FROZEN 2 REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

When it comes to sequels, my expectations were low as a lot of them were disappointments. However, this year has proven me wrong and I've seen a lot of sequels that matched the quality of its predecessor(s), including John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Toy Story 4, Zombieland 2: Double Tap and Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil. Because of this, I had high hopes for Frozen II, however, does it meet expectations?

Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa's powers in order to save their kingdom.

When Frozen was first released in late 2013, I didn't see it as I thought it could only be enjoyed by children and not older viewers. However, I was impressed by the success it received and decided to watch it and I found it to be a pleasant surprise. With its sequel, I was hoping for a film that continued the story, instead of repeating it and, fortunately, Frozen II didn't disappoint and I enjoyed it more than the original. When a film is successful, both at the box office and with critics, a sequel is released within a few years, unfortunately, that can lead to it feeling rushed and the end result fails to leave a lasting impression. When the CEO of Disney, Bob Iger, was asked about the sequel in early 2014, he said that Disney wouldn't mandate a sequel or force telling a story as to do so would risk creating something not as good as the original. Because Disney took their time when making a sequel, Frozen II is succeeds in recapturing the magic of the original film. 

Jennifer Lee, who wrote and directed Frozen along with Chris Buck, returns for the sequel. Her script explores more about Elsa and the origins of her powers. It also answers other questions fans of the original may have, including why Anna was born without powers and where their parents were going when their ship sank. New characters are introduced and it's also revealed that there are four spirits, including earth, fire, water and air. I admired Lee for following the story up by focusing on Elsa and the origins of her powers as it made for an interesting watch.

Following the release of Frozen six years ago, the characters of Elsa and Anna became very popular with fans of the film, including children who would wear costumes inspired by them. I think that both Elsa and Anna are great role models, especially for children seeing the film, as they are both strong and brave individuals. This is still the case for Frozen II. After the events of the original, Elsa and Anna have become closer and, when Elsa chooses to travel to the Enchanted Forest, Anna accompanies her, along with Kristoff, his reindeer, Sven, and Olaf the childlike snowman. Despite the possible dangers that lie ahead, Anna promises never to leave Elsa. 

One of the stand-out aspects of Frozen was its soundtrack, with Elsa's powerful song, 'Let It Go', being the most memorable. It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. With the sequel, there was a lot of pressure on Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez to create songs that were just as successful. The songs that stood out to me were 'Into The Unknown' and 'Show Yourself', both of which are sung by Menzel as Elsa. The former occurs early on in the film and details Elsa's inner conflict over deciding whether or not to leave Arendelle and track down the source of a mysterious voice she keeps hearing. Bell also gets a chance to impress with her song 'The Next Right Thing', a slow, moving ballad about struggling to move forward and do "the next right thing". 

A tradition, made popular by the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is an extra scene following the credits. This has become popular with films outside of the MCU, including Frozen II which features a post-credits scene. One of the most amusing scenes shows Olaf recapping the events of the first film and the post-credits scene sees him recapping what just happened in the sequel. Parents with restless children may not want to sit through the whole credits so it's worth waiting until Frozen II is available on DVD so they can be fast-forwarded. 

By focusing on Elsa and the origins of her powers, Frozen II is a sequel that recaptures what made the original so successful.

8/10