(Contains Spoliers!)
The 2019 film starring Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, and Jonathan Groff was a masterpiece both musically and cinematically. The movie had a great plot that was easy to follow along with being aimed at a wide audience.
Frozen II follows the main characters, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven the reindeer on their adventure to an enchanted forest. They are trying to find the face behind a voice that Elsa is hearing. Along their adventure, they discover the truth behind Anna and Elsa’s parents’ deaths. They also discover the truth of who Elsa is. In the end Elsa steps up as the fifth elemental spirit, the bridge between humans and nature. Anna becomes the queen of Arendelle, previously Elsa’s title, and begins her rule.
The music in Frozen II was well written and incredibly catchy. The song “Lost in the Woods” has an 80’s pop feel. It is sung by Kristoff, voiced by Jonathan Groff. The lyrics relate to both what happens in the movie but can also be appreciated separately from the movie, context isn’t required. The voice actor who sings the song was on the Broadway show Hamilton, making the singing incredible. The song was also covered by the band Weezer for Frozen II and sounds just as good as in the movie. “Into the Unknown” sung by Elsa, Idina Menzel, is probably the most well known and popular song from the film. It’s also catchy but is not as easy to take out of context. That song is about wanting to explore and not be stuck in the castle, Elsa wants to escape her day to day. “Show Yourself” is Elsa’s discovery of her true self. In the movie, during this song, she is able to sing with her mother, who she hasn’t seen since her death. These are all examples of the incredible music in the movie, although there are other examples of good songs.
One argument against the movie I have heard is that Anna is annoying. The things that make her “annoying” stem from her deep trauma. Anna at a very young age had her only friend, Elsa, taken away from her, along with many of her memories being altered. She was isolated and hidden away from the world. A few years later both of her parents died and she still wasn’t able to see her sister. Finally her sister was crowned and became the queen but Anna quickly learns about Elsa’s powers and once again feels betrayed. Meanwhile Anna is also experiencing romance for the first time, she had no experience with people and she is socially inept. She believes that this man she met recently is the love of her life. In the end he knowingly leaves her to die. Anna was constantly shut out and betrayed by the people she loved, this created a lot of mistrust within her. In the second movie Anna is incredibly insecure and is often questioning Kristoff’s love for her. Understandably the audience finds this frustrating but imagine what Anna has been dealing with her whole life. Anna isn’t annoying, she never had a real life and has slowly become more anxious. Throughout the movie Anna slowly learns to accept things and not be so anxious, but this process takes time in real life and in movies.
