Frozen II: Shattered Expectations
Frozen II (2019)
Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Starring Kristen Bell, Inda Menzel, Josh Gadd and Jonathan Groff
Frozen (2013) was the highest grossing animated film of all time until the travesty that was the 2019 Lion King remake overtook it. Could the second Frozen recapture the top spot? Even without a “Let it Go”?
I wasn’t a big fan of the original Frozen, and I expected more of the same with Frozen II: a strong opening act focused on beautiful world-building followed by second and third acts that left out everything interesting about the first act, thereby serving primarily as a vehicle for mediocre songs. However, with Frozen 2, my expectations were shattered.
Frozen II, helmed once again by directors Buck and Lee, has all of the visual wonderment that made the first film interesting. More importantly, the last two thirds of the film are exciting, well-written and build towards an epic ending.
The songs are catchy and well sung too, even if there isn’t an overall smash hit like “Let It Go.” One thing that really excels is the comedy. Still coming mainly from Josh Gad’s Olaf, but this time it’s more integrated into the story. Lastly, the visuals become more and more epic through the film, and I was glad I watched it in 3D (which is rare due to the darkness in most films once we slip on the glasses.)
Will the Frozen franchise reclaim the top spot as the highest grossing animated film worldwide? Probably not. But if it had Beyonce as a voice actor like the garbage Lion King remake did, it most surely would have had a better chance.
If the first Frozen was a C and The Lion King remake was a D then Frozen 2 is a B.