Frozen 2

image for Frozen 2

Short takes

Not suitable under 6; parental guidance to 8 (themes and scary scenes)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Frozen 2
  • a review of Frozen 2 completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 2 December 2019.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 6 Not suitable due to themes and scary scenes
Children aged 6–8 Parental guidance recommended due to themes and scary scenes.
Children over the age of 8 Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Frozen 2
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Some scenes may scare very young children.
Length: 108 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

While doing her best to run the Kingdom of Arendelle, Elsa (Idina Menzel) finds herself repeatedly listening to a siren call that only she can hear. One night she answers back and sets in motion a chain of events that see her, Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Johnathon Groff), and Olaf (Josh Gad) on a journey to Northuldra and to the enchanted forest their father and mother once told them of in a bedtime story. It is here that the sisters begin to learn the truth about the native people that live there, about the dark secret that hangs over their family, about the source of Elsa’s powers and about what really happened to their parents all those years ago. Despite Anna’s best attempts to protect her, Elsa sets off alone to confront the past and find her destiny while Anna learns to face her worst fears and what it takes to be a true leader. Once again, the sisters are able to weave their magic, free the people of Northuldra and save not only Arendelle but also each other.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Death of parents, siblings and friends, natural disasters, angered spirits of an enchanted forest, cultural superiority of one group over a native people.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie including:

  • During a bedtime story there are flashbacks to a battle scene that involves lots of sword fighting. The king is pushed over a cliff and the young price falls back and smashes his head on a rock. He is carried home unconscious by what he describes as a wind spirit, while the rest of his people are trapped inside the forest.
  • The image of a defenceless, Northuldran, chief is shown moments before he is assassinated.
  • There are numerous chase scenes involving smashing, panic and falling.
  • Olaf is repeatedly blasted backwards as he tries to enter the enchanted forest.
  • Earth (Rock) giants repeatedly chase and throw things at Anna.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • There are creepy eyes and shadows on the wall of a cave that Olaf passes through. He is fine but the image may frighten some young viewers.
  • There are giant earth spirits (rock giants) that appear very destructive and malicious. The earth giants sense and track Elsa; Anna and Olaf traverse a river that flows through a bunch of the sleeping earth giants; and later the earth giants chase Anna and nearly crush her while throwing boulders at her.
  • Elsa tries to get over crashing waves as she makes her way to a magic river on the other side of the ocean. She is repeatedly smashed backwards and a water sprit in the shape of a horse comes to attack and drown her. When all seems lost, Elsa fashions a bridle and tames the spirit, riding it over the ocean. The scene is very intense with loud, dramatic music and could frighten many younger children.
  • Wind spirits in the enchanted forest lift people up, twirl them around and at one point everyone is swept into a scary, swirling tornado that shows glimpses of the past while Elsa fights to try to stop it. Eventually Elsa succeeds and is able to freeze elements of time that the tornado was showing them. It is here that they learn a shocking truth that their mother was the spirit that saved their father from the battlefield and that their mother was also from Northuldra.
  • A fire lizard sets the forest on fire, reindeer are running to a dead end and Kristoff and Sven must try to save them all before they are burned. Anna tries to save Elsa but manages to get trapped herself by the flames and only just makes it out alive. Elsa later helps the lizard cool down before he can wreak such havoc again.
  • A creepy image reflected in a pool of water terrifies Olaf and he falls backwards into a giant footprint.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • Anna and Elsa find the wreckage of their parent’s ship and Elsa magically uses the memory of the water the ship contains to show them what happened. They learn how their parents died, hear their last words and see them moments before a huge wave crashed into the ship. Both girls are deeply saddened.
  • After learning that her grandfather assassinated the Northuldra Chief and started a war between the two people, Elsa slowly freezes to death. As a result, Olaf slowly flurries away in Anna’s arms and she knows that with Olaf gone so is her sister. Anna is devastated at the double loss and nearly unable to go on herself. The scene is very sad and could easily distress younger viewers. Both Elsa and Olaf come back to life in the end.
  • When Elsa answers the call of the siren the elemental spirits of earth, air, fire and water all arise to threaten Arendelle and the city must be evacuated. Lights go out, the ground shakes and all the residents flee, frightened, to a hill above the city. Later, when the dam is destroyed a great flood of water rushes through the trees, racing straight for Arendelle. Elsa is able to stop it from destroying the city but only at the last minute. The townsfolk watch on in horror and then relief.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

  • It is unlikely that children over the age of 8 would be frightened or disturbed by this film.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • The film contains no product placement however parents should be aware that there is mass marketing associated with the film including, clothing, toys, games and a range of merchandise available to purchase both on-line and in store.

Sexual references

  • None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • Anna and Christof embrace a couple of times and occasionally share a kiss.

Use of substances

  • None noted.

Coarse language

  • None noted.

In a nutshell

Frozen 2 is an animated, musical, sequel to the 2013 blockbuster film Frozen. Some scenes are a little darker but the characters are just as developed and endearing. Frozen 2 is a family film that will likely be enjoyed by all but the youngest of viewers.

The main messages from this movie are to believe in yourself; to keep on doing the right thing even when it feels impossible to go on; to see the value in cultures and beliefs that are different from your own; and to work towards building bonds of friendship, understanding and unity.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Persistence
  • Teamwork
  • Loyalty
  • Courage
  • Tolerance and Justice

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • Believing that one group of people is better than another.
  • Giving false gifts that serve your own purpose and harm others.
  • The ways that people are using natural resources for their own gain and the devastation and imbalance this can cause.
  • Being open to righting the wrongs of the past and facing them head on even when your own family is implicated and responsible for terrible suffering.