I had planned to see this in a theater but put it off too long. Maybe I was too afraid it would be...not bad, but far below its predecessor, which I loved. It did get pretty mixed reviews. Still, I doubted that Missing Link deserved a Best Animated Feature nomination more. Maybe one piece set in 19th-century snowy Scandinavia was the Academy's limit.
A few years after the last events of Frozen, things have cooled down, as it were, in the pseudo-Norwegian kingdom of Arendelle. Not much has been happening for our heroes, except that Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) has had trouble proposing to Princess Anna (Kristen Bell), while her older sister, Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), despite getting to be sociable again, retains a life dissatisfaction apparently connected to her growing ice powers -- which helps explain why, when only she can hear a mysterious distant singing voice, she warms up to the idea of following it. Her pursuit leads to something out of an account she heard from her dad (Alfred Molina) in childhood, involving agitated spirits of the classical elements who threaten both Arendelle and the pseudo-Norwegian Northuldra tribe. At the advice of a troll elder (Ciarán Hinds), she sets out for an enchanted forest for a solution, accompanied by Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf the living snowman (Josh Gad).
You'd best see F1 first if you haven't already. F2 throws in some bits of synopsis without feeling too stilted, but they're so brief and patchy that I assume they mean to jog memories, not get newcomers up to speed.
Indeed, even if you remember F1 well, you can easily get confused. F2 may shed some light on why Elsa has superpowers, but it raises more questions than it answers. I guess viewers are supposed to think like kids, accepting fantasy premises without caring about the logic behind them. Perhaps of greater concern is characters' tendency to understand situations faster than we can. I chalk that up to the studio not wanting the film to run longer than 103 minutes.
Alas, neither confusion nor further deviation from Hans Christian Andersen prevent the story from turning predictable at times. (I won't give an example, in case it still manages to surprise you.) It all adds up to a typical instance of a sequel not knowing where to go.
In some ways, however, the plot provides slight relief. Sad and dark things continue to happen, but they lack the sting of those in F1. There's a bit more action, and it focuses on an autumnal region, so we don't have to gaze at as much white and blue. (Why is all the fire pink, tho?) I won't say it's more character-driven, but the character interactions seem to offer more variety. And there's no real villain, at least among the living.
Speaking of relief, you may think you already know how to feel about Olaf, but his situation has changed a little. His new obsession is maturation. Being a relatively recent creation, he keeps collecting and sharing knowledge (of dubious value) and looking forward to gaining more. He still walks the line between amusing and annoying for adults, but at least he's gotten more creative in molding himself. And once again, he has a serious part or two to play.
The music is about equally beautiful. In fact, I prefer the sound of "Into the Unknown" to any number from F1. It's the lyrics that fall short, having basically no applicability out of context. They also have a few questionable word choices, such as Elsa's "I'm spoken for, I fear." (Sorry, everyone who wanted her to find romance.)
The important thing, I figure, is that I had plenty of fun watching F2. It may magnify preexisting flaws if not introduce new ones, but it shares enough DNA with F1 to justify watching.
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