"You don't want me following you into the fire? Then don't run into the fire."
One of my favorite people to watch on Youtube is Jenny Nicholson. Jenny makes hilarious content, but it's also well-thought-out and educated. Although I will never directly copy from her content, she is a big reason why I started this blog, and therefore she is definitely an inspiration. I'm going to talk about Frozen Two today. Since Jenny tends to write her pieces in a relatively negative light, I didn't even watch her latest video about Frozen 2 yet. First I get my thoughts out, then I'll watch the video.
I don't know about all of you but Frozen was one of my favorite Disney movies for the longest time. The plot was entrancing, the animation was amazing, the songs made me happy (aside from the overplaying of "Let It Go" across the nation), and overall the movie just left me with warm fuzzy feelings. My roommate is a psych major and we had a very eye-opening conversation about Frozen the other day, partly because I was curious why she doesn't like the film very much. We think one of the other reasons I held the original Frozen so close to my heart was the fact that I was twelve when it came out. In many ways, it felt like Frozen was the last Disney movie I could loudly profess my love for. Now I know that just isn't true. Being twelve is weird and you're kind of scared everything will change and you won't be allowed to love certain things anymore, but because I realized somewhere along the way that I can love whatever movies I want, life has gotten so much better. I'm happy to say I still loudly profess my love for Disney movies and not just oldies like Robin Hood, but new ones like Coco and, if you hadn't guessed, Frozen Two. Minor spoiler warning for Frozen 1 and 2.
I think we all know a lot goes into making a movie good, especially an animated movie, but for honesty's sake, I would like to point out two factors that influenced me regarding this movie. First of all, I have two sisters. Two sisters that I love and cherish deeply. Two sisters that I would literally curl up and die without. The same can be said for my mother, who is the most amazing person in the whole wide world (don't fight me) Second, I wanted to like this movie. I think its obvious, but when you go into a movie with terrible expectations and a downer point of view, it's easier to notice the flaws. I'm not saying the movie reviewers in the traditional media are downers sometimes just for the sake of being downers but... well I guess that is what I'm saying. Anyway, now that those two points of clarification are down, let's get this party started!
The part of the blog where I talk about Frozen 1's biggest problem
My biggest protest of the original movie was the twist villain they made of Hans. This has been said before a hundred times, but I knew when I saw him that something was off about him as a love interest. Disney has a history of using twist villains to propel a story into a more exciting final act, but sometimes they just don't work, and for me, Hans was one of those times. Creating an obvious attraction between Kristoff and Anna was also a dead giveaway that something was afoot. Frozen 2 skipped this idea of needing a twist. Some will disagree, and say that learning the full story of Elsa and Anna's Grandfather's past was a twist, but I'd like to put forth that it wasn't really a twist, it was a plot point that wasn't revealed until later in the script. When we saw the flashback scenes most anyone in the theater would realize something was off about the whole affair, but the full story wasn't revealed until later. Call it a "twist", call it a plot point, either way, I didn't feel like this movie had a twist. Even though I still standby the fact that I was not a fan of Frozen One's twist villain, I honestly would've enjoyed a twist villain in Frozen Two, as long as it was presented more smoothly.
The part of the blog where I go on a mini tangent where I tell you my idea for Frozen Two's twist villain. Somehow, before I saw this movie, I had an inkling that Disney was going to make Elsa have a crisis of character where she decided whether or not she could stay the kind and benevolent queen. They sort of had this dilemma in the movie, but not the way I was picturing it. The movie introduces this interesting point about elements, and, spoiler warning, the fact that Elsa is the linking element. She connects the elements of fire, water, air, and earth into... well... I don't really know what. A combined force of sorts? I don't know how to describe this ending easily. To describe my villainess character idea I have to explain this first.
The part of the blog where I ask: what are these elements? This is just confusing. When our girls (referring to Elsa and Anna of course) figure out that there are these "elemental spirits" in this world I get major excited. I'm thinking pretty outfits, maybe the earth person will have little succulents growing out of their head and the water person will have waterfall braids that look like they're moving asdfghjkl! A few scenes pass and we discover I'm not getting the nymphs and naiads I was hoping for. We get a watery... horse... creature? I guess he's water? A bunch of huge boulder dudes I'm assuming were earth and a tiny (and yes, adorable) lizard as fire? (His name is Bruni and I would die for him but that's beside the point) and also literally just the wind as air. (Side note- I do like how they call "her" Gale. That's cute. Would've been a good nymph name.)
The part of the blog where I ask: what are these elements? This is just confusing. When our girls (referring to Elsa and Anna of course) figure out that there are these "elemental spirits" in this world I get major excited. I'm thinking pretty outfits, maybe the earth person will have little succulents growing out of their head and the water person will have waterfall braids that look like they're moving asdfghjkl! A few scenes pass and we discover I'm not getting the nymphs and naiads I was hoping for. We get a watery... horse... creature? I guess he's water? A bunch of huge boulder dudes I'm assuming were earth and a tiny (and yes, adorable) lizard as fire? (His name is Bruni and I would die for him but that's beside the point) and also literally just the wind as air. (Side note- I do like how they call "her" Gale. That's cute. Would've been a good nymph name.)
Okay so at the end of the movie Elsa basically turns this motley crew into a gang, working together to... I dunno, better the world. So this would've made more sense to me like this:
Our elemental spirits are people! Well designed, fairy-folk looking, people! They're like Elsa! They would make cool dolls! The earth is like a kinda buff guy with succulent hair and he looks a little like the Green Giant. The wind girl, Gale, is like wispy and cool, she can, like, float around and she reminds me of fall and, obviously, the wind. The fire person could be a guy or a girl, but I'm thinking guy. Like Leo from those Rick Riordan books, kinda wiry but look his hands light on fire! wow! but wait.. there isn't a water spirit! Elsa talks and sings about how she wishes she wasn't alone, this is the perfect way to fix this! As our girls head into the forest with their gang of friends, Elsa is still hearing the singing. The singing is definitely calling out to her. Elsa and Anna find the boat that their parents died in (okay yeah, still pretty morbid) and find the people who were trapped here, and eventually learn that their mother was the one who saved their father that fateful day. Anyway, everything up till here is basically the same. We meet the Northuldra and we notice that one person sticks out. And no, it's not the grandma lady, it's that young girl. Her name is technically Honeymaren, but I think we only hear her name one time in the actual movie. In my version though, Honeymaren has something up her sleeve. She shows Elsa around their camp, and eventually, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf are separated from Elsa. Not by Elsa forcing them away, like it is in the movie, but by Honeymaren, who obviously just wants to talk to Elsa. Honeymaren begins telling Elsa about the elemental spirits and reveals that she was the one calling to Elsa. Calling to every spirit actually. Honeymaren isn't dressed like the other Northuldra, she is dressed in fancier clothing (Something that could probably sell really cute dolls!! HINT FREAKIN HINT) and the other Northuldra treat her differently, almost like she is royalty. Turns out Honemaren has been ruling here, and now, for some reason (like uniting the kingdom or something) she wants to bring all of the spirits together. She does, bringing about that lovely meeting of our nymphs. Elsa is still kind of confused as to why she's here, but soon enough she realizes that there isn't a water spirt here... Honeymaren says "surprise! that water spirit is you!" Honeymaren is evil though... TADA! She tries to take control of Arrendelle and the other kingdoms that the nymphs were ruling over, saying originally it's all for a good reason, but it turns out she just wants ultimate power. Honeymaren doesn't have any real powers, she can't create fire or ice or grow things or anything, but she has small powers, like being able to call to all of the nymphs. Part of what I disliked about the movie is Elsa is portrayed as the "uniting" spirit, but she only deals with water! Water and Ice! Honeymaren eventually reveals that she is evil, and Elsa realizes, along with the other nymphs (The more I think about them, the more I love them. Gale? Ember? Thyme? Pyro? Hydro? I DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES I JUST LOVE THEM) that one particular person shouldn't be in control, it should be spread across all of them. So they overthrow her, in some dramatic way. Also, there should be a song. With like 4 part harmony. Yes, please.
Okay, so I think that explains what I would've liked to see in a villain and let me clarify- This defeat of the villain surrounds the plot of them trying to get to the river, Ahtohallan. Once our nymph gang sorts out the deal with Honeymaren (who obviously can't have that name if she's evil, it's got to be something like Violet or Satan, I dunno, something that sounds evil) they head off to the river. As they make their way each nymph is drawn away to fight a mini-battle (The whole "you keep going, I'll fend them off" situation) so the plot continues like the original movie. Elsa is stuck, Anna saves her again, etc. And, just to cover all my bases, the bit where the weird rock giant creatures break down the dam thing is all well and good, but without the giants in this plot, our nymphs sort out the situation. They break it apart by all working together, and Elsa rides a water-like horse to rescue Arrendelle from the impending flood!
The part of the blog where I say 10 random things
1. The animation of this movie was jaw-dropping. Google Frozen 2 Animation and just marvel at it.
2. I love the way that each character evolved like I felt like they were real people.
3. I love different Olaf! He was funny :) "Advancing technologies will be both our savior and our doom" - Olaf
4. I did cry. Surprise! I don't cry often at movies, but as I mentioned earlier, I have family that's very important to me, and this sort of tugged on those heartstrings.
5. I didn't mind that Anna ended up being queen instead of Elsa, I felt like that was a natural decision
6. I liked how Elsa was still portrayed as kinda scared of everything. I liked how she was a little jumpy, it felt real and understandable.
7. I really liked Kristoff :) Obviously, I liked all the characters, lol, maybe I should just stop saying it, but I love the way that Kristoff supported Anna, ("I'm here, what do you need") and the whole proposal theme.
8. Wow, every outfit they wear is so good. OMG. WHaT? The white pantsuit/dress combo? Iconic.
9. Elsa's. Hair. Down. That's it.
10. The pop versions of the songs in the credits- yes, yes, and yes again. I will not be taking questions on this. The answer is yes.
Our elemental spirits are people! Well designed, fairy-folk looking, people! They're like Elsa! They would make cool dolls! The earth is like a kinda buff guy with succulent hair and he looks a little like the Green Giant. The wind girl, Gale, is like wispy and cool, she can, like, float around and she reminds me of fall and, obviously, the wind. The fire person could be a guy or a girl, but I'm thinking guy. Like Leo from those Rick Riordan books, kinda wiry but look his hands light on fire! wow! but wait.. there isn't a water spirit! Elsa talks and sings about how she wishes she wasn't alone, this is the perfect way to fix this! As our girls head into the forest with their gang of friends, Elsa is still hearing the singing. The singing is definitely calling out to her. Elsa and Anna find the boat that their parents died in (okay yeah, still pretty morbid) and find the people who were trapped here, and eventually learn that their mother was the one who saved their father that fateful day. Anyway, everything up till here is basically the same. We meet the Northuldra and we notice that one person sticks out. And no, it's not the grandma lady, it's that young girl. Her name is technically Honeymaren, but I think we only hear her name one time in the actual movie. In my version though, Honeymaren has something up her sleeve. She shows Elsa around their camp, and eventually, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf are separated from Elsa. Not by Elsa forcing them away, like it is in the movie, but by Honeymaren, who obviously just wants to talk to Elsa. Honeymaren begins telling Elsa about the elemental spirits and reveals that she was the one calling to Elsa. Calling to every spirit actually. Honeymaren isn't dressed like the other Northuldra, she is dressed in fancier clothing (Something that could probably sell really cute dolls!! HINT FREAKIN HINT) and the other Northuldra treat her differently, almost like she is royalty. Turns out Honemaren has been ruling here, and now, for some reason (like uniting the kingdom or something) she wants to bring all of the spirits together. She does, bringing about that lovely meeting of our nymphs. Elsa is still kind of confused as to why she's here, but soon enough she realizes that there isn't a water spirt here... Honeymaren says "surprise! that water spirit is you!" Honeymaren is evil though... TADA! She tries to take control of Arrendelle and the other kingdoms that the nymphs were ruling over, saying originally it's all for a good reason, but it turns out she just wants ultimate power. Honeymaren doesn't have any real powers, she can't create fire or ice or grow things or anything, but she has small powers, like being able to call to all of the nymphs. Part of what I disliked about the movie is Elsa is portrayed as the "uniting" spirit, but she only deals with water! Water and Ice! Honeymaren eventually reveals that she is evil, and Elsa realizes, along with the other nymphs (The more I think about them, the more I love them. Gale? Ember? Thyme? Pyro? Hydro? I DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES I JUST LOVE THEM) that one particular person shouldn't be in control, it should be spread across all of them. So they overthrow her, in some dramatic way. Also, there should be a song. With like 4 part harmony. Yes, please.
Okay, so I think that explains what I would've liked to see in a villain and let me clarify- This defeat of the villain surrounds the plot of them trying to get to the river, Ahtohallan. Once our nymph gang sorts out the deal with Honeymaren (who obviously can't have that name if she's evil, it's got to be something like Violet or Satan, I dunno, something that sounds evil) they head off to the river. As they make their way each nymph is drawn away to fight a mini-battle (The whole "you keep going, I'll fend them off" situation) so the plot continues like the original movie. Elsa is stuck, Anna saves her again, etc. And, just to cover all my bases, the bit where the weird rock giant creatures break down the dam thing is all well and good, but without the giants in this plot, our nymphs sort out the situation. They break it apart by all working together, and Elsa rides a water-like horse to rescue Arrendelle from the impending flood!
The part of the blog where I say 10 random things
1. The animation of this movie was jaw-dropping. Google Frozen 2 Animation and just marvel at it.
2. I love the way that each character evolved like I felt like they were real people.
3. I love different Olaf! He was funny :) "Advancing technologies will be both our savior and our doom" - Olaf
4. I did cry. Surprise! I don't cry often at movies, but as I mentioned earlier, I have family that's very important to me, and this sort of tugged on those heartstrings.
5. I didn't mind that Anna ended up being queen instead of Elsa, I felt like that was a natural decision
6. I liked how Elsa was still portrayed as kinda scared of everything. I liked how she was a little jumpy, it felt real and understandable.
7. I really liked Kristoff :) Obviously, I liked all the characters, lol, maybe I should just stop saying it, but I love the way that Kristoff supported Anna, ("I'm here, what do you need") and the whole proposal theme.
8. Wow, every outfit they wear is so good. OMG. WHaT? The white pantsuit/dress combo? Iconic.
9. Elsa's. Hair. Down. That's it.
10. The pop versions of the songs in the credits- yes, yes, and yes again. I will not be taking questions on this. The answer is yes.
The part of the blog where I say a few things about every song and rate them on a scale from 1 to 10 because I can.
"All Is Found" Yes. Good. I will sing to my nieces and nephews. Cryptic. A bit too clear with it's cryptic-ness. A solid 8/10
"Some Things Never Change" Relevant to the story, and a bit ironic, as things do change. Felt more like the old Frozen. 7/10
"Into the Unknown" Basically the new "Let It Go" but surprisingly I love it with my whole heart! Kinda hard to sing, so I've got to give it a 9/10 because the only thing worse than hearing it a million times is hearing Jimmy Fallon singing it a million times.
"When I Am Older" This is a funny little ditty, but I don't understand why? It would've made more sense if someone told Olaf that he'll understand when he's older, but no one said that? Why would he think that? I'm puzzled. Basically trying to replicate the success of "In Summer" 4/10
"Reindeers Are Better Than People" (cont) This one fits very well with what we know about Kristoff. Like I've mentioned, this feels like what the Kristoff we know would do! Short. 5/10
"Lost In The Woods" I cried laughing at this song, it's so funny and just makes me think of the drama of 90's music videos. Also, I love Jonathan Groff's voice here. literally and figuratively titled. Gimme more of this yes pls! 10/10
"Show Yourself" This was good, but felt off for some reason to me. I like the "ah ah ah" bits and when the beat picks up, but I just don't love it. 6/10
"The Next Right Thing" Wow. Ouch. This one hit my heart really hard. I cried here as well. Kristen Bell is killing it right now, and this is just a perfect example. Uses the plot well. The cry/singing... oof sis. I cry. 10/10
The part of the blog where I run out of things to say
Yeah okay, I think that's pretty much it... anyway, let me know what you think! Do you want nymph dolls? I do! I wish I was an artist so I could show you more of what I mean, but I'm definitely not. Do you like my villain idea? Do you like the songs? WHY! I want to hear from you :)
The part of the blog where I run out of things to say
Yeah okay, I think that's pretty much it... anyway, let me know what you think! Do you want nymph dolls? I do! I wish I was an artist so I could show you more of what I mean, but I'm definitely not. Do you like my villain idea? Do you like the songs? WHY! I want to hear from you :)
10/10 on Lost in the Woods for sure!!! Great Blog!!
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