REVIEW: “Frozen 2”

REVIEW: “Frozen 2”

December 1st, 2019

Martin Goodman

With Frozen II, Disney Animation has rebounded nicely from the ill-advised remake of The Lion King, proving once again that fresh ideas trump needless ones. Of course, Frozen II is a sequel, but it doesn’t feel like one. The original characters from Frozen star in the movie, but the screenplay by Jennifer Lee is a considerable departure from that film. There are advantages and disadvantages to that approach.

Among the former, there is notable depth to the main characters that is merely suggested in the first film. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff display emotions and motivations that result in deeper connections to both the audiences and to each other. Although we know that the sisters are closely bonded, in this go-round they are willing to lay down their lives for each other and for a greater good. Elsa is known to be a determined young woman, but in the sequel, she is willing to cross oceans, scale mountains, and force her way into subterranean sanctuaries to learn the truth about her family – and herself. She puts herself at incredible risk several times in the film and remains undeterred.

Anna, too, is nearly killed on a couple of occasions trying to save her headstrong sister from a raging fire, and late in the film, trying to break a curse while mountainous earth giants hurl boulders at her between efforts to stomp her into paste. Kristoff shows fear, vulnerability, and insecurity at various times, something not seen in the first film where he seemed to be much more of a supporting character until the last third of Frozen.

A good decision by directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee to express these deeper aspects through song: Every main character gets a revealing musical number; even Sven the reindeer gets to show off some vocal chops in a duet with Kristoff. Given the fact that he’s in an enchanted forest at the time, that’s not as weird as it seems. The best of these numbers are the true showstopper “Show Yourself” sung by Elsa as she discovers her moment of truth; “The Next Right Thing”, sung by Anna at her lowest point of defeat as she attempts to rise from the ashes, and “Lost in the Woods”, a heartfelt number sung by Kristoff as he confronts his own lack of confidence. Olaf the snowman has a short, superfluous number that is much less impressive.

The disadvantages? In order not to replicate the distinctive “princess” flavor present in the first film, Lee’s screenplay is much darker (including a background of lies and murder in the royal family) and more convoluted. It’s a good bet that many of the six, seven, or eight-year-old girls were unable to follow the twists and turns, and some of the ordeals that Elsa and Anna face are much heavier than any peril found in Frozen. That vast segment of the audience was likely more thrilled with the sight of Elsa wearing her hair down, or of the enchanting water-horse.

Since every character is deeply developed this time, Olaf had to be included. This included having him toss off philosophical tropes or intellectual statements that are not in character. I was not a fan of Olaf in the first film, and his comic relief seemed to be particularly irritating in this one. He is also the only character used for emotional manipulation, something that is otherwise absent from Frozen 2. I could easily imagine a script that omits Olaf entirely, and that might have made for a stronger film.

The animation, reportedly handled by a crew of only eighty, is astounding; Disney Animation are demigods in their field. After watching some of the effects involving just water, I wondered if CGI can be advanced beyond this. There is not one effect, one background, one layout, or one movement out of place, out of synch, or unconvincing. Elsa’ graceful poses and dance during “Show Yourself” could not have been better executed in live-action. I remember one of Disney’s first CGI efforts, the abysmal Chicken Little (2005). Watching Frozen 2 is like seeing a billion years of evolution compacted into fourteen years.

The vocal cast, returned from the original film, is a perfect complement to the dazzling animation. Idina Menzel as Elsa is even better than she was in the first film (Sharp-eyed members of the audience will catch her snarky dig at the ubiquitous number “Let it Go”). Kristen Bell tears it up as Anna, and Jonathan Groff brings a wistful warmth to both his character and songs. Josh Gad reprises his popular characterization of Olaf. The musical score, by Christophe Beck, is more impressive than that of the first film. The same can be said for the new songs written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

In short, this is a very fine film with few flaws and can considered be one of the rare films that is decidedly better than its predecessor. In a lean year for quality animated films, Frozen 2 ices one of the very top spots.

Some commentary: After the success of Frozen, a segment of the LGBTQ population respectfully asked Disney to give Elsa a girlfriend and reveal her as being gay. Many of the same expressed disappointment that their wish was not granted (at least in this film). It’s not that Disney was reticent or worried about reception; they could have easily done so. The days when conservative mountebanks railed against hidden gay agendas in SpongeBob SquarePants cartoons is long over.

Nickelodeon, in fact, runs a popular series called The Loud House that can be seen by any child that wants to watch it. It is strongly suggested that one of the Loud siblings, Luna, is gay. Lincoln Loud’s best friend is a neurotic black kid who has been adopted by a mixed-race gay male couple. I, for one, don’t recall any outrages, protests, or denunciations over any of this, nor should there be. The reason that Elsa is still single, with no sexual preference suggested as of yet, is because there was no room for a male or lesbian love interest in the Frozen 2 storyline; Elsa only focus was on learning the truth at all costs, and the truth has set her free. Perhaps in Frozen 3 she will have a lesbian partner, or maybe marry a suitable man. Perhaps she’ll decide that the single life is better than any other option. Either way is just fine, but for now…let it go.