II is the sequel to the 2013 smash hit and once again follows sisters Elsa and Anna, along with their friends Kristoff, Sven and Olaf. Three years have passed since the events of the first film, and things have been going quite well in Arendelle. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf have been growing as a family and having an extremely good time. However, things start to go awry when an ancient spirit wakes up and begins to cause elemental trouble in Arendelle, amongst other regions. In hopes of discovering a solution to the ongoing environmental problems, the group decides to journey far away to save their kingdom, learning more about Elsa and Anna’s pasts in the meantime.

In 2013, it would have been wrong to say that Disney Animation’s Frozen was a moderate success critically and financially- the more accurate thing to say is that it was pop culture phenomenon. The film grossed $1.2 billion internationally, went on to earn two Oscars and Grammys, and has gone on to have a Broadway show, several animated shorts, humongous merchandising sales, more than plenty sing-a-longs and so much more. With all of that in mind, saying Frozen II had little to no pressure to turn out well would be the biggest understatement of the year. Granted, the box office earnings of Frozen II were guaranteed to be high from the start, as it has already broken several all-time records. The more interesting question is whether Disney will be able to pull off an animated sequel with a very limited history in that area, outside of last year’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. Well, fear not loyal Disney fans, as Frozen II is a bold sequel that certainly has enough good qualities across the board to earn its place alongside the original’s legacy.

Due to the original film’s box office explosion, there were several aspects of Frozen II that were bound to be superb from the start. The most obvious one would be how the animation and cinematography of this film are absolutely gorgeous. The look and atmosphere of the original Frozen was already one of its best advantages and here, the animators over at Disney really went above to expand the world with an incredible amount of beauty and depth. In almost every animated movie, the animators themselves are almost always the unsung heroes. To be frank, they deserve much more acknowledgement for their accomplishments and dedication because again, the animation of Frozen II is wonderful. 

On top of that, the writers of the songs from the original movie are back and like before, the soundtrack is extremely memorable. Kristen-Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez took the world by storm with “Let it Go,” and for the sequel, they have hit yet another goldmine of some songs that are great and will stick in audience’s heads for months to come. Combined with another strong score from Christopher Beck, the music of Frozen II is undoubtedly going to have the same resonance that original film had because if it was not clear by this point– it is fantastic.

Those are the two qualities that everyone knew were going to be high points of Frozen II right when it was greenlit, and all the cast and crew came back. The  part that nobody suspected about this sequel, including yours truly, was how different it would be in tone, story and just about everything in between. Frozen II’s story takes many interesting twists and turns, and definitely does not rest on the morals laid out by the 2013 original, and for me personally, nearly all of the bold choices made worked extremely well. 

Whether it is the surprisingly complex plot and history, the strong character development in Elsa and Anna, or most notably, the impressive expansion of the Frozen world- all of Frozen II’s ambition pays off and then some. The choices made throughout the film lead to some extraordinarily heartfelt and powerful themes that can still resonate with kids, who are still the primary audience for this film, while still retaining a level of depth that anyone can appreciate. With the help of these strong thematic overtones, it makes the journeys of Elsa and Anna even more impactful to the viewer, particularly with Elsa’s journey.

Frozen II has almost too many good moments and strengths that make it on par with the 2013 film, which makes it utterly disappointing how there are a handful of key issues that limit it from greatness. Even though the brave creative decisions made here were incredibly well done, that ambition does not truly show the fruits of its labor until the second half of the film. That does not necessarily mean that were no bold ideas in the first half as they lay out a number of the most memorable concepts throughout the beginning. There is not enough of that to overshadow the more routine moments that are not as powerful. When the first half is set against how impressive the second half becomes as the movie starts to spread its wings, it pales in comparison. The other primary issue with the film is that it is nowhere near as endearing as the original. It is not exactly easy to say why this is, but Frozen II is not as charming, funny or even emotional as audiences would expect a Disney animated movie to be–this is especially odd since those assets are a large part of what made the first Frozen a Disney classicl.

These issues may have dampened Frozen II’s chances of being an animated sequel at the same level of the Toy Story sequels, but the incredible merits that that the film does have with its bold new direction should make it praised above the rooftops nonetheless. Frozen II is an 8/10 film for being a joy to families and adults alike, while making an admirable journey into the unknown.

8/10