Frozen, one of the highest grossing animated films of all time, is finally back on the big screen for the first time in six years. It’s sequel, Frozen 2, brings back the beloved characters, Anna (Kristen Bel), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and, last but not least, Sven as they go on a journey into the mysterious Enchanted Forest to find answers about the past and ultimately save their kingdom Arendelle. The Walt Disney Animation Studios doesn’t release animated sequels too often, so creators seemed to put a great deal of focus on a unique storyline, characters and music that are reminiscent of the first film, but still unique. This film also had a few very unexpected twists and turns just like the first film.
Audiences will appreciate that the film answers many questions that were left unanswered in Frozen. For example, we learn who Anna and Elsa’s parents were, how they met, why Elsa has magical powers and where the powers come from.
At the beginning of the film, Anna and Else are shown as young children listening to their Father tell them the story of the Enchanted Forrest and how he was mysteriously saved by someone and protected during a dangerous battle that took place there when he was a young boy. We learn that The Enchanted Forest has magical powers as it is ruled by the magical spirits of nature which include air, fire, water and earth.
The film then switches to present day where everyone is living happily in Arendelle until Elsa begins to hear a mysterious voice and she unknowingly awakens The Enchanted Forest’s spirits which puts Arendelle in great danger. Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf venture out of Arendelle and into The Enchanted Forest to find the mysterious voice and why the The Forest’s spirits are angry. Along the way, they find out a lot about the past and meet some new characters such as Lieutenant Mattias (Sterling K. Brown) and the Northuldra tribe members who where trapped in the Enchanted Forest during the battle 30+ years ago.
I thought the film had high quality animation as there were many beautiful mountains and other landscapes with rich colors. The costumes on the characters were also well designed and very realistic looking.
The music played a very large role in Frozen and I thought songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez and composer Christophe Beck were successful in this film. The new music in the sequel will definitely be very popular and loved by audiences such as the song “Into the Unknown” sung by Idina Menzel. Unlike the first film, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) also gets a full length solo song “Lost in the Woods” which has a dramatic 80’s music flare to it. Some of the well known melodies from Frozen can lightly be heard at times in the background which I thought connected the original to this sequel nicely.
Kristen Bell (“Anna”), Idina Menzel (“Elsa”), Josh Gad (“Olaf”) and Jonathan Groff (“Kristoff”) all gave great performances filled with emotion and empathy for the characters they were playing. Josh Gad’s (“Olaf”) performance shined as he had a lot of comedic moments in many parts of the film. His character had me laughing out loud many times, especially when Olaf did a hilarious skit in the Enchanted Forest acting out what had happened in the first Frozen film.
This film focused on team work, the bonds of love and family and having the courage to overcome obstacles in life by taking a positive step forward and doing the next right thing. One inspiring quote from the film is, “Don’t give up. Take it one step at a time. Do the next right thing.”
Overall I enjoyed this film! I thought it was a well made sequel as it stayed true to the original characters, animation and music style while also delivering a new and exciting storyline that was entertaining and provided explanations to the first film’s unanswered questions.
Release Date: November 22, 2019
Starring: Idina Menzel,Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad
Director: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre: Adventure Animated Comedy Family
Audience: All ages
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1 he 43 minutes
Official Website: https://frozen.disney.com
Official Social Media Pages:
- Facebook: @DisneyFrozen
- Twitter: @DisneyFrozen
- Instagram: @DisneyFrozen
IMDB Page: @DisneyFrozen
Wiki Link: @DisneyFrozen
Jacqueline Nofal | Writing Contributor
B.A | Communicatons | UC San Diego
Jacqueline is fourth year student at UC San Diego and will receive a BA in Communications and minor in music this June. She has always loved writing, telling stories and making people laugh. She is continuously captivated by a story’s ability to inspire, entertain or bring hope to people. She loves reading, watching movies and definitely anything Disney! She also has a love for music. She has been singing most of her life and is currently singing in the La Jolla Symphony Chorus. In her other free time you can find her traveling, volunteering, listening to music, going to the beach and just enjoying the San Diego sunshine! Instagram @jackie.nofal |
