Six years have passed since the first Frozen hit theaters — a long time by any standard, but especially so for its target audience of kiddos and the parents. The fans returning for Frozen 2 in 2019 aren't the same people they were in 2013. They're older and wiser, with new interests and new worries. And in Frozen 2, they'll find a sequel that's tried to grow up along with them.
Granted, it's still PG-rated stuff. Although Frozen 2 explores some fairly heavy themes, it does so lightly enough to remain accessible to younger viewers. It retains so many of the likable elements that made the first Frozen into a smash hit: Winning characters, silly jokes (many of them courtesy of the perpetually childlike Olaf), and catchy tunes.
Frozen 2 feels like a series of answers to questions we didn't even know to ask, and that raise more questions still.
But whereas the first film played on familiar ideas about the power of friendship and the importance of being oneself, the sequel touches upon concerns that aren't so easily smoothed away. Olaf (Josh Gad) is alternatively excited and anxious about the prospect of getting older. Anna (Kristen Bell) struggles to do the right thing when all seems lost. Elsa (Idina Menzel) uncovers troubling secrets about Arendelle's past, a la Thor: Ragnarok and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. And Kristoff (Jonathan Groff)... is also there, providing moral support to all the others. Well, at least he gets a hilarious '80s ballad this time.
The film opens by introducing the complicated lore that will propel the rest of the plot. A flashback reveals that decades ago, the Arendellians went to meet the Northudra, their magic-wielding neighbors, in an enchanted forest. A skirmish broke out, an impenetrable mist settled over the wood, and no one has managed to come in or out of it ever since.
That's the short summary. The full version involves supernatural visions and elemental spirits and possibly a mythical island that holds the key to everything. It's a much more fantastical addition to the Frozen universe — to the extent that, were it not for the presence of known characters like Anna and Elsa, it would be hard to tell at all this was a Frozen movie. Directors Jennifer Lee (who also wrote the screenplay) and Chris Buck have promised that Frozen 2 would answer questions left lingering by the first Frozen, but what they've delivered feels more like a series of answers to questions we didn't even know to ask, and that raise more questions still.
Image: DISNEY
All of this — the expanded mythology, the more mature themes — proves too much for Frozen 2 to handle in its 103-minute run time, especially since it also needs to make room for extravagant musical numbers (there are three in the first 20 minutes alone) and dramatic action sequences. The logic crumbles under close scrutiny, and so do the themes they're meant to explore. Meanwhile, some of the most intriguing elements of this movie, like Northuldra characters Ryder and Honeymaren, are relegated to the sidelines to make room for our heroes to do their thing.
But those turn out to be relatively minor quibbles, in the face of Frozen 2's irresistible charm offensive. Moment to moment, it's a thoroughly enjoyable ride. Elsa's powers lend themselves to an array of eye-popping sequences, whether she's tumbling into the unknown (while singing her new signature tune, "Into the Unknown") or gliding through glaciers or confronting horses made of pure water, while Olaf's naiveté and flair for the dramatic offer comic relief any time the goings threaten to get too serious.
The original songs, once again by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, might be earworm-y to finally push out all the Frozen 1 songs you've had stuck in your head for the past six years. Fans of these characters will be delighted to see that each gets their due, and there's an unbearably cute critter named Bruni who seems tailor-made to move tons of toys this holiday season.
So Frozen 2's attempts to evolve may not be entirely successful. So Frozen 2 seems like it's doing too much. There's something endearing about watching it try, and stumble, and try again. It's the cinematic equivalent of a tween, sprawling out in all directions without knowing quite where it's headed. In that sense, it's keeping up with the youngest fans of the original, who willed this sequel into being in the first place.
