It is difficult to believe that it had been 6 years since "Frozen" (MY REVIEW) was the biggest hit movie of 2013, and became an animated classic. It had a number catchy songs in its soundtrack, Like " Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" and "Love is an Open Door." But one song became a true musical phenomenon of our time -- the anthem celebrating Elsa's emancipation, "Let It Go." The ending of that film was so different from the usual Disney princess movie that it made such a big impact on its viewers.
When Queen Elsa responded to a mysterious voice calling out to her, she awakened spirits of air, water, fire and air which caused a forced evacuation of Arendelle. Along with iceman Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and lovable snowman Olaf, Elsa and Anna went off into the unknown to seek out places they only heard from their parents in their bedtime stories -- the mist-enshrouded enchanted forest of the Northuldra people and the river of Ahtohallan which told secrets of the past. There, the sisters learned more about their parents's love story and about Elsa's power with ice.
If the original "Frozen" was already quite bold in its plot and its storytelling, this sequel is darker and more mature than the first. There were very many kids in the audience when we watched, but I only heard them laughing out loud in a few scenes, mostly those with Olaf and his silly antics. Other than those, most of the story -- about the history of Arendelle, old King Runeard, how King Agnarr and Queen Iduna met, the conflict between Arendelle and the Northuldra tribe -- were certainly not kiddie stuff and needed parental guidance.
The songs were also more serious-sounding and less catchy than the songs in the first film, with only two notable exceptions. The first is "Into the Unknown," with its LSS-inducing serial escalation of notes while singing the title line in the chorus. This was the only song most people knew prior to watching the film because it was heard in the trailers, and there was already a pop version by Panic! at the Disco released to radio as well. Honestly though, I cannot really recall the verses of the song now, aside from that chorus is pure earworm.
The only other song that made a memorable impact for me was "Lost in the Woods." The melody of this song was a throwback to the love ballads of the 80s and 90s, with hilarious cheesy lyrics professing Kristoff's love for Anna. The whole sequence of Kristoff singing this song was also reminiscent of old MTV videos with those classic sun-lit close-ups shots. The whole thing was so corny and cringy, it was laugh-out-loud funniest part of the whole film for me. The pop version by Weezer sung over the closing credits was likewise catchy.
Many people have said that this sequel was better than the original, but I can't say I totally agree with that assessment. Both were excellent in their own ways. The quality of the animation of the elements here was truly spellbinding, especially with its rendering of water -- from Elsa taming the elegant water horse, Anna and Olaf navigating the river where the giant ape-like earth spirits lay, to the torrential rampaging of water towards Arendelle. That adorable little lizard-like fire spirit is sure to have many fans. It is entirely possible that this sequel might just win the same Oscar for Animated Feature that the first film won, the first time this will ever happen. 8/10.
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