Frozen II [Blu-Ray]

Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Cast: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad (VOICES)

Release Date: February 25, 2020

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

In “Frozen 2,” the answer to why Elsa was born with magical powers is calling her and threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, she sets out on a dangerous but remarkable journey. In “Frozen,” Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world. In the highly anticipated sequel, she must hope they are enough.

Disney returns to their popular animated world in ‘Frozen 2’ which sees sisters Elsa and Anna confronted by whispers aligning with tales their parents told them as children. Once again accompanied by their loyal friends Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, the sisters seek out a forest of legend, and soon realize that the death of their parents may have been connected to a long kept secret that’s caused unrest in the lands and may also hold the key to the truth of Elsa’s remarkable gifts. As every step closer to the truth is accompanied by increased danger and uncertainty, they will have to risk everything if they hope to find the truth and restore order to their kingdom and this mysterious forest that’s been disconnected from the world for decades.

‘Frozen 2’ is a gorgeously animated and emotionally riveting follow-up to the immensely popular Disney favorite that does justice to the overall saga of Elsa, Anna and their kingdom as well as close friends. Instead of merely recreating the general storyline of its predecessor, this animated sequel takes things in a refreshingly new direction that’s loaded with laughs, danger and revelations, not to mention plenty of brand new songs of course. Somewhat surprisingly at times, the film never hesitates to delve into dark and somewhat adult content, such as exploring the death of Elsa and Anna’s parents in far more detail than its predecessor; their demise not just repeatedly referenced but also playing a significant part within the story. It’s certainly never tackled in an improper or overly explicit manner, but some parents may be hesitant about their children being exposed to such topics or may want to at least have a brief talk beforehand (or even during) and therefore it felt worth noting just in case. That being said, it also provides a lot of care and heart within the story that forces our heroines to confront the truth of their loss and the purpose behind it if they hope to move on personally and also correct unknown wrongs that appear to be connected to an attack on their kingdom. Featuring a noteworthy voice cast including Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad along with more, ‘Frozen 2’ is a wonderful animated sequel that fans of the first film and dedicated Disney fans in general definitely won’t want to miss out on.

Overall, ‘Frozen 2’ is a magical and heartfelt follow-up to Disney’s massive animated hit that’s loaded with new original songs, humor, plenty of adventure and even some fairly surprisingly revelations, all with animation that’s utterly breathtaking. ‘Frozen 2’ is strongly recommended for fans of the immensely popular first film and all Disney fanatics, as well as anyone who appreciates a quality animated feature with a great deal to offer folks of all ages. This highly anticipated sequel only exceeds expectations with its stellar animation and refreshingly original story and songs. For those who have been looking forward it yet missed it in theaters, it should easily prove well worth the price of a rental at the very least. The fans considering dropping the money on a blind purchase of the Blu-ray release probably won’t be at all disappointed either.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Frozen 2’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks spectacular in every way, providing a sharp, richly detailed and brightly colored presentation that does justice to the film’s visually outstanding animation from start to finish. It holds up impressively even during the various darkly lit, heavily populated and fast moving moments, never allowing anything onscreen to become negatively affected, let alone rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a marvelous high definition video presentation from Disney that looks nearly perfect throughout and should have no trouble whatsoever satisfying both fans and first time viewers.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio Soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack makes a wonderful compliment to the onscreen excitement, delivering a crisp, clean and quite aggressive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly takes full advantage of all seven available channels in order to send the original music, along with magic and action effects, plus nature content, dialogue and plenty more throughout the various speakers quite regularly, while always making certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that may be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible. Overall, this is a fantastic 7.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers on all fronts and repeatedly contributes its share of additional fun to the viewing experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Frozen 2’ includes the option of viewing the film itself in its original theatrical version or in ‘Sing-Along’ mode. The release also features a number of fun extras that fans of all ages should enjoy including a collection of ‘Deleted Scenes’ (running approximately 18 minutes combined) and ‘2 Deleted Songs’ (running approximately 12 minutes in total) from the film, both with Introductions by Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. We’re also treated to some ‘Outtakes’ (approximately 2 minutes) and various Behind the Scenes Featurettes and fun videos including ‘Did You Know?’ (4 minutes), ‘The Spirits of Frozen 2’ (12 minutes), ‘Scoring A Sequel’ (4 minutes), and ‘2 Gale Tests with Introductions by Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee’ (4 minutes altogether). Also included is ‘”Into the Unknown” in 29 Languages’ (approximately 3 minutes) and ‘2 Music Videos’: ‘”Into the Unknown” Panic! At The Disco Version’ (3 minutes) and ‘”Lost in the Woods” Weezer version’ (3 minutes), plus a ‘Song Selection’.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10

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 Disney’s ‘Frozen II’ Arrives Home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD on February 25, 2020 & is Now Available to Own on Digital from Walt Disney Home Entertainment

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