It has been six years since the release of “Frozen,” which captivated the hearts of children all across the world. It is hard to say the same for “Frozen II,” starring Kristen Bell and Josh Gad, just to name a few of the big named actors in this underwhelming film. 

The original 2013 film focused on two Princesses from Arendelle who are sisters struggling to connect with each other. Princess Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel, has magical ice powers, a secret she keeps hidden from her sister, Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell. When Elsa accidentally creates a harsh winter using her power, the two Princesses must work together (along with the help of some others) to save Arendelle. With its witty humor and marvelous soundtrack, “Frozen” was one for the books.

“Frozen II,” set three years after the ending of the first film, had an average soundtrack and lacked the classic humor characters in the first movie were known to have. 

In the sequel, the two sisters learn more about their past as well as the full story of their parents’ death.

When the girls were younger, their father told them a story of an enchanted forest that hosted the magical spirits of earth, air, fire, and water. The forest was blocked off because the people in the forest did not get along with the people of Arendelle. In the far north, there is a river that would give Elsa and Anna all the answers they need to open up the enchanted forest.

Unfortunately, this uneventful, slow storyline is all the film has to offer before the title screen appears. The first sight of bore in the film was the beginning song performed by the sisters’ mother, voiced by Evan Rachel Wood, called “All is Found.” The song was incredibly dull and never had that strong moment to get the audience excited for the highly anticipated film.

To add on to this poorly executed film, the only relationship the film seemed to create was between Kristoff, voiced by Jonathan Groff, and Anna. Kristoff makes numerous attempts throughout the film to propose to Anna, a relationship that was built in the first film, however the proposal eventually goes awry. 

One of the most beloved characters from the original film, Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, gave a disappointing performance complete with a lame storyline dealing with maturity. Specifically, he starts to gain knowledge, a trait that does not fit his character from the first film at all.

This Olaf plot was a major upset, as it lacked the fun comedy that engaged the audience so much in the original film, it is painful to think that this was the best Disney writers could come up with. And although the idea was there, however, the film’s attempt at comedy was not delivered well. 

The most disappointing part of the whole film was the lack of show stopping songs. All the songs, written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, were weak attempts to match the strong soundtrack of the original film. In particular, what seemed like an aim for a soft-rock song, “Lost in the Woods,” turned out to be one of the most painful songs to sit through, even though a strong performance was given by Jonathan Groff.  

Despite the disappointment of the film as a whole, its breathtaking animation is still noteworthy. Set in the fall season, the film did a wonderful job of captivating all the beautiful colors that come with this brisk season. Frankly, the great animation was the only part of the movie that kept it moving along.

 For anyone interested in seeing “Frozen II,” think twice before giving up one hour and 43 minutes of your life that you will never get back. Save the trip and money, and skip this show this Holiday season.