Into the unknown indeed!
One of the added benefits to living in Pakistan means that I essentially live one day ahead of the United States. Which means I get to see movies one day earlier than most of my readers. MWAHAHAHAHA!
Jokes aside, I’ve just come back from the midnight screening of Frozen 2, and let me just say, I have no idea what to think right now. I hated it. But I loved it. I’m so so so confused.
So the movie starts out with Elsa and Anna being told the story of an Enchanted Forest, where Northuldra people reside, and its ill-fated alliance formed with Arendelle. The people of Arendelle gift the Northuldra with a water dam as a peace offering. But something goes terribly wrong. Suddenly there is fighting, but it is unknown who started it, and a battle ensues. Their father, who was present at the battle between the two, recounts how he was saved. It’s pretty heavily implied that he was saved by his now wife, Elsa and Anna’s mother. But we’ll get into that later! The Enchanted Forest now hangs in a fog like mist, and no one can get in or out.
This flashback doesn’t end until their mother sings a sweet (sorta creepy tho) lullaby about a far northern land known as Ahtohallan. (Don’t ask me how to pronounce that, I hardly remember)
Oh, and did I mention that their father talks about four elements/spirits which reside within the Enchanted Forest, which include Air, Water, Earth, and Fire? Gave me Avatar The Last Airbender vibes! I was just waiting for the Fire Nation to attack!
Flash forward into the present-day, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven seem to be living the life. But that would be a boring Disney movie, so of course, Elsa starts hearing a strange singing voice. No lyrics or anything, more like this voice is going “Ooooohhhhaaaaaaaahhhhohhhhhhhhh”. Creepy I know. Kristoff also has some issues, because he wants to propose to Anna but doesn’t know just how to go about it.
In one of her out of the blue singing-a-song moments, Elsa accidentally awakens the Enchanted Forest or something like that. Regardless, the spirits of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire are angered and bring chaos to Arendelle. Realizing the only thing left to do is to make peace with these spirits and visit the Enchanted Forest. So the gang heads off!
Eventually, they reach the forest, and Elsa is able to use her powers to get into the forest. There, they meet the Northuldra and their leader, as well as a handful of Arendelle soldiers who never made it out of the forest and were trapped once the fog set in.
Elsa and Anna have their own conflicts too. On one hand, Anna can’t seem to let go of Elsa. Anna doesn’t want Elsa to face things alone. She’s kinda clingy actually. On the other hand, Elsa knows that this is her own journey, and doesn’t want to drag Anna into unnecessary danger. To comfort her younger sister, Elsa wraps her with their mother’s scarf. NOW BRACE YOURSELVES. The entire crowd goes into shock when they see that this scarf is none other than a Northuldra scarf. It’s revealed that Elsa and Anna’s mother was never from Arendelle, but from the Enchanted Forest!
Kristoff makes a new friend in the forest, named Ryder, who helps in plan his proposal to Anna. Anna chats with Lieutenant Destin Mattias, the leader of a group of Arendellian soldiers who were trapped in the enchanted forest for years. Elsa sits with Honeymaren, a member of the Northuldra, Ryder’s sister who wants to bring peace to the enchanted forest. She provides a crucial piece of information. We know that there are four elements/spirits, but Honeymaren states that a legend has it that there is a fifth spirit, acting as a bridge between the spirits and people. HMMM I WONDER WHO.
Elsa and Anna venture off together, where they stumble upon the wreckage of an Arendellian ship. Turns out in true Disney fashion, it is none other than their late parents’. The two are puzzled, because this ship was never supposed to reach the Dark Sea, where the ship ruins are found. It is revealed that the parents ventured off to Ahtohallan in an attempt to discover the origin of Elsa’s powers.
Overcome with guilt, Elsa blames herself for the death of their parents. Realizing now that Anna is in danger if Elsa is to travel to Ahtohallan, she forcibly sends her younger sister away using her ice powers.
I’ve got to say, the scene where Elsa attempts to cross the sea to reach Ahtohallan is breathtaking. The visuals are stunning and vibrant, despite the fact it takes place at night in dark water. I would highly recommend seeing this scene. The trailer did touch upon it, but the determination Elsa has to cross this barrier is admirable.
Once she reaches Ahtohallan, it’s pretty much revealed that the voice she heard was her mother’s. Elsa is the fifth spirit, and it is also revealed that her grandfather, who made the pact with the people of Northuldra, was the one who started the fight. Her grandfather built the dam to damage the lands of the Enchanted Forest, and made the first move of bloodshed, resulting in the fight. He couldn’t trust the Northuldra, believing they used magic which made them dangerous, something Elsa is disgusted by. As the lullaby warned, venturing too deep into Ahtohallan will result you drowning. So Elsa dies. SHE DIES. But I mean this is Disney dying, so she pretty much takes a hiatus from the film. Identical to how Anna froze to death in the first film. Before she’s gone however, she uses her powers to warn Anna one last time about the dam.
Anna realizes that she has to destroy the dam. But get this! Since Elsa died, Olaf dies too! So Anna destroys the dam despite the fact she knows it will flood and destroy Arendelle, a sacrifice she’s willing to make. Don’t worry, all the people were safely evacuated and placed in the care of Grand Pabbie, leader of the Trolls.
Once the dam is destroyed, the fog is gone from the forest and Elsa is resurrected from the dead. She manages to save Arendelle by creating a huge ice wall preventing the water from crashing down onto Arendelle. Elsa reveals that she is the fifth spirit, and Anna remarks how Elsa is the bridge between the two worlds. Elsa points out that a bridge has two ends, so while Elsa is that for the spirits, Anna must be that for the people. Or something like that. Don’t quote me.
I guess it’s quite obvious that Anna becomes the new Queen of Arendelle and Elsa decides to reside in the Enchanted Forest. They still see each other often, but not that often.
I guess this was one of the bittersweet points of the movie. I mean I’m glad that the two have clearly found their calling, but this whole “close people must grow apart” vibe Disney has going isn’t settling with me. They did the same thing with Ralph Breaks the Internet. I was also upset that Elsa wasn’t there for Queen Anna’s coronation. Like come on, sis! And can we just appreciate the people of Arendelle for putting up with this lack of stability for the last couple of years. Dang!
About midway through the film I realized that I had become emotionally invested into the story of their parents. I mean, you can’t give us all these clues and cliffhangers and expect us to deal with their deaths. THERE MUST BE MORE! Is their mother a spirit? Did she have powers? Why did Elsa hear her voice only? They can’t be dead. I refuse to believe it! Maybe they landed on an island in Africa and had a son named Tarzan! Who knows? I need another film dedicated entirely to their lives please!
The soundtrack for this film was pretty…bland. I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t recall A SINGLE SONG on the car ride home. I was so clueless. It wasn’t Let It Go memorable. They weren’t catchy. In fact, the songs were way deeper and made me feel almost nostalgic. Especially the one song called Some Things Never Change. Made my sixteen year old self feel so old!! Still, here I am listening to the soundtrack while writing this!
I loved the character development that Elsa showed. It was heartwarming to see her do her own thing. I wish we had gotten a bit more from Kristoff since he had such little screen time. Olaf appeared more than him! I need more Kristoff! Lol.
But wait, Elsa is a spirit now?!?!?! Sooo, she isn’t a physical being anymore? I’m so confused right now. So once she’s dead, she lingers around like a ghost? WITHOUT ANNA?? How could she?? I need answers!
But yeah, I guess I’m a bit disappointed with how the two sisters parted ways. I need a separate movie about their parents. And someone please explain to me how Elsa is going to be a spirit.
Overall, I loved the film. Maybe not the story line I would have liked, but it’s definitely a great addition to the franchise. It’s been six years in the making and I’m pleasantly surprised.
Final Verdict: The first one was better, but this was great too.
your fave (you just don’t know it yet),
ayesha❤️
Alright, I trust you. And I’ve never told this to anybody. But I trust you with this secret. 
