You can rest easy, because there is a song in Frozen 2 as good as ‘Let It Go’

JOE's review of Disney's epic animated sequel is here.

Let us not fool ourselves. We could all pretend that the reason we’re coming back to the world of Arendelle is because we want to get reinvested with Princesses Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell), and the new plot involving mystical spirits in a far away world that portend to a potentially devastating future for everyone in their snowy town. Or that we are all back to spend more time with the scene stealing snowman Olaf (Josh Gad), or the hunkily lovable Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and his even more lovable reindeer BFF Sven, and how they are joined by a series of new instantly memorable supporting characters such as a fire lizard (which will be THE most sought after teddy bear-adjacent toy this Christmas), or long-lost King's guard Mattias (Sterling K. Brown) and his hilarious reaction when told the plot of the first movie in fast forward. It could that we loved the beautiful visuals, the fantasy-Scandinavian setting, or the killer one-liners (this reviewer could barely stop laughing at the word “Samantha?” after five solid minutes), or any number of alternate reasons, but let us be honest. The reason we all came back for Frozen II is to see if there was a single banger as fantastic as 'Let It Go', and we are very happy to report that yes, yes there is. In fact, there are three. Elsa gets two of them - with 'Into The Unknown', which is later covered by Panic! At The Disco over the end credits, and 'Show Yourself', which cleverly changes meaning halfway through - but perhaps even better is Kristoff's 80's-boy-band-tastic 'Lost In The Woods', complete with hilarious matching music video-esque visuals. They're all woven beautifully into a plot that manages to cleverly upend some expectations in the same way the first movie did, but doing it subtly enough that you don't anticipate the directions it takes. And that is paired with some truly spectacular imagery, as writer/directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck show a lot more ingenuity with Elsa's powers, and the fantastical situations they drop her and her support system into. It isn't perfect - it does get a little tiring listening to Elsa and Anna constantly argue about things being too dangerous to do on your own, and the ultimate reasoning behind the movie's biggest mystery is a bit of a damp squib - but it is closer to Toy Story 2 than Finding Dory in terms of as-good-as-the-original sequels, and will likely set up many, many arguments about which one is actually better. One thing you won't be arguing about is the soundtrack. This one is going to be played everywhere between now and next Christmas. Prepare yourself. Frozen II is released in Irish cinemas on Friday 22 November. Clip via Walt Disney Animation Studios