— by Kirsten Hawkes
PARENT PREVIEWS –
Making Media Entertainment An Easier Choice For Families
Frozen II
PG
OVERALL RATING:
A-
VIOLENCE: (B-) A battle is briefly shown and men fight with swords and shields. A man raises his
sword against an unarmed man; he kills him off screen. A man is thrown over a cliff; his fall is not
seen. There are scenes of magical fire putting people in peril. Rock giants throw boulders at people
and almost stomp on them. Two main characters have death scenes. People are endangered by fierce
winds and heaving earth. There is a brief scene in a dark forest where a character is frightened by
creatures with red eyes and sharp teeth. Main characters get sucked inside a tornado. A character is in
peril in the ocean and fights with a water creature. A main character is pushed into a canoe and sent
on a perilous journey. Ice statues replicate the last moments of people’s lives.
SEXUAL CONTENT: (A) A man and woman kiss and embrace on a few occasions.
LANGUAGE: (A) None noted.
ALCOHOL / DRUG USE: (A) None noted.
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
Released on DVD:
February 25, 2020
For additional
information on this
film’s content, visit
www.parentpreviews.com
T
he turbulent events of
Frozen behind them,
Queen Elsa (Idina
Menzel) is ruling Arendelle with
the support of her loyal sister Anna
(Kristen Bell). Kristoff (Jonathan
Groff) is bumbling through his at-
tempts to propose to Anna, to the
despair of his reindeer, Sven. And
thanks to Elsa’s magic permafrost,
Olaf the snowman (Josh Gad) is free
to bask in the sunshine and meditate
aloud on his growing maturity.
has a lot to say in our world.
TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE
WITH YOUR FAMILY…
Then Elsa starts hearing voices.
When Elsa answers the voices,
the power of the elemental spirits of
earth, air, fire, and water is unleashed.
Windstorms batter Arendelle and the earth
heaves, forcing an evacuation of the king-
dom. Desperate to save their people, Elsa,
Anna, and Kristoff head north to a mist-
encircled magical forest, home of the Nor-
thuldra people, where Elsa believes she
will find a way to appease the elements.
Frozen II is a very different movie
from the 2013 blockbuster hit; darker and
more complex. The first Frozen was a
movie about love in romantic and sisterly
guises. This sequel is a sterner film, about
duty to country, duty to the truth, and
duty to oneself. It’s less about follow-
ing your heart and more about following
moral imperatives, however agonizing
the consequences. “Do the next right
thing,” King Runeard told his daughters
before his death, and that maxim guides
the conduct of both girls, now powerful
young women, in their perilous quest.
When Anna believes all is lost, his words
are what keep her moving as she sings the
emotional centerpiece of the movie, “The
Next Right Thing.”
The film isn’t all dark; Kristoff’s in-
ept romantic efforts produce some comic
relief and Olaf provides one laugh after
another. At the screening I attended, the
theater was regularly swept with waves
of laughter as the kids chortled over
Olaf’s physical missteps, jokes, and ir-
repressible (and sometimes misguided)
optimism.
The film’s story is fraught with peril.
This really isn’t a movie for preschoolers,
especially if they cry easily. For kids who
won’t be scared by the dangers inherent
in the story, Frozen II, has a lot to offer.
Its messages about integrity are supple-
mented by its examination of environ-
mental stewardship, relationships with
indigenous peoples, moving past fear,
and righting past wrongs. Far from being
frozen in a fairy tale formula, this movie
Does your country’s history in-
volve different groups of people shar-
ing the land? Does your country have
an indigenous population and later
settlement by other people? Was
there conflict between the groups?
Do the different groups see history
the same way or do their perspec-
tives vary? What can you learn from
understanding someone else’s per-
spective on history?
LOVED THE MOVIE? TRY
THESE BOOKS…
What if Elsa never knew she had a
little sister? Jen Calonita answers that
question in her own take on Frozen enti-
tled Conceal, Don’t Feel: A Twisted Tale.
For a magical tale about friendship,
loyalty, and magic, read Hans Christian
Anderson’s classic fairytale The Snow
Queen. Anne Ursu updated the tale, set
it in modern America, and titled it Bread-
crumbs.
Endless winter can only be healed by
one person in Sarah Prineas’ novel Win-
terling.
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is
a beloved tale of sisterly love and loyalty
that has endured for over 150 years.
Magical gifts can be blessing or
bane. The heroines in Shannon Hale’s
Bayern series have gifts that allow them
to talk to and control nature. The stories
begin with Anidori’s adventures in The
Goose Girl.
March 2020 WNY Family 57