Helpful Things for Parents To Know Before Taking Your Kids To See ‘Frozen 2’
If, like me, you have young Frozen fans in the house then no doubt you’ll be spending your weekend checking out the hotly anticipated sequel which opens in theaters this weekend! Since its been a while since we last checked in with Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle we here at MickeyBlog thought we’d share with you a few tidbits on what to expect when you head to the theater.
According to a recent piece in Entertainment Weekly, the type of content you’ll find in Frozen 2 isn’t really that different from the original. However, where heavy things like the loss of parents were more of an abstract happening in the original film, in the sequel they are dealt with more in-depth. Many of the critics that have already seen the film have noted that it is darker and more intense than the original.
As the EW article advises if you haven’t had to yet navigate a discussion with your children about death or loss, the movie may raise obvious questions that parents will want to be prepared for.
An example of this would be a scene in Frozen 2 where Olaf serves as a narrator that recounts the events of the first film. Right off the bat, he talks about how Anna and Elsa’s parents “died.” Like the original, there are also real feelings of separation when the sisters who are now best friends, must go their separate ways in the film.
The author who wrote the EW article – Lacey Vorrasi-Banis was musing as to why the separation of the sisters had such a huge impact on the daughter she brought with her to the film before she realized that the separation of Anna and Elsa is a MASSIVE deal to little ones. The sisters are almost always seen in the Disney sphere as a package deal! There’s Anna and Elsa merchandise, Anna and Elsa posters advertising the film, there’s even an Anna and Elsa meet and greet at Disney World. That’s why when the sisters are forced to go their separate ways, it may really tear at tiny heartstrings.
Another thing to note about the sequel is that in the original film you had a notable villain in Prince Hans. In the sequel, there is no overt villain. All of the scariness of the film comes from the “unknown.” This concept in and of itself is a bit existential and frightening for anyone let alone tiny tots!
Even the songs themselves can be a bit heavy. Where “Let it Go” became a bit of an independence anthem, one of the big songs from Frozen 2 “The Next Right Thing” has lines like “The life I knew is over. The lights are out. Hello, darkness, I’m ready to succumb.” Yikes!
If you’re travelling with kids heavily invested in the franchise or ones that scare easily, you may want to give them a bit of a warning that Frozen 2 may be darker than the original or at least be prepared for questions that may arise from a slightly more mature film.
Though some may make the argument that the Frozen franchise has matured as its audience has matured, there are still small children falling in love with the original film every day! This means that younger viewers may naturally find a film that explores themes like the unknown, the loss of parents, and the separation from family members or friends to pack quite an emotional punch.
Just look at the slightly darker tone of the Official Trailer:
Though we have no doubt that Disney’s sequel in this monster of a franchise will be nothing short of magical and add even more depth to these incredible characters – darker themes may raise issues for some cinema-goers.
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