Now that D23 Expo is over and Iāve had some time to process my thoughts on all the Frozen 2 goodness I experienced there, I wanted to write a follow up to my panel coverage post from Saturday where I tried to describe pretty much all the new footage that was shown (thanks to everyone who liked and reblogged and for pushing me over 400 followers :3)
Firstly, I wanted to go a little more in depth about theĀ āInto the Unknownā scene now that Iāve found a few posts with the lyrics (canāt say theyāre 100% accurate but they definitely sound on point from what I remember):
As Elsaās walking down the corridors of the castle.
āI can hear you, but I wonāt. Some look for trouble while others donāt.Ā Thereās a thousand reasons I should go about my day and ignore your whispers which I wish would go away, oh. Oh. Youāre not a voice. Youāre just a ringing in my ear and if I heard you ā which I donātā¦ā
She stops and looks at paintings on the wall, One is of the Frohana group and the other is of her parents.
.ā..everyone Iāve ever loved is here within these walls. Iām sorry secret siren but Iām blocking out your calls!ā
She continues walking through the castle and ends up outside. I believe itās the exact same location where she fled Arendelle in the first movie, the area behind the castle near the fjord.
āAre you here to distract me so I make a big mistake? Or are you someone out there whoās a little bit like me, who knows deep down Iām not where Iām meant to be? Every dayās a little harder as I feel my power grow. Donāt you know thereās a part of me that longs to go into the unknown?ā
Around this point the magical ice particles that we saw in the trailer appear. The first image they form is a heard of reindeer like we saw in the trailer scene with Kristoff and Sven. Then the fire spirit (it looks like a little wispy, bouncy flame, just like the purple fire from the trailer), then the Nokk, then the earth giants, and then the blowing leaves. There was also a moment the ice particles seem toĀ āpullā her towards the edge of the land and she spontaneously makes a ledge of ice so she can follow them even farther. This leads to the other trailer scene of her reaching her arm out towards the fjord before the ice crystals with the symbols appear all around her. The footage ends there.
I loved this new song and everything else that was revealed at the Expo. But like others, Iām both hyped and apprehensive about how the filmmakers chose to end the story. Switching gears from song to speculation, while they were discussing the story during the panel, they said things like there will be aĀ ābig changeā andĀ āin the end nothing will ever be the same.ā One of the biggest fears fans are having is that Anna and Elsa will end up separating at the end, whether itās Elsa staying behind in the enchanted land or some other scenario. While I canāt help sharing that fear maybe a tiny bit, Iām much more certain that it will not be the case. titania-knight mentioned that separation of the main characters happened in recent Disney/Pixar sequels like Toy Story 4 and Wreck-It Ralph 2, so it could happen with Frozen. But Frozen is different in the fact that the entire plot of the first movie revolved around Anna and Elsa getting back together as a family. While all the Toy Story movies emphasize the fact that Andyās toys were like family, they also emphasized acceptance of change (leaving Andy for Bonnie), plus the fact that theyāre toys makes it a given that things wonāt always be the same when their kids grow up. And even though the movie ended with Woody separating from the others, itās not like he went off all alone - heās still with Bo Peep and her toy friends, which still leaves potential for fun adventures with them as well as Buzz and the old toys. Same thing with Wreck-It Ralph: the first movie was all about Ralph trying to find out that heās more than aĀ ābad guyā by forming a friendship with Vanellope, while the second film explored how his friendship went a bit overboard and he had to accept Vanellopeās wishes even though they clashed with his own. And again, even though they ended up going separate ways, thereās still potential for stories with Vanellope and her new friends in Slaughter Race and the rest of the internet, as well as Ralph and his arcade friends. Plus they can still easily visit each other now that the arcade is connected to the internet. So yes, Toy Story and Wreck-It Ralph do involve strong bonds of friendship between the characters, but their whole identity isnāt formed from a single relationship the way Frozenās is with the sisterly bond between Anna and Elsa.
While all Disney movies of the past had theĀ āhappily ever afterā ending, even though more recent ones have opted for a bittersweet ending, one thing they still stay true to is, as I described with the aforementioned sequels, the potential for the characters to have more adventures and live on in their world, even if itās not the exact same way as before. Disney keeps their characters immortal by allowing us to always imagine them in a happily ever after even if itās a bit bittersweet. So unlike Ralph and Toy Story, what potential would exist for Frozen if its main characters ended up separating? From what weāve seen of the enchanted lands, they donāt seem like a fun place - Matthias and his soldiers have been trapped there for years, so itās place people want to get away from. Unless a lot more about it is revealed later on, the impression I have is that itās a desolate place not meant to be inhabited. Iāve been trying to think of a possible reason for Elsa to stay there but I canāt think of any, especially not one that would make a satisfying ending. I know Disney isnāt always totally akin to what its fans want, but I donāt think thereās a single Frozen fan who would want an ending with the sisters splitting up, and Disney must be aware of that. I know they want to make Frozen 2 a bit ādarkerā but that doesnāt mean unsatisfying. Itās an ending nobody would want, that goes against the achievement of the first movie, and leaves poor potential for imagining the characters in a continual happily ever after. So while I canāt say with absolute certainty we wonāt get a separation ending, itās very unlikely in my opinion.
So then what could this drastic, irreversible change be? Another theory is that Elsa will lose her powers in the end. It seems more plausible than the separation ending, but still doesnāt seem that likely - stripping Elsa of her powers would pretty much render the 6 years of making her an iconic user of ice magic completely obsolete, and I donāt think Disney would do that to one of their most popular characters. While Iām not one to dwell much in fan theories, I will say that I personally think theĀ ānothing will ever be the sameā description is referring to how we thought Elsa got her powers: she was born with them, but itās actually not the case. For a while Iāve been thinking about the scene at the beginning of the first movie where Pabbie asksĀ āBorn with the power, or cursed?ā and Ignarr saysĀ āBorn.ā The way he says it almost seems like heās being a little too insistent, like he doesnāt want anyone to think it could be a curseā¦so maybe we find out that it actually is, that whatever happened when he went to the enchanted land originally caused his first born child to be cursed with magic powers? Again, thatās just my theory and the only plot reveal I could think of that matches the drastic description the filmmakers put forth for the movie (I also like frozenartscapesā theory of Elsa uniting the magic of the enchanted lands with Arendelle)
I think thatās all I gotta say about Frozen 2 for now. I apologize that this post was kind of all over the place. Just had to get all my thoughts out at once! XD Iām sure Iāll be back once we get the next new trailer or other footage~