When
Disney's Frozen hit the big
screen in 2013 it became, almost immediately, a classic that is now
deeply ingrained in popular culture. With its colourful cast of
characters, stereotype-defying princesses and (perhaps painfully)
catchy songs, it's a film that is hard to forget. It's been longer
than it seems since that film first released, and Frozen 2
undoubtedly has a lot to live up
to. It might seem easy to compare the two directly, but the sequel is
no better, or worse, than its predecessor. They are so different that
it's hard to compare them, and that makes this film surprisingly
refreshing. It takes the franchise in a completely new direction,
transporting us to mystical places on an adventure that is exciting,
magical and heart-warming.
Anna and Elsa's journey into the unknown begins when Elsa starts hearing a
voice beckoning her to a mysterious enchanted forest that has been
magically sealed off from Arendelle for decades. The adventure that
follows is filled with magic and mystery, and might just reveal the
secrets surrounding Arendelle's past and the origins of Elsa's
powers.
This
film does a really excellent job of fleshing out the world of Frozen,
but sticks to the formula of the
first film in all of the best ways. Despite there being a lot of
backstory and flashbacks to past events, the focus is still very much
on the character development of Anna and Elsa and their relationship
with each other. Disney seems to be continuing the recent trend of
foregrounding relationships with family and friends after a long
history of focusing mainly on the romance. That doesn't mean that
Kristoff is redundant, though. He, alongside Olaf and Sven, has many
funny and endearing moments. Olaf is arguably even funnier, and gets
more genuine emotional moments, than before. It's also good to see
Kristoff getting the romantic subplot, which both defies stereotypes
and leads to some moments that showcase his endearing awkwardness.
With
regard to the songs, the film still holds up pretty well. The main
characters each get a solo song at some point in the story, and the
tone of the songs varies nicely between the emotional and the
humorous. However it sometimes feels a little bit overdone, like
there are a few that didn't need to be included. They definitely
aren't as catchy as in Frozen,
which for many parents will be a blessing. It's just unfortunate that
some songs lack originality. Kristoff especially drew the short straw
here; his solo song sounds a lot like your average cheesy boyband ballad. But for the most part there are some excellent musical
numbers running throughout the film.
Frozen
2 is a lot of fun. Providing
something that is the same but different, it's packed full of magic,
mystery and adventure. Perhaps most significantly, it highlights the
importance of our relationships with family and friends in a way that
is really heart-warming.
