With Frozen being such a monster hit for Disney, it made sense for them to make a theritrical sequel six years after the original’s 2013 release. Much like Finding Dory and Toy Story 4 beforehand, I was pondering why there even needed to be a sequel when the first movie was just fine as its own thing. Where most of the Pixar sequels justified their existence and gave a new entertaining story to tell with familiar characters, this movie is somewhat confused as to how the story should be told. Both Directors Jenifer Lee and Chris Buck return with a new story that is darker and more serious compared to the first’s bubbly and easy going tone with a bit of an edge. It may have a lot going for it, but darker doesn't always equal better.
As kids, Anna and Elsa are told by their parents about the enchanted forest and how it’s full of magic and some other complicated stuff to comprehend (I don’t know I didn't quite follow). Years later, the grownup sisters are doing well with running the kingdom of Arendelle until Elsa starts hearing strange noises coming from the north. The sisters as well as Kristof and crew head to an unfamiliar magical land and find themselves trapped inside by a magical force field. There, they meet many people of the strange place and start to figure out about its history that may change the ways of our characters and the kingdom as they know it.
I appreciate when movies and shows that are considered for “kids” go into darker unfamiliar territory but for some reason it just doesn't work in this movie because it tries to go too serious to the point that it’s honestly somewhat forgettable and lacking in personality. It is even more polarizing when it actually tries to be funny and bubbly like the first movie but somehow it just doesn't transition smoothly with the more serious stuff. There’s also a subplot with Kristof that’s honestly okay but really could have been implemented into the story better. Not to mention that most of the main characters have been drained out of personality in favor for more mature talking scenes and dialogue. This is especially unfortunate with Anna who went from being this bubbly outgoing person to a bland uninteresting strong woman stereotype.
I will give credit that there are some good things that did come up from this relentlessly off-putting story. The animation for one is really flippin good and a nice step forward for the “franchise” I am a little worried about the future of CG animation for looking too realistic but nevertheless it still looks great as to be expected from Disney. I’ll even say there were a couple scenes that did make me laugh, most of them coming from Olaf. With the exception of Into the Unknown, the songs aren’t as hummable as the original but I give kudos to Robert and Kristen Anderson Lopez for at least trying to create memorable tunes but knowing what they have done before, I guess I just expected a little more.
Frozen II is not a bad film. it’s not a great film either. It’s a passable story with great animation and decent songs. This is far from the worst thing Disney has ever done but for somebody who appreciated and enjoyed the first movie, if there were a sequel to Frozen, I would have wanted something more in spirit to the tone of the original. This movie may have melted the hearts of some but it unfortunately left me in the cold.
(Final Grade: C+)