After going “Into the Unknown” with Elsa, getting “Lost in the Woods” with Kristoff and doing the “Next Right Thing” with Anna, “Frozen II” has proved itself with a strong sense of character development, new exciting adventures and captivating musical numbers. Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff all return to the big screen with a bang.
The storyline has a strange way of leading viewers to a conclusion, but it keeps the audience guessing. The sequel provides satisfying information that gives audiences a further understanding of past events and ties up loose ends from the previous film, “Frozen.” When Elsa hears a voice calling to her, she is led along with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven to discover an enchanted forest that reveals her family’s treacherous past.
The movie may be aimed towards a younger audience, but is broadened to all moviegoers with the relatable storyline perfect for all viewers.
In “Frozen II,” Elsa has to choose between her desire for finding herself or her home with her family. There is an emphasis on her struggle to pursue her longing for adventure in fear of the consequences. Her breakthrough songs “Into the Unknown” and “Show Yourself” are brilliant, intriguing pieces that are incredibly wise, yet simple, in their words and singable for younger ones. The lines of “Show Yourself” slowly moves the audience into the climax of Elsa, finding that she is actually the one she has been waiting for all her life. This results in her finding a newfound confidence as she sings, “I’ve never felt so certain, all my life I’ve been torn.”
A true highlight of the film is the amazing debut of Jonathan Groff’s first solo as Kristoff. The song “Lost in the Woods” is a ballad that makes a nod to ’80s pop music. It was surprising to see a solo debut from a supporting male character expressing his feelings for a woman. His entire development as a character from the first movie was well transitioned and allowed viewers to see his growth. Kristoff has become an icon of the decade with his profound attitude to be supportive, rather than become the hero and save Anna. Throughout the movie, Kristoff breaks gender stereotypes by being everything but the strong and brave hero.
With the whole crew growing up, Olaf tags along in the adventure and speaks of how he is maturing, repeatedly throughout the movie. Which makes for many hysterical “ah-ha” moments and a silly song, of course, “When I Am Older.”
The most shocking detail of all is how the movie manages to shine a light on a rather hot topic, colonialism. The attempt may not have been perfect, and there were definitely a couple of loops that could have been better addressed; still, their effort was admirable and done well enough to understand what they were implying.
The revelation of Anna and Elsa’s true identities made this movie satisfying and comes after criticism that the first movie was not diverse enough. Diving into these characters’ identities brings a great solution to the film, especially for Elsa, who finally has a spot where she feels she belongs. As for Anna, she ends up right where she should have been in the first place. Where is that, you say? That’s for you to find out.
