Sequels in Hollywood is as prevalent as rain in Seattle. Every other film that is released any more is a sequel, prequel, remake, reboot, franchise or continuation. So Disney, being a company that certainly knows how to market films, hands us yet another sequel in the form of "Frozen II". It's not that they make great films necessarily as much as they know how to market them.
Why was Elsa (Idina Menzel) born with magical powers? What truths about the past await Elsa as she ventures into the unknown to the enchanted forests and dark seas beyond Arendelle? The answers are calling her but also threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Sven, she'll face a dangerous but remarkable journey. In "Frozen", Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world. In "Frozen II", she must hope they are enough. Will Elsa find answers to the questions she so desperately needs to save her kingdom, or will she fail in her attempts to take care of her sister and to make things right?
Others to round out the cast are Sterling K. Brown as Mattias, Evan Rachel Wood as Queen Iduna, Alfred Molina as King Agnarr, Martha Plimpton as Yelena, Jason Ritter as Ryder, Rachel Matthews as Honeymaren and Jeremy Sisto as King Runeard.
This was effectively directed by Chris Buck ("Tarzan" '99, "Surf's Up" '07, "Frozen" '13, "Zootopia" (story) '16, "A Wrinkle of Time" '18) plus video games and a short, and Jennifer Lee ("Frozen" '13) plus a short. Considering these two directors directed the original, it was not a stretch of work for them to effectively direct this sequel. Certainly Buck has the lion's share of the experience, however Lee was an integral part of this team. Lee's experience is more in the writing arena, however I'd love to see her direct more than this fare. Truly if given the opportunity, she could direct more with the caliber I feel she has. Whereas Lee just needs more work, Buck needs to be given more live-action films to delve into--this would certainly showcase his true potential. It was effectively, yet predictably written by Jennifer Lee ("Wreck-It Ralph" '12, "Frozen" '13, "Zootopia" (story) '16, "A Wrinkle in Time" '18) plus video games and a short, based on a story by Lee, Buck, Marc E. Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, which is based on the story, "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen. Like the original, one could ascertain that this was written by the same writer as the original. There's certainly nothing wrong with this detail, except that, like the original, this is predictable and unoriginal in its plot and conveyance toward its audience. The aspect of Elsa's powers saving Arendelle from destruction in this and those powers almost destroying the kingdom in the original is an interesting and admiral approach, but the familiarity of storyline leaves the audience without a truly challenging plot. As with the original, the best thing about this was the new songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who wrote the songs for the original, and the animation, which better be executed well considering that Disney Animation Studios designed it.
If you're either a Disney or "Frozen" fan, you will cherish this, but even not, this looks great on the large screen--it's presented in a nifty optional IMAX and 4DX format. This is a film all little girls will love as they did with "Frozen", but not much here for their parents. But hey, Disney's not concerned since this grossed a hefty 127 million bucks in its first weekend of release. Can you say cha-ching!?
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: PG 103mins.
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