FROZEN!Finally! After 6 years, the sisters are back! Fylgi! #fylgi Warning: Spoilers below. Do not continue if you hate spoilers.I didn't really have any expectations going into the film. I just hoped it was gonna be good, and yeah, it was! Although once again, Frozen II defies expectations by...not showing some scenes in the trailers. You thought they were travelling across the ocean to the New World because of the ending shot of the teaser (which you can view here)? HAH that scene isn't in the movie. You thought Anna was slashing Hans in the trailer, because you thought Santino Fontana said that Hans could get a redemption arc back in 2014? HAH that scene isn't in the movie. And to any hopefuls thinking Elsa will get a romantic partner, HAH nope. Although some of the songs can be interpreted that way... Although personally, if they cave to pressure and make her lesbian/bisexual, they may just lose the money of millions of people in various markets...and if they give her a romantic partner I feel like it detracts from the regality of her characterisation. But let's not talk about what the movie doesn't have, but instead let's talk about what the movie does have. Winterheart, Reaching OutAnna is the unequivocal protagonist of Frozen, even though the advertising tends to focus on Elsa instead (Let it go, let it go...) Read more about it here. But in this movie, Elsa is the unequivocal protagonist. She is the driver of the plot, while Anna is, ironically, the one holding her back. This is despite the fact that the dynamic of the sisters has never changed. Elsa still pushes Anna away, and Anna still tries to pull Elsa back toward herself. The difference is that in the previous movie, Elsa was merely trying to escape from what she thought was a horrible space. Anna was trying to prevent Elsa from blindly trying to carve out her own comfort zone away from her family. In essence, Anna was trying to let Elsa find her roots. In this movie, Elsa's roots have established themselves well in Arendelle. She seeks now her true identity, her true purpose, her true direction. But whenever she starts towards it, Anna pulls her back to "safety", or insists on going along. In essence, Anna represents the desire to have things remain the same, while Elsa represents the desire for change, or at least the desire for self-realisation, at the possible cost of all she holds dear. This is actually discussed in the new earworm, "Into the Unknown". Hlutskipti: How Things Change!In fact, whereas the first movie is about learning to accept love from others and yourself, this movie is about learning to be okay with change in your own life. The movie even acknowledges that the audience has grown up, and can handle the more sombre, mature, epic tone of the movie. Listen to "Some Things Never Change": The music is more complex in this movie, which might not help it become the next "Let It Go", but 6 years on from the first movie, this movie knows that its fans and viewers have all matured in their own ways, and wants to show, from many angles, how Elsa and Anna have or are trying to grow in their own ways. See this link for an interview which explains more: https://www.npr.org/2019/11/21/780972977/disney-animation-chief-jennifer-lee-is-the-queen-behind-elsa-and-anna It is for this reason that the songs are much deeper, and tend to all feel more natural than less rushed than those in the first movie ("Fixer Upper"...) They have a philosophical charm to them that is more beautiful than the immense power behind a song like "Let It Go". This is also why, personally, I like "Let It Go", but I love the two "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" (including Reprise). These songs define the character interactions, not only the characters. And what's a movie without characters and their co-development? Attentive listeners may find out that the songs in this movie have traces of the old songs in them: I think "Into the Unknown" has a similar piano melody to "Do You Want To Build A Snowman". What do you think? Tell me in the comments. A Story without PlotThis movie is all about Elsa and Anna. There isn't even an antagonist in the movie. No person is really holding them back from completing their quest. It's just that Elsa literally has to cross a sea on foot and Anna has to outrun a group of giant earth spirits to do it. But there's no antagonistic character who schemes to foil them. So there's no plot. But there's a helluva great story. Not just because the events have been well thought out (even if the inciting event for the whole story is rather strange - singing and using magic invites spirit-based natural disasters?) - but because the sisters grow and grow throughout the movie. Elsa learns to push herself to her greatest limits, even sacrificing her life to find the truth of her heritage. Anna in turn learns to let Elsa go, and finally let her carve out her own proper space, find where's she meant to be. In the search for the truth - why Elsa has her powers, why there's a secret enchanted forest in the far north, what happened to their parents - these sisters mature and become more complete persons, and thus more compelling characters. Special mention must be made to Olaf here. He is representative of the bond between Elsa and Anna, the childish, pure, complete love they have for each other. When Elsa pushes him away, it hurts him, until he - Olaf! - feels angry. When Elsa gives her life to reveal the truth of her forebears' legacy, Olaf dies too, while Anna grievingly hugs him until he vanishes. It's a cruel moment in the movie, when the object of her unshakeable love and faith isn't even there, and Anna can only express her love by proxy. But Anna swallows her grief, and heads off with steely determination to fulfil her sister's mission to dispel the curse upon the enchanted forest. She is stronger now without her sister than she ever was chasing her up the North Mountain or throwing herself in front of a blade for her sister. She has truly come into her own. I didn't cry then, because I was still in shock from Elsa's death, but here's the corresponding song. Don't listen to it until after you've seen the movie. Now both are queens. Anna, of Arendelle, where into the great fjord fleets of ships arrive to pay their respects to the magnificent, magnanimous Queen; Elsa, of the Northuldran Enchanted Forest, where the spirits tickle the quiet calm where tribesfolk gather around their hearths. Fylgi. Elsa's and Anna's parents, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, are also more fully fleshed out in this movie. Their backstories show how the love between two enemy groups can bridge the divide between said groups. It is my wish that, through a common love of humanity and co-appreciation of cultures across the world, this world will be peaceful. Interests are of the state, but states do battle and make peace through their people. If the people refuse to fight, then states will not be able to fight. You can visit the "Let It Go" page to see the song's lyrics in many different languages, some with translation. Hit me up if you wanna contribute to the page as well. With regard to less dark things, in this way, Maleficent 2 managed to do one over Frozen II: When Maleficent came out slightly after Frozen in 2013, people had already seen the "true love" is "family love" thing once. Now, Maleficent 2 shows the world how love bridges communities before Frozen II. Ending ThoughtsWithout Frozen, this movie would never have existed. This movie exists only to develop the world of Frozen and the characters within (and to make money, but that's another issue). In spite of this, I'm truly happy that 6 years of work on Disney's part created such a rich movie despite its pretty simple plot/story. The characters really drive this story, and it's a heart-wrenching journey to watch.
I will watch it again. I may even go on a rampage for the songs in many different languages. But until then, stick around for more Frozen content!
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Wallpaper picture from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi4LMpSDccc |