Movie review: Fans will warm to 'Frozen II,' but sequel doesn't deliver original's magic
<h3 class="briefHead">"Frozen 2" - ★ ★ ½</h3>
You know a sequel's in trouble when its magical snowman Olaf, two gorgeously royal siblings and an oafish boyfriend engage in an mesmerizing game of ... charades?
We might expect characters from a cliche-riddled romantic comedy to indulge in such trite antics.
But not in "Frozen II," a continuation of the imaginative, inspired musical journey of fiercely independent women, heroines of the biggest-grossing animated movie in history (with $1.29 billion worldwide).
For a while, the plot of "Frozen II" appears to center around the efforts of the bumbling, well-meaning boyfriend Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) to pop the question to his beloved Anna (Kristen Bell), only to have an old curse and a historic injustice on the town of Arendelle intervening.
The real plot reveals itself when ebullient Anna's more serious, older sister, now Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), hears a mysterious summons from a nearby magical forest, something old and unsettled calling out to her.
This ties in with the movie's bedtime-story opening, all about Anna's and Elsa's parents King Agnarr (Alfred Molina) and Queen Iduna (Evan Rachel Wood), and about how their grandfather (Jeremy Sisto) and his trusted General Mattias (Sterling K. Brown) became the targets of a betrayal so terrible that the surrounding forest became lost in a magical mist.
Elsa wants to discover the secret to this enchanted place that will not leave her alone.
This continued adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" - again directed by co-writers Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck - enjoys another series of serviceable songs from original composers Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, although none achieves the punch and power of the Oscar-winning anthem "Let It Go."
The song closest to that would probably be "Into the Unknown," with Menzel's vocal chords on full warp drive delivering lyrics with radiant intensity.
Kids, the obvious principal demographic target of "Frozen II," will undoubtedly adore this sequel, destined for anything but a frozen reception at the box office.
More discriminating audiences might notice this sequel feels a bit more cartoony than the original, with Elsa portrayed as something closer to a standard-issue superhero equipped with the ability to freeze water as both a defensive and offensive weapon. (Think of her as a female Frozone from "The Incredibles.")
Visually, "Frozen II" is a cotton candy delight, an adventure aglow in faint lavender colors and fleetly edited into a brisk 104 minutes.
Still, the joys of "Frozen II" feel compromised by a sense of the filmmakers playing it commercially safe by removing any sense of real danger or fear and by abandoning the idea of a conventional villain.
Instead, it presents an introspective indictment of the older generation for dumping its sins upon a younger generation to deal with.
This is heady stuff for a Disney animated film, and "Frozen II" doesn't quite pull it off.
But it has Olaf (Josh Gad) as the story's comic relief Frosty the Snowman, a safety net always prepared to bump up the fun even if he has to sit near a fire.
One of the song titles neatly sums it up: "Some Things Never Change."
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Evan Rachel Wood
Directed by: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck
Other: A Walt Disney Pictures release. Rated PG. 104 minutes