Frozen II – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Starring the voices of  Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad
In cinemas November 22nd

It’s hard to believe that the original Frozen was released back in 2013 – mainly because the iconic song Let It Go is still stuck in my head. And Elsa and Anna costumes are still top of every little girls’ wish list. If you don’t know who or what I’m talking about then you’re probably not the target audience.

This time around Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf, embark on a journey to discover the origin of Elsa’s magical powers and save their kingdom. So it’s basically a road trip – albeit through an Enchanted Forest. This setting does allow the artists to indulge in some stunning animation and let their imagination run wild. Of course, the group have adventures along the way and find links to their past that explain a lot about the history of their homeland and family.

All the voice cast have returned and there are a few new additions including ‘This Is Us’ star Sterling K Brown as an army Lieutenant who has been trapped in the enchanted forest for years with his soldiers. The cynic in me really felt that this character was added to meet diversity quotas although Brown is marvellous.

As you would expect though the bulk of the action and songs goes to the original cast. Unfortunately, the soundtrack doesn’t contain anything as catchy as Let It Go and on the whole the music is just rather run of the mill (although some of the tracks may prove to be growers).

This is much darker than the first film. In fact there are a couple of scenes that might be a bit scary or distressing for younger children. Also, at times the plot might prove a bit complex for some smaller kids. There is a LOT going on here.

Parents will also be delighted to learn that Elsa dons yet another sparkling princess dress this time around which will no doubt be coveted by the younger audience members over the imminent festive season.

This lacks some of the charm of the original offering and doesn’t have its  “show-stopping” quality. However, you expect that of a sequel. It’s still dazzling enough to entertain and will no doubt spawn a merchandising frenzy but it’s unlikely to be rewatched as obsessively as the first one.