A couple of days ago I found myself across the table from a young lady who asked me why I had such a passion for mental health. I honestly had to laugh a bit. Some of the gentlemen I know are deep into the passion of comics, others sports, while others are film. I answered with a smirk and said, “in some ways I feel like I was groomed for this passion since I was as teenager.” She looked at me a bit puzzled. To which I explained that I was largely the one friend, among my friends, that got the call or made himself available when someone needed to be reassured of their value. Or someone needed to be talked out of suicide, self-mutilation or just wanted to be heard. The suicide of a friend at the age of 17, really sealed my fate for this passion.
For others of us, there are things in which act as a bonding agent between child and parent. Some parents pass their love of sports onto their kids. Some fathers teach their offspring about the ins and outs of an automobile. Some mothers teach their offspring about fashion. There are certain movies or songs in which parents pass down to their kids. Those traits that parents pass down shape that child into the adult they will one day become. That’s the heartbeat of Disney’s animated sequel to its winter juggernaut, Frozen. With its sequel, Frozen II, largely feels bigger by nature. Everything about this film feels bigger than its predecessor and I mean EVERYTHING.
With Frozen II, Elsa (Idina Menzel) keeps hearing a mysterious calling. When the calling becomes more than she can handle, the gang embark on a road trip to find its source. While its predecessor felt intimate in its approach to its mythology and narrative, Frozen II ditches the intimacy and embraces the world building aspect. While the parents of Ana and Elsa are largely footnotes within the first film, here they are fleshed out with back stories. Both of which are vital to the narrative. It gives weight that the franchise has more to offer than a catchy tune, cute snowman or a sister bond. Even, outside of her parents, the film brilliantly fleshes out the source of Elsa’s powers and the world of magic within the confides of the world. While Frozen gave Elsa identity, Frozen II gives her purpose. In some ways, this frosty sequel feels like a character’s journey towards continuing to find one’s self.
However, that message is kind of buried under a lot of snow and ice. As big as the journey feels for the characters throughout, the film can gets a little busy at times. At one point our core cast separate out for their own journeys. Elsa continues to find the mysterious source of this calling. Ana (Kristen Bell) and Olaf (Josh Gad) are in search for Elsa. Perhaps the biggest crime against this movie is that Kristoff (Jonathon Groff) is minimized to a thinly placed subplot of a marriage proposal. A portion of Frozen’s identity was the hit song, “Let it Go”. The tour de force won both an Academy Award and Grammy in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Hit the top five of the Billboard top 100 charts. Not to mention, it annoyed an entire generation of parents as their children played the song on repeat for hours on end. It was basically “Baby Shark” before “Baby Shark” existed. With Frozen II the music feels like an oversaturation that disturbs the storytelling of the film. Look no further than Jonathon Groff’s “Lost in the Woods”.
Overall, Frozen II, is a tad, well, frozen. The film doesn’t feel like the world we once knew six years ago with its juggernaut sister. While it has grown up a bit by fleshing out some of the characters and the world, it sacrifices its intimacy for a snowy wonderland that quickly grows out of hand. The snowfall buries the iconic characters through an oversaturation of musical numbers, formulaic subplots and a level of busyness that robs the film of its greatness. It’s in that vastness, however, that the film explores more mature themes such as death, grief, and deception. While the first one wanted to build a snowman, Frozen II aims to build a world – only barely succeeding.
RORSCHACH RATING
And more importantly, if you or someone you know is struggling with suicide, addiction, self-harm or depression - please free feel to reach out. Use any of our resources, call the suicide lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or text 741-741.
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