Frozen 2 Review

Certificate: U

Running time: 103 minutes 

Starring: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad.

Directed by: Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck.

The story: In the sequel to 2013’s Frozen, Frozen 2 sees sisters Elsa and Anna embark on a perilous journey to save their kingdom of Arendelle after a mysterious voice calls out to Elsa. They are joined on their quest by Kristoff, Sven and Olaf. 

The verdict: Sequels are a big business in Hollywood and along with the expectation for these films to perform well financially, there are massive expectations from audiences for a sequel to live up to what they loved so much about the first film. Frozen was a monumental success for Disney, grossing over a billion dollars and capturing the hearts and imaginations of audiences, thus Frozen 2 arrived with big boots to fill. So the all important question is - is Frozen 2 as good as Frozen?

The simple answer is no. However, do not despair. This isn’t the bad news that it first seems. But firstly, some context to my review. I love Frozen, it’s definitely one of my favourite Disney films and I’m not ashamed to admit that Frozen 2 was a film I was throughly looking forward to seeing. In spite of being really excited to see it, I wasn’t expecting to see it twice on its opening weekend. However see it twice I did and though this wasn’t a hardship at all - it did change my overall thoughts on it. 

Frozen 2 sees the return of all our favourite characters and everything audiences loved about these characters in the first film is evident in the sequel. The animation is great, which is to be expected with Disney and there are a couple of stunning sequences in particular. 

A big part of Frozen is the songs and soundtrack and the first time I saw Frozen 2 I thought the songs were okay but not great. However the second time, I loved the songs and have since had ‘Into the Unknown’ and ‘The Next Right Thing’ stuck in my head on a loop. Is needing to hear the songs again before one can really enjoy and appreciate them a problem? Of course not. But when you compare them to the likes of ‘Let it Go,’ I would be surprised of any of them achieve anywhere near the same success. I remember turning to my companion in the cinema during the first film, after ‘Let it Go’ had  just finished, and whispering “This song is going to be huge.” There’s no ‘Let it Go’ in Frozen 2.

The biggest issue for me in Frozen 2 was the story. Undeniably more convoluted than the first film, I felt that the storyline was Frozen 2’s biggest weakness. In some ways the story felt like a prequel and in other ways it felt like a sequel, and the lack of a proper villain to rally against was a shame. Frozen 2 also features sadder, darker and much more melancholy moments - you may find yourself shedding a tear or two.

However, in spite of the sadder and darker moments, I think there were more laugh out loud moments in Frozen 2. Olaf in particular is on brilliant form, and provides all the film’s funniest moments. And Kristoff and Sven still have a great comedic partnership - Kristoff doing Sven’s voice never gets old.

After my first viewing of the film, I felt that Frozen 2 was a good film that I definitely enjoyed but it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the first film and so perhaps I was slightly disappointed. However, after my second viewing, I felt quite differently. Yes, Frozen 2 for me still isn’t as good as Frozen. However, it does have so much going for it. Firstly, it’s incredibly rewatchable. There aren’t many films you’d happily watch twice at the cinema in one weekend. Secondly, it has lots of great Easter eggs that Disney fans will love if they spot them, which makes it a fun and clever watch. Thirdly, it had a great audience reaction. I find that this always makes a film infinitely more enjoyable to watch. And fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, Frozen 2 is primarily about the relationship between two sisters and I think that it’s done in a beautiful and sensitive way. The message of Frozen 2 is about caring for others and protecting those you love, and what message could be better than that?

Regardless of whether you decide you prefer Frozen to Frozen 2 or vice versa, I think fans will get a lot from this film and certainly audience reviews have been much, much higher than critics’ reviews. Prone to cynicism? ‘Let it Go’ and you’ll be rewarded.

The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️