OPINION

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By Ashley D’Ambrosia

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

I was 10 years old when the original Frozen movie was released on November 27, 2013. I went to see it with my grandparents in New York and immediately fell in love with Olaf and the famous song, “Let It Go.” At the time, Frozen was the most popular movie among young children, and its songs, especially “Let It Go,” were sung by people around the world. 

When Frozen 2 was announced in 2015, Frozen fans were excited to discover that Anna and Elsa’s story had not ended and that there would be more adventures for the two sisters. When a sequel to a movie is released, fans wonder: Is it possible for the sequel to be better than the original? 

Frozen 2 was finally released, six years after the original movie, on November 22, 2019, making $127 million on its opening weekend, more than its predecessor, which made $93 million. Yes, this is most likely due to the growing Frozen fan base, but is it possible that this movie is better than the original? The New York Post says, “with Frozen 2, Disney has done the impossible: It’s made a terrific animated-musical sequel.” However, the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes gives Frozen 1 a score of 90% and Frozen 2 a score of 77%.  

The trailer to Frozen 2 was confusing and made me believe that it would just be mediocre, but I still wanted to see if Disney could pull off a sequel that could compare to the original. 

I finally went to see Frozen 2 weeks after it was released, with a friend, and when the movie ended, I turned to my friend and said, “Wow, this movie was amazing, definitely better than the original.” I was utterly impressed with Disney and surprised that I had the reaction I did.  

Frozen 2 takes a different angle from the original, telling a story of self-discovery and friendship as Anna and Elsa travel through the Enchanted Forest to resolve the problems of the past. The original Frozen may seem like a children’s movie, but this movie is the opposite of that. It covers more mature themes that are able to appeal to wider groups of people. Not only is the story more complex, but both the animation and soundtrack add to the story, making it more powerful than the original. The detail in the animation, such as the gems on Elsa’s dress or the backdrop of the Enchanted Forest, make the movie visually pleasing. 

While the songs in the original movie, such as “Let it Go” and “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?,” are enjoyable and easy songs to sing along to, they do not add as much to the story as the songs in Frozen 2. Songs such as “Show Yourself,” “Next Right Thing,” and “Lost in the Woods” show the struggles of the characters singing them and allow the viewer to have a better understanding of the characters’ emotions. The LA Times‘ Todd Martens said that “Frozen 2 is ultimately balanced between the songs’ intimate exploration of mourning and personal insecurities and the story’s broader, and very topical, themes.”  After watching this movie twice, I have concluded that Frozen 2 is a better movie than the original.

So what does Collegiate think? 

The Match sent a survey to Upper School students and all of the Collegiate faculty to see which Frozen movie they enjoyed better, and why, and the results surprised me. My opinion on the movie was quite unpopular. The majority of people chose the original Frozen as better than the sequel. Many of the 48 people who participated in the survey were also able to leave additional comments about why they picked what they did, and the responses were interesting.  

People who preferred  Frozen 1

“The second one was just chaotic” – Katherine Ducharme (‘22)

“Frozen two had a weaker storyline. A lot of it wasn’t necessary”- Skylar Mullins (‘22)

“Frozen 1 had better songs, in my opinion, because they’re really catchy and fun” – Cierra Glasspie (‘21)

“Just an overall more elite movie, and you can never do better than the original” –  Pearse Riendeau (‘22)

“Better all around – music was better and more stand-out songs that people can remember and sing.. Let it go!!! ‘Do you want to build a snowman??!!  Nothing like that kind of musical flow in Frozen 2”- Maddy P. (‘26)

“Great sister message” – Lower School math specialist Laura Domalik

“Everyone knows that it’s difficult to create a sequel that parallels the quality and genius of such a classic film. Another example: Legally Blonde 2” –  Maia Zasler (‘23)

“Both movies are good, but while Frozen has a solid understanding of what type of story it wants to tell and how it wants to tell it, Frozen 2 tries to tell too many stories at once and fails the balancing act it tries to manage” – Andrew Eastep (‘21)

“Frozen 2 is boring” – Brooke Mattingly (‘21)

People who preferred Frozen 2

“I loved both, but the 2nd one gives you more background of what happened to the parents, sacrifices made, and why Elsa has powers. Both show the sisters with not only a strong bond, but independent strength” –  Lower School Spanish teacher Heidi Knapik

“Frozen 2 had a more complex storyline. We are in the golden age of animation” – Upper School art teacher Mary Artz

“Frozen 2, on the other hand, was distinctly self-aware and poked fun at it’s own useless characters (like Kristoff’s wacky and out-of-place 80’s music video song), while also doubling down on creating a fully fleshed out world that gave credence and authenticity to the magic and other unanswered questions and plot threads from the first film. It also developed an interesting lore (born out of various pre-existing Celtic and Nordic folklore) that actually made me more interested in revisiting the world the first movie created, which was not how I felt about the first film” – Middle Technology teacher Dan Bell

“The story was more coherent and emotionally powerful” – Upper School French teacher Dr. Mark Hall

“Frozen 2 improved on the original in almost every way. The animation was much better and simply gorgeous at times. The songs in Frozen 1 were great but felt more like pop songs, ‘Let it go,’  for example. In Frozen 2, the songs were much more emotional, and they added a lot to the narrative and world building, like ‘All is Found’ and ‘Show Yourself.’ Admittedly, the plot in both movies was a bit lacking, but the plot in Frozen 2 was (to me, at least) more engaging and less predictable. The better songs, gorgeous visuals and more engaging plot made me enjoy Frozen 2 more than its predecessor” – John Wilson Cheek (‘22)

Both Frozen movies are phenomenal movies that add to the growing Disney franchise, and both offer excellent stories for everyone around the world to enjoy. Even though the original Frozen movie was more well-liked among the Collegiate community, the sequel will always be number one in my mind.