So, I don't want to complain about this too much because it's a literal kids movie, but I also think that just because something is meant for kids, doesn't mean it can't be smart or have depth. The first Frozen is ultimately better, in almost every aspect of the movie, but this isn't a horrible sequel. It does, however, have a lot of wasted potential.
The plot was a simple premise, though it was surprisingly convoluted with all the different revelations about the past. I was glad they didn't retcon their parents' death, but the whole thing with Anna and Elsa's mom's voice travelling through time or whatever that was, wasn't explained well at all. The first one at least had some character arcs, however simple, but they were there. The point of sequels is to build onto the existing world and characters, and there was hardly any of that when it came to the characters. Kristoff was literally just worried about proposing to Anna and added nothing to the plot, Anna sort of had an issue with being overprotective of Elsa and learning to tone that down and trust her, but there wasn't much focus on that throughout the story. And Elsa hardly had any motivations. They tried to give her an arc about not wanting to be a queen and doing things with her magic instead, but it was hardly set up. And Elsa finding out she's like, the bridge between humanity and magic was so glossed over, and this would've been a great resource for some inner conflict. The themes, along with the character arcs or lack thereof, were equally as blurry. The first one had such strong themes of sisterhood and accepting your "inner demons" so to speak, and that just made it all the more obvious that this one didn't really have any clear themes. They tried to have a theme about change, but there was only the after affect as opposed to a set up and pay off.
And as for some nit-picky comments, Olaf's whole self-aware/woke/attempt at teenage dark and existential humor was so very distracting and annoying. And while the whole idea of "I'll understand when I'm older" is a decent lesson to give the kids watching, but this is still a movie, and some subtlety in lessons like this would've been helpful. The songs were fine. Different, which is great, but just fine. Not really memorable, unfortunately. Unless it was intentional to avoid the oversaturation of the first Frozen's music.
But, there were some pros. The movie was enjoyable, I'm not saying it was totally miserable to watch. The animation was amazing, and there were a few sequences that felt very Fantasia 2000. Plus, they did a great job showing some new locations and magic so it didn't feel like a visual recycling of scenes from the first Frozen. Similarly, adding the other four elements felt natural for the sequel since it added onto Elsa's powers.
Again, it wasn't a totally miserable movie to watch. It was fine, there were some good aspect, as well as some bad. Understandably, I'm sure it'll make a ton of money, and there will be a ton of merchandise sold because of it. I just wish that hugely popular kids movies weren't considered an easy route to a ton of money just because they're meant for kids. Something like Inside Out is a pretty good example of a deeper, smarter kids blockbuster that has lessons for younger kids while also appeal to older audiences. 6.5/10.
