ReelBob: ‘Frozen II’ ★★½
By Bob Bloom
Most likely, “Frozen II” will add a few million dollars to the Disney studio coffers. The movie will make money, and the dolls and action figures of the major characters will probably be popular holiday gift items.
And yet, the movie itself is simply OK. Fairly or unfairly, Disney’s animated features seem to be held to a higher standard than most films and “simply OK” is not good enough for a sequel to a movie that earned more than $400 million and received a 90 percent “fresh” rating on the Rotten Tomatoes film site.
“Frozen II” will satisfy youngsters; it’s funny, colorful and exciting. It merely is unable to reach the heights of its predecessor. It seems content to just ride on the memories of the 2013 film instead of creating an identity of its own.
True, it’s an entirely new story, but the feel — its vibe — is very familiar. Worse, the characters — the magical Elsa, her sister, Anna, the handsome Kristoff, the little snowman, Olaf and even Sven the reindeer — appear shackled to their earlier characterizations.
“Frozen II” also looks back instead of forward. The bulk of the story centers on family secrets and righting past wrongs.
On the positive side, the film promotes lessons in tolerance, inclusiveness and trust. And they are offered in such a manner that even little children can appreciate them.
At 103 minutes, “Frozen II” maintains a decent pace with very few lulls. It’s just that the plot is rather lazy and predictable — adults will be one or two steps ahead of the characters for most of the film.
It feels as if minimal effort was put into creating something new and special — that the studio was counting on the title alone to entice moviegoers.
Even most of the songs, while well done, fail to capture the imagination. There’s no “Let It Go” here, even though a couple of them try hard to scale that musical mountain.
The returning cast members — Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, along with Rachel Evan Wood, Sterling K. Brown, Jason Ritter, Jeremy Sisto, Alfred Molina and Martha Plimpton — provide their best efforts to make the proceedings compelling.
It’s just not to be. The magic, which was so potent in the original, cannot be successfully conjured a second time.
I have been a fan of Disney animation since, as a 3-year-old, I attended a matinee of the 1951 reissue of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Admittedly, I have enjoyed many Disney features more than others. But I never have felt boredom creeping over me during an animated Disney movie — until now.
Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee were sincere in trying to make “Frozen II” as memorable as “Frozen.” The movie, however, feels rushed and lacking in dynamism.
“Frozen II” feels like a movie cobbled together by a corporate committee rather than being sparked by a creative team. The film’s potential was potent, but it continually slipped on its own bureaucratic ice.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
FROZEN II
2½ stars out of 4
(PG), thematic elements, danger and action