When the ladies arrived in London, we inevitably watched Frozen and enjoyed it massively. I had heard the hype and I had heard fragments of the anthemic "Let It Go" before we saw it. Even so, I was blown away the first time we watched the film in full. It remains a family favourite.
So I was understandably worried about what prospects Frozen 2 held. Sequels are by themselves difficult. A sequel to one of the most magical animated films of all time is an even bigger challenge. And on a personal level, for a sequel to prevent tainting a family favourite? It seemed the odds were against Elsa, Anna, and crew to charm us once again.
So with some trepidation, I packed the whole family with some extended members to the cinema yesterday afternoon to confront my fears. The kids were already raring to go, since this was the first release since the school holidays began here.
We pick up a couple of years after the first film ended. Elsa is now settled as Queen of Arendelle, located on a fjord. Even so, she has lingering thoughts about her place in the world, fuelled by a haunting tune which only she seems to hear. This eventually results in her deciding to travel North to an enchanted forest.
Anna, Princess of Arendelle, is expectedly worried about Elsa, and doesn't want to be shut out again. Anna successfully convinces Elsa that the whole crew should travel to the enchanted forest and face whatever awaits them together. They have adventures of all kinds in the forest, and also have to deal with issue of heritage and belonging, as well as family ties and the associated angst.
Also angsting is ice harvester Kristoff, insecure about his place at Anna's side. Part of this comes from him wanting to pop the question.
The animation quality is breathtakingly beautiful. The studio had to design new animation techniques for Elsa's feet, as she had spent most of the first film in shoes. The colours of autumn are magical in real life, and enhanced in the film.
The music was a key point of concern for me. After all, Adele Dazeem was a hit at the Oscars in 2014 with Let It Go. Could John Travolta possibly get a chance to redeem himself at next year's Oscars?
I was simply moved by some of the numbers, in particular the opening lullaby "All Is Found". Where the original had one signature ballad, the sequel offers two. It's hard to say if they surpass the original, but they are certainly fantastic compositions in their own right. Based on my kids' singing patterns after the film, "Into the Unknown" will probably be the Best Song contender.
Olaf the snowman (now with permafrost) gets another number of his own again. And again it's a silly one, this time about growing older.
Kristoff pays tribute to/parodies (depending on your POV) 80s rock ballads in the film, so dads will get their own private chuckle moment.
Predictably, everyone gets a happy ending. But that is not a bad thing for this film. It's not just that it's a Disney film - films in general these days try so hard to create complicated and multi layered endings. Often the route to such endings are badly handled. It is much more satisfying to see Frozen 2 guide the multiple storyline streams like tributaries to a great happy ending fjord.
As with most well done sequels, Frozen 2 also has provides that sense of familiarity with the main characters. The performers seem to have really enjoyed inhabiting these roles again, and it shows. There is also a nice, if somewhat contrived, throwback to the first film.
Families who had never seen Frozen would probably still enjoy it, but not as much.
As for me, my fears went unanswered and I am confident the film will be a massive hit.
Oh, and the post-credits scene is very much worth the wait, even if it's short.
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