Disney's Frozen

[James]

Which song would you say is your favorite?

I'd have to say "Some Things Never Change" because it actually sounds like a Frozen song!

BTW...Frozen III gets announced within the next two weeks.

[EricJ]

Review is up!
https://animatedviews.com/2019/frozen-ii-film/
During the studios’ first 60 years there was only one: The Rescuers Down Under in 1990. (An odd choice that’d I’d love to learn the reasoning behind!)

AIUI, the same reason we eventually got "Mary Poppins Returns" after thirty years of trying:
When the Eisner regime first arrived, they were seen as "corporate usurpers", and it was of the utmost corporate-image urgency that they sequelize a Walt-era film to make it look as if Ron & Walt had given their blessing and the torch had been passed.
Unfortunately--oh, did I mention these were simpler times?--they didn't have any idea which happily-ever-after Disney movies were open-ended enough to sequelize, beyond "Fantasia", "The Rescuers", and "Mary Poppins".

Just how the idea of permanently George-Lucas'ing Fantasia into "Fantasia Revisited" (remember when everyone bought the '90 VHS in a frenzy thinking it really was "the very last time"?) later became the safely separate "Fantasia 2000" is a long story, and the dozen or so Mary Poppins ideas are a thread in themselves, but at least Roy Disney stuck up for the Rescuers sequel.
(Or at least took it up to keep the Animation division from being folded.)

[Dusterian]

Thanks for the review James! This might spund rather different from the review I am about to post, but I actually agree with about all you said (including the Panic at the Disco! comment, lol!)!

Saw it today with a friend at 1:00. She’s not a Disney lover actually, she just likes some of their animal movies, but she heard “Into the Unknown” and wanted to see this just enough to let her Disney-loving friend see it with her. So…

This film, while not amazing to me, nor as good as the first, nor even seeming very much like the original, still feels like a fitting and worthy follow-up to the original Frozen to me.

The original film was more a familial and romantic relationship drama, while this was a fantastical journey, so why would they make such a drastically different sequel? I felt this way during the film, but by the end, I kind of got it, because it was all about Elsa and Anna discovering what happened to their parents, and why Elsa has powers, and a lot about themselves. Plus it furthered Anna and Kristoff’s relationship. So, it worked for me.

I thought “All is Found” was the best song in the whole film. It had a great melody that didn’t go all over the place, with great lyrics (what other Disney film has a song that says “you will be drowned”?!). “Into the Unknown” is second best for me, and it’s a little all over the place, but, but…it has the great melody in the “into the unknooooOhOhOhhhhwwn” parts so it’s really pretty and epic there. I thought the rest of the songs sucked. Olaf’s song felt like “why the hell is a song like this for this character happening?” and Kristoff’s song, while I don’t mind some of it being played for comedy, it ultimately led to nothing and wasn’t really that emotional, two things it both should have corrected. “Show Yourself” is epic, but I’m sorry, once again it’s all over the place, but this time not even really with a distinct, memorable, beautiful melody, so I think it sucked. The visuals were so great with the music though, I actually got a little emotional. But I could tell it was their attempt at having another “Let It Go” with the music and visuals, it even ends in Elsa’s new ice dress, and I’m sorry but show us something new!

I liked the story of the fearful grandfather and Iduna’s background and her saving the prince, and I hated Elsa for not getting that Anna should always be with her when facing danger, she seemed like a real dick when she forced Anna away, but I liked Elsa figuring out how to find out the past, her harnessing the Nokk is fantastic, and like I said I got emotional when she saw her mother, but I must say I didn’t understand what exactly the place Elsa was at was or why it had her mother’s…memories there. I just understood it was a magic ice place and water has memories, but the rest of what was going on was totally lost on me. That being said, I liked that they went far with Elsa being frozen and Olaf dying, Anna growing very maturely as a person and with very difficult, adult subject matter (being alone in the dark and possibly going to die, not knowing what to do when you have no one to guide you) with her song “The Next Right Thing” (thought I thought the song sucked), and how she cleverly got rid of the damn.

I’m sorry guys, but Olaf felt almost entirely for the kiddies in this film. His existential bits were about the only grown-up parts.

Now, I have a few last questions. Can someone, please, please explain to me what was that glacier/ice cap that Elsa had to get to to discover what happened? Why did she need to get there? And why did Elsa have to stay in the enchanted forest? For reals, why? To protect spirits or some new bull sh*t?

How did Iduna save Agnarr? How? Who was she?

Well, those were my thoughts.

[Ben]

It was Fantasia Continued, Eric. And the rest of what you say is wrong.

[Dan]

Ended up liking Frozen 2 a lot. They pretty much went full Broadway, which was fine by me as I rather liked the songs and their placement and usage. Still trying to process how it compares with the original. It does have flaws, but I was absorbed in the mythology-building throughout. And the animation was fantastic.

So many folks in my theater were cosplaying, regardless of age. Made for many photo ops taken with the various displays in the lobby.

[Randall]

As someone who felt that the first Frozen was basically a mediocre film that was made great by one terrific song (and a nice ending), I'm actually looking forward to seeing the second one take things further. Glad to hear you liked it, Dan!

[EricJ]

It was Fantasia Continued, Eric. And the rest of what you say is wrong.

Okay, then, YOU explain why we got Fantasia Continued, considering that before '82, the movie had been reduced to playing college/grindhouse "trip movie" double bills with the then equally-throwaway Alice in Wonderland.

Another "puzzling" sequel if you want to consider no studio motivation.

So many folks in my theater were cosplaying, regardless of age. Made for many photo ops taken with the various displays in the lobby.

Fortunately, Queen Elsa cosplay doesn't involve helmets or facepaint, and so won't be banned by most cineplex chains the way Joker cosplay had to be.

[Ben]

Why did we get F/2K?

Home video sales and Roy Disney. Simple as that.

Same reasons as to why we *didn't* get a third version.

[EricJ]

Why did we get F/2K?

Home video sales and Roy Disney. Simple as that.

Nooooo.....Read the question again, and backtrack the Cause & Effect:
- We got the standalone F2K in 2000 because of successful '90 VHS sales and new Roy Disney interest,
- Because everyone was buying the '90 release in a panic, "For the very last time!", quoth the ads,
- Because Eisner had announced his 1989 plans to use Walt's old memo to permanently "rotate new segments" for the would-be Fantasia Continued,
- Because....?

(Obviously it wasn't the "One of the only three we can sequelize" rule, so enlighten us, and I will correct my earlier errata.)

[gaastra]

$350m worldwide so far!

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/e ... _=bo_hm_hp

[Ben]

So you say "nooooo" and then state exactly what I said.

[Daniel]

You left off an "f" for Kristoff, James. Otherwise, good review.

[Daniel]

Saw this the other day. I liked it. Was good. Not one of those rare films that I feel are an improvement over their predecessor, but still enjoyable.

I was disappointed with Han's role... His part pretty much amounted to a "snow" memory of a scene from the original with lifted audio. I wasn't expecting anything amazing, but still, that's it? With Elsa crushing him, and her earlier (cheerful) line during the charades bit calling him an ""irredeemable monster"... I don't think we'll be seeing a redemption arc. Shame.

Loved the scene where Olaf recaps the first movie. My favorite was the Han's part, "guess what? I'm the bad guy!" Now that was funny.

Songs were good. My favorite would probably be "Show Yourself". Some very snazzy visuals!

[Ben]

It’s Hans, Dan. Han is from another now-Disney property.


(As an aside, one of my favourite visuals is when the none-too-familiar call the Star Wars character Hans Solo. I just get a picture of him and Chewie in lederhosen dancing around the Falcon's cockpit to a comedy polka version of the Imperial March in my head!)

[Bill1978]

Daniel, what you said about Hans was probably the most annoying art of the sequel for me. They had an opportunity but they decided to go the easy path and just keep pushing him into the ground. Very disappointing. But what should I have expected from a movie that left me feeling 'meh'

My fav song as a song would probably be Lost In The Woods, but I agree the best song visually would be Show Yourself. The visuals really elevated that song, while the visuals really rammed home how boring Into The Unknown actually is.