It’s been a few years since that whole freezing incident in the kingdom of Arendelle, and life has gotten back to normal for Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Princess Anna (Kristen Bell). Elsa had used her magical powers to give snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) a permafrost so that he doesn’t have to worry about melting, or need a personal snow shower following him everywhere. And Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) is anxiously trying to find the perfect moment and setting to propose to Anna, but every time he’s about to do so, something or someone interrupts him.
However, it isn’t long before Arendelle finds itself in danger once again. Elsa starts hearing a voice calling her, and has a vivid dream. The wind starts to blow angrily, the water and fire in the town go out, and the earth starts to crumble. Elsa is afraid that she has awoken the magical spirits of the enchanted forest, which her father had warned her about as a child. King Agnarr (Alfred Molina) once told his daughters the story of when he became king. As a boy, he joined his father on a visit to an old enchanted forest to the north, which was protected by four nature spirits—Air, Fire, Water and Earth. The magical Northuldra people who lived there had made peace with the people of Arendelle, but during the celebration, a battle broke out between the two peoples. This angered the spirits, who turned against them, blanketing the forest in a mist that prevented anyone from entering or exiting. Young Agnarr managed to escape, thanks to the help of a mysterious, magical young girl, and returned home to become King. The adult Agnarr warned his daughters that one day the forest spirits may wake again and put Arendelle in danger. Today appears to be that day.
So Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle in search of the enchanted forest, looking for a way to make things right with the spirits, restore the peace, and save Arendelle. Along the way, they meet the lost people of the Northuldra tribe, as well as former King’s Guard leader Mattius (Sterling K. Brown), and uncover some secrets about the girls’ mother, Iduna (Evan Rachel Wood). However, the key to fixing things may be in a quest that Elsa must embark on alone—finding the mythical river of Ahtohallan that her mother often sang about, which may also be the source of her powers.
While it will always be tough to beat the original Frozen film, this sequel is a worthy follow-up. It brings back all of the great characters from the first film, allows them to grow and have fun, while also providing a new, exciting adventure. It also has a lot of humorous callbacks to the events of the first film. For example, there is a moment early on when the characters are playing charades, and Elsa gets the word “ice”, or when Olaf does a hilarious one-man play for the folks trapped in the forest, getting them up to speed on the events of the first film.
While the characters start off on a common journey, they soon find themselves split up and each on his or her own personal journey. Elsa is once again trying to find and accept herself, Anna is discovering the strength, power and compassion she has to be a leader, Olaf is becoming more of a responsible adult (as much as a snowman can really grow), and Kristoff is trying to find the perfect way to express his love for Anna, with the help of his talkative reindeer best friend Sven. This gives all of the characters both a chance to grow, and have their musical moments.
When I first saw this film in the theater, I didn’t think the songs were as memorable as those from the first film. However, it’s been several days since re-watching the movie on this 4K release, and many are still constantly popping into my head. While nothing can parallel “Let it Go”, in this film Elsa gets the big, Oscar-nominated belter “Into The Unknown”, plus her finding-her-power song, “Show Yourself”. Olaf gets the fun, comical tune, “When I Am Older”. And this time Kristoff gets more than just a tiny ditty—his classic power ballad “Lost in the Woods”, which plays out like a fun music video, is my personal favorite of the film.
Fans of the original are sure to enjoy this follow-up as it is ultimately more of the same, but with a fresh new story and songs. The sequel further expands the mythology, and allows the characters and relationships room to grow. I would certainly watch a third film in this franchise.
Disney’s 4K UHD presentation is phenomenal. Every scene is filled with vibrant colors and heavily-detailed characters and beautiful landscapes. During the prologue, we see rippling water, and blue skies, and this goes into a frenzy as the spirits are angered. This attention to detail is seen throughout the film. Another great example is when Elsa is trying to conquer the crashing waves and finds herself face-to-face with the horse-like water spirit. My only complaint about the video presentation is that Disney continues to only offer HDR-10 on the disc while making the Dolby Vision encode only available on the digital copy.
The audio presentation is also quite impressive. The Atmos soundtrack is well-utilized to provide a fully-immersive aural experience, whether it’s wind gusts, crashing waves, or any other sounds of nature coming to life. The musical performances sound amazing, the score is delightful, and the dialogue remains clear throughout the film.
The 4K release comes packed in a standard UHD keepcase along with a rounded-corner cardboard slipcover. Inside is the digital copy redemption instructions (the digital copy redeems in UHD format), along with the UHD and Blu-ray discs. The bonus material can only be found on the Blu-ray disc. This includes a sing-along version of the movie, and over an hour of bonus material including outtakes, Easter eggs, deleted scenes, deleted songs, music videos, and other behind-the-scenes featurettes, plus direct access to the film’s musical performances along with lyrics. There are also some additional digital-only bonus features that are included with the digital copy.
While the 4K release looks phenomenal, it is disappointing to see that Disney is once again not offering the 3D Blu-ray version in the U.S. (it will be available in other countries)—this is such a visually stunning film with scenes specifically designed for 3D, and it would have been great to have that viewing option as well for those who have the ability to watch 3D at home.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:43:13)
4K Ultra HD:
- 2160p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- HDR-10
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, Japanese 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Japanese
Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, Spanish
Digital (code subject to expiration after 2/25/2025):
- 4K Digital Copy redeemable via Movies Anywhere
Extras:
Bonus material is only available on the Blu-ray disc and digital copy. The 4K disc does also offer the Sing-Along version of film.
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Blu-ray Disc (and Digital):
- Sing Along with the Movie (1:43:13)
Stylized song lyrics appear on screen, highlighted in time with the music to make it easy for viewers to sing along with the film. This is also an option on the 4K disc. - Outtakes (2:26)
The cast flub their lines, improvise, and just have fun in the recording booth. - Did You Know??? (4:27)
Olaf and Anna dive into some fun facts about the making of the movie, and point out some secret Easter eggs to look out for. - The Spirits of Frozen 2 (12:02)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the Scandinavian and Nordic mythology that inspired the nature spirits that inhabit the Enchanted Forest, and the challenges of bringing each of these four spirits to life. Includes behind-the scenes footage of the crew’s research trip, animation tests, concept art, and interviews with director/screenwriter Jennifer Lee, director Chris Buck, animation supervisor Trent Corey, characters art director Bill Schwab, heads of effects animation Dale Mayeda & Marlon West, and stars Kristen Bell (“Anna”), Evan Rachel Wood (“Iduna”), Sterling K. Brown (“Lieutenant Mattias”), Josh Gad (“Olaf”), Jonathan Groff (“Kristoff”) & Idina Menzel (“Elsa”). - Scoring a Sequel (3:49)
Executive music producer Tom MacDougall and composer Christophe Beck talk about creating a score that unifies the themes of the story as well as complements the main musical numbers. Includes behind-the-scenes footage of the 91-piece orchestra and 30 choral voices bringing the film’s unique sound to life. - Deleted Scenes (17:58)
Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck provide an introduction to these deleted scenes, explaining why each ultimately didn’t make the final cut. Play All, or select from:- Prologue (4:08)
In this version of the prologue, as the battle rages between Arendelle and the Northuldra, a young boy and girl meet. - Secret Room (2:36)
Olaf tells Anna and Elsa about a secret room he discovered, in which they discover a shocking secret about their mother. - Elsa’s Dream (2:56)
Elsa’s dream comes to life in snow as Anna looks on. - Hard Nokk’s (4:21)
The Water Nokk gets Kristoff to confess his true feelings about the fancier parts of life in Arendelle. - A Place of Our Own (3:06)
Elsa uses her magic to allow Anna to see and hear her parents’ validation.
- Prologue (4:08)
- Deleted Songs (11:42)
Director/screenwriter Jennifer Lee and director Chris Buck provide an introduction to these songs that didn’t make it into the final film. Play All, or select from:- “Home” (4:22)
Anna sings about how much she loves Arendelle, singing about her home as she wanders through the kingdom. Set to rough hand-drawn animation. - “I Wanna Get This Right” (6:24)
Kristoff sings about struggling to get his proposal just right, leaving Anna to just pop the question herself.
- “Home” (4:22)
- Gale Tests
Director Chris Buck and director/screenwriter Jennifer Lee provide introductions to two of the early ways that the filmmakers tried to bring the playful wind spirit, Gale to life.- Gale Test (3:01)
The filmmakers talk about the challenge of giving personality to something that’s invisible. In this first attempt, a young girl and boy are playing tag when the wind decides to join in on the game. - Hand-Drawn Gale Test (:55)
A look at the hand-drawn animation that inspired Gale.
- Gale Test (3:01)
- “Into the Unknown” in 29 Languages (3:07)
During playback, the song seamlessly cycles between 29 Languages—English, Castilian Spanish, PRC Mandarin, Swedish, Hungarian, Danish, Sámi, German, Icelandic, Bulgarian, Mandarin Taiwan, Estonian, Norwegian, Serbian, French, Russian, Italian, Greek, Polish, Korean, Flemish, Vietnamese, Thai, Latin Spanish, Kazakh, Hindi, Japanese, Finnish, and Brazilian Portuguese. - Music Videos (6:23)
Popular bands create their own versions of some of the film’s iconic musical numbers. Play All, or select from:- “Into the Unknown” (Panic! at the Disco Version) (3:16)
Clips of Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie preparing to take the stage to perform, intercut with footage of Elsa trying to overcome the giant wave. - “Lost in the Woods” (Weezer Version) (3:06)
A live-action re-creation of Kristoff’s epic ballad scene from the film. Includes an appearance by Kristen Bell.
- “Into the Unknown” (Panic! at the Disco Version) (3:16)
- Song Selection (21:45)
Similar to the Sing-Along version of the film, except that you can instantly access to your favorite musical moments with on-screen lyrics. Play All, or select from:- “All Is Found” (1:55)
- “Some Things Never Change” (3:39)
- “All Is Found Reprise” (:26)
- “Into The Unknown” (3:14)
- “When I Am Older” (1:51)
- “Lost in the Woods” (3:01)
- “Show Yourself” (4:18)
- “The Next Right Thing” (3:31)
- Sneak Peeks (3:56)
Trailers for DisneyHits Playlist, Onward, and Mulan. - Meet the Lopezes (8:36)
In this audio interview, the award-winning husband-and-wife music-composing team behind the original songs from the Frozen films give insight into their writing process. Also includes some behind-the-scenes footage. - Deleted Song – “Unmeltable Me” (2:48)
Olaf sings a celebratory song about his permafrost and newfound freedom. On iTunes and Movies Anywhere, this appears as a separate extra, but on Vudu and Fandango Now, it’s built into the Deleted Scenes feature. - New To Frozen 2 (3:12)
The cast and directors talk about returning to Frozen, the premise of the sequel, and some of the film’s new characters. Participants include co-directors Jennifer Lee & Chris Buck, and stars Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, and Jonathan Groff. Available via Vudu. - Feast (6:12)
In this 2014 animated short, a man’s love life is revealed through the meals he shares with his beloved dog Winston. Available via Vudu. - Walmart Exclusives (16 min)
The Walmart exclusive edition includes a bonus code to unlock additional digital exclusives via Vudu.- Frozen Fashion
Mike Giaimo and team host an in-depth look at the development of the movie’s new costumes for our favorite Frozen 2 characters. - Olaf: Older And Wiser
Join the cast and crew as they discuss your favorite character’s transformation from newly made snowman to “older and wiser” Olaf.
Purchasing Sparkling Ice water at Walmart will also unlock a code on your receipt for the following in SD (offer expires 3/31):
- Frozen 2: The Water Nokk (Exclusive)
Explore the beauty and development of the Water Spirit.
- Frozen Fashion
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Digital Exclusives:
(Availability varies per retailer)
Final Thoughts:
Frozen 2 is a worthy follow-up to the original Frozen film, taking the beloved characters on a new adventure, and allowing them to grow. The film features some new memorable songs that will get stuck in your head (my personal favorite is Kristoff’s power ballad “Lost in the Woods”). The film has excitement, adventure and lots of laughs, and is sure to please the whole family. Disney’s 4K release looks and sounds excellent and comes with a huge assortment of bonus material. There are many different store-exclusive versions that include various extra bonuses, but any version comes highly recommended.
