Frozen II

Have no fear, Elsa is here.

Six years after Frozen lit up the box office, its sequel, Frozen II, will do the same. I don't know if it's better than its originator, but this film is dazzling in its own way. Let's discuss.

In the prologue, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna's (Kristen Bell) parents told them how their granddad, King Runeard (Jeremy Sisto), built a dam for the indigenous Northulda tribe of a nearby Enchanted Forest. The Northuldrans attacked and killed the King, while their elemental spirits sealed away the Forest in mist.

Three years after Frozen, the now Queen Elsa of Arendale, along with Anna, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) the mountain man, Sven the Reindeer and Olaf the Snowman (Josh Gad) live happily ever after. But then, a wailing voice (courtesy of Norwegian singer Aurora), calls out to Elsa. Elsa's response wakes up the elemental spirits. They attack Arendale.

The troll leader Pabbie (Ciaran Hinds) tells our heroes to go to the Enchanted Forest. There's a whole lot of secrets and lies in Arendale's history. One involves the circumstances of how Anna and Elsa's parents met. Another concerns the origins of Elsa's ice powers. One more concerns the attack that killed Runeard. Our heroes can only quell the spirits by righting the past wrongs.

The screen story was conceived by directors Jennifer Lee & Chris Buck, along with songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez and Marc Smith. It's not an easy story to sum up in a few paragraphs. Elsa's spirit awakening happens when she lets loose with icicles during her big number, Into the Unknown. It's a colorful display, but how does that wake spirits? The nature of Ahtohallan, Elsa's ultimate destination, is sure to raise some questions. A few plot points are too easy to guess beforehand.

What the film gets especially right is its music. Amongst the songs, Into the Unknown might have the best shot at Oscar time as much as Let it Go did for the first film. It's a strong ballad whose only flaw is that it plays too early on. Another standout is Kristoff's lament Lost in the Woods - a goofy parody of stupid 80s music videos. There's also the heavily emotional The Next Right Thing and Olaf's goofy When I am Older. Christophe Beck's score stands out amongst the songs. I could go on, but I won't.

The returning characters are a great bunch. Anna and Elsa's relationship is still endearing. Anna's relationship with Kristoff includes some comically painfully forced conflict - though the resolution was strong. Olaf and Sven are most welcome here. Two new characters, the Northuldran Ryder (Jason Ritter) and Honeymaren (Rachel Matthews), barely get much to do. Two of the Elemental Spirits, a salamander and water horse, are appealing creatures. The true villain of the piece gets off too easy - as he's already dead.

The visuals are another strong asset. Whether it's Elsa's wardrobe or the Enchanted Forest, the film gives us much splendor. The water effects are realistic, which adds much to the film's best scene. It's when Elsa walks on the raging ocean, and fights and tames the water horse. It's even better than what the already spectacular trailers showed. The Ice Memory Sculptures are another marvelous sight. What's that about ice memory? It makes sense in context.

Frozen II is a great film to look at and listen to. It's sure to take a while to process the heavy storyline. But it's ultimately worth it. There are some strong dramatic and funny moments as memorable as the first film. It's not an instant milestone, but it might become more regarded later on. It's worth whatever price to see it on the big screen.