Frozen II > Real Winter

Frozen II (2019)

Frozen II is a rare Disney sequel that doesn’t underserve its predecessor. While still not as good as Frozen, Frozen II is an excellent movie. It is a gorgeous spectacle that is beautifully rendered and engrossing. There were moments when I was truly entranced by what was appearing on screen, until the cacophony of children talking and parents shushing that happened every time Olaf wasn’t on screen for more than 3 minutes. But usually when children distract me during a movie, I get upset, but Frozen II was so much better than most recent family movies that I was quickly able to reengage in the story and not stew in my rage. Once again, Elsa and Anna dominate the spotlight, but their story is intriguing and adds to the general mythos of their universe. The story also destroys a lot of the greater Disney universe theories, which makes me very happy that all of conspiracies can die a peasant’s death. Disney, a multi-national entertainment conglomerate, has not been building a cinematic universe since the forties. They are just trying to make money, which is what Frozen II is going to do. I will not be surprised if this movie is the highest grossing in 2019 because of its high quality and mass appeal. Anyway, back to the review. The story is more ambitious and grander in scale than the first movie, as Anna and Elsa are forced to seek answers about their pasts. They are joined again by Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven. Kristoff and Sven are given moments, but are largely an afterthought. Kristoff does have an amazing eighties-style power ballad that is much more enjoyable when viewed over just listened to. Olaf once again takes the role of comic relief, but he is less subtle about it. I was annoyed with Olaf in the first act, and his new song is much less charming than “In Summer”, but his arc in the second and third act saved the character. Anna and Elsa grow as sisters, taking on two sides of the same story that converges in the end. Their music was all good, but nothing in Frozen II can match “Let It Go”. “Into the Unknown” highlighted Idina Menzel’s talent, but it is too story specific to be as colossal of a hit as “Let It Go”. Overall, Frozen II is just shy of incredible. I give Frozen II 1.8 million* out of the roughly 2.1 million reindeer in the world.

*This score may change if I go see the movie again when there aren’t 80 excited children hopped up on sugary snacks.