★★★
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa's powers in order to save their kingdom.
Classification: U
Handed the task of following up 2013's mega-hit Frozen, returning directors, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee have sought to make this sequel both a fresh original story while paying service to millions of fans of the original. The final result is both a dazzling musical animation splendour but also an overstuffed, expository heavy story that does a lot to expand the mythology behind Elsa and Anna's origins. Frozen II swings for the fences with deserved fearlessness in having itself stand apart from its predecessor but while these grand ambitions definitely deliver in the jaw-dropping visuals, it leaves the execution of the story wanting.
The charm of Frozen is still prevalent throughout the runtime with the returning cast of characters as charming as ever, especially the scene-stealing snowman that is Josh Gad's Olaf is still a comedic force still to be reckoned with. In terms of sequelitis, it would seem Olaf would be an obvious victim of over-exposure, the filmmakers wanting to capture lightning in a bottle and therefore would leave audiences cold to the film's desperation to do the same thing again. While Frozen II has plenty of references and builds from the original but rather than retread familiar ground it feels more like an organic expedition to new ideas, rather than lightning striking twice, more like it striking in new uncharted territory. Don't worry though you still get all the hallmarks you expect from this franchise; sisterly bonds, humourous snowmen and Idina Menzel delivering a new power ballad that will tear down the house.
The themes of the film resonate around the ideas of family, memory, and truth through a story of Elsa and Anna discovering the history of the parents, Elsa's ice magic and the Kingdom of Arendelle's connection to an enchanted forest on their borders. When the elemental spirits of the air, fire, water, and earth rebel against the Kingdom and with Elsa hearing a sirens call from beyond, she along with Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven venture beyond the mist to discover what is happening. There's a lot of new lore and recontextualisation that happens within the story that slows down the pacing of the film as it seems Buck and Lee have to constantly remind the audiences whats going on. All the new characters just seem to serve the purpose of giving exposition whether it be connected to the forest's history or Arendelle's.
It's a shame because of a lot of the more mature ideas to the film revolving around colonialism and its revisionist accounts, the disenfranchisement of indigenous peoples and "the truth of the past" get jumbled by the awkward pacing and exposition. The reveals still make the landing and tie into the larger storyline revolving around Elsa and Anna's sisterhood but so much of Frozen II feels clumsy in getting to its triumphant groundbreaking moments. Case in point with the character of Kristoff, Anna's love interest and his reindeer sidekick Sven who feels like a tacked-on afterthought with his clichéd subplot of trying to find the right moment to propose. The main thread of the film is the relationship between Anna and Elsa and how their love for one another puts them at odds with their goals; they both want one another to stay safe but won't allow the other to put themselves in danger. Anna's emotional investment to the film is to Elsa not to Kristoff and it makes his scenes including the most bizarre song of the film "Lost in the Woods" feel like an unnecessary addition or part of a previous pitch that somehow made its way into the final product.
Seriously "Lost in the Woods" is some hardcore 80s tribute music video madness sharing DNA with Footloose and an angsty teenage boy band that is so spectacularly ludicrous it almost derails the whole film. I was laughing so hard I was crying but not to the film's benefit and while it would be easy to say that Frozen II's new songs don't live up to "Let it Go" the new film definitely delivers unforgettable new musical moments. I may not remember a single lyric of "Lost in the Woods" but I will never forget how it was executed. The same can be said with most of the new songs, all perfectly fine with great visual accompaniments but except for "Into the Unknown" nothing reaches those same heights.
However, Frozen II isn't a film trying to recreate that magic, understanding it doesn't need to do that to make the film worthwhile to its audience. The filmmakers accept it can't have its "Let it Go" moment again but that doesn't mean Elsa's evolution of a character still can't be done in the most fabulous of ways. Idina Menzel's performance of Elsa's big jubilant ballad of self-discovery after her perilous journey is an incredible visual delight as audiences once again witness the character's transformation into newfound confidence towards herself and her abilities. Menzel along with Kristen Bell as Anna is the emotional rock to this film just like the previous and their scenes together deliver great passionate stakes against the more clunky screenplay.
Smart enough to be its own thing but overly ambitious in a way that doesn't make the landing, Frozen II wants to be a bold new statement from Disney's animation studio. The film continues to serve as a critical retrospective to the origins of the princess fantasies by having its two heroes take charge of their own fate and history. But it feels like the new clashing with the old as Disney both wants to drive forward while still using all the old tricks with Elsa and Anna's journey having to also serve romantic subplots and lots of sidekick comedy. It's a bit of a mess but with the mesmerizing animation and characters at the forefront, this new adventure still can deliver the magic for audiences of all ages.
Director: #ChrisBuck and #JenniferLee
Cast: #IdinaMenzel, #KristenBell, #JonathanGroff, #JoshGad, #SterlingKBrown, #EvanRachelWood, #AlfredMolina, #MarthaPlimpton, #JasonRitter, #RachelMatthews, #JeremySisto, #CiaránHinds
Release Date: November 22nd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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