Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, 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.
Maybe I overindulged on the original “Frozen” from 2013. Seems I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful and magical ice queen named Elsa that sang her way into my bleeding heart. No matter where you turned, “Let It Go” was the catchphrase and theme song that brought all ice queens together and while I hate to be petty, it appears that Elsa (Idina Menzel), along with her sister Anna (Kristen Bell), grew up way too fast and I wasn’t ready for the responsible, mission-driven person that she has become.
In this new film, directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, Elsa and Anna are on a quest to find out what happened to their parents. As they venture far away from Arendelle, they are met with opposition trying to figure out who their enemies or their parents’ enemies are. Olaf (Josh Gad) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) try their best to help solve the mystery, but it seems their timing and delivery are always off so Elsa’s magical insight into the future is seemingly their only hope. In the end, the mystery of their parents’ disappearance is solved and they learn that their mother actually saved their father, bringing a lot of unanswered questions to the forefront.
With much of the original cast still intact, the transition from “Frozen” to “Frozen II” is almost seamless with the exception of a few add-ons such as Sterling K. Brown as Mattias and a few new catchy sisterhood-power songs. Themes of empowerment are constant as well as the theme of sisterhood which is displayed throughout the film as Anna tries to convince Elsa that she will always have her back and always be there for her. As a kids’ movie, it is still powerful and entertaining and the element of mystery and love keeps it interesting throughout. For the kiddos, it offers a truly magical experience and childish humor that many will be able to relate to. While I may have been a little disappointed by comparison, those who see it as a stand-alone will still find it magically entertaining and most important, kid-friendly!
In Theaters Friday, November 22nd
