My birthday almost always falls during Thanksgiving break, and this year, my girls and I went to see Frozen 2 as a celebration (and then I ate a bunch of queso!). I didn’t think I would like the movie as much as I did. In the week since seeing it, I’ve listened to the soundtrack a couple times, read some reviews and reactions. And I like it even more.
Being the mom of two daughters, I am drawn to stories about sisters. I am also one of two sisters myself. Frozen 2 continues the narrative thread of Elsa and Anna, flashing back to childhood and even beyond to their parents and grandfather’s lives to provide the plot line and enrich the storytelling.
I resisted the first Frozen for a long time. My older daughter was two years old when it came out in 2013, the perfect age to be swept up in its magic. But I was never keen on the idea of princesses or the Magic Mouse having such an influence in our lives, so we didn’t see it or get into it until it had been out on video for a while. The music seeped into our lives first, and I watched the “Let it Go” clip on YouTube. It was so hard to understand out of context, but so infectious and catchy. Once I saw Frozen, the “Let it Go” lyrics made perfect sense. I still love to belt it out if it comes up in a shuffled playlist.
The music in Frozen 2 is just as good, if not better, and I hope after repeated listenings will age as well for me as the original’s music did. The lullaby “All is Found” is haunting and lovely, and Elsa’s “Into the Unknown” and “Show Yourself” may vie for “Let it Go” status in our house.
My favorite song might be Kristoff’s power ballad “Lost in the Woods.” It definitely cracked me up with the animation styled like an 80s music video. Kristoff’s growth as a character is great, and I hope it inspires children–boys and girls–to feel their feelings and support each other. Because that’s what Kristoff ends up doing, supporting Anna without mansplaining anything or trying to make her smaller. That’s what we all want in a partner, and even more importantly what we want for our children to experience in relationships later. Good examples are good examples, even when they’re cartoons!
Olaf’s character arc provides a way for kids to identify their feelings on screen too, as he is wondering about life and his place in it. Rather than summer, his main song is about everything making sense when he’s older. My eight-year-old understood right away that it wasn’t really true. But how great would it be if it were–if getting older alone provided the answers to all our questions and musings.
Speaking of questions, I do still have some about the sequel. I know subsequent viewings will help answer those, and I think that’s to Disney and the creators’ credit that they allowed for ambiguity. As parents, there’s every likelihood that we’ll be watching Frozen 2 on repeat just like we did the original. So it’s nice to see the layers in the story that will bloom, and I’m looking forward to watching it more and developing new appreciations for the story and characters. As a bonus, it’s also a really beautifully animated movie that’s visually pleasing to watch.
Did you see Frozen 2 yet? What did you think?
