By Maggie Aschmeyer | Deputy Editor
Minimal Spoilers (because you need to see this movie if you haven’t)
In today’s day and age, I take Oscar nominations with a grain of salt. I mean, who cares what a group of rich, mostly white, old men think about movies? When it comes down to it, film criticism is a matter of taste, and what these guys want to see in cinema is not an accurate reflection of what everyone in the US, let alone the world, also wants.
All that said, Frozen 2 was snubbed. It’s an imperfect masterpiece with a lot of heart, and I am (somewhat disproportionately) annoyed that it didn’t get the recognition it deserves.
First off, the animation is breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately it is nearly out of theaters at this point, but if you ever get the chance to see Frozen 2 on the big screen again, please do; it will be well worth your time.
Secondly, this film is all about growing up, discovering yourself, and recognizing that life is inevitably going to change whether you like it or not. I personally think this is a wonderful message for the writers to send to their target audience (people who were kids six years ago when the first came out, but are now about to, or already have, entered their teens). However, this message also struck me hard as a college senior who’s about to graduate. Despite the fact that I am old enough to legally drink, I found myself tearing up in the theater as Elsa fully accepted her abilities after years of hating herself and Anna learned to cope with the fact that one day she may lose everyone she loves. I mean… writing it out like this has made me realize just how dark this film gets in spots, but said darkness is disguised with pretty dresses and sparkly ice magic, so I think the kids can handle it. Frozen 2 teaches kids (and adults) that when things are so bleak that you can’t imagine a future, all you need to do is “Do The Next Right Thing”, and that’s a message I’m going to try and take to heart.
I’ve read several articles that suggest that the music, written by the award-winning husband and wife writing team of “Let It Go”, is somehow worse than the music of the first film because it is less catchy, or maybe less accessible. But the thing is, I appreciate how Frozen 2 refuses to talk down to its audience just because it’s aimed at kids. Maybe that’s because I’m an adult that loves animated movies, but I think it just leads to a richer film that makes rewatching more enjoyable. There is so much symbolism and meaning packed into this score and soundtrack that it is impossible to fully understand the plot without paying attention to the lyrics. I can see how this could be described as a flaw, but I just think it gives the songs a stronger gut punch. Frozen 2’s music may be less polished than that of the first, but it’s more sonically cohesive, and I love the haunting melody that calls Elsa “Into the Unknown”, which is a running motif throughout the film.
Yes, the plot and story of Frozen 2 may be a little messy and a little hard to understand, as it is very wrapped up in mythology and vague ice-memory magic, and maybe this could have been executed in a cleaner fashion, but for me, this doesn’t take away from the wash of intense emotion I got while sitting in the theater. You can tell that so much time and love was put into this movie despite the fact that it only exists because the first Frozen made over a billion dollars. As someone who’s getting a little tired of the soulless sequels and remakes Hollywood keeps pumping out, I found that refreshing.
And really, can a film truly be bad if it contains an 80’s ballad featuring singing reindeer, Jonathan Groff’s heavenly vocal chords, and a healthy representation of masculinity? I think not, so take that Academy.