A "Frozen" Adventure

That's right, I managed to drag Bryan to see Frozen II last night.  It was surprisingly easy, and he didn't seem to mind too much.  While there's no topping the original movie (which is often the case with Disney movies), I did think this movie was good and enjoyable.

In keeping with the spirit of the first movie, Frozen II explores the growth of Elsa's powers as she awakens the spirits of a mystical forest to the north of Arendelle while simultaneously focusing on the sisterly bond Anna and Elsa share as they support each other.  According to legend, indigenous peoples lived there, and Elsa and Anna's grandfather built a dam to help them harness the powers of the gods who also lived there.  While celebrating, however, the indigenous people attacked, killing their grandfather.  Their father was mysteriously rescued, and a mist settled over the forest; no one got in or out ever again.  Elsa accidentally releases these spirits, who force the people of Arendelle out of their kingdom.  Determined to fix her mistake, again, Elsa sets off with Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven to the northern forest to find the spirits and chase after a mysterious voice that has been calling out to her.

Wow, that's a lot to take in.  One thing Frozen II did exceptionally well was its portrayal of the indigenous people, who were inspired by the Sami people, an actual indigenous people who live in Scandinavia.  Disney even signed a contract with the Sami, ensuring they would work with scholars and tribal leaders to make sure they were portrayed as accurately as humanly possible in the movie.  This is a huge step for a company that has a song titled "What Makes the Red Man Red" in Peter Pan.  It's a sign that times are changing for the better, and we are becoming more aware of representing peoples' culture as accurately as possible.

The animation was absolutely stunning in the movie as well.  You could tell that it was Disney really showing off its capabilities.  One thing I thought was gorgeous was Elsa's dress at the end of the movie with her hair down.  For some reason, I thought it was beautiful and incredibly detailed.  It looked like real hair, not like the chunky hair that moved in clumps in old Disney movies.  The animation is slowly becoming more realistic while simultaneously still showing that it's still animation and created by a computer.  It's amazing how far technology has come in recent years.

When it comes to the music, some songs were absolutely gorgeous ("Into the Unknown" and "Show Yourself"), some were along the lines of what you'd expect in a Disney movie ("Some Things Never Change" and "When I Am Older"), and some songs were just way too much (I'm looking at you "Lost in the Woods").  Idina Menzel really blew it out of the water when it comes to Elsa's songs.  She showed off her ability to belt and pour her heart into gorgeous songs.  Kristen Bell even got an opportunity to show off her singing abilities in a soulful, emotional song titled "The Next Right Thing".  It was Kristoff's song, "Lost in the Woods", however that was probably the most cringe-worthy Disney song I've experienced in a long time, if not ever.  It makes fun of cliches from boy band music videos, including Kristoff flopping against trees in an angsty fashion, running his fingers through his hair and turning to sing into a pinecone hanging from a tree that looks like a microphone in a recording studio and even having Sven and other reindeer as backup singers.  It was absolutely awful and felt completely out of place and forced.  Most children, who are probably the only people who would find this song funny, wouldn't even get all the cliches and references, so it's completely wasted.  To make matters worse, the song went on for way too long, and by the time it was done, both Bryan and I were completely over it. 

Okay, I got that all out of my system.  If you haven't seen the movie yet and want to avoid spoilers, this is probably where you should stop reading, because I want to talk about the ending a little.

Wow, I definitely didn't see that ending coming.  I agree, Elsa was definitely happier up north where she could expand her powers and be closer to nature, but I never thought she'd give up the throne!  It was a wonderful moment of growth for both Anna and Elsa.  They had the opportunity to push themselves and really do what they were born to do.  When I think about it, I do feel that Anna was born to lead more than Elsa, but I can't exactly explain why.  I think part of it stems from the fact that Elsa still has so much to learn about herself, making it difficult to also rule over an entire kingdom.  She also spent so much time locked away and in seclusion, she really needs to get out into the world and see what's out there.  She seems so much happier up north at the end, able to stretch her powers and live a free, laid back life.  It will be interesting to see how Anna will handle challenging situations in the future, but she always seems to have the type of attitude where she'll do whatever it takes to get the task done.  Let's also appreciate that Kristoff will be king one day, which is something difficult to wrap your mind around.

I also want to talk about the scene on the ship with Anna and Elsa's parents.  It was absolutely heartbreaking, and I definitely felt myself getting a little emotional.  I can't even imagine the amount of guilt Elsa felt, knowing that her parents died trying to get information about her and her powers.  At the same time, it was a wonderful opportunity to provide the girls, and viewers, with some closure.  Seeing that ice statue of the parents holding on to each other as a wave crashes over them, however, was absolutely brutal.

I feel that in addition to Disney making sure the Sami people were properly portrayed in the film, they also took advantage of the opportunity to include a little bit of a social commentary.  This came out when it was revealed that King Runeard killed the leader of the indigenous people and used that as an excuse to attack them.  This was all after he built the dam, not to help them harness the powers of the gods, but to limit it.  This is exactly like what the Europeans did to indigenous people all across North and South America.  They took away their land, limited their power and killed them when they tried to oppose them.  All of this would, of course, be lost on children seeing the movie, and it wasn't something I entirely realized until after I saw the movie and had time to process through the plot.  I think it's great Disney's including underlying themes like this in it's movies, and this one in particular is a way to call out the horrible things we did to Native Americans, even if it was fairly subtle.

Overall, I thought Frozen II was a fun movie that keeps the spirit of the first movie while not quite living up to the high expectations.  Some of the songs were beautiful, and the message of embracing who you are is still great.  If you're a fan of the first movie, it is definitely worth seeing.