LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL IS SOLID COLD WINNER
FROZEN DIDN’T JUST LET IT GO, IT CHANGED THE WORLD. LARUSHKA IVAN-ZADEH DEFROSTS A MOVIE PHENOMENON THAT REWROTE THE RULES FOR DISNEY HEROINES IN THE 21ST CENTURY
SUCH is the enduring spell of Frozen that if this sequel consisted only of Elsa and Anna staring at a puddle for 103 minutes it would still probably become the biggest animated film of all time. So props to Disney for spending six years ensuring that Frozen 2 isn’t a mere cash-in, but an artistically finer film.
Time has passed in Arendelle – and the real world. Frozen’s first little fans are now facing the rocky perils of puberty and adolescence. And while a happy Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) wants nothing to change, change is inevitable. Because personal growth depends on pushing past fear and your comfort zone and… I’m getting ahead of myself. But seriously, where previously Disney cartoons were based on fairytales. I swear this one is built on a library of self-help books.
Anyhow, back in Arendelle, Olaf the
Snowman ( Josh Gad) is now safely encased in magical melt-preventing Permafrost, Kristoff ( Jonathan Groff) is set to propose and the fascinatingly complex Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), sporting nifty athleisure layering, is tormented by a hero’s call.
Answering it leads our gang away through an enchanted forest on a pleasingly peril-packed quest that uncovers uncomfortable truths about Arendelle’s colonialist past as well as the secret behind Elsa’s icy powers. Actually, I left still a bit hazy about the latter. Thank goodness, as a parent, I’ll be watching it on repeat for six years. I’ll get back to you.
The heart of Frozen remains the sisters’ deep ‘true love’ for each other, with the boys reduced to steadfast backstops/ comic relief: Kristoff’s cheesy power ballad Lost in The Woods is hilarious. And the core audience of Frozen have other treats. ‘Ooh, look at Elsa’s new dress!’ cooed a covetous four-year-old at my preview.
There’s a mighty array of new merchandising opportunities too, such as an insanely cute tiny purple fire lizard, seemingly designed just for that purpose.
What’s lacking are the subversive thirdact twists that made 2013’s Frozen a gamechanger. It’s not just the big new ballad Into The Unknowwwwwn– a perfectly tuned blend of Let It Go with Love Is An Open Doorrrrr – that strikes a familiar note.
Still, I’d put money on a Frozen 3. Disney surely won’t want to let it... well, you know.
SIX years ago Disney released its 53rd animated feature. At first, it didn’t seem anything special. Like many Disney animations, Frozen was loosely adapted from a European fairy tale and featured teeny-waisted princesses, catchy tunes and an adorable, non-human comedy sidekick (a singing snowman called Olaf). Critics generally liked it but they weren’t pronouncing it a masterpiece. ‘Another worthy entry to the Disney canon,’ summarised film reviews website Rotten