Anthony's Film Review - Frozen II (2019)

The sequel to Frozen definitely tells an intriguing story...

In case you haven't noticed me say it before, I'll say it here. When it comes to movie sequels, the good ones avoid common pitfalls like rehashing material and subpar delivery. Instead, they try to be fresh the same way the first movie was fresh. To do that, the sequel must provide new material that enhances appreciation of what we've seen in the original. By that standard, the 2019 Disney animated film Frozen II is a worthy sequel to Frozen in 2013.

For a while, the beginning of the story after the prologue is all about good times in Arendelle. Everyone in town is happy with the way things are. But soon, something distracts Elsa. She hears a singing voice coming from somewhere in the distance, somewhere beyond Arendelle. Then, disaster strikes the kingdom. Mysterious magic strikes, forcing all of its inhabitants to flee. It is up to Elsa, Anna, and their friends Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf to journey far and seek answers.

Now, it's not entirely a mystery what they're up against. In fact, Elsa recognizes the likely origin of the magic. When she and Anna were girls, their father shared a legend about an enchanted forest, a place that is connected to the magic of the four elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. At first, it seemed like a peaceful place. But later, the spirits are angered and shut out all outsiders with a thick mist surrounding the forest. What Elsa hears now harkens back to this tale about the enchanted forest.

Once the main characters enter the forest, a series of different things happen. They encounter various magical phenomena connected to the elements. They also come face-to-face with a tribe of nature dwellers, plus some Arendellians. For a while, the events seem random and disconnected. Eventually, Elsa and Anna discover what the final destination of the journey is. The intrigue isn't just this discovery, but also the realization that there is much more to their past that they have never known. Suddenly, we in the audience are as anxious. We also want to know all about Elsa and Anna's past.

From there, the story definitely gets good. It's not a dull letdown. On the contrary, there is an emotional revelation that, in a way, turns upside-down much of everything we know about up to this point. On the way, the movie does what the first Frozen film did: present some musical sequences. As before, the songs are decent and can be appealing if you take a moment to listen and open your heart. And once it's over, there's a satisfying feeling about how things turn out.

At first, I thought I would rate Frozen II a step down from the first Frozen movie, given how the story was a bit slow in the beginning. But the second half and the conclusion definitely made up for it. The writing of the story was definitely not a lazy effort. All in all, here is another Frozen movie that presents an intriguing adventure with lovable characters that ends on just the right note.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Frozen II, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of Frozen.