Frozen II
Voices of: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Goff, Josh Gad, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Rachel Matthews, Jeremy Sisto, Alan Tudyk, Ciaran Hinds
Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy
2019
Times Seen:
Tim: 1
Summary: A strange magic calls out to Elsa (Idina Menzel) and her journey with Anna (Kristen Bell) to discover the source reveals secrets about their family history.
Review:
Tim: Frozen was such a smash hit in 2013, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon. It was quite exciting to get a sequel, 6 years later. This movie might not have climbed to the same cultural heights, but it's absolutely another big success for Disney. I really enjoyed this movie. While I'd still give the edge to the original, this movie got far closer than I would have expected. This is a worthwhile sequel in every sense.
The original Frozen was a box office phenomenon in every sense- it made $400 million at the domestic box office. This movie did even better, with $477 million (obviously slightly less impressive when you take into account inflation, but that's still a big win). This movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The original won Best Original Song and Best Animated Feature. It's interesting that this one wasn't nominated for Best Animated Feature- it should have been. Still, by all accounts, this is a big victory.
The plot is solid- it expands the world from the first film, gives us plenty of time with the main characters, and digs deeper into their backgrounds. It checks all the boxes for a successful sequel. The characters are so strong, especially if you have kids. My five year-old son had no problem rattling off all their names- Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and of course, Olaf. In animated movies, characters are everything. These movies pulled off a rare feat- they turned three human characters into memorable, iconic ones. That's pretty difficult in animated movies. It's a lot easier to have an anthropomorphic animal or robot or something. The characters come to life due to the terrific cast.
Idina Menzel is so critical to Elsa because her voice is outstanding. She's the one who made "Let it Go" such an undeniable hit (and Academy Award winner). That voice is on display again here. Menzel's contributions to this film cannot be overstated. You could say the same for Kristen Bell, although she disappears into her character a bit more. Anna is such a great character. She flies under the radar some, but she's so essential to this film. I loved the work Bell did to bring humanity to this character. Jonathan Groff was excellent again, too. I've loved his work on "Mindhunter", so it was a pleasure to hear his voice again here. Speaking for Kristoff and Sven, his voice work and singing are both superb. Josh Gad likewise deserves incredible amounts of praise for Olaf. Olaf is the most beloved of the characters and Gad is chiefly responsible for this. If I was thinking about the all-time great animated voice actors, it's a short list. You have to put Robin Williams on there for his work in Aladdin. Gad is on that list, too. He's one of the best.
The supporting cast is really strong as well- Evan Rachel Wood, Sterling K. Brown, and Alfred Molina are all great. I'm not sure any of the supporting cast members really emerged as breakout characters, though. Jason Ritter had some great moments, but everyone else is really in service of the main cast.
The visual effects are once again so impressive. This is a beautifully crafted film. The movie is entertaining, funny, and exciting. It really feels like a fitting sequel.
The music is excellent, too. It might not quite reach the heights of the original, but it offers up some truly great songs. My favorite is the undeniably catchy "Some Things Never Change", a song I actually love. Goff's Sven voice makes me laugh every single time. It's a great song. "Into the Unknown" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It's good, no doubt. Gad shines in "When I am Older". "The Next Right Thing" is quite good as well. The music is definitely top-tier animated films.
Frozen II might not quite catch lightning in a bottle again, but that doesn't mean this movie isn't a worthy successor to the original. I had a blast with this movie. My son loved it, even my 18-month old daughter enjoyed watching parts (oh man, she's gonna love it when she's older). This movie is a huge, huge success.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5
If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Frozen