Frozen II: Blu-Ray Review
Available this week on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD is Disney’s “Frozen II”, directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. After a string of unremarkable live-action remakes to Disney classics, the studio finally delivered a crowd pleaser with the first sequel to “Frozen” (which will probably have numerous follow-ups). Although I do think the first film I more memorable in the song department, I did appreciate the darker tone of “Frozen II”. After all, the children who saw the first one in theaters are now six years older and can handle a storyline that is a bit more mature.
Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Olaf (Josh Gad) are all back and this time they are on a quest to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to stop the devastation caused by the elemental spirits that Elsa unknowingly awakened. Along the way, the characters learn quite a bit about their kingdom’s history and not all of it is good. The laughs aren’t as frequent in “Frozen II”, but where is lacks in humor, it makes up for in adventure. There is much more going on in the sequel, which also gives us more characters to follow. Although, not perfect, this is a worthy continuation of the story.
Like all of Disney’s modern animated films, “Frozen II” looks absolutely, beautiful on Blu-ray. I am sure, the 4K Ultra HD release looks spectacular. There are also a ton of bonus features which you can check out below. If you are a “Frozen” fan, you will want to ad this release to your collection.
Bonus Features
- Sing-Along Version of the Movie – Sing along with your favorite songs as you watch the movie.
- Song Selection – Jump to your favorite musical moments, with on-screen lyrics. Songs include Oscar-nominated “Into The Unknown,” “All Is Found,” “Some Things Never Change,” “When I Am Older,” “Lost in the Woods,” “Show Yourself,” and “The Next Right Thing.”
- Outtakes – Laugh along with the cast of Frozen 2 as they record their lines, sing their songs and have fun in the recording booth.
- Deleted Scenes – Check out a few scenes that never made the final cut.
- Intro – Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck offer a glimpse into their filmmaking process with scenes that didn’t make the final cut.
- Prologue – A battle rages between Arendelle and the Northuldra while a mysterious figure challenges King Agnarr.
- Secret Room – A secret room reveals even more of Anna and Elsa’s past, including a shocking revelation about their mother.
- Elsa’s Dream – Anna’s playful glimpse into Elsa’s dream takes a dark turn.
- Hard Nokks – Kristoff reveals his true feelings about life in Arendelle when the Nokk won’t take no for an answer.
- A Place of Our Own – Elsa uses her magic to relieve Anna’s lingering doubts about their parents’ faith in her.
- Deleted Songs – When it comes to Frozen 2, there can never be too much music. Hear some of the songs that got cut from the final film.
- Intro – Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck revel in the chance to share a few songs that didn’t make it into the final film.
- “Home” – Anna savors every moment as she wanders through this kingdom she calls home.
- “I Wanna Get This Right” – Kristoff wants everything to be perfect before he proposes, leaving Anna to wonder, “Will it ever be just right?”
- The Spirits of Frozen 2 – Cast and crew explore the Scandinavian and Nordic mythology that inspired the spirits inhabiting the enchanted forest of Frozen 2.
- Did You Know??? – Olaf asks us the question “Did You Know” as we discover Frozen 2 fun facts, Easter eggs and tidbits about the making of the film.
- Scoring a Sequel – Composer Christophe Beck combines a 91-piece orchestra with 30 choral voices to create the compelling score for Frozen 2.
- Gale Tests – They say you can’t see the wind. Only its effects. Filmmakers give it a shot while creating the playful wind spirit, Gale.
- Gale Test – A young girl and boy play tag in this fully animated effort to “give personality to something that’s invisible.”
- Hand-Drawn Gale Test – A hand-drawn test to bring the precocious wind spirit to life.
- Multi-Language Reel
- “Into the Unknown” in 29 Languages – Hear Elsa’s soaring call to adventure in 29 different languages
- Music Videos – Weezer and Panic! at the Disco lend their voices to a few of the soaring melodies from Frozen 2.
- “Into the Unkown” (Panic! at the Disco version) – Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie stars in their version of “Into The Unknown” from Frozen 2.
- “Lost in the Woods” (Weezer version) – Weezer puts their spin on Kristoff’s epic ballad, “Lost In the Woods.”
By: Marc Ferman