Frozen review on the podcast

So I loved everyone's responses. My points and Kathy's I think were really based on what we were observing in our specific theaters during our viewing. And that's what I was hearing while I was in the theater during the movie.
p.s. also saw mr. rogers movie...let's chat about that one! haha! (loved it, not for kids!)....but that's for another forum!
 
We took our two kids yesterday and I gotta say that I was not prepared for quite how dark it got - but I loved that it got that way! From a story stand point and the morals that came from it, I enjoyed it way more than I enjoyed the first one. Yeah, it got darker but honestly I think when you delve into magic and the consequences of people's actions it kinda comes with the territory and I think it made sense that it got to the points it did.

Overall the music was less "catchy" but I enjoyed that there was more of it and I enjoyed the songs and how they fit the narrative better. Visually, it was mind-blowing. The entire segment where Elsa was learning "the truth" (that's all I'll put to avoid spoilers) gave me goosebumps.

The Olaf segment did make my 10-year-old son sad, but once the conflict got resolved he was fine. Our almost-two-year old daughter loved the music and all the colors.
 
Things I love about the movie: I actually like the songs better in this one. There seems to be a connecting theme about change that really helps tie all the songs together and fit within the movie. I don't feel like I can say the same for the first movie's songs, which were all over the place. I also feel like I get these songs stuck in my head a lot more. And I don't care what anyone says, but Kristoff's 80's ballad is great. I even like Olaf's song, which is all about a kid thinking he'll know everything when he grows up but it's actually a subtle in joke to adults that know better. That no, not everything will make sense even as we grow older.

I liked the overall story that involved everyone learning about Arendelle's past and the origin of Elsa's powers. It was definitely interesting to see some of the twists and turns, even if they were outright predictable for adults.

Things I'm neutral on: Olaf's comic relief. I thought it was...fine. I didn't find it particularly annoying despite his increased screen time. I did appreciate the approach to make the comedy centered around his childlike idea of sophomoric maturity. But I also felt there was an unnecessary amount of focus on him.

Things I'm not fond of: Separating the sisters. We had an entire movie about bringing them together plus a short and a holiday special about being with one another. This movie I feel really contradicts those lessons learned. I'm fine with the end result, but
Elsa sending Anna away to keep her safe to me betrays the lesson she should have learned about what love means for her when it comes to her sister. The entire problem of the first was in part due to her isolating herself from her sister to keep her safe and here we have her doing it again.
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Olaf & Kristoff not really having anything to do in the movie. In the first, they contributed to the overall story with Kristoff being Anna's guide and Olaf helping her through her doubt and getting her out of the castle. Here, they're relegated to comic relief (olaf) or bumbling oaf clumsily proposing only to disappear halfway through the film (Kristoff). I just wish they had contributed something but you could have removed them and there would have been no impact.

Lack of consequences. I really feel like they made a mistake in giving us a complete Disney ending. I feel the last minute intervention wasn't really earned and I think they had real potential for a long lasting discussion if they had followed through with what could have happened to Arendelle.

Overall, I think I still like this one better than the first (despite me perhaps having more negatives than positives in the above 😅). I like the songs better here and IMO there's no "dead stop" song (looking at you "Fixer Upper). I like the story better as well even if it betrays the characters a bit or doesn't give others enough to do. Frozen II is this weird little contradiction of a movie I somehow like better despite it's issues.
 
Animated movies are not just for little kids. The first Frozen certainly wasn't. The breathtaking imagery and music was groundbreaking. You don't need all that to entertain little kids. And the first one was very intense, I thought. I'm a mom and a sister and it had me a sobbing mess when the parents died, when Olaf told Anna she was worth melting for, and then when Anna froze. I still cry! But I can see where parents are coming from because I felt the same way watching Cars 2 vs Cars when my son was little. I mean, the mob murdered another car!

This was just as beautiful with the music (except for Kristoff's Michael Bolton music video) and animation, but also funny and sweet and with lots of positive messages. I'll admit, though, that Anna's scene of grieving was something taken to a whole new level of emotion in a Disney movie. I thought it was touching and heartfelt and was a raw look at intense grief. Completely unexpected, but I hope kids remember it as a moment to overcome feelings of hopelessness. Kristen Bell outdid herself in that scene.
 



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