Frozen II: An amateur film that truly disappoints
As the decade comes to a near end, it seems fitting to reminisce the year of 2013, where people of all generations sang along to the iconic songs of “Let It Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” from the popular Disney film Frozen. Many SMIC-I students searched up lyrics to the songs from the movie and jammed out to them at, indifferent to anyone who might have been listening to their off-tune singing. The movie was a global sensation, whether it be because of lovable animated characters like Olaf and Sven, or because of the film’s engaging plot. That being said, when Disney announced that Frozen II was to be released in November of 2019, Frozen fans everywhere just about lost their minds. Released in Shanghai theatres on November 22, 2019, the cinemas were packed with people of all ages. Many had high expectations for the animated film, since Frozen, was such a big hit. However, when the movie ended, most of the expectations set for Frozen 2 were disappointingly not met.
*Disclaimer: Major Spoilers Ahead*
Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven gawking at the Enchanted Forest, wondering what it could possibly hold Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
To put it simply, the storyline of Frozen II was sloppy. The movie starts off with the usual scheme of Elsa and Anna, the two main protagonists of the movie, interacting with the people of Arendelle while singing a jolly tune. Later, what seems to be one of the main conflicts of the storyline is unveiled when Elsa starts to hear strange voices calling out for her. Curious, Elsa is eager to find out where the voices are coming from and soon embarks on a journey to the Enchanted Forest to find out, along with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. When they enter the forest that Elsa and Anna’s parents had warned them of before, they come in contact with a group of soldiers from their kingdom, Arendelle, as well as an ancient tribe that their mother was from. Since both the soldiers and the tribe had been stuck in the Enchanted Forest for 30 years, Elsa dedicates her new goal towards looking for a magical lake that holds all the answers to Elsa’s longing questions of her parent’s death.
From that point forward, there’s a sense of déjà vu as Elsa pushes Anna away, literally and metaphorically, just to keep her safe. Even though the trailer of Frozen II appeared quite interesting, the movie lacked a clear villain throughout, making the whole storyline seem flat and uneventful. The characters did overcome a few obstacles here and there, but the main conflict of the storyline was still poorly depicted. Furthermore, it was disappointing to see the characters go through such little development and change. At the beginning of the movie, Olaf mentioned that the Enchanted Forest was a place where people were supposedly meant to experience a major transformation, which clearly wasn’t the case. Aside from Elsa and Anna finally accepting the fact that they were sisters who had to stick together at all costs (which they supposedly already learned from the first movie), the majority of the characters were static and even lifeless. The main protagonists’ motivations for their actions were not very inspiring or relatable, and the highly predictable plot only added to the downfall of the movie.
Elsa embracing her powers in a battle of determination Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
Despite all the flaws of its flaws, however, there are still aspects of the movie that contribute to the brighter side of it all. For starters, the soundtrack was spot on, and some of the songs such as “Into the Unknown” sung Idina Menzel and AURORA, and “Show Yourself” by Idina Menzel and Evan Rachel Wood, left strong impressions. Not only were they compositionally well executed, the songs seemed to portray a much deeper and sentimental meaning than “Let It Go” from Frozen I. Another good aspect of Frozen II was the use of the flashbacks included in several scenes which provided more context for the characters. When Kristoff falls in a dilemma of figuring out how to propose to Anna, flashbacks of Kristoff and Anna from Frozen is shown when he starts singing “Lost in the Woods.” This scene helped the movie to depict the immense amount of love he has for Anna. Furthermore, later on in the movie, as Elsa arrives in the magical lake, flashbacks of herself building her ice castle and having cherishable moments with Anna from the original film are shown. This truly showed how strong of a character Elsa is and how she serves as a role model for young children and even adults.
The captivating soundtrack and references to Frozen I are the things that make Frozen II a little more bearable. Its breathtaking graphics and animation were sadly overturned with the dull storyline, and it made many think that Disney shouldn’t have made a sequel.
Featured Image — Official Poster of Frozen II Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
by Sara Tee