Frozen II (2019) Review
"Maturity is making me poetic."
-Olaf
Elsa (Idina Menzel) starts hearing a strange and beautiful voice calling to her and she is the only one that can hear it. Elsa, Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and Sven all journey north to discover the origin of the voice. Things get dark when they uncover the past hidden in the enchanted forest.
What Works:
The best part of Frozen II is the animation. This movie is a work of art and visually stunning. They make excellent use of light and color and I especially like how the water looks.
There's also some really excellent music. Nothing reaches the heights of "Let it Go," but Idina Menzel is fantastic when she sings both "Into the Unknown" and "Show Yourself." She has an incredible voice. I also really liked Kristoff's 80's power ballad, "Lost in the Woods." It's utterly bizarre and watching the reindeer sing was one of the funniest moments in the movie.
I really like Olaf as a character. He's incredibly funny and the emotional heart of both movies. He's a scene-stealer and my favorite character.
Finally, I loved the underwater battle between Elsa and the water spirit. It looks fantastic and it's the most exciting sequence in the film.
What Sucks:
Frozen II has a lot of issues from a structural level. There will be spoilers ahead, so I will just say, this movie is ultimately just okay. It's not worth seeing in theaters. Wait for it to come out on Disney+.
The first problem is Elsa's arc. At the end of the movie, she leaves her position of Queen and goes off to live freely in the woods. That's a fine arc, but the setup is basically nonexistent. We needed scenes early in the film to set up that she isn't happy as Queen. Yes, she hears the mysterious voice calling her, but that doesn't suggest she is unhappy as Queen. The payoff is fine, but it just wasn't set up.
Next, Elsa's arrival at Ahtohallen doesn't really work. We discover there are five spirits and that Elsa is one of them. This on its own isn't great, but to makes this worse, we just get a confusing scene where Elsa learns the truth about her grandfather. The mysterious voice is never explained and is ultimately brushed over. This could have been handled much better.
The supporting characters are woefully underdeveloped. Mattias (Sterling K. Brown) and his men, as well as the entire Northuldra tribe, have been trapped in the enchanted forest for over 30 years, but they don't look it. They seem like they are doing for. We needed more development for these characters. We don't really know what they've been through and the movie doesn't make us care about them escaping the woods.
I also didn't like the reveal that Elsa and Anna's mother was a member of the Northuldra tribe. On paper, it works fine, but it leaves too many questions. How did their parents get out of the forest in the first place? Didn't Arendelle have questions about where she came from? Were they okay with this mysterious girl appearing out of nowhere and becoming Queen? It doesn't make a lot of sense and could have been thought out more.
Finally, the tone of this movie is awkward. The story it's telling is very dark and deals with death and things being out of your control. I love this. Unfortunately, this doesn't mesh with Disney's musical style. The songs are too lighthearted for the most part and gave me tonal whiplash. They needed to make the songs darker and double down on the darkness. It would have made for a more effective film. I get that this is a kids' movie, but in the interest of getting the best version of this film possible, it probably shouldn't have been a Disney film. Another studio would have done a better job.
Verdict:
Frozen II is ultimately disappointing. While I loved the animation, some of the songs, and Olaf, the story is a complete mess and the tone is awkward. It's frustrating because I can see a clear path to making this a great film and it blows my mind that no one at Disney figured it out.
6/10: Okay
What Works:
The best part of Frozen II is the animation. This movie is a work of art and visually stunning. They make excellent use of light and color and I especially like how the water looks.
There's also some really excellent music. Nothing reaches the heights of "Let it Go," but Idina Menzel is fantastic when she sings both "Into the Unknown" and "Show Yourself." She has an incredible voice. I also really liked Kristoff's 80's power ballad, "Lost in the Woods." It's utterly bizarre and watching the reindeer sing was one of the funniest moments in the movie.
I really like Olaf as a character. He's incredibly funny and the emotional heart of both movies. He's a scene-stealer and my favorite character.
Finally, I loved the underwater battle between Elsa and the water spirit. It looks fantastic and it's the most exciting sequence in the film.
What Sucks:
Frozen II has a lot of issues from a structural level. There will be spoilers ahead, so I will just say, this movie is ultimately just okay. It's not worth seeing in theaters. Wait for it to come out on Disney+.
The first problem is Elsa's arc. At the end of the movie, she leaves her position of Queen and goes off to live freely in the woods. That's a fine arc, but the setup is basically nonexistent. We needed scenes early in the film to set up that she isn't happy as Queen. Yes, she hears the mysterious voice calling her, but that doesn't suggest she is unhappy as Queen. The payoff is fine, but it just wasn't set up.
Next, Elsa's arrival at Ahtohallen doesn't really work. We discover there are five spirits and that Elsa is one of them. This on its own isn't great, but to makes this worse, we just get a confusing scene where Elsa learns the truth about her grandfather. The mysterious voice is never explained and is ultimately brushed over. This could have been handled much better.
The supporting characters are woefully underdeveloped. Mattias (Sterling K. Brown) and his men, as well as the entire Northuldra tribe, have been trapped in the enchanted forest for over 30 years, but they don't look it. They seem like they are doing for. We needed more development for these characters. We don't really know what they've been through and the movie doesn't make us care about them escaping the woods.
I also didn't like the reveal that Elsa and Anna's mother was a member of the Northuldra tribe. On paper, it works fine, but it leaves too many questions. How did their parents get out of the forest in the first place? Didn't Arendelle have questions about where she came from? Were they okay with this mysterious girl appearing out of nowhere and becoming Queen? It doesn't make a lot of sense and could have been thought out more.
Finally, the tone of this movie is awkward. The story it's telling is very dark and deals with death and things being out of your control. I love this. Unfortunately, this doesn't mesh with Disney's musical style. The songs are too lighthearted for the most part and gave me tonal whiplash. They needed to make the songs darker and double down on the darkness. It would have made for a more effective film. I get that this is a kids' movie, but in the interest of getting the best version of this film possible, it probably shouldn't have been a Disney film. Another studio would have done a better job.
Verdict:
Frozen II is ultimately disappointing. While I loved the animation, some of the songs, and Olaf, the story is a complete mess and the tone is awkward. It's frustrating because I can see a clear path to making this a great film and it blows my mind that no one at Disney figured it out.
6/10: Okay
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