Six years since Frozen made a place in our heart, we all have been waiting for a sequel. The sequel is out, and it takes place three years after the predecessor. While the first one melted the audience’s heart with its innocence, the second one has grown more confident. Our beloved Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristin Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Sven and Olaf (Josh Gad) embark on yet another adventure to save the kingdom of Arendelle.
Life in Arendelle is going fine. Elsa’s doing a good job ruling the kingdom. Anna is happily in love with her beau Kristoff. And Olaf is also living his life, hanging around in the kingdom giving some comic touches wherever necessary, to the intense storyline. Everything is pretty much ‘happily ever after’ since Frozen until Elsa is summoned by a mysterious voice only she can hear.
Elsa wants to know the origin of her magical icy powers and use them to undo the damage and set things right all over again, for not just Arendelle but also its supposed foe Northuldra. And, of course, Anna refuses to let her do it alone. The movie is all about Elsa finding the fifth element to get air, water, fire and earth back in harmony.
Disney movies have a certain edge and a blueprint of their own. The artwork and special effects magically define the film. Elsa’s magic, everytime soar a notch higher, giving a visual treat to our eyes. It’s difficult to point out one good special effect as the movie is filled with loads of dazzling sequences. One where Elsa rides a crystal clear horse takes your breathe and manages to put even live-action film sequences to shame. Another sequence where Elsa enters the cave and finds the past gives us goosebumps. With mesmerising animation, beautifully imagined sequences and emotional scenes, Frozen 2 will surely bring siblings one step closer.
The movie rounds up to show feelings and emotions, which are rendered beautifully. One can sense the joy of meeting your loved one in Anna’s expressive eyes. Frozen 2 can be a bit too dark for kids, with complex and mature messages, it’s trying to convey. It gives away the message of accepting change, loss, grief and moving on. A song in the movie which Olaf keeps singing rightly tells us what life is all about: “When you are older, everything makes sense.” Though not kid-friendly, the song reassures the adults that ‘When all is lost, then all is found’ and nothing or no one is ever lost; eventually it’s all just shaping right.
Princess Elsa remains gloriously single, and as unafraid of taking the leap into the unknown. In perhaps the film’s best line, she notes that rather than anything else, it’s fear that can’t be trusted. The background score by Christophe Beck adds a cherry on top. The songs Into the Unknown by Idina Menzel and Aurora, and Weezer’s Lost in the Woods can easily slide into your playlist.
While Frozen was a mixture of Elsa accepting her magical powers, Kristoff and Anna’s budding romance and Olaf’s quirk, Frozen 2 focuses on the sisters’ bond and their family history. Co-directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck have put a spotlight on the power of nature.
With a loving, caring and powerful army to have their back, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and of course Olaf’s tribe is worth melting for!
