Beautiful but a bit lukewarm
Awesome visuals that are almost palpable make up for familiar story in solid sequel
The show-stopping tune of Disney’s “Frozen 2” is titled “The Next Right Thing,” which could also serve as the subtitle and guiding philosophy of this sequel to the 2013 animated blockbuster. “Frozen” hit the jackpot. Its story of sisters Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) fighting to save their Nordic realm of Arendelle from perpetual chill struck a chord with moviegoers, aided by a catchy soundtrack that included the Oscar-winning ballad, “Let It Go.”
Six years later, the magic remains and the gang’s all here (again), but as with almost every sequel ever made, the followup fails to top the original.
It’s indeed “The Next Right Thing,” in the sense of being second best, but it’s still the right thing to see for families seeking fun and adventure at the movie theatre.
“Frozen” directors/co-writers Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee return at the helm and the pen, with composer Christophe Beck contributing another resonant score.
Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are back with a brace of new tunes that, if not quite the equal of the original soundtrack, still include such hummable ditties as “The Next Right Thing,” “Into the Unknown” and “Some Things Never Change,” plus the wistful ballad “When I Am Older.”
The latter is sung by comedic snowman Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, who is a much greater presence in this film. If you found yourself wishing more of the goofy snow person from the first picture, you’re in luck.
Joining Olaf for anthropomorphic sidekick antics is reindeer Sven, who acts as mute love adviser to mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff ), who is working up his nerve to ask Anna to marry him.
The story, co-written by many hands, is at once the same — Elsa and Anna have to team save Arendelle again, along with their extended family — and more complicated.
The mythology and backstory, which includes amusing callbacks to “Frozen” and serious resonance with real-world concerns about the environment and personal identity, recall not only the original inspiration — Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen” — but also “The Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones.”
One thing that really sets “Frozen 2” apart from its predecessor is the visuals, which are as gorgeous and awe-inspiring as computer animation can possibly get. Movie tech has really advanced in the past six years.
The cold wind that threatens to engulf Elsa, as she sallies forth to discover the source of a distant voice only she can hear, is as palpable as an early November storm through a summer jacket.
The film also has some of the most colourful autumn scenes of recent movie memory along with inventive uses for running water, which may not be what you’d expect from a film so dedicated to winter and ice.
It just goes to show you there’s still the warmth of creativity within the colourful snow palace that is “Frozen 2.”