Frozen II

I have taken my nephew Sean to a movie over the Thanksgiving break every year since he joined our family so it was fun to continue the tradition by seeing Frozen II together yesterday.  Both Sean and I really enjoyed it!  Several years after Elsa (Idina Menzel) is crowned as Queen of Arendelle, she is trying to enjoy a normal life with Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and the reindeer Sven.  However, she hears a mysterious voice calling to her and decides that it is coming from the Enchanted Forest where her grandfather, King Runeard, signed a treaty with the Northuldra people to create a dam.  This resulted in a war which angered the elemental spirits of air, water, fire, and Earth, causing them to surrounded the Enchanted Forest in a mist trapping everyone inside.  Elsa and the others travel to the Enchanted Forest where she searches for answers about Arendelle’s past, what happened to her parents, and where her powers come from.  She and Anna must ultimately work together to right the wrongs between the people of Arendelle and the Northuldra.  There are two other amusing subplots involving Olaf, who is confused about growing up, and Krisfoff, who struggles to find a way to propose to Anna.  I found the story to be quite compelling with sophisticated themes about colonization, the treatment of indigenous peoples, and respect for the environment interspersed with the same themes of female empowerment and freedom to be who you are that I loved in the original.  The animation is absolutely stunning and I especially loved the Enchanted Forest with its autumn leaves shrouded in mist and the use of ice sculptures to represent past events.  I also really liked the giant Earth spirits.  Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez return with some fantastic songs including "Into the Unknown," "The Next Right Thing," and "Show Yourself."  These songs are very powerful but I have to admit that my favorite is "Lost in the Woods" sung by Kristoff in a sequence that looks like the greatest 80s music video ever!  I pretty much giggled throughout the whole thing which caused Sean to lean over and give me the "look."  I loved this movie and I would recommend it for the whole family this holiday season.