By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
I?m not the target audience for Disney?s new movie
?Frozen II?. Yet, there I was at the press screening caught up in the splendor and magic of the movie like most every other wide-eyed kid in attendance.
With its dazzling visuals and quirky humor, ?Frozen II? is as enjoyable as the original 2013 ?Frozen? movie which made an astounding $1.27 billion worldwide. This highly anticipated follow-up could surpass that impressive feat as it features the return of Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.
And while it?s a tough act to follow the infectious song ?Let it Go,? there are some genuine nuggets from the ?Frozen II? soundtrack that will surely rattle around in your head for some time. There's Idina Menzel?s ?Into The Unknown? and ?Show Yourself,? and Kristen Bell?s ?The Next Right Thing,? Jonathan Groff?s, ?Lost in the Woods? and Josh Gad?s, ?When I Am Older.?
?Frozen II? opens with a flashback to Elsa (Idina Menzel, upcoming ?Uncut Gems?) and Anna (Kristen Bell, TV?s ?The Good Place?) as little girls in the kingdom of Arendelle. They want to hear a bedtime story from their parents King Agnarr (Alfred Molina, upcoming ?The Water Man?) and Queen Iduna (Evan Rachel Wood, TV?s ?Westworld?).
King Agnarr (Molina) believes the kids should know about Arendelle?s origins and he tells them a fascinating story. Fast forward to present day and we find Elsa even more intrigued about her homeland and how she developed the handy powers of turning everything into snow and ice. In addition, Elsa is haunted by a song she keeps hearing.
Will it lead her to that enchanted forest her parents told her about? Will it uncover truths about her amazing powers?
Together with the comical snowman Olaf (a very funny Josh Gad, ?The Angry Birds Movie 2?), lover boy Kristoff (Jonathan Groff, TV?s ?Mindhunter?) --who keeps fumbling away the chance to propose to Princess Anna (Bell)-- and Sven the faithful reindeer, they set off on an exciting, yet dangerous adventure.
There are some interesting new characters among the mix like Sterling K. Brown (TV?s ?This is Us?) as Lieutenant Destin Mattias. The lieutenant and his soldiers have been trapped in an enchanted forest for years and are eager to be freed. This action-packed sequence is one of many thrilling ones in the movie.
?Frozen II? retains much of the fun and spirit of its predecessor and with so much snappy music to boot, it won?t leave you cold.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 1530 AM and 93.1 FM.
Check Out This Trailer For
"FROZEN II"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
