There’s no doubt that Frozen was one of the biggest phenomenons of the 2010s. Phoebe from Starry Traveler’s Road reviews the 2013 original and its 2019 sequel. Head on over to Tranquil Dreams to check it out!
Next up in Ultimate 2010s Blogathon is from my Battle of Ingredients co-host, Phoebe from Starry Traveler’s Road sharing with us a double feature of a popular Disney animated film and its sequel, 2013’s Frozen and 2019’s Frozen II. After you check out her review, head over to check out her blog where she does event recaps, DIY crafts and recently her updates in from jewelry school. Check out her blog HERE.
Frozen (2013) & Frozen II (2019)
(sing to “Do you want to build a snowman?”) Do you want a movie review? Husband, Miss Bun and I got one just for you! We plan to discuss Frozen 1 and 2 as it really makes sense. We really need to send a BIG thank you to Kim and Drew for hosting us… (tick tock tick tock) for the Ultimate 2010s Blogathon!
As you might have heard, Frozen II released a few weeks ago and has done quite well at the box office. You can check out my review of it here. In the time since watching this movie in the theater, I have seen several people do their own ranking of the songs from the film and thought to myself, “what a great idea!” Honestly, I can’t believe I haven’t thought before to this myself, either with Disney’s latest animated feature or any of their others. Well it is time to remedy that!
Below is my ranking of the seven songs from Frozen II. In this list, I am not including the Panic! at the Disco, Kacey Musgraves, or Weezer versions of the songs, nor am I including “Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People (Cont.)” since it’s only 30 seconds long and it is really just an intro/prelude to “Lost in the Woods.” I have linked each song title to a video of the song on YouTube so you can check them out for yourself, after you’re done reading the full list here of course!
I’m not exactly sure what it is about Olaf’s song this time around, it has a similar tune and naivete as his song “In Summer” from Frozen, but I am not as entranced by “When I am Older.” It’s fun and it’s whimsical but it doesn’t have the same foot tapping potential as “In Summer.”
I appreciate the message of “The Next Right Thing;” it’s about getting up, dusting yourself off, and moving forward when you are at a low point. However, I haven’t found the song to be one that I find myself randomly start singing like I do some of the other songs on this list. So to recap: great message, not a catchy melody.
Like “Frozen Heart” from Frozen, “All Is Found” foreshadows the events of the film. It’s a sweet lullaby sung by Anna and Elsa’s mother, Queen Iduna, voiced by Evan Rachel Wood. As an opener, I’d say it is a little better than “Frozen Heart.” I can see many parents singing this song to their young children while lying them down to bed.
“Some Things Never Change” feels the most like the songs from Frozen than all the other songs on this list, which is one of the reasons it is smack dab in the middle of the ranking. There is a nice beat and it feels ripe for Disney’s sing-a-long treatment. Every major character gets at least a few lines to showcase their talents before their own numbers later in the film.
In the theater, “Lost in the Woods” had me nearly crying from laughter. Lyrically, it’s actually sweet. The song is a rock ballad, reminiscent of something you might have heard in the 80s. The film goes all in on that angle, too, with the sequence. I give credit to Disney and the directors because this one is definitely for the parents who have to endure watching the film with their young children.
I think “Into the Unknown” is expected to be Frozen II‘s “Let It Go.” It was the first have the in-film sequence and already has a multi-language version released online, just like “Let It Go.” Once again, Idina Menzel proves that she is an incredible powerhouse of a singer. While “Into the Unknown” is not quite the anthem that “Let it Go” has become, it is still amazing to both listen to and watch.
Even after listening to “Show Yourself” many, many times, I still get emotional. Visually, be the best looking sequence in the entire film. However, it is during this song that Elsa finally becomes who she was meant to be since where we met her in Frozen. Throughout both movies, Elsa feels like she is an outsider; like she belongs somewhere else. During this song is when she finds what she has been looking for for two films. On my Disney playlist, I have “Let it Go” and “Show Yourself” back-to-back because these two go together thematically. Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez most popular song might be “Let it Go” but “Show Yourself” is their most powerful.
And that is my ranking of the songs of Frozen II! What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? How would you rank the songs of Frozen II?
Synopsis
When the spirits force the people out of Arendelle, Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and Sven venture to the Enchanted Forest to settle the spirits.
Review
Back in 2013, Frozen became a phenomenon. Children everywhere dressed up as Anna and even more dressed up as Anna’s sister Elsa. It seemed you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing “Let it Go.” I’m man enough to admit that I got swept up in the craze as well. It was no surprise that a sequel was announced, especially given Disney has had more of an eye towards making theatrical sequels to their films as of late. Given how much I enjoyed Frozen, I was excited to see what directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck had in store for Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kirstoff in the sequel. Despite my high expectations, Frozen II blew them away.
Easily the stand-out feature of Frozen was the original songs written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The songwriting couple returns for the sequel and once more they knock it out of the park! Idina Menzel again demonstrates how much of a powerhouse singer she is. “Into the Unknown” is bound to become this film’s “Let it Go” but “Show Yourself,” Menzel’s duet with Evan Rachel Wood, should not be ignored either. Jonathan Groff didn’t get much room to flex his singing chops in the last film but that was remedied this time around. Besides having a small part in the ensemble song “Some Things Never Change,” he gets his own song in “Lost in the Woods,” which is presented in a boy band-esque way that had me laughing uncontrollably. And of course Kristen Bell and Josh Gad have their songs as well, so no one is left out.
Olaf (Gad) provided much (not all but a lot) of the comedy from the previous film. While Olaf still functions as the comedic relief, and even though he does have some of the funnier moments of this film, it feels like the humor is spread out more evenly throughout the cast. This makes the comedy feel more organic. Anna, Kristoff, and many of the new characters all get a few laughs in. Two new characters, Lieutenant Mattias, voiced wonderfully by Sterling K. Brown, and Ryder, voiced by Jason Ritter, aren’t on the screen much but they each have a handful of memorable moments that help them stand out in this sequel.
Frozen II is unsurprisingly done in an animation style very similar to that of Frozen. However, everything just looks… better. Similar but better. The character models look better and feel like they have more expression, Elsa’s ice powers look better and seriously jaw-dropping at moments, the environments look better and almost life-like. Just like most of the last film is spent in the snow, most of this film is spent in the Enchanted Forest, and the Forest look absolutely stunning. If you’ve ever been in the woods, particularly during the autumn months, you’ll know how vivid it can be, with a wide range of colors and textures. This film captures all of that in great detail. From the various colors of the leaves to the greens of the grass and moss to the grays of rocks and to the clear blue streams. Once again, the Disney animation studio has outdone themselves.
Every sequel should build on and expand the world from the film(s) before it and continue to evolve the characters. Both sisters grow considerably. Elsa’s journey takes her on a path of discovery about her powers and herself more so than the previous film. At the end of Frozen, she learns to embrace her powers and that they are not something to be feared. Throughout this movie, she embraces her powers even more. Of the two, Anna displays the most change and growth. I don’t want to spoil anything but she goes through a dramatic change that is perfect for her character and will serve as an inspiration for many young children. When we meet Olaf at the beginning, he has begin questioning the world in a more mature way than his more innocent and naive self of the last film. It’s played for comedy but is exciting to watch. As for Kristoff, we get to see how his feelings for Anna have deepened but it feels like his character does not quite have as drastic an arc as some of the other characters.
Out of everything I have talked about up to this point, I think what I appreciate most about this film is how well it rounds out and completes the story of Frozen. As I just talked about, the two central sisters go through tremendous character growth, especially if we look at where they started in Frozen. It’s awe-inspiring how much the writers were able to accomplish in just two films. While the movie could potentially have a threequel (even if Disney decided to actually make a third theatrical film for one of their animated franchises), I feel like the story is complete enough that a third outing is not needed nor would it be necessary.
I thought Frozen II was GOOD 🙂 Despite all my positive comments, there are still a few flaws that can be found. However, those are minor compared to everything else I enjoyed in this film. There is a larger sense of adventure this time around and even more excitement than Frozen. While I usually feel most Disney animated films do not require sequels, this is an instance where I am extremely glad this sequel was made. Building on where the characters ended in the previous movie, this movie expands on them even further. Where Frozen II really shines is when it’s taken as a whole with Frozen. Together, they tell a complete and complementary story, making both films better in the process.
Trailer
Cast & Crew
Chris Buck – Director / Story
Jenifer Lee – Director / Screenplay / Story
Marc Smith – Story
Kristen Anderson-Lopez – Story / Original Songs
Robert Lopez – Story / Original Songs
Christophe Beck – Composer
Idina Menzel – Elsa (voice)
Kristen Bell – Anna (voice)
Josh Gad – Olaf (voice)
Jonathan Groff – Kristoff (voice)
Evan Rachel Wood – Queen Iduna (voice)
Alfred Molina – King Agnarr (voice)
Sterling K. Brown – Lieutenant Mattias (voice)
Martha Plimpton – Yelana (voice)
Jason Ritter – Ryder (voice)
Rachel Matthews – Honeymaren (voice)
Jeremy Sisto – King Runeard (voice)
Ciaran Hinds – Pabbie (voice)
Alan Tudyk – Northuldra Leader (voice)
Mattea Conforti – Young Elsa (voice)
Hadley Gannaway – Young Ana (voice)
Aurora – The Voice (voice)
Drew's Movie Reviews 