Sightlines · reception

How Frozen II was received

2019 · Jennifer Lee · Frozen II on Sightlines

The arc

A colossal hit in 2019 — it overtook the original to become the highest-grossing animated film ever at the time — but reviews were noticeably cooler than the first's, settling into 'gorgeous, ambitious, narratively muddled.' Time has softened it a little, with defenders praising it as the weirder, more melancholic Frozen.

What’s debated

The forever fight: is 'Into the Unknown' or 'Show Yourself' the real showstopper — plus lingering frustration that the #GiveElsaAGirlfriend campaign went nowhere.

Its footprint

Olaf's baffled 'Samantha? ...I don't even know a Samantha' became an instant meme, and Kristoff's 'Lost in the Woods' — a full-on '80s power-ballad pastiche, later covered by Weezer — is the bit everyone quotes; 'Into the Unknown' got belted by kids worldwide just as 'Let It Go' finally faded.

Where it stands

Filed under 'lesser sequel to a phenomenon' — a family staple and streaming juggernaut rather than a cinephile object, though its darker, stranger streak has its partisans.

Did you know? Despite being the highest-grossing animated film of all time on release, Frozen II wasn't even nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar — and Disney rushed it onto Disney+ three months early in March 2020 for families stuck in lockdown.