Frozen and Frozen II both presented unique stories that, while in a fantasy world, resonated with many children in their messages. However, even though Frozen II was a sequel, it was a better movie overall than Frozen. While Frozen has impressive animation, six years passed between the creation of the two movies, and Frozen II presents stunning visuals that far surpass Frozen.
Frozen laid the groundwork for all the characters, but Frozen II actually got to develop the characters and show a deeper maturity through all of the main characters. We got to see Elsa go through a complete transformation to finally learn and accept who she was and what her purpose for the future was; we got to see Anna deal with grief and grow as a person to make right choices, even when they’re the hard choices; we got to see Kristoff deal with insecurity in his relationships and deal with it in a positive mature way; and we even got to see Olaf gain a bit of maturity through his questions about the world around him! And of course to go with these fantastic character developments come new fantastic outfits. Elsa finally, both figuratively and literally, lets her hair down and creates a new dress which is not the dark colors she started with, nor the lighter blue she created for herself when she finally began the first steps of accepting herself, but a white color of full, pure acceptance.![Artist Log [2] - Frozen II's Costume Design - Antigear Studio](https://antigear.dev/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/original.jpg)
Frozen II also tops Frozen with their fantastic soundtrack. While Frozen brought home some very memorable songs, such as “Let it Go”, “Love is an Open Door”, and others, Frozen II’s strong power ballads were so much deeper than their predecessors and goes further into more mature storylines. For example, “Let it Go” is a song about Elsa finally accepting herself and her powers, but as can be seen shortly after the song, Elsa still is succumbing to her fears about her powers once Anna shows up. In contrast, “Show Yourself” shows Elsa finally truly going past all her fears and accepting her destiny about the future. This theme of songs with deeper overall meanings holds true throughout the movie with Anna dealing with intense grief where she loses almost her entire family in “The Next Right Thing,” and even in a silly regard Olaf’s songs are matured from “In Summer” to “When I am Older.”
I definitely agree that Frozen II was the next logical progression for all main characters, not just Elsa, to grow grow in a healthy way. Focusing on Elsa, you mentioned that in Frozen, she was able to feel free by being alone, but in Frozen II, she took it one step further by not only embracing her freedom, but expressing her true self to others. If Disney were to make a third Frozen movie, what do you think the next development would be?
ReplyDeleteI think Frozen 3 could go two ways, either they try to give Elsa a love interest, which depending on the gender could be really controversial, or they could follow what Once Upon a Time did and explore Elsa's ancestors who were also powered. I think the second one is more likely, as Disney does not have the best history with being progressive in their movies.
DeleteInteresting comparison, Katy! I think I might agree with you about Frozen II being the better film, especially the animation: that scene at the end, where the water comes rushing across the fjord? Doesn't even look animated.
ReplyDeleteAre there any aspects of the original Frozen that you think were stronger than the sequel?
The animation is absolutely fantastic! Every scene is stunning and the forest is so beautiful. I think that the progression of Elsa and Anna's relationship was actually better in the first movie, because it almost seems like Elsa learned nothing in Frozen II! She once again decides that she can do everything herself without her sister and runs into danger and ends up suffering the consequences of that. Where in Frozen, she learns she cant unfreeze anything without her sister and she can't do everything alone.
DeleteI really liked this post, Katheryn! I made a similar argument in my post, though focusing in on the songs, "Let It Go" and "Show Yourself." Like you said, I think Frozen II dives much more into the plot and growth of the characters, specifically Elsa, in a way that Frozen could not, being the first films. While Elsa had the clearest development in Frozen II, could you dive more into how Anna and Kristoff changed, specifically in regards to their relationship together?
ReplyDeleteI really liked your comment, Jack Stuart! The changes Anna and Kristoff went through were very interesting! I think Anna learned to loosen her iron grip on her family a little bit, because its clear she has very bad abandonment issues (and who can blame her ya know:/ ) but by the end of the film she was letting Elsa live her own life outside of the kingdom. Kristoff also became less insecure in his relationship with Anna, as he was also willing to give Anna some space without thinking she didn't like him anymore. He also opened up his emotions more, which is unique to see in a man in a Disney film. Overall great character development for all characters!
DeleteHi Katy! I actually think that Frozen is better than Frozen II overall, but that both have their own unique strengths and weaknesses— it's hard to compare apples and oranges. However,I completely agree with your point about the significance of Elsa's physical transformation in Frozen II– it really is beautiful to look at, and I think there's a lot of symbolism to be found there. I find it interesting that you prefer the songs in Frozen II, because Frozen's songs were more commercially successful: my question is, I guess, do you think there was a trade off between commercial success and deeper significance in the songs of Frozen and Frozen II?
ReplyDeleteI agree that there absolutely was a bit of a trade-off between commercial success and deeper significance, at least for the songs as Frozen II actually did better in the box office than Frozen. The songs went so much deeper in Frozen II so I think they understood that they probably wouldn't top Let It Go's success, but it helped create the deeper story that did better in the box office.
DeleteHi Katy! Agreed! While I have to admit that the songs in Frozen are objectively catchier and more dance-able – Let It Go was my anthem when it first came out — a closer reading of the songs in both movies reveals how the songwriters really dug deep when writing the songs in Frozen II. You can tell the songwriters really listened to each character's backstories and identities to write the songs in Frozen II. They're still super catchy though!
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