How Frozen 2 Still Breaks The Mould Of Disney Films

It’s no Frozen, but it still has the heart of it. It’s still unique in its own way.

Eric S Burdon
6 min readMar 1, 2020

In terms of sequels from films, one example of it done right is the Frozen series thus far.

Over the years, we’ve seen series fall by the wayside. Like Pirates of the Caribbean parts 4 & 5, Cars 2, the later half of the Ice Age films, amongst others. But I wouldn’t throw Frozen 2 into that same lot.

There were wrinkles for sure, but not too much that it would diminish the quality of the movie.

Be warned: some minor spoilers ahead.

The number of songs brought it to a point where it felt like an hour and a half long music video. It was obvious they were milking for memes (and attempting to make the next “Let It Go”) with the number of songs.

Perhaps the sheer number of songs in there is enough to make a meme out of it?

The new characters that were introduced in this film made little to no impact in the film. The general and Hans were more memorable characters in the first film and created more tension. The royal guard and the Northuldra felt they existed and were quickly forgotten.

And you can also say that corporate greed mired this film too.

Though that last point is rather moot as Frozen 2 is officially the highest-grossing animated film in the world. Surpassing Frozen ($1.28 billion) by earning a total of $1.446 billion in the box office.

So what made it succeed so much compared to other films whose sequels flopped?

Of course, marketing, promotion, and adorable characters play a significant role in sales. But I’d also look to the writing and the overall direction of the film.

Because — to my surprise — this film had the same core team in the writing and direction of the film more or less. And by the end of the film, I thought that Frozen 2 was a weaker sequel due to the reasons mentioned above.

But the more that I’m digging into this film and digesting it, the more I can see why it’s a strong film. Between the two, I’d still go with the original, but Frozen 2 is still good in its own way.

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Eric S Burdon

Entrepreneur, positive-minded. I used to say a lot, but now I do a lot.