Back when I first reviewed "Frozen", I dedicated an entire paragraph to Olaf. As you might recall, most of the marketing for the first film centered around him and suggested he'd be a Jar Jar Binks-esque annoyance. And then it turned out this weird little snowman was in fact a good emotional support buddy who is trying his best. I'd go right ahead and consider Olaf a top ten Disney Sidekick.
And that status is pretty much sealed by the end of "Frozen 2", because our dear little ugly-cute snowman friend goes through an entire existential crisis. Seriously. To the point where Olaf's solo song has a bridge (I guess?) that is just him screaming in blind terror. Having the cute little sidekick character suffer from extremely relatable anxiety is, if you will excuse me, a bold f-ing choice.
Especially when you consider, and I'm not the first Disney fan to make this joke, that back in the day, "Frozen 2" would've been direct to video with dodgy animation, only one good song if even that, and at least one wrong-sounding character and probably two. The plot would be maybe Hans has magical powers and is back for revenge, or Anna and Kristoff have kids and they go on their own adventure that feels very familiar somehow, or, I don't know, Sven wants to join an all-deer country band but that'd mean leaving all his friends so he doesn't. The best scene, unintentionally and by a long shot, would be when Kristoff yeets his entire self out a window.
Instead, "Frozen 2" is a story about getting older, dealing with change, suffering with grief, learning of the ecological and political nightmares caused long ago by your foolish ancestors and finally atoning for them, and ultimately finding the place your heart wants to be in. It's an intense journey; "Frozen" was already pretty dark and complex, and I think that's the reason for it's enduring popularity. But once the plot of "Frozen 2" kicks in, all our old friends are -as the young people say- Going Through A Lot. I was half-expecting the end credits gag (which is cute, to be sure) to be Anna in group trauma therapy. Her solo song late in the picture; man...
Speaking of, the songs! I've more or less sold this movie to skeptics by simply stating, "This time, Elsa gets two big solo numbers." They're both excellent, I love them both, and they're destined to be anthems. That said, the very best song might be the haunting folk ballad lullaby we hear throughout the film that's full of spooky Fairy Tale imagery (and that, if you're like me and are inclined to notice such things, sneakily foreshadows the whole movie.) I love that they've brought back "Vuelie" as a theme, and... I'm guessing you've already heard about Kristoff's big number...
Most of all, my very favorite aspect of "Frozen 2" is Elsa's journey, which is really the one thing I needed them to not screw up. I will not spoil it but it is beautiful. And not just for the fact that a long time ago I argued that while political powers are awesome, magic powers are objectively better and having both is The Best, and I'm astonished and delighted that this movie agrees with me, so there.
For more posts in this ongoing series, go here, or click the Chronological Disney Animated Canon tag below.
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Art of the Day!
Here's a question posed by a little kid I know and... I did not know how to answer. I mean, I couldn't, because I haven't seen "Ugly Dolls" (and I probably will not; I'm betting most of you completely forgot there was an "Ugly Dolls" movie too). But now I'm wondering what would've happened if we could've watched "Frozen 2", where the one very definitely a villain/bad guy character is long gone and the antagonistic forces at work are more internal and abstract.
I'm also wondering what they'd think of "Wreck-It Ralph"...
