Introduction
“Frozen 2” is a sequel to the popular Disney animated film “Frozen”. The new fairy tale about Elsa and Anna was presented to the audience by directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee six years after the first part which won two Oscars (Rogers 4). It seemed that the sequel would appear much earlier. Almost every year, the studio announced that they had a good idea for the sequel or that the final touches were added to the script, but only short films were released. Finally, in 2019, the fans of “Frozen” got an opportunity to watch “Frozen 2” (Rogers 4). Its plot is emotionally concentrated not on the two sisters but on their parents’ experience, and other subjects. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a narrative structure analysis of “Frozen 2” and cover the theme of the film as well as its following or deviating from the typical movie structure.
Act I: Setup
The film begins with a story about the Enchanted Forest that is told to children, Anna and Elsa, by their father. Once the Northuldra tribe and the Arendelle soldiers made peace, the latter built a dam for the indigenous people. However, later, a war broke out between the countries. The spirits of the Enchanted Forest, enraged, drove Arendelle’s troops beyond the forest (Rogers 10). These events of the distant past might be regarded as a background to the main action of the movie that lets the viewers understand the context and easily follow the story.
The narration continues three years after the last episode of “Frozen”. Elsa hears a mysterious voice and, following it, accidentally awakens the spirits of the Enchanted Forest, whose forces began to cause panic in the kingdom of Arendelle. However, subsequently, the residents have time to leave. Grandfather Pabbyie calls on Elsa, Anna, and their friends to go to the forest, where she must pacify the spirits (Rogers 11). It is the inciting incident of the film that creates a problem to be solved by the main characters; besides, it arouses interest in the audience. The sequence of events described above is the setup, or Act I.
Act II: Confrontation
In Act II, or the confrontation, Elsa’s fight with the elementals on the way to where the voice leads her is demonstrated. Having reached the forest, Elsa, her sister Anna, Kristoff, Sven the deer, and Olaf the snowman encounter the air spirit in the form of a tornado (Di Placido). Elsa destroys the whirlwind by the power of magic. Soon, the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest are attacked by the spirit of fire. Trying to stop the elemental, Elsa sees that the spirit of fire is a harmless magical salamander; Elsa calms it down and prevents a forest fire.
Afterward, following the mysterious voice, the princess goes to the north and discovers the place where her parents’ ship has wrecked. They tried to get to Ahtohallan, a river of memory. Elsa reaches the water reservoir and finds out that the mysterious voice that has beckoned her during all the course of the film belongs to Iduna, her mother (Di Placido). The river shows Elsa that her grandfather has tried to harm the Northuldra tribe. The only way to set the spirits of the Enchanted Forest free is to destroy the dam. This point is the climax of the movie plot that keeps the audience in suspense.
Act III: Resolution and the Themes
The dam collapses and the water flow goes to Arendell. That is why Elsa rushes to the kingdom and prevents the flood. After that, Kristoff makes Anna a marriage proposal which she accepts. Anna is proclaimed the new Queen of Arendelle, and Elsa remains in the Enchanted Forest to protect it (Di Placido). These events can be regarded as Act III or the resolution of the conflict; as many Disney movies, “Frozen 2” has a happy ending. The structure of the film mostly reminds of the typical plots of fairytale animated films. Usually, in such a movie, there is a problem to solve, and the main character together with his or her friends overcomes all the obstacles and at the same time, learns some important lessons.
Speaking about the way “Frozen 2” deviates from the typical structure, the main difference is that the action is driven forward mostly by magic. This creates the impression that the characters remain passive; the peculiarity is closely connected with another difference, which is the fact that the characters do not progress much throughout the plot (Di Placido). Under the group mission, they have no chance to evolve; for instance, Kristoff proposes to Anna which becomes evident at the beginning of the story, and this is the only significant deed of his. As for the themes, they include colonization and minority representation, toxic masculinity, and sisterhood the first one being of great importance (Di Placido). The victimized natives are the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest who did not benefit from a dam; eventually, they receive freedom and become protected by Elsa. She is shown as an ideal colonizator who protects the natives and does not abuse them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is significant to press the point that “Frozen 2” has a rather typical plot the main peculiarity being that it is magic that drives the action. Besides, the characters of the movie do not develop much; in this respect, “Frozen 2” is different from other films of this kind. Unlike “Frozen”, the second film is centered on the problem of colonization and pays less attention to the relationships between Elsa and Anna.
References
Di Placido, Dani. “Frozen II Is a Good Sequel but a Bad Movie.” Forbes, 2019. Web.
Rogers, Anna S. “Are Disney Characters ‘Frozen’ in Stereotypes? An Intersectional Analysis of Frozen.” Education Sciences & Society-Open Access Journal 10.2 (2019).