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| Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven |
A Review of Frozen II by Nick Olszyk
MPAA Rating, PG
USCCB Rating, A-II
Reel Rating, Three Reels
I am convinced, despite reservations of others, that 2013’s Frozen is a modern Disney masterpiece,
not just great but one of the best films of the 21st century. Its
success was not only due to the compelling characters, the beautiful animation,
or merchandising potential but deep Christological roots that resonated with every
human heart. Frozen II is a splendid film but never comes close to
sheer brilliance of its processor. It’s rougher, less sophisticated, and often aimless
but nonetheless extremely entertaining, which is what a seven-year old cares
about most.
The story begins three
years after Elsa’s tantrum and Anna’s sacrifice, and everyone has settled into
their Disney mandated roles. Elsa wears fabulous clothes and continues to provide
the kingdom with ice-filled distractions. Anna loves to pull pranks and be
adorable. Kristof is trying to find the courage to propose to Anna, while Sven
and Olaf provide comic relief. Without warning, Elsa begins to hear a strange
voice singing in the distance while terrifying forces of nature (earthquakes,
gale force winds, etc) begin attacking Arendelle, forcing its citizens to flee
to the mountains. Thus, our brave heroes must venture forth on a quest to the
Enchanted Forest discover the source of these anomalies and save the Kingdom.
What transpires over
the next ninety minutes is enjoyable though confusing. The story changes
rapidly as more and more subplots and themes are added. None of the story is original,
but few films have tried to combine so many cinematic tropes. There were echoes
of Field of Dreams, Avatar:
The Last Airbender, The Wave, Interstellar, The Fifth
Element, and 80s hair band power
ballads. This is easily Frozen II’s biggest flaw. To outshine the original,
the filmmakers tried to fit a million ideas into one movie. Some of these
subplots are painful to watch. In Frozen, Olaf’s dreams of being “in summer” was a
highlight. His solo in Frozen II about “growing up” works neither with the
central plot nor his own development. Sidekicks don’t mature, and neither do
enchanted anthropomorphic snowpals.
The primary narrative
involves one of the oldest debates in Christian literature: the proper use of
pagan imagery. Elsa discovers that her mother and father were involved in a war
with a previously unknown tribe in the Enchanted Forest that could harness the four
elements of nature. Elsa must learn to tame each of these forces to bring peace
between Arendelle and the natives, including harnessing the mysterious fifth
element (no, it’s not a giant blue alien). The secret revelation
pays homage to a central pantheistic tenant. While the pagan tropes are much
stronger here than before, the central values are still Christocentric, although
no longer explicitly so. Anna sings a beautiful song about “doing the next
right thing” when desolation makes discernment difficult. Elsa discovers its
better to do things with the support of one’s family instead of alone
(something she should really have learned from the first movie).
Despite quibbles about
its story, Frozen II is still high caliber entertainment. The
visuals are dazzling, especially the water animation. The dialogue is often clever,
but sadly the songs are underwhelming. The one notable exception is “Lost in the Woods,”
Kristoff’s bittersweet mediation on the complications of love. It puts “Let It
Go” to shame. Yes, I said it! It’s also the silliest track, which illustrates
an underlining problem. When the film tries to be profound, it whimpers, but
when it is content to just have fun, it soars – and occasionally is profound
anyway.
After the disaster of Toy
Story 4, I was ready to write
Disney off. Frozen II hasn’t exactly restored my confidence, but
it shows that good work is still possible. It remains to be seen if Disney
animation’s best days are behind them, but for now, I’ll take it.
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on December 4th, 2019
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