Frozen II: Growing Up

It is fitting that the last Disney film of the 2010s is the sequel to one of its biggest hits – in 2013, Frozen hit theaters amid snowstorms and became a menace to parents everywhere when the song Let It Go became all their toddlers could talk (or sing) about. As the decade draws to a close, I believe parents can breathe easy. While Frozen II is beautifully animated and the story is compelling with a good message, it hasn’t become the same phenomenon that its precursor was, and the songs aren’t being sung in the streets (somehow I doubt that would change even if “Into the Unknown” won an Oscar). I think a big part of this is because, despite being a favorite of children when it was released, Frozen II is not necessarily a movie meant for children. The story strays into darker territory than even the first one managed, some of the details of the movie may fly over the head of a younger audience, and while its message is worth hearing, it’s unlikely that children will understand the impact of it, at least not entirely. I wouldn’t be upset if they did – everything that the story wants to teach us is good to learn – and maybe I’m not giving kids enough credit. I just think that it’s not as likely to have the desired impact unless viewers are a little bit older. Frozen II is a good movie, but it’s not quite at the same level as the original, and that’s because its story has evolved beyond what the original wanted to be.