WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

First of all if you haven’t seen Frozen 2 yet go see it. The movie is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. Once you’ve seen the movie then you can read this, because it will contain spoilers for the movie. Disney knocked yet another movie out of the park, but what purpose does Frozen 2 serve to the story of Anna and Elsa? Why did Disney feel the need to continue their story?

If you’ve seen Frozen 2 then you know that Elsa and Anna are searching for answers about Arendelle’s past in order to save their kingdom. This journey leads them to discover why Elsa has magic powers and Anna doesn’t.  It also leads them to the discovery of how their parents met and how they actually died. Their parents met when Arendelle met with and attacked the people of the enchanted forest. They died searching for answers as to why Elsa was born with powers. The real question is, what does this new information do to the story of Anna and Elsa?

Frozen is an incredible film all on it’s own, but Frozen 2 fleshes out the characters even more. This happened in part because producer Peter Del Vecho was peppered with unanswered questions from fans around the world. One of the directors of the movies Jennifer Lee wanted to take the characters into more adult themes. She wanted them to tackle more serious issues with the characters.  Frozen 2 does this very well. Kristoff has to wrestle with his feelings for Anna. Anna has to face the grief of losing her sister and Olaf. Olaf struggles with understanding the world as he grows up. Elsa struggles with understanding her powers, and the guilt of feeling like she is what caused her parents’ death. Frozen 2 continues the stories of the characters into adulthood. It also provided more background as to who Elsa and Anna really are. They are the bridge between magic and people.

I love the way that Frozen 2 fleshes out the characters and continues their story. The question is, why did Disney make Frozen 2? The most obvious answer is money. Frozen was incredibly successful and popular. Disney knew they could make a fortune off of a sequel. And they did, the current global box office total is $1.034 billion. However, there is some evidence to reveal that that isn’t quite the case. According to Disney Ceo Bob Iger they weren’t mandating a Frozen sequel, because they didn’t want to risk making a movie that wasn’t as good as the original. Additionally, Jennifer Lee (director), Chris Buck (director), and Peter Del Vecho (producer) all agreed in November of 2014 that they weren’t ready to leave Arendelle behind.

Frozen 2 adds more to the story of Arendelle, but is that really why Disney made the sequel? I personally love Frozen and like to think that it was made solely for the development of the characters and their stories. What do you think? Did Disney make Frozen 2 for the money, for the story, or both? Comment your thoughts on the reason below. If you would like to read more about cartoons, cosplay, media, and more please subscribe to Media Mania.