Frozen II (2019)

Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee | 103 minutes | animation, adventure | Dutch voice cast: Noortje Herlaar, Willemijn Verkaik, Benja Bruijning, Carlo Boszhard | Original voice cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Rachel Matthews, Jeremy Sisto, Ciarán Hinds, Alan Tudyk, Hadley Gannaway, Mattea Conforti , Santino Fontana

If, like Jennifer Lee, you’ve made a film that grossed a whopping $1.3 billion, you’d be crazy to take a completely different path for the sequel. The strength of ‘Frozen’ (2013) – because that’s what we’re talking about – was that the heroines Anna and Elsa are not your standard Disney princesses, but emancipated and free-spirited young women who don’t need a man to stand their ground or rescue them from precarious situations. Of course, Anna hooked up with the wrong Prince Hans, whom she later traded for animal lover Kristoff. But that bond is not nearly as strong as the one between Anna and her sister. Elsa is the personification of Girl Power. But to be able to use her magical powers optimally, she first had to look for herself in the first film. It wasn’t until the end of the film that she fully embraced herself and her unique abilities. And that was the learning moment for all those girls who dreamed away at ‘Frozen’: accept yourself as you are, accept your unique sides and above all act independently. Self-reliance and sisterly love are the magic words for Anna and Elsa. Compare that to traditional, defenseless Disney princesses like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella, who only got better when the noble prince on the white horse appeared in their lives.

No, Lee and fellow director Chris Buck are continuing with the inevitable sequel – which was given the somewhat uninspired title ‘Frozen II’ (2019) – on the road they took six years earlier. That means that the modest Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel/Willemijn Verkaik) and the extroverted Anna (Kristen Bell/Noortje Herlaar) join forces once again to save their beloved kingdom of Arendelle from destruction, assisted by Kristoff (Jonathan). Groff/Benja Bruining) and the two comedic sidekicks snowman Olaf (Josh Gad/Carlo Boszhard) and reindeer Sven and a new arsenal of musical sing-alongs. Nevertheless, there is certainly room for innovation, with elements that mainly underline the modern zeitgeist: the heroines exchange their traditional dresses for trousers (much more convenient when you have to go on an adventure) and the film – not too subtly – follows the anticolonial and ecological sentiments of the twenty-first century. ‘Frozen II’ opens with a flashback to the time when the princesses were little and their parents tell them a bedtime story about the past of the kingdom of Arendelle. Their grandfather and part of his army are said to have been attacked years ago in the nearby forest by a mysterious indigenous people, after which the forest was enchanted and has been shrouded in mist ever since. The tragedies that the family has experienced since then are said to be a direct result of what happened in the forest at the time. Was grandpa such a nice man? And can Anna and Elsa correct the mistakes made by previous generations?

In the beginning it takes a while to find out how this second part compares to the first. The makers think this can be solved by immediately reviewing all familiar faces (they even play a game of Hints!) and opening a can of songs that don’t really impress. But it takes at least half an hour before ‘Frozen II’ really gets going. Elsa, now Arendelle’s confident head of state, is haunted by a mysterious chant that tries to lure her north to the enchanted forest. When the elements of water, fire, earth and air begin to stir and chase the inhabitants out of Arendelle, Elsa turns to the trolls for advice. When they impress upon them that the truth must be revealed, the adventure really gets off to a good start. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven head to a mythical place called Ahtohallan, which not only holds the secret behind their parents’ disappearance, but also holds the key to peace with nature and the Northuldra, the indigenous people who lives here.

Although Elsa likes to keep things under control, her bond with sister Anna is so strong that she can’t stop her from following her. Frankly, the other characters are in for bacon and beans. They mainly provide light-hearted, funny moments. For example, Kristoff has come up with the plan to propose to Anna, but every time he is about to do so, it turns out slightly different. Nice running gag, especially in view of the message the film conveys (that women don’t need a man to stay upright). He shines most in his own entertaining song ‘Lost in the Woods’, which shows a very cool nod to the seventies and eighties. Composers/songwriters Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez have done their best, but a cracker like ‘Let it go’ cannot be found in this second part. The closest is ‘Into the Unknown’, again a power ballad sung by Elsa. Most songs feel like second garnish. Fortunately, ‘Frozen II’ more than meets the requirements visually, because the film looks beautiful. Especially the backgrounds are beautiful; the snow and ice landscapes, but also the forest are enchantingly beautiful. Where in the first part blue was the unavoidable color, we also see a lot of green and red tones here, which gives the film a warmer look than its predecessor.

The first thoughts on a sequel are often that such a sequel is mainly there to earn a lot of money. In the case of ‘Frozen II’ that will undoubtedly play a role – the merchandise is already in the shops in abundance – but by labeling this film as a ‘milk cow’ we are being a bit too short. The story is certainly not a blueprint of its predecessor and the content has certainly been well thought out. Nevertheless, the film lacks a face of its own. The biggest shortcoming is perhaps the fact that the songs don’t stick. Although that may be the right and pleasant side effect for the parents of toddler and preschool girls!