Weezer, Aurora, and magic: Everything we know about ‘Frozen 2’
Frozen is officially the first Disney princess film to get a sequel that wasn’t some direct-to-DVD crap. Of course, this comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with Disney’s rapacious hunt for lucre, as the first Frozen was the highest-grossing animated film of all time upon its initial release.
Frozen 2 will return fans to Arendelle to follow Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Sven, and Olaf (Josh Gad) on a new adventure throughout the kingdom. Of course, this means new music and probably another song even more annoying than “Let it Go”.
We’ve conjured up the magic surrounding the newest installment and what to expect from Disney’s 58th animated film. There’s plenty of new content surrounding Frozen 2 to be excited about.
The origin story of magic?
Frozen 2 aims to answer the questions Elsa’s had about her powers since childhood. A mysterious voice begins calling out to Elsa, drawing her to the north. At the same time, a mysterious force is reckoning Arendelle, forcing the subjects to leave town.
Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf all have to go on an adventure to the north to answer the call from Elsa. They have to go into the enchanted forest the girl’s parents have warned them about for years, but to save the kingdom, it’s their only hope.
Old vs. new faces
It wouldn’t be a Frozen film without Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf. Menzel, Bell, Groff, and Gad are all returning to their respective roles for the new film. Ciaran Hinds, Alan Tudyk, and Santino Fontana are also returning in their roles as Grand Pabbie, Duke of Weselton, and Prince Hans, respectively.
Joining the cast for Frozen 2 are Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Rachel Matthews, and Jermey Sisto. Brown joins the cast as Lieutenant Destin Mattias, leader of the soldiers trapped in the magical woods.
Plimpton stars as the leader of a new tribe (Northuldra), Yelena, while Ritter and Matthews star as two members of the Northuldra tribe. Wood & Molina replace Jennifer Lee & Maurice LaMarche as queen and king of Arendelle, respectively.
Jennifer Lee is at it again
Walt Disney Animation Studios CCO Jennifer Lee is once again helming the director’s chair along with co-director Chris Buck. Lee became the first female director to direct a Disney animated film and the first female director to direct a film with over $1 billion box office gross.
Songwriter couple Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez are working on the music again, looking to score another few nominations for their songs. The Lopezes were also invited to work on the story for the second film. Christophe Beck is working on the score for the film again. Why change up a winning sonic formula?
Frozen 2: Elsa’s emo phase?!
While it’s no surprise former Disney star Demi Lovato was invited to sing for the first Frozen, the end credits songs for Frozen 2 decided to do something different. Weezer and Panic! At the Disco are covering songs for the end credits. Weezer will cover “Lost in the Woods”, and Panic! will cover “Into the Unknown”.
Country superstar Kacey Musgraves is covering “All is Found” as well. Singer Aurora is also featured on the soundtrack as the mysterious voice calling out to Elsa. While Disney usually has one major artist cover or write an original song for their animated movies, this is the first time Disney went with three artists for the end credits.
Happy Thanksgiving – Let’s go watch Frozen 2
You can get the whole family together to watch Frozen 2 over Thanksgiving in the U.S., as it releases the Friday before (November 22nd). The rest of the world can join Elsa and Anna on their adventure the same day unless you’re from New Zealand or Australia, in which case you have to wait until November 28th.
