Frozen II – Film Review

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

Directors:  Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Synopsis: Set three years after the events of the first film, as a mysterious voice that calls out to Elsa, she must venture beyond Arendelle’s borders in search of the truth behind her powers…

Review: Cast your minds back to November 2013, the time when Frozen fever came, and quickly conquered all before it. No matter where you were, this phenomenon was inescapable as it swept across the globe, shattering box office records left, right and centre, eventually landing the title of highest grossing film of all time, a title it was to hold for six years. Furthermore, with the irresistibly catchy “Let it Go” a song that almost certainly got stuck in heads, especially those with children, several times over. It was a matter of time before Elsa’s powers brought a sequel into existence.

In the years since the events of the first film, the citizens of Arendelle are prospering under Elsa’s rule. With her relationship with Anna as strong as ever, Kristoff’s romance with Anna is going from strength to strength. Alongside them, with Kristoff’s trusted reindeer Sven and the sentient snowman Olaf by their side, all seems right with the world. However, when Elsa begins to hear a distant and mysterious voice that calls out to her, she and Anna must journey beyond Arendelle’s lands to seek out the voice that she suspects might have something to do with the origin of her powers.

Given the incredible phenomenon the preceding film became, when news that a sequel was in the works, the anticipation for it was at freezing boiling point. Taking a familiar Disney Princess trope and turning it on its head(ish), worked a treat for the first film. However, this time around they take the story into a much bolder direction. Rather than focusing on a fundamental battle of good vs evil, the screenplay recognises that the audience have grown up in the six years between the films. With that in mind, it aims to go into a much more nuanced, and mature direction. It’s an admirable approach, but despite a strong start, the plot is not as solid as its predecessor and does start to crack around half way through.

In terms of animation, Disney seldom disappoints and once again, they have delivered in some style. The animation is once again simply stunning to look at. There’s so much sophistication and detail in numerous aspects of the animation that are just make for some astounding visuals, especially when it comes to Elsa’s powers. Furthermore, what definitely helped the first film become the phenomenon it was, was down to the film’s music. Though there’s nothing here quite as powerful, or indeed as catchy as “Let it Go“, returning songwriters, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have come up with a number of songs go mightily close to recapture those, soaring notes. most notably “Into the Unknown” that makes the best use of Idina Menzel’s remarkable vocals.

While Olaf’s humour worked in the first film, this time around though it is very hit and miss. There’s a few instances where he can be very funny, but at other times, his humour starts to become extremely grating. Thankfully though, it’s not enough to derail the film, as despite its shortcomings from a narrative aspect, the excellent voice work, the strong sisterly bond between Elsa and Anna, and the handful of memorable tunes go a long way to ensure that this latest venture to the land of Arendelle will not give you frostbite.

The plot is not on as solid ground as its predecessor, however the stunning animation, excellent voice work and soaring music ensure that this is an adventure into the unknown, that’s worth going on.