Frozen 2 takes place a few years after the first film and offers a bit of a darker, more adult storyline. The central plot is a tad bit confusing and follows the characters as they seek answers to the mysteries of Elsa’s powers. Viewers are given a lot of backstory and new material early in the film about the dangerous, mist-covered Enchanted Forest. While the plot is often complicated, the movie manages to continue the theme of discovering and accepting who you really are. And, yes, there are more songs that will be stuck in your head for years to come.
Frozen was a box office success when it was released in 2013. Anna and Elsa were on merchandise everywhere – t-shirts, games, posters, lunch boxes, Halloween costumes, you name it – everywhere. And regardless of who you are, you have heard some version of “Let It Go.”
The original story ended on a happy note for the characters. After discovering that her sister was right and that you probably shouldn’t marry a man you just met, a dying Anna sacrificed herself to stop Prince Hans from killing Elsa. That act of true love ended up also saving Anna. The story ended with Elsa embracing her powers to create and control ice, accepting her role as the queen of Arendelle, and declaring that the gates that separated the castle from the kingdom should remain open from then on. Anna, Elsa, ice trader Kristoff, his faithful reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf (brought to life by Elsa’s powers) became a family of sorts.
Frozen 2 takes place a few years later and offers a bit of a darker, more adult storyline. The central plot is a tad bit confusing with four elemental spirits being introduced as characters who possibly hold the answers to the mysteries of Elsa’s powers. Viewers are given a lot of backstory early in the film about a war that resulted in the mysterious and dangerous Enchanted Forest being covered in a magical mist. While the plot is often complicated and confusing, the movie manages to continue the theme of discovering and accepting who you really are. And, yes, there are more songs that will be stuck in your head for years to come.
Here is Disney’s official description of the movie – “The award-winning team behind the worldwide phenomenon returns with Frozen 2, now in dazzling 4K Ultra HD – featuring the original cast and all-new music. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven venture into the enchanted forest and dark seas beyond Arendelle – where Elsa discovers not only the truth about her past, but a threat to her kingdom.”
Frozen 2 stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Sterling K. Brown, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Ciaran Hinds, Jeremy Sisto, Rachel Matthews, and Alan Tudyk. Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, the movie runs an hour and 43 minutes.
Frozen 2 opens with a prologue. In a time before Anna was injured by Elsa’s powers and the gates to the kingdom were shut to keep the princesses safe, the young sisters are seen building a small kingdom out of snow. Among their creations is a tiny Olaf and several Disney Easter eggs. When their parents (now voiced by Alfred Molina and Evan Rachel Wood) come to tuck them in for the night, the king tells the sisters the story of the Enchanted Forest and why they must never go there. As they begin to fall asleep, their mother sings them a song about the mythical Ahtohallan.
The opening prologue, though not a particularly long scene, is packed with information. Viewers are quickly told about the fight between Arendelle and the tribe of Northuldra, why a peace offering failed, and how the Enchanted Forest was forsaken by the elemental spirits. At first glance, it appears that everyone in the king’s flashback-driven story controls some kind of element, similar to the style of bending presented in Avatar: The Last Airbender; however, it is quickly explained that nature is controlled by elemental spirits who interact with the people around them. There is an elemental spirit for air, water, earth, and fire. The movie hints at and later explores the idea of a fifth element (not The Fifth Element though). It’s a lot of information – possibly too much for the short scene – that sets up many of the movie’s more complicated storylines.
Viewers aren’t told the exact time inbetween Frozen and its sequel, but they are given a few clues. As the film picks up in the present day, it’s said that six years have passed since the deaths of Anna and Elsa’s parents. In the time since the gates were opened, Elsa has fully embraced her role as the queen and Anna has learned the name of every member of their kingdom. Olaf, now with a permanent frost to keep him from melting, is finally getting to enjoy the summer he always dreamed of. Anna and Kristoff have been dating for a while now. Kristoff believes he is finally ready to propose, but he’ll need Sven’s help to make it happen.
Despite the happiness all around her, Elsa is worried that things are about to change. With her mother’s song playing in her mind, the Queen of Arendelle begins to hear a siren sound calling her to explore what exists beyond the kingdom. Is it an invitation? A warning? Elsa is afraid to find out but struggles to control her curiosity. After she wakes the dormant spirits of the Enchanted Forest, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven must save the kingdom by going into the unknown.
Just as “Let It Go” is Frozen’s most well-known song, Elsa’s “Into the Unknown” will likely be the most memorable song for viewers of Frozen 2. The song, used to end the movie’s first act and launch the team on their journey, features Elsa confronting the siren sound she has been denying throughout the first part of the movie. The siren sound, which is oddly similar to the rift used for the theme song in the current episodes of Doctor Who (Doctor Who fans, good luck unhearing that now!), is paired with Elsa’s voice in a call and response technique. Much like “Let It Go,” “Into the Unknown” is another stepping stone in Elsa’s discovery and acceptance of her powers and purpose.
Visually, “Into the Unknown” is an excellent example of why this movie should be viewed in 4K Ultra HD if possible. Despite being animated, the scene is gorgeous and rich in detail. As Elsa confronts the siren sound, her powers continue to grow. The ice and snow she creates is bright and vibrant and often looks like shining fireworks. The scene is beautiful.
While “Into the Unknown” is probably the film’s strongest song, the number “Lost in the Woods” almost feels out of place. Shortly into their journey through the Enchanted Forest, the characters are separated. Kristoff, who is already stressed about trying to pull off the perfect proposal, begins to despair when he not only can’t find Anna, but also has no idea where he and Sven are. In the style of a power ballad, the song is shot to reference everything from “Bohemian Rhapsody” to Whitesnake. Seriously, multiple reindeer appear to help build the “music video” feel to the scene. The song is light and goofy, which will likely go over well with younger viewers; however, it is so different in tone and approach that it may take older viewers out of the story for a minute. The song is also unfortunately placed before a much darker and more serious scene, making that a rough transition for the viewers.
“Lost in the Woods” marks the halfway point in the movie, and (roughly) transitions the story to a much darker second half. Immediately after Kristoff’s song, Anna and Elsa are confronted by the memory of their parents’ deaths. One of the themes of this movie – the idea that water has memory – leads to the sisters hearing their parents’ fear and last words in their final moments. It’s dark for a kids’ film. The story tackles the idea of death in other scenes as well.
The darker storylines also include aging, insecurity, and fear of being alone. While these topics are handled well, the storyline is more intense than that of the first movie. In fact, the second act of Frozen 2 ends with one lead character dead, another frozen in ice, one having an emotional breakdown, and two lost from their friends and unable to help.
However, at the end of the day, this is a kids’ movie that heavily features magic. Viewers can expect a happy ending, despite the long road the movie takes to get there. There may be a few tears, but most viewers will be pleased with how the story is resolved.
The main storyline itself, the exploration of Elsa’s powers and the concept of magic, is a logical place to go following the first movie. Viewers already know the characters, so this movie does not waste time reintroducing the characters. However, the movie attempts to pack a lot of backstory and new material into a short prologue. The actions of the elemental spirits are often confusing, as are the relationships the spirits have with human (and snowman) characters. All in all, the story attempts to provide resolution and answers to the questions viewers will have. Given the target age range this movie was likely made for though, it may be too much information and too many plotlines for the timespan. Then again, with all the songs and magical elements, children may not even care about the more confusing plot points.
Is There a Scene After the Credits?
Stay tuned after the credits for a recap of the movie’s key events provided by Arendelle’s favorite snowman and a reference to the short Frozen Fever!
Special Features
The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, & Digital Code Combo pack comes with the following special features:
- Sing Along Version – This option is found when viewers select “Play” from the main menu. The Sing Along Version presents the lyrics to each song with colorful text across the bottom of the screen so that viewers can sing along while they watch the film.
- Outtakes (2:26) – Watch as the vocal cast flub lines, ad-lib material, and try new accents.
- Did You Know??? (4:27) – This feature provides trivia about Frozen 2, including the look of the Enchanted Forest, realistic botany, Bruni, animating the elemental spirits, Easter eggs, callbacks to first film, and more!
- The Spirits of Frozen 2 (12:02) – Learn how all of the elemental spirits were chosen and based around Norse mythology. This feature provides more details on some of the movie’s more complicated storylines.
- Scoring a Sequel (3:49) – Executive music producer Tom MacDougall and Composer Christophe Beck talk to viewers about making music for a sequel that has to be recognizable, yet unique. Each element for this film has its own theme, and the movie makes use of melodies from the first film for the overall score.
- Deleted Scenes (17:58 in total) – Director Chris Buck and Director/Screenwriter Jennifer Lee introduce the scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the movie.
- “Prologue”
- “Secret Room”
- “Elsa’s Dream”
- “Hard Nokks”
- “A Place of Our Own”
- Deleted Songs (11:42 in total) – Introduced by the directors, these songs set up storylines that were not included in the final movie.
- “Home”
- “I Wanna Get This Right”
- Gale Tests (3:56 in total) – The directors discuss the struggles of animating an invisible element.
- Gale Test
- Hand Drawn Gale Test
- “Into the Unknown” in 29 Languages (3:07) – The movie’s biggest song is played with each line being performed in a different language. The languages are identified on screen as they are heard.
- Music Videos
- “Into the Unknown (Panic! at the Disco Version)” (3:16)
- “Lost in the Woods (Weezer Version)” (3:07)
- Song Selection – Viewers can select which song from the movie they would like to see with the Sing Along text included.
- “All is Found”
- “Some Things Never Change”
- “All is Found Reprise”
- “Into the Unknown”
- “When I Am Older”
- “Lost in the Woods”
- “Show Yourself”
- “The Next Right Thing”
This release offers a nice variety of special features. One of the highlights is the Weezer “Lost in the Woods” video in which lead singer Rivers Cuomo acts as Kristoff, the rest of the band play reindeer, and Kristen Bell stands in as live-action Anna. The special features make good use of the movie’s directors, as many of the deleted songs and scenes need context and clarity. And one of this release’s biggest features – its sing along version – is well done. The text is colorful and easy to read but doesn’t distract from the scenes in the film. Viewers, especially younger ones, are sure to enjoy learning the words and singing along with every song!
Takeaway
Frozen 2 takes place a few years after the first film and offers a bit of a darker, more adult storyline. The central plot is a tad bit confusing with four elemental spirits being introduced as characters who possibly hold the answers to the mysteries of Elsa’s powers. Viewers are given a lot of backstory early in the film about a war that resulted in the mysterious and dangerous Enchanted Forest being covered in a magical mist. While the plot is often complicated and confusing, the movie manages to continue the theme of discovering and accepting who you really are. And, yes, there are more songs that will be stuck in your head for years to come.
