Forget Queen Elsa’s ‘Into the Unknown’
Anna has best tune in ‘Frozen 2,’ with earworms galore
Like its predecessor, the blustering avalanche that is “Frozen 2” brings plenty of ice, power and earworms.
The record-breaking blockbuster builds on the musical tradition of Disney’s 2013 animated hit “Frozen” with plenty to say about how relationships evolve — in song.
But alas, Queen Elsa’s flagship number “Into the Unknown” is not the film’s best song, even if its siren call is the most recognizable.
Oscar- and Grammy-winning duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez returned to write seven original songs for the Scandinavian-set sequel. You can praise (or blame) them for the tunes being stuck in your head or sung repeatedly by the little kids in your life.
Actor Josh Gad, who voices the film’s sentient snowman Olaf, even had to apologize in advance for the musical’s earworm potential given the juggernaut that was “Frozen’s” “Let It Go,” to which many of the new runaway hits are being compared.
Here’s how the original songs stack up based on their emotional impact and universal themes, which give each track a practical life outside the world of “Frozen.”
Caution: Many “Frozen 2” spoilers ahead.
1. ‘The Next Right Thing’
OK, before you send the Northuldra and Earth giants after me, hear me out.
Princess Anna’s heartbreaking ballad about pulling yourself out of grief and depression has the most real-world applications. It’s a brief song about mental health in disguise. Kristen Bell’s vocals leap during this tear-jerker, which calls on the heroine to be her own hero in the simplest way: “You are lost, hope is gone, but you must go on and do the next right thing,” she sings.
The song is arguably more poignant because of whom it’s coming from, a startling reminder that anyone can be overcome with sadness despite the personality they show to the outside world. Here’s the film’s spunky key optimist, completely deflated by the loss of everyone she holds dear, picking herself up to save the day. At one point, the girl who is afraid of being abandoned (in not one, but two films) says “Hello, darkness, I’m ready to succumb.” But she doesn’t.
It’s nice to see the heroine of both films not only carry on, but completely shine on her own. Queen Anna, indeed.
2. ‘Show Yourself ’
Coming in at a close second is another majestic Elsa anthem, “Show Yourself.”
While “Let It Go,” the ice queen’s signature hit from the original film, was about selfacceptance, “Show Yourself ” is a slow-building ballad about self-love.
The new song features Idina Menzel’s soaring vocals and parallels the maturation of
Elsa’s voice and narrative: On the mysterious island of Ahtohallan, she realizes her powers and duties extend beyond the kingdom of Arendelle and to the elemental spirits that bestowed her with freezing abilities.
“Show Yourself ” certainly has film-specific references, but its lyrics are universal too.
The song gets even better (and emotional) when it turns into a bit of a medley. Aurora, the Norwegian singer who recites “Into the Unknown’s” siren song, reappears vocally, as does Evan Rachel Wood, who duets with Menzel’s Elsa on a triumphant few lines from the sequel’s track “All Is Found.”
This one gets extra points because of how it incorporates the film’s other musical motifs.
3. ‘Into the Unknown’
Aurora’s haunting tune combined with Menzel’s vocals is “Frozen 2’s” signature song (for now), setting up Elsa’s journey into the enchanted forest.
But it also speaks to anyone who’s ever tried to quiet a niggling voice beckoning them out their comfort zone.
Narratively speaking, it’s an adventure song that explains why Elsa is being pulled away from the first film’s happily ever after.
That could be why Disney released it first: It comes early on in the film and contains fewer story spoilers than some of the others ranked higher here.
Musically, its riff is the most recognizable (and Disney knows it) and has been the most closely compared to its Oscarwinning predecessor.
4. ‘All Is Found’
“All Is Found” is a beautiful bedtime lullaby from Elsa and Anna’s mother, Queen Iduna (Wood), that serves as a road map for the film thanks to retroactive continuity.
In a flashback, the queen sings the ethereal tune about a river that holds all of the answers.
The song is full of secret messages, haunting warnings, metaphors and big ideas for the production — mainly filmspecific references that limit its wider reach.
5. ‘Lost in the Woods’
Kristoff ’s proposal to Anna is thwarted yet again, and their latest relationship roadblock comes secondary to the main narrative, unlike many relationship arcs of past Disney films.
The possible break-up is much harder on the ice master and deliverer, making the reversal in Jonathan Groff ’s power ballad the funniest song of the film. It’s an irreverent rock opera meant to appeal to the parents who’ve become all too familiar with the genre’s tropes.
6. ‘When I Am Older’
Comic relief isn’t Olaf ’s sole purpose in “Frozen 2.” Gad’s Olaf — the audience’s stream of consciousness — is still soaking up the sun thanks to Elsa’s magical permafrost. He’s now three years older, which is a lot in ice years, and his eponymous solo, “When I Am Older,” showcases that evolution (he can read now too).
7. ‘Some Things Never Change’
This ensemble piece early in the film serves a more functional purpose. “Some Things
Never Change” gives the characters a moment to reintroduce themselves to audiences as maturer versions of themselves. The title is completely misleading because just about everything changes after this point in the film.
It’s a charming, finale-like number that speaks to the theme of transformation in “Frozen 2,” but it doesn’t have the same emotional impact as the first film’s sister duets, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” or “For the First Time in Forever.”
Times staff writer Christi Carras contributed to this report.