After six years, much to the dismay of parents and sitters of musically-enthusiastic children, sisters Elsa and Anna and their comedic cast of friends, return to the theaters bringing a fresh batch of songs to dominate the world anew.
And this is exactly why it took a lot of courage for me to say “Frozen 2” is kind of … not good — not as a musical, comedy or a general adventure movie. Most of the soundtrack is wandering, forgettable and doesn’t integrate well with the scenes. The humor is trite and out of place, and the plot, though it eventually comes together, is nonsensically fast and reminiscent of the original for the first half of the movie. While it will certainly entertain younger children and die-hard fans, “Frozen 2” simply doesn’t produce that same magical quality that held the attention of older audiences like its predecessor did. Which is strange, because many of the kids who six years ago were taken by Elsa belting out “Let It Go” at the cinema would have grown up quite a bit by now, and they would have higher expectations.
The obvious counter argument here, that people simply outgrow Disney animation movies, doesn’t hold. Plenty of Disney movies are known to stand the test of maturity, such as “Up,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Shrek” or “The Lion King.” This is simply because these movies are good; good plots, good characters, good humor and in many cases, good musical numbers. Their morals are simple and digestible, but the delivery isn’t corny or filled with trivialities. These movies, in short, have weight enough to make an impression on both adults and children.
The problem is that Disney has been churning out thoughtless, weightless movies that are only suited for very young children who, in all honestly, could be equally satisfied by an episode of “Dora the Explorer.” And there’s no secret why this is: easy money. A half-baked idea coupled with slip-on-banana-peel funny moments can get a movie far with young kids, but teens and adults who would actually enjoy a well-made movie are shut out of the magic completely.
This is especially true for sequels, spin-offs, reboots and remakes. Take the “Despicable Me” and “Hotel Transylvania” franchise, for example. The first movies were mildly entertaining, but their follow-ups are downright dumb. Or the nightmare-inducing live-action “Aladdin”, where the once-awesome Agrabah resembles a plastic Orlando theme park and Will Smith tries too hard to be witty. With a few rare and wonderful exceptions (like “Incredibles 2”), we are witnessing the decline of good, captivating magic — something that, up until recent years, we could always count on Disney to deliver. One might have hoped that the corrosion of quality and the shunning of rationality might be confined only to minor, more kid-exclusive franchises but the stumbling of the epic “Frozen” into mediocrity bears bad omens.
When an animation movie is good, it’s a good movie. When it’s bad, it’s a big-budget kids’ show. For many teens and adults, Disney’s animations hold the key to the door of relaxed, lighthearted and even touching entertainment. And we now wait with bated breath, our hearts sinking or rising after each new release, to see whether this door is locked on us forever. A troubled time it is indeed when we watch cartoons in anxiety.
