Frozen II (2019)

Frozen II (Dir: Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee, 2019).

Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel to their original blockbuster Frozen (Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee, 2013).

The events of Frozen II take place roughly three years after those of Frozen. However, the movie takes us further back into Elsa and Anna's past as, through flashbacks, we see the girls' father King Agnarr of Arendelle relating the tale of their grandfather's attempt to form a treaty with a neighbouring tribe in their Enchanted Forest homeland. An ensuing battle results in grandfather's death and discord among the Forest's spirits. Years later Elsa is drawn to the forest by a mysterious voice and becomes embroiled in the ongoing conflict which is threatening the well being of both the Enchanted Forest and Queen Elsa's kingdom of Arendelle

While Frozen II bears the legend "Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, it is nothing like the original fairytale. Neither is it particularly like the original movie, incorporating more references to Nordic myth and legend than the original Frozen.

Reuniting much of the core creative team from the first movie, co-writers and directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee have created a movie which never feels like a quick buck cash-in. The animation is stunning, even more so than in the original. Its forest setting and warm autumnal colour palette gives it a distinctly different feel to the cooler blues and whites of  Frozen's icescapes.

The theme of sisterly bonding is still present in what is much more of a two-hander between Elsa and Anna. Olaf, Kristoff and reindeer Sven are present but are largely relegated to co-stars here, with less impact on the movie's outcome. Olaf still has most of the movie's big laughs, however, a highlight being when he recounts the events of the first movie to the confused forest dwellers. 

Returning from the first Frozen is its stellar voice cast; Idina Menzel as Elsa, Kristen Bell as Anna, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff and Josh Gad as Olaf bring warmth to their characters and handle both dialogue and singing with considerable skill. The songs, once again written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, are not as instantly hummable as before, although the 70's power pop influence is hard not to warm to. 

In its attempt to differentiate itself from the first movie, Frozen II does seem to suffer from an overly complex narrative. In this respect the movie falls into the same trap as Disney's other recent sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet (Phil Johnston & Rich Moore, 2018). As with Ralph, there is so much going on in Frozen II that one misses the more economic and ultimately more satisfying simplicity of the original, although Buck and Lee are to be commended for not being content to just churn out the same movie.

Frozen II has proved to be another mega-hit for Disney and already ranks among the all time top earners. Of course, it would never quite have the same cultural impact as Frozen, but so few films have. While the story may be a little over complicated for its own good, it is still a highly impressive, enjoyable movie, much better than audiences may have been expected and continues Walt Disney Animation Studios’ excellent run of features throughout the 2010s.